Jimmy Butler Injures Knee; Blame Thibs?

After apparently not playing in the All-Star game for rest, Minnesota Timberwolves' star Jimmy Butler went down with what looked to be a non-contact, right knee injury.

Butler had been bumped by Nene before going down, but the injury appeared to be unrelated to that.

Jimmy Butler assisted off floor after what appears to be a lower leg injury pic.twitter.com/27flU10iWz

— Wobibrow (@World_Wide_Wob) February 24, 2018

Jimmy Butler appears to say “it’s torn” pic.twitter.com/ZcTbFgNVll

— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) February 24, 2018

This is a tough break for Minnesota, who has had their best season since 2003-04.

Jimmy Butler was averaging 22.4 points, 5.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game at 47.6% from field, 35.8% from 3, and 86.5% free throw shooting.

Butler was acquired over the offseason from Chicago, where he previously thrived under coach Tom Thibodeau. The star SG/SF has made a tremendous impact for Minnesota, who currently sit at 4th in the Western Conference at 36-26. 

With the Western Conference a tight race from the 3rd to 9th seed, the Timberwolves could quickly drop down the standings. Just 3 games separates the 3rd place Spurs and 9th place Clippers, and Minnesota could see themselves drop below the 4th seed and lose playoff homecourt advantage- or potentially even drop out of the playoffs. 

It didn't take long for fans and the media to turn on coach Tom Thibodeau.

If it’s a torn ACL for Butler, obviously people are going to look at Thibodeau + Jimmy’s workload over the years as driving factors.

While it’s hard to draw a 100% correlation between Butler’s injury and high usage rate, it’s hard to ignore the history with Rose, Noah and Deng.

— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) February 24, 2018

Thibodeau has been criticized for playing his starters extended minutes, with Jimmy Butler leading the NBA in minutes per game at 37.3.

Derrick Rose, Zach Lavine, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and now Jimmy Butler, have had major injuries while playing heavy minutes under coach Tom Thibodeau.

Sources: X-rays on Jimmy Butler's right knee returned negative tonight, with MRI scheduled tomorrow in Minnesota and some hope around the severity.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 24, 2018

While there is some hope about severity; Kristaps Porzingis had similar hopes before being diagnosed with his ACL injury as well.

Butler suffered the knee injury after just 25 minutes of play, in the first game back in over a week.

UPDATE:

Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler has a meniscus tear in his right knee and is determining treatment options, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 24, 2018

Jimmy Butler is expected to undergo surgery in coming days and could return within 4-to-6 weeks, league sources tell Yahoo. Final timetable will be set after procedure.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 25, 2018

If Butler undergoes surgery Monday, he could be available 4 weeks later on March 26 vs Memphis.

Butler would miss 12 games from a 4 week recovery, returning for the final 8 games.

If Butler has to miss 6 weeks, he would return April 9th vs Memphis. That would be the next to last game for Minnesota. Butler would miss 18 games in that case.

In a tough Western Conference, 12 games could be enough for Minnesota to slide out of the playoffs. 18 games or more could be a death blow to the franchise's hopes of competing in the playoffs.

Brandon Rush Joins Portland Trail Blazers On 10-day Contract

Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted Monday night that the Portland Trail blazers had signed veteran SG/SF Brandon Rush to a 10-Day contract.

Brandon Rush has agreed to a 10-day contract with Portland, league source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 20, 2018

The 6-6 guard/forward is a 32 year-old out of Kansas, taken 13th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by Portland. He was promptly traded to the Indiana Pacers for Jerryd Bayless on draft night.

Rush has played 9 seasons in the NBA, but has not played in the 2017-2018 regular season. The previous 9 seasons have been spent with Indiana, Golden State, Utah, and most recently the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2016-2017 season.

In 2016-2017, Rush averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 47 games (33 starts). Known for his 3-point shooting, he averaged 38.6% from 3 last year and has a career average of 40.2%.

Currently, the Trail Blazers rotation includes 3 players who are shooting a higher percentage from 3-point range than Rush did last year. McCollum at 42.1%, Aminu at 39.4%, and Napier at 40.3%.

Rush played the past nine years in the NBA, but didn't make the Milwaukee Bucks as a non-guaranteed player in training camp. He spent some time with Blazers this summer. He becomes the 14th man on Blazers roster. https://t.co/8pCQtwv1vd

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 20, 2018

It is unclear whether Rush will see any playing time in a crowded backcourt that already features Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Shabazz Napier, and Pat Connaughton at the PG and SG positions. Rush may be looking at minutes at SF, where Moe Harkless and Evan Turner remain mediocre options. With Portland coach Terry Stotts opting for a 3-guard lineup more often, perhaps Rush will see minutes off the bench as a shooter at the small forward position.

After moving Noah Vonleh to the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers can sign Brandon Rush and still narrowly avoid paying the luxury tax.

If signed Tuesday, the 10-day contract would see him potentially suit up through March 1st. That would leave Rush available to play against Utah, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Minnesota. He could be re-signed to a second 10-day contract.

LeBron James wins All-Star game MVP, Trade Deadline

Two weeks ago it looked like NBA superstar LeBron James might just be mortal after all. With the superstar facing an impending free agency and tasked with an aging roster, it looked like James' streak of 7 consecutive NBA finals would come to an end. With limited trade chips and the face of the franchise rumored to be looking to leave again this summer, the Cavaliers and LeBron James were looking vulnerable in the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference.

How much can hope really change in 2 weeks?

The surprise of the NBA trade deadline, the roster overhaul that Cleveland GM Koby Altman pulled was nothing short of a miracle for James.

Entering the NBA trade deadline, Cleveland's roster had 2 All-Star caliber players (Kevin Love, LeBron) and a bevy of selfish, overpaid, or washed-up players. Chemistry became an issue when reports came out that Isaiah Thomas had called out Kevin Love for leaving a game with illness, questioning the validity of his illness in a brutal loss. Thomas was recovering from illness, playing atrocious, and a new addition to the team. Calling out the 2nd best player on the team who had helped Cleveland win its only championship in history, wasn't the smartest move.

Isaiah Thomas tried to settle the storm by publicly denying any beef with Love, but the damage was done. Later reports came out that Dwayne Wade had actually thrown the first shot at Love- another surprise considering Wade's new addition to the team as well. Jae Crowder had also been brought in by the Boston trade in the off-season but proved to be a poor fit in the Cavalier's offense. Derrick Rose was a distraction on and off the court as he battled injuries and mental stamina; Rose left the team on multiple occasions.

Cleveland cleaned out the players with personal agendas- shipping out Isaiah Thomas, Dwayne Wade, and Derrick Rose. Crowder, Channing Frye, and Shumpert were also shipped out in an effort to get younger, athletic, and productive players.

A roster overhaul without giving up the coveted 2018 Brooklyn Nets pick? Impressive.

Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood, and George Hill are quality additions that immediately proved their worth in consecutive wins following the trade. With 2 more roster spots, the Cavs will likely be able to add a solid veteran contributor from the buyout market.

The trade deadline was a clear win for LeBron and the Cavs, but the All-Star weekend was the cherry on top.

Despite injuries to LeBron's All-Star team (Wall, Porzingis, Love, Cousins), Team LeBron rallied past Team Stephen for the 148-145 win. LeBron put up the clear-cut best numbers of the game, producing 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Winning All-Star MVP for the 3rd time (2006, 2008) was impressive for a 33 year-old future Hall of Famer who continues to deny Father Time.

The game was just a reminder that LeBron James isn't moving aside for the young guys just yet, with his 15th season as strong as ever.

Two weeks ago it looked like LeBron was stuck on a washed up team with an uncertain future.

Not anymore.

Jimmy Butler skips All-Star game; fine coming?

Sunday night featured one of the most competitive NBA All-Star games in recent history, but one of the NBA's best players didn't play- by choice.

Despite being one of the NBA's best 2-way players, the key to Minnesota's best winning percentage since the 2003-2004 season decided to sit out of the All-Star game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have posted a 39.6% winning percentage over 29 seasons, but currently sit at 59.0% and proud owners of the 4th seed in the Western Conference at 36-25.

Sitting just one game behind the San Antonio Spurs for 3rd place in the West, it would make sense for Butler to take the All-Star weekend easy so that he can have enough in the tank to propel the Wolves to homecourt advantage. This was the rationale that Butler gave himself, when citing how important this season was to him. It seems odd to request to completely sit out the game when even the Spurs allowed LaMarcus Aldridge to play some (a franchise known for resting players).

However, many fans and media members have been quick to point out that the game being in Los Angeles and Butler not feeling well can hardly be viewed as a coincidence.

Whether Butler didn't play because he was incredibly hungover from a night out in Los Angeles or he chose to sit for the minimal injury risk- it is very unusual for a player to completely skip a game without injuries. Even Joel Embiid managed to play significant minutes in the game.


We'll see if the league opts to fine Butler for not playing.

For now, it remains an interesting wrinkle from a stellar All-Star game.