Caron Butler Not Ruling Out Playing in First Round Despite Broken Hand

When Caron Butler went down with a broken left hand in Game 1 of the Clippers/Grizzlies first round Playoff series, everyone assumed that was it for him. Everyone but Caron Butler, that is. From the LA Times: “Perhaps it’s wishful thinking on the part of Clippers small forward Caron Butler, but he said, ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way,’ regarding the possibility of his playing before the first-round series with Memphis is over. Butler will see a hand specialist Thursday in Los Angeles after the Clippers return home to determine how bad his fractured left hand is. The diagnosis said Butler would be out four to six weeks with the injury, meaning the earliest he could return would be the end of May. Butler, who was replaced in the starting lineup for Game 2 Wednesday night by Bobby Simmons, was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s night’s game when his hand got caught in Rudy Gay’s jersey. ‘I haven’t done anything with a basketball yet, but I do know that I injured it early in the third quarter and I still was able to play and be effective,’ Butler said. ‘I just knew something was wrong and I knew something wasn’t feeling right. I’ll go see the specialist tomorrow and see what they come up with.'”