Jimmy Butler suffered from a scary injury on Friday. In the closing minutes of the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets, the Chicago Bulls shooting guard landed awkwardly on a layup attempt after taking contact
Butler was initially to be stretchered off immediately after the injury. Instead, the guard managed to stay in the game long enough to shoot his free throws, despite the pain. He was then put on a wheelchair and taken out of the game. He did not return.
Despite the scary situation, there are some bright spots. According to several reports, Butler was in a good mood during halftime, even cracking jokes about the situation. It may be reading too much into the situation, but hopefully that means that Butler’s injury was not as serious as first perceived.
Nevertheless, the Bulls have announced that Butler suffered a sprained knee. Depending on the severity of the sprain, the injury could keep him out for some time. For example, Thunder guard Andre Roberson sprained a knee recently and was diagnosed with a three week timetable. Of course, this situation could be completely different and we will update you as it becomes more clear.
The Bulls will likely remain cautious with Butler as they need him for a potential playoff run. However, any extended amount of time without their star player could lead to the Bulls losing major ground in the playoff race and possibly even losing home court advantage in the first round. Chicago will benefit, however, from the return of small forward Mike Dunleavy, Jr. for the first time this season, potentially allowing them to get through Butler’s injury mostly unscathed.
