Clippers' Butler returns from hand injury
No one thought Caron Butler would play again during the first round of the NBA
playoffs.
Butler broke a bone in his left hand during Game 1 of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers
and the Memphis Grizzlies. Shortly after, the Clippers issued a release saying Butler would miss
the next four weeks at a minimum.
But Saturday morning before the Clippers' 87-86 win over Memphis, Butler was on the
court sinking jumper after jumper, and when it came time for the starting lineups to be
announced, Butler heard his name called.
Playing with a pad on the outside of his left hand and a brace over his pinky finger,
Butler played 22 unremarkable minutes.
But more than his four points or three rebounds, Butler served as an inspiration to his
teammates.
"It would have been so easy for (Butler) to say, 'I'm done, and I'm going to take care
of my hand. I'll be ready for next year,'" Clippers guard Chris Paul said. "That's one
thing (Vinny Del Negro) said, if he can fight with one broken hand, what can the rest of
us do?"
