Jimmy Butler to seek second opinion for ongoing knee issues

Bulls guard Jimmy Butler’s knee problems are not going away, and it’s becoming a worrying issue.

Butler will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Thursday about the ongoing pain in his left knee, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Butler suffered the injury on February 5 and missed the next eleven games. He attempted to return last Saturday against Houston, but the knee did not respond well and he missed Monday’s game and won’t play Thursday either.

According to coach Fred Hoiberg, swelling has subsided and Butler was able to do some light work on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the lingering pain is cause for concern given that the Bulls are right on the fringes of the playoff race and Butler is the team’s best player.

Butler was originally slated to miss 3 to 4 weeks when he originally suffered the injury. The Bulls have gone just 4-8 in the twelve games that Butler has missed. Their playoff hopes could suffer a fatal blow if he’s out for very much longer.