Chicago Bulls fans all around the world were definitely on pins and needles Friday night, after Jimmy Butler exited the game against the Denver Nuggets. In what looked like a scary injury, considering Butler for the first time I can recall in a long time, didn't get up and needed to be carted off in a wheel chair, seems to only be a hyperextended knee per Vincent Goodwill of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.
Bulls will miss Butler
A practical lock to miss the game, Butler's absence will give the Bulls a bigger hole than Pau Gasol did against Denver who is looking better to play tonight. The offense will need to be on the shoulders of Derrick Rose and Gasol if playing, while hoping for contributions from guys you wouldn't want to place money on. Doug Mcdermott should have plenty of plays ran for himself, along with Taj Gibson, who had a real good outing in Denver with 18 points and seven boards.
Tonight the Bulls could really use one of those magic games Aaron Brooks likes to pull out of his hat at times, where the basket looks bigger than himself in his eyes. Another man who could play better is Bobby Portis, he'll go up against Karl-Anthony Towns and has shown he comes ready to play against the number one pick. A matchup problem for the Bulls will be who goes up against rising star Andrew Wiggins. Tony Snell is the most likely candidate but he never does enough on offense to give you worth while minutes as he had only two points last night with Butler missing more than half the game.
Dunleavy to provide boost
He's back! Yeah, you guessed it, Mike Dunleavy on top of all the other news surrounding this team, is expected to make his much needed return tonight. It is unknown if he will be in the starting lineup when Butler returns or tonight. Fred Hoiberg may have liked what he's seen enough to keep E'Twaun Moore out there instead of forcing the 35 year old off of back surgery into the fire. I'd expect Dunleavy's minutes to be low out the gates, and expecting more than 15-20 minutes is out of the question. He will bring to the Bulls stability, and veteran leadership by example on the court, which has been sorely needed during some of the recent implosions of big leads. His passing, spacing, and high clip rate of 40 plus percent on threes last season will be vital to the offense.
The Bulls do not want to get into a track meet with this young Wolves team. Fans should expect a lot of half court from the beginning to end to preserve the bodies of the players that are playing, so that the Bulls can sneak out a win. The Wolves are coming off of a nice win the Bulls couldn't create against the Clippers Wednesday, but also lost seven of their previous eight before this game.
The Wolves will look to push the tempo against this injury riddled Bulls team and it could get ugly if no one is stepping up to relieve Butler's absence. The Bulls will be happy to escape Minnesota with a win after giving away two of the past three games late in the fourth. Questions will loom about this team until they are able to string some wins together and look like they enjoy playing together. They have to get healthy first and foremost. The All-Star break can't come any sooner for this club.