Chicago Bulls' slim hopes rest with reviving Jimmy Butler

Even before Dwyane Wade's season-ending elbow injury, one of the biggest questions facing the Bulls was whether Jimmy Butler could return to his early-season form.

Butler had another clunker Wednesday against Memphis, hitting 4 of 16 shots for 14 points. Since he returned from a heel injury in February, he's had some good games, but his jumper hasn't been there.

"It will go in one of these times. I've got to keep taking it," Butler said after Wednesday's loss.

With Wade out, it appears the Bulls' only hope of reaching the playoffs is for Butler to carry the load the way he did early this season.

The last game Butler played before the heel injury in Oklahoma City on Feb. 1 was one of his best performances of the season, scoring 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting. He sat out the next three games, played against Phoenix, then skipped the final game of the road trip at Minnesota.

Since Feb. 10, Butler is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 free throws per game, while shooting 37.4 percent from the field.

Before the heel injury, Butler averaged 24.6 points, 9.5 free throw attempts and shot 45.7 percent. Butler's assists are up lately, a byproduct of seeing more double-teams.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was asked if Butler has it in him to carry the Bulls for the final 14 games of the regular season.

"I think he does. The biggest thing is just to continue to put him in spots to be successful," Hoiberg said. "I thought the Charlotte game (on Monday) was great as far as our attack. I thought we got him some really easy looks as far as getting in the paint and kicking out. He was really aggressive shooting 3s that game, stepping up with no hesitation. He did a great job attacking closeouts and getting to the rim.

"It's going to take a great mindset by everybody to step up their games. We've got to make up for almost 20 points per game with Dwyane out of the lineup right now, and hopefully collectively as a group we all step up."

Wade's world is OK:

Dwyane Wade came to Chicago with modest expectations, but signed with last summer hoping to lead his hometown Bulls to success.

He talked about his state of mind Thursday after learning he'll miss the final 14 games of the season with an elbow injury, while the Bulls are slipping out of playoff position.

"Mentally I'm good, man. It is what it is. There's nothing I can do," he said. "The only thing I can do is try and move on from and try and get better each day. Last night I kind of knew that I was going to be here a little bit today, so tried to mentally wrap my brain around it and now today all I can do is come in with a positive mindset.

"It's not the way I would have written it, but it is what it is. But I'll just move past it, get better, and no surgery, so that's one thing I'm happy about. I'll just rehab and hopefully get on the court at the end of this year, and if not this year at some point next year."

It's possible, but unlikely, he could return in the playoffs.

Wade won't look ahead:

Whether his stint with the Bulls turns out to be a one-and-done, Dwyane Wade said Thursday it's too soon to think about his future with the team.

Wade is owed $23.8 million next season, but he can also opt out of his deal with the Bulls and become a free agent.

"At this point, it's too much cart in front of the horse," he said. "Definitely too soon."

There are a number of factors that could influence Wade's decision. He probably doesn't want to uproot his family again and it's unlikely any team would offer him more money than he'd get from the Bulls. Wade will turn 36 during next season.

But he'll also want to assess what direction the Bulls plan to take. Will they continue to add young players or use their cap space to put a few more veterans on the floor to complement Wade and Jimmy Butler?

"It took me a while to really get comfortable in these new surroundings," Wade said. "But then I finally got comfortable and I thought I played the way I wanted to. Coach did a great job of controlling my minutes. I tried to make adjustments to the different styles of play, different teammates and roles that I had. But overall, I thought I did a good job."