NBA Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler is inching closer to a return, according to reports, as he begins contract drills
As the Minnesota Timberwolves close in on a playoff berth, Jimmy Butler continues to work his way back from injury.
And according to a report from the Star Tribune, Butler has taken a significant step in his road to recovery. Per the report, Butler has been cleared for contract drills and could be inching towards a return before the end of the regular season.
Butler underwent surgery on his injured meniscus a in late February and has missed the team’s last 14 games.
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"[via Star Tribune]For the first time since injuring the cartilage in his knee against Houston Feb. 23 Butler was cleared for contact drills; he walked into the Wolves locker room this morning carrying a brace for that right knee.This is a significant step for Butler."
Butler is the team’s leading scorer this season, and would be greatly missed in the playoffs, which isn’t even a forgone conclusion at this point. Minnesota is 7th in the Western Conference standings and is only 1.5 games ahead of the 9th-seeded LA Clippers.
During the 14 games that Butler has missed, the Wolves are 7-7. It’s pretty safe to say that they’re an average team without Butler, and a team with a significantly lower ceiling.
At the moment, the Wolves are set to face off against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. And unless Butler makes a return, it won’t really matter. The Wolves have the personnel to make a series with the Warriors interesting; but they need Butler to be the player that could takeover in crunch time.
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Without Butler, the Wolves are that talented, but extremely young and inexperienced team from last season – one that didn’t even make the playoffs. Keep that in mind.