Bulls hoping Butler will recover quickly
While the Bulls and Cavaliers provided an entertaining preview of a potential playoff battle on Monday, the Bulls can only hope the latest injury news isn't a replay of last season's disappointment.
Jimmy Butler missed the 107-98 loss to Cleveland because of a sprained left thumb suffered the previous night against Charlotte. He'll skip Friday's preseason finale against Minnesota in St. Louis.
It's just a sprain, no surgery needed, and he's right-handed, so the thumb injury shouldn't keep him out long.
The potential problem is that Butler was the Bulls' best player in preseason before the injury. When coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the improvement, one of his explanations was Butler was hampered by missing time with a knee injury in last year's training camp, then had trouble finding a rhythm. Butler shot 39.7 percent from the field in the regular season.
"Obviously, I'd prefer to have him. But if we don't, we don't," Thibodeau said after Wednesday's practice at the Advocate Center. "We have more than enough. Next guy step up, get in there, get the job done. That's why you have 14 guys. You prepare for everything."
Butler had a great finish to the 2012-13 season, shooting 41 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs against Brooklyn and Miami. There were expectations that he'd be a bigger offensive threat last year, but his shooting touch never came around.
During the summer, Butler dropped about 10 pounds. The lighter, quicker version averaged 18.6 points while shooting better than 60 percent from the field in the first five preseason contests.
Now the Bulls can only hope Butler will be able to pick up where he left off this time. They open the regular season next Wednesday at New York.
"I think it's a week or so when they'll re-examine him," Thibodeau said. "He said he was feeling better today and his swelling went down, whatever that means.
"If you're in great shape, usually that helps you overcome a lot. Jimmy is a terrific player. But so are the guys behind him. No one is going to feel sorry for us. When that ball goes up, they don't care who is out there."
Everything seems to be going well for the two starters coming back from old injuries, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Rose appeared to be back to his old self while scoring 47 points in 52 minutes during the back-to-back games against Charlotte and Cleveland.
Noah played well against the Hornets, then struggled a bit against the Cavs, but feels good about his progress. Noah had his left knee scoped in May.
"In the beginning (of camp) I was a little bit more uncomfortable, a little more limited," Noah said. "I still have a ways to go. I still have to get more strength in my leg. Just trying to manage everything - practice, playing, getting that strength in my leg - at the same time. Overall, I'm happy with where it's at. I've just got to keep working."
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