New tests reveal small labral tear in hip; Butler's return uncertain
WASHINGTON -- It raised a few eyebrows when Caron Butler was listed as day-to-day for nearly a month. Now the Washington Wizards have discovered the reason.
| GM | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | FT% |
| 43 | 21.4 | 6.8 | 4.5 | .476 | .913 |
A re-examination of the All-Star forward's hip revealed a small labral tear of the left joint. Butler will be reexamined next week -- the injury might require surgery -- and coach Eddie Jordan made it sound as if his slumping team isn't expecting its toughest player to return anytime soon.
"I am not going to talk about the injury and the timing and all of that," Jordan said Thursday. "But as a player and as a human being, he means a lot to us. We just have to go forward with the guys we have."
Butler has missed the past 10 games with what was originally diagnosed as a strained hip flexor. He did not accompany the Wizards on the road trip that ends Friday night at Chicago.
The Wizards are 4-10 this season when Butler doesn't play. He is averaging 21.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.4 steals and earned a spot in the All-Star game for the second time, although he could not play because of the injury.
The Wizards, who have also played most of the season without injured point guard Gilbert Arenas, have lost 11 of 14 games to fall to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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