Jimmy Butler – after suffering right toe injury in the third quarter of the Bulls’ win over the Bobcats on Monday, returning in the fourth quarter and then leaving again – pledged to be ready for Chicago’s next game. Via Mark Strotman of CSN Chicago:
“I hurt it. I don’t really know how. But it’s nothing major. I’ll be back. I’ve just got to ice it, rest it, all that stuff,” said Butler, who added that he’s “going to be good to go” for the Bulls’ upcoming “Circus Trip,” which begins Thursday in Denver. “I know what play it happened on. I just pushed off on it, I guess the wrong way, and it didn’t feel too good at all.”
“He didn’t do anything [at practice],” Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s going to have an MRI this afternoon.”
“I don’t know [about Butler’s availability],” he continued the coach, who noted that initial X-rays on Butler’s toe were negative. “I want to see what they [the Bulls’ medical staff] have to say after the MRI, so we’ll know more [Tuesday] afternoon.
If Butler must miss time, Kirk Hinrich or Mike Dunleavy could start in his place at shooting guard.
Dunleavy is having a nice season so far, making 12-of-22 3-pointers. His size makes him more a traditional choice.
Hinrich and Derrick Rose might have a budding chemistry, though they haven’t been effective overall while playing together this season. Maybe Thibodeau wants to give those two a chance to develop chemistry.
If there’s a tiebreaker, it could be the Nuggets’ backcourt. Ty Lawson and Randy Foye are undersized and speedy, perhaps making Hinrich the preferred choice.