According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, former Laker and current Mavericks guard Caron Butler has been sidelined since January 1st with a ruptured right patellar tendon and had surgery to have it fixed. The original prognosis was that Butler would miss the rest of the season, but an aggressive rehab schedule has given Butler the chance to possibly return this post-season.
After eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers last night the Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals to take on the Lakers. This is the first playoff meeting between the two teams in nearly 25 years, and has been an anticipated series all season.
Whether Butler will be able to return and help the Mavericks is yet to be seen, but his return could cause some problems for Los Angeles. Dallas currently uses a platoon of DeShawn Stevenson and Jason Terry to run the shooting guard position. Butler would instantly add depth and defensive stability to the roster. He could provide an answer to one of the Mavericks biggest problems in the series as well – Kobe Bryant.
Butler was averaging 15.0 points per game before the injury.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbsMzMtHKpU
