Finally, some good news for the Chicago Bulls.
Jimmy Butler’s ailing left knee is going to be fine, according to CBS Sports’ Ken Berger:
Jimmy Butler's visit with Dr. James Andrews revealed "no issues" in left knee, league source says. Sigh of relief for Bulls fans.
— Ken Berger (@KBergNBA) March 10, 2016
Phew.
We still don’t know when Butler will officially return to action, and there’s always the chance that Chicago plays the long game here, taking things slow with their 26-year-old cornerstone this time around. But this is nevertheless great news, because following Thursday night’s 109-101 loss the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls are now a half-game outside the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture. And that, quite obviously, isn’t somewhere they want to be.
A healthy Butler instantly changes things, though. The Bulls haven’t been great with him, outscoring opponents by just 0.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com, but they’ve been absolutely terrible without him. Their net rating sits at a minus-four per 100 possessions when he sits. That’s worse than the Minnesota Timberwolves’ mark, and their on pace to win around 20 games.
If Butler can return and be his old self without worrying about a heightened risk of re-injuring his left knee, the Bulls are going to be fine—you know, so long as they consider “fine” to be snagging a bottom-two playoff spot and ending the season with a first-round exodus.
