Caron Butler ruled out of the series against the Los Angeles Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks were dealt a blow before their Western Conference semi-final matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, when it was announced that Caron Butler would not be able to feature in the upcoming series. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Friday that Butler had “zero” chance of playing.
"He is not going to play in this series," Carlisle told a news association. He further said that the Dallas small forward has not been cleared by the doctor so far.
Butler has been out of action since 1st January with a ruptured right patellar tendon. He had to be operated upon because of the injury and the Mavericks ruled him out for the season right away. Caron Butler was however determined to make a comeback for the playoffs and went through a strict rehabilitation program to try and boost his recovery. His hopes have now been dashed.
Butler was present at the Rose Garden on Thursday when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trailblazers to setup a clash with the Lakers. He met reporters after the game and expressed his optimism of making a recovery before or during the Lakers series.
"I hope so," Butler said. "We've got to get back and see."
Butler was adamant that he will be allowed to start contact training once evaluated by the Mavericks medical team in Dallas. But Coach Carlisle has now seemingly put an end to the possibility of Butler’s return.
Butler’s non-recovery is a big loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He has a career point’s average of 16.6 and averaged 15.0 this season before tragedy struck on Jan. 1. Caron Butler, known for his tenacious defending, would have been a viable option to hound Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant – a man whose game Caron knows inside out.
Caron Butler played with Kobe in the Los Angeles Lakers’ side of the 2004-2005 season. He came to Los Angeles as a result of the trade, which saw Shaquille O’Neal’s heading to the Miami Heat. Caron did not have a successful time with the Lakers though and was traded again before the start of the 2005-2006 season. Butler and Chucky Atkins were sent to the Washington Wizards in return for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit. Butler finally came to Dallas in 2010.
Dallas will now have to do without the small forward who had considerable insight on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Other members of the team, particularly Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson will be expected to step up in his absence. However, they will have a big hole fill as Butler often provided a scoring outlet to ease the pressure on star forward Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, apart from his exemplary defence and hustle.
Caron Butler ruled out of series against the Los Angeles Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks were dealt a blow before their Western Conference semi-final matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers when it was announced that Caron Butler would not be able to feature in the upcoming series. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Friday that Butler had “zero” chance of playing.
"He is not going to play in this series," Carlisle told a news association. He further said that the Dallas small forward has not been cleared by a doctor so far.
Butler has been out of action since Jan. 1 with a ruptured right patellar tendon. Butler had to be operated upon because of the injury and the Mavericks ruled him out for the season right away. Caron Butler however was determined to make it back for the playoffs and went through a strict rehabilitation program to try and boost his recovery. His hopes have now been dashed.
Butler was present at the Rose Garden on Thursday when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trailblazers to setup a clash with the Lakers. He met reporters after the game and expressed his optimism of making a recovery before or during the Lakers series.
"I hope so," Butler said. "We've got to get back and see."
Butler was adamant that he will be allowed to start contact training once evaluated by the Mavericks medical team in Dallas. But Coach Carlisle has now seemingly put an end to the possibility of Butler’s return.
Butler’s non-recovery is a big loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He has a career point’s average of 16.6 and averaged 15.0 this season before tragedy struck on Jan. 1. Caron Butler was also known for his tenacious defending and would have been a viable option to guard Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
Caron Butler played with Kobe in the Los Angeles Lakers side of the 2004-2005 season. He came to Los Angeles as a result of the trade involving Shaquille O’Neal’s move to the Miami Heat. Butler, along with Lamar Odom and Brian Grant, moved in the opposite direction.
Caron did not have a successful time with the Lakers though and was traded again before the start of the 2005-2006 season. Butler and Chucky Atkins were sent to the Washington Wizards in return for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit. He came to Dallas in 2010.
Dallas will now have to do without the small forward who had considerable insight on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Other members of the team, particularly Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson will be expected to step up in his absence. They will have a considerable whole to fill as Butler often provided a scoring outlet to ease the pressure on star forward Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, apart from his exemplary defence and hustle.
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