Jimmy Butler‘s agent Bernie Lee sent a cryptic text to Andscape’s Marc Spears following his client’s pelvic injury in the Golden State Warriors‘ 109-94 Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets.
“Pray for the bear,” Spears said of Lee’s text message on “NBA Today” on Thursday, April 24.
The “pray for the bear” phrase was a reference to the late Kobe Bryant’s defiant message when he tore his Achilles heel in 2013.
“If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear,” Bryant wrote at the time. “I’ve always loved that quote. That’s ‘Mamba Mentality’, we don’t quit. We don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.”
Butler was ruled out after he landed awkwardly on his back in a scary fall with 1:51 left in the first quarter as Rockets guard Amen Thompson collided with him underneath the basket.
Butler’s X-ray result came back negative, bringing more hope that he could return soon. But the Warriors are still waiting for his MRI result, which is expected to come out anytime soon.
Doctor Optimistic of Jimmy Butler’s Return in the Series
Dr. Nirav Pandya, a professor at the Orthopedic Surgery department of the University of California, San Francisco and director of sports medicine at Benioff Children’s Hospital, said Butler’s injury is similar to Stephen Curry‘s previous pelvic injury, which caused Curry to miss two games.
“As with the injury that Curry suffered, a pelvic contusion is essentially bruising or inflammation to the bones of the pelvis and/or soft tissues in that region. Assuming that further imaging does not actually show any fractures, return to play is typically based on when an athlete is able to play comfortably without pain. This can be variable based on the region that is contused in the pelvis and the degree of inflammation,” Pandya wrote on X.
Compared to Curry, Butler appears to be stronger and conditioned to withstand such injury.
“Jimmy always says he’s going to be fine, but we have to wait to see the MRI [result],” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Game 2 loss.
Butler’s frontcourt partner Draymond Green believes Butler will be fine.
“He’s given me zero reasons not to believe anything he says, so I do believe him,” Green said of Butler.
The Warriors hope the two-day rest in between Games 2 and 3 will be enough for Butler to recover.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Golden Opportunity
Filling in for Butler, Jonathan Kuminga was inserted back into the rotation. But after not playing the last three games, Kuminga was rusty. The 22-year-old forward shot a measly 4-of-12 from the field to finish with 11 points in 26 minutes.
Aside from rust, Kuminga was eager to prove he should not have been benched in the first place. Especially as he’s playing for his next contract. Kuminga will become a restricted free agent after this season.
So if Butler needs to sit out in Game 3, Kuminga will have a golden opportunity to earn his rotation spot back.
“He wants to get the bag,” Spears said. “That’s his motivation. He gotta let it go. Forget feelings at this point. … He’s gotta shake it off. He’s gotta play.
“Hey, JK, you want to play, you want the bag, this is your time.”
Jimmy Butler’s Agent Sends Cryptic Text After Pelvic Injury in Warriors Loss