Jimmy Butler doesn’t think he will require knee surgery this offseason
The dark cloud hanging over the Chicago Bulls’ uphill battle to the postseason is whether or not they are risking the long-term health of All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler in their pursuit. Butler himself doesn’t seem to think so.
Butler said on Saturday that he doesn’t think he will need knee surgery come this offseason and that he has not been told by any doctor that such a procedure may be required, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Butler: "I don't think I'm going to need surgery in the offseason." Has any doctor told him he may need surgery? "No," he said.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 26, 2016
The two-time All-Star has been hobbled since suffering a strained left knee in early February. Come March, his knee troubles has gotten so bad that he was forced to seek a second opinion to address the ongoing pain.
Butler, 26, returned to action on March 14 after missing a total of 14 games. But the Bulls and their training staff faced criticism for supposedly rushing Butler back, particularly given his heavy workload (37.3 minutes per game this season) and the fact his knee didn’t respond well to an earlier comeback attempt on March 5, which ultimately cost him another three games.
The Bulls aren’t even in the Eastern Conference playoff picture right now at 36-36. Their problems seem to run much deeper, especially considering the disgust that both Butler and his teammates seem to convey to the media on a regular basis. But at least it’s good to know that the long-term health of Butler and his knee will (hopefully) be one less problem for them to worry about.