NBA News: Chicago Bulls To Miss Jimmy Butler For 2-4 Weeks Because Of Sprained Thumb

Chicago Bull starting shooting guard Jimmy Butler missed his team’s season opener on Wednesday against the New York Knicks because of a sprained left thumb, an injury that will cause to be out at least two weeks and up to a month in the start of the 2014-2015 NBA Season.

Butler’s injury occurred on Oct. 19 and Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau stated that he could be ready to return in three weeks time.

"No one knows, that's the thing," Thibodeau said via the Chicago Tribune. "Two to four (weeks), one to three, I don't know what it is. He's not comfortable going yet so when he is, he will. We know that he wants to be out there and injuries are part of the game. Just deal with it. The tough-minded teams do."

Butler, a known Thibodeau’s favourite because of his defensive intensity and toughness, also had a toe injury last season that caused him to miss games. This time around, he’s making sure he’s 100% healthy before returning to the floor.

"There's just a lot of pain in the joint and the muscle around it," Butler said in the same article. "I just don't want to make it worse. I try to come back early and that's not always the best thing to do. They're just making sure when I do come back, I won't have any restraints.”

The injury is seen as a minor blow for the Bulls, who started the veteran guard Kirk Hinrich in lieu of Butler against the Knicks. Chicago did not miss him much in the game as the Bulls won via a blowout, 104-80 at the Madison Square Garden led by new acquisition Pau Gasol (21 points and 11 rebounds) and Taj Gibson, who had 22 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

The Bulls led 84-60 at the end of the third quarter and rested key players like Joakim Noah (20 minutes) and Derrick Rose (21 minutes) in the payoff period.

The 25-year-old Butler is entering his fourth season with the Chicago Bulls and both sides are working on a contract extension before the Oct. 31 deadline. The 6-foot-7 player out of Marquette was the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and averaged career-high numbers of 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals in the 2013-2014 NBA Season.