Jimmy Butler injured his toe during Monday's win over the Charlotte Bobcats and will not accompany the Bulls during the circus trip. An MRI exam revealed turf toe on his right foot and Butler is officially listed as week-to-week. He will wear a walking boot for the time being so the swelling can subside. As of this writing, it is not yet known whether Kirk Hinrich or Mike Dunleavy will fill the two spot in the starting lineup, but both should expect a significant bump in playing time.
It's kind of funny to think that someone who was asked to play 48 minutes frequently in last year's playoffs is suddenly not able to go, but that's the life of an NBA player. It's also a tough break for someone who is playing the best basketball of his life. Tom Thibodeau even implied such when asked about it, but agreed that the third-year player "knows he has to do. He'll be fine."
While the Bulls can most certainly do without him for an extended period early in the season, you hate to see the player widely thought of as the one to watch besides Derrick Rose develop this problem. The silver lining is that this is happening now and not in the playoffs. As we all know, the Bulls were only able to compete so much with Miami as Rose, Hinrich and Luol Deng nursed their various injuries. Of course, the irony with this week-to-week status is that he might miss the Dec. 5 game with the Heat. Apparently, what goes around comes around.
This also makes Rose's job slightly more problematic as he continues to look for opportunities for his teammates. He would rather have the most talented players on offense help with his struggling play. Deng and Carlos Boozer can't be the only teammates to help him in that regard. Joakim Noah specializes in rebounding and energy, but can't be considered a go-to scorer. Butler has a more diverse skill set as a swingman. No, he doesn't pick up the scoring slack like Pippen often did with Jordan, but there's always room for his type on an NBA roster.
Hinrich's veteran presence and Dunleavy's shooting can only go so far, especially if they're expected to play longer than usual. Between the two, Hinrich is the better option to start thanks to his experience. He's a point guard who has shown he can play the two in the past. Bulls fans remember him shifting there in the lineup during Rose's first two seasons before he was dealt to Washington.
Despite everything the two potential replacements have accomplished, Hinrich's body is breaking down and although Dunleavy is potent in what he does, he's not meant to start for an extended period. The Bulls can try and replace Butler's 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals, but they'll need some luck to make it happen. Being on the road won't make the task any easier. Still, we've been proven wrong about this team's shortcomings before. Anything can happen.
Hopefully, Butler is being told to take it easy. The last thing the Bulls need is another promising young player continually hampered by injuries throughout the season. We know how low they've been on fuel late in the last couple of years, so anything that could accelerate that is not advisable. Thibodeau could always apply a slight brake to try and avoid that, but I have a greater chance of replacing Mike Breen for this year's NBA Finals telecasts.
Another challenge awaits, so it's time to tackle it.
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