The Bernstein Brief: Bulls Need To Be Cautious With Jimmy Butler
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) If Bulls wing Jimmy Butler is "not right" and playing through pain in his right foot, now is the time to figure it out and take action.
Butler hurt himself Nov. 20 at Golden State, then admitted after the Bulls' loss to the Pacers on Friday that something was bothering him after he was seen having difficulty putting his shoe on, CSN Chicago's Vincent Goodwill reported.
This needs to be diagnosed and treated now, before the games matter more. If it's a sprain or strain, Butler should take some games off. And if it's plantar fasciitis or a stress fracture, he should miss some more sooner instead of later.
It makes no sense whatsoever to have a star player pushing through any kind of foot issue at the end of November, with the playoffs still nearly five months away. Get out ahead of this problem, with every hope that it doesn't become the kind of debilitating blow that could derail any thin hopes of this team contending for a title.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
