Jimmy Butler's Return Sparks Bulls In Big Way
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) – The show of appreciation for Jimmy Butler came with 2:34 left in the game Saturday night, his work done after his sixth foul relegated him to the bench. A United Center crowd that had seen little to cheer about for the past month rose for a standing ovation, thankful for the Bulls' 108-100 victory against the Rockets and also for the measure of pride and respect that Butler helped restore, at least for a few hours, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in his first action since suffering a left knee strain on Feb. 5.
The Bulls, we were reminded, look like a professional basketball team when Butler plays.
"He gives everybody else confidence," teammate Mike Dunleavy said.
Butler had been itching to return. The NBA's minutes leader, he's not accustomed to sitting much, and the Bulls going 3-8 in his absence only made his plight more difficult. The team's leading scorer at 22.4 points per game, Butler went 11-of-12 at the free-throw line, giving Chicago the added element of some easy points.
There was a renewed vigor to the Bulls' play Saturday too. In one first-quarter sequence, Butler made a tremendous one-handed catch to throw down a Pau Gasol lob pass for a dunk, the Bulls got a stop on the other end and then Derrick Rose made a nifty transition layup.
Chicago had 24 fast-break points after averaging just 8.2 in its past five games. Some of that could be attributed to the Rockets' poor defense, but the Bulls had some life again, climbing to 31-30 to take over sole possessions of eighth place in the East, a half-game up on the Pistons for the final playoff spot.
"Every game for us is a playoff game," said Rose, who banged up his tailbone taking a charge early on but still had 17 points and nine assists.
To get there, the Bulls will need Butler to continue his quality all-around play. On a Bulls roster lined with one-dimensional players, he's the most complete player, and being a net positive at all moments on the floor matters greatly. In the days leading up to the game, coach Fred Hoiberg talked not of Butler's offense but rather the toughness he would bring, as well as help on the boards, where the Bulls have been hurt by foes' offensive rebounding.
Butler lived up to the billing. He also guarded Rockets star James Harden for most of the night. While Harden went off for 36 points, only six were scored when Butler was guarding him, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Harden shot just 2-of-6 and had three turnovers with Butler checking him.
"You see the impact Jimmy has just because of his ability to make life difficult for the elite wing players in this league," Hoiberg said. "When he got in foul trouble, you saw James Harden go off.
"He just gives you that great physical presence out there that can stay in front of guys."
Big man Pau Gasol also had 28 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Believe it or not, Saturday – the 61st game of the season – marked the first time the Bulls used the starting lineup of Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Taj Gibson and Gasol, as Dunleavy's 49-game absence was followed immediately by Butler's knee injury. Nikola Mirotic also returned after a 16-game absence following an appendectomy and follow-up surgery stemming from complications from the first procedure. He had seven points in 16 minutes.
Myriad issues still need cleaned up for the Bulls to have any chance of making noise, but the full complement of players (sans out-for-the-year Joakim Noah) provided a glimpse of hope.
"I don't ever think we're going to lose – that's the reason they got me here," Butler said. "I love the team that we have. As long as we have confidence in ourselves and each other, we'll be fine."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
