Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said after practice Monday that Caron Butler will be back in the starting lineup for Washington at Cleveland tomorrow night after sitting out last weekend’s home opener with a bruised left kneecap.
Butler didn’t quite give a rousing endorsement of his health, saying he still felt a little soreness.
“It felt good in practice when I was out there moving around and was able to perform at full speed,” he said. “So we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”
The injury did happen when he dove for a loose ball at Atlanta. “It was just the after-effect thing. I was diving for the ball, played a couple minutes afterward, felt a little stiffness, a little tightness. It swelled up a little bit. I had a nice bruise, and doctors felt like it was probably the best thing to sit out a game, see how I feel.”
Butler also confirmed what Saunders had said on Saturday, that he was a bit anxious until the knee was examined.
“I was very scared. After getting the X-ray, getting the MRI, my mind was clear. I felt much better. But I was very scared initially because a little stiffness and soreness and a little swelling don’t feel right. Whenever you have problems with your knees, your alert just goes up. You’re radar is off the charts.”
