Butler won't return until he can ball out with 'no restrictions'
Jimmy Butler doesn't want to be in and out of the lineup.
The Chicago Bulls small forward is battling a right heel injury, and doesn't plan on returning until he's 100 percent.
"I don't want to be able to go out there and play like 10 minutes and be like, 'I can't move,'" he said Wednesday after shootaround, as quoted by ESPN's Nick Friedell.
"I want to go out there and be the player I can be on both ends of the floor. My coaches, my teammates understand that. When I go out there I want to play. There ain't gonna be no restrictions. Go out there and play however many minutes, whatever I'm asked to do on the basketball court."
The All-Star suffered the knock last Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Having sat out the past two games, the heel is improving.
"I don't think it's getting worse. It's actually getting better," Butler said. "There's just certain movements, and that will make it worse. You don't want that to happen.''
He's already been ruled out for Wednesday's tilt against the Golden State Warriors and remains day to day moving forward.
"Hopefully when I go back to the hotel and eat some Cheerios, it's the magical thing that my body doesn't hurt," he said. "Whatever it takes. I just want to play. But yeah, I'm hopeful that day by day, hour after hour, I'll return to the basketball court.''
The 27-year-old swingman has missed time due to injuries throughout his six seasons in the NBA, playing all 82 games only in his sophomore year. He's averaging a career-high 24.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
The Bulls are 1-3 without their star player in 2016-17, starting guards Dwyane Wade, Michael Carter-Williams, and Jerian Grant in his stead.