Jimmy Butler may be facing offseason knee surgery

By Brett Pollakoff
Published

Jimmy Butler missed 14 games after suffering a knee injury back on Feb. 5, and he hasn't been the same since. His scoring average has dipped by almost seven points per game since returning, and he's shooting just 39 percent.

Part of that may be mental, but there's no denying that physically, Butler still isn't right. And according to a report from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Butler may not be back to normal until he undergoes offseason surgery.

According to a source, Butler was told that exploratory surgery on the knee was in play as soon as the season comes to an end. ...

“Maybe. I hope not,’’ Butler told the Sun-Times. “Is my knee the same as it was before the injury? No.

“But I want to play, man. And at times I feel like I’m hurting this team. That’s the most disappointing part because I’m not the player I was. I don’t know if there’s something really wrong in there, but it’s not really right, either. But I’ll be fine. I have to figure out a way to help us win playing with this. That’s all I’m worried about.’’

It's not too much of a stretch to say that this season has been a disastrous one for the Bulls. Chicago was expected to challenge LeBron James and the Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown, but injuries to Butler, Joakim Noah and others have made for inconsistent lineups all season long. 

The Bulls are fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, but are currently a game-and-a-half out. Missing the postseason with the talent the team had at the start would be devastating, but even if the Bulls made a run to get in, they'd almost certainly be crushed by either Cleveland or Toronto in the very first round.

As long as Butler says he can go, there's little chance the team will shut him down. But that might be the best course of action given all that's at stake with the best player on the roster.