The Chicago Bulls can’t catch a break. Following cautious optimism gleaned from reports that Derrick Rose will very likely play again this season despite tearing his meniscus, it’s been all but dashed entirely by news that Jimmy Butler will miss 3-6 weeks due to an elbow sprain he suffered during yesterday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Bulls clarified Butler’s status today after outlets began reporting that he’d miss “extended time.”
Bulls release says Butler will miss 3-6 weeks with "Grade 2/3 ulnar ligament sprain and small bone impaction injury to the left elbow."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 2, 2015
The first-time All-Star suffered the injury while fighting through a hard screen set by DeAndre Jordan. Watch closely as his elbow hyperextends upon contact from the Clippers’ big man.
Butler was ruled out for the game’s remainder shortly following the injury.
Though this latest setback is obviously concerning for Chicago’s long-term playoff prospects, it doesn’t necessarily doom them, either. It was already likely given the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rise and Rose’s absence that the Bulls would basically cede the Central Division crown to LeBron James and company, nearly ensuring they’d be the fourth or fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
What’s most important now, then, is that Tom Thibodeau’s team stays ahead of the flailing Washington Wizards in the standings. Chicago wants home court advantage in the first round before likely facing the Atlanta Hawks. And though it wouldn’t be impossible for the Milwaukee Bucks to make up the four and-a-half game gap that currently separates them from the Bulls, it’s certainly not likely. Milwaukee is going through a late season transition of its own after replacing Brandon Knight with Michael Carter-Williams at the trade deadline.
Though Chicago can feel relatively confident about its playoff place, any time away from the floor for a player that bears Butler’s responsibility is obviously concerning. With so many players in and out of the lineup throughout this season, it’s been exceedingly difficult for the Bulls to gain any sense of on-court continuity. Rose’s latest injury made developing it more difficult, of course, and Butler’s makes that task seemingly impossible – Thibodeau will be lucky to have both players back with several games to spare before playoff time.
Can talent win out? It has in the past, and that’s what Chicago is being forced to count on now. But the Bulls don’t boast the top-tier individual ability of most champions, nor possess the defensive acumen of recent teams that has hallmarked the Thibodeau era.
Rose’s absence created another hurdle, and Butler’s only increases the height of it. And while that doesn’t doom Chicago entirely, it certainly makes the team’s path to a title even more difficult than it was before.
