The Chicago Bulls shooting guard injured his elbow two weeks ago and was not expected to return to the team until later in the season.
Jimmy Butler’s Most Improved Player of the Year campaign was sidetracked after Butler injured his elbow in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. With both Butler and Derrick Rose out with injury, as well as key sixth man Taj Gibson, the Chicago Bulls were expected to tumble in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Butler was originally expected to be out for three to six weeks, but according to head coach Tom Thibodeau it appears as though he may be ready to go tonight against the Charlotte Hornets.
From the Chicago Tribune:
"Jimmy Butler worked with the starting five during Monday’s morning shootaround and is likely to return from his left elbow injury against the Charlotte Hornets.“He feels good,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ll see when he warms up tonight. But it looks like it could be a go.”Thibodeau said Butler, who leads the NBA in minutes per game, wouldn’t be restricted upon his return. Tony Snell would move into a reserve role."
For Jimmy Butler, unrestricted play may end up doing more damage to the Bulls than good. Thibodeau has a history of asking a great deal from his primary wing player in terms of minutes and physical play. Luol Deng endured an absurd amount of minutes while he played for the Bulls, and near the end of his time in Chicago was plagued by injury issues.
Much of the Bulls defense is reliant on a lock down wing defender. While the interior of the defense cleans up near the rim, Butler limits the long range shooting and penetration of the opponent’s primary scorer, forcing the offense into a game of long two point shots.
The Bulls could have used that defense on Saturday when they allowed the Detroit Pistons to end their 107-91 victory on a 54-19 run. The team has gone 5-6 in Butler’s absence.
Perhaps Butler has fully recovered, and can play at full strength. But it is likely that Butler is being rushed back, and while that may pay off for the Bulls in the short term, they may be forced to endure more stretches without Butler when they need him most in the playoffs.
It is a postseason ritual to see the Chicago Bulls valiantly powering through a first round series shorthanded before falling to a superior opponent. With Butler coming back earlier than expected, they may be noble losers once again.
[H/T: Chicago Tribune]
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