Talking about the Warriors has become almost a headache, not because it’s difficult to forecast what lies ahead for them, but because the moves they’ve made so far clearly hint at pursuing an impossible scenario with Jimmy Butler in a leading role.
When the veteran wing tore his ACL in January, the San Francisco project was blown apart, obviously predicated on keeping their best players healthy. They ended up as a play-in team, but that’s as far as it went.
With what lies ahead and after being unable to pivot their situation in the market, the Warriors at least see Butler’s recovery moving in the right direction, something revealed by ESPN reporter Anthony Slater.
According to the said source, the 36-year-old has shown a “notable progress,” though there remains a lot of rehabilitation work to be done. As for training camp, it’s expected that his activities will be limited to strength work and individual drills. And what return date is anticipated? Optimistically, we would be talking about January or February, perhaps coinciding with the All-Star break.
Despite his age and the physical blow that the ailment has caused, Butler has always shown himself convinced that he can still help Golden State win a championship. We cannot doubt his confidence and perseverance, but he faces a steep uphill battle, not because he would return in peak form or not, but because the Californians seem distant from that kind of contention.
