On the night he turns 28, the Wizards have a birthday wish for Caron Butler — health, happiness and a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the Wizards set to face their nemesis tonight at Verizon Center, Butler expects to play for the first time since Feb. 3. Barring a pregame tweak of his torn labrum (hip), Butler will be in the starting lineup.
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“After today’s practice I still feel good,” said Butler Wednesday. “If I wake up tomorrow and still feel the same way, I’ll definitely be on the court.”
And Washington coach Eddie Jordan won’t ease his All-Star forward into the mix. If Butler is on the floor, he will guard
NBA scoring leader
LeBron James.
“If he’s ready to go he’s fair game,” said Jordan. “It would be his match-up absolutely.”
Guarding James is always a difficult task for Washington. In games James has played, the Wizards have lost seven straight. Butler, however, has played in only one of those contests. Last year he missed the final regular season meeting and all four games of the Cavaliers’ playoff sweep with a broken hand.
With Washington (31-32) fighting for a playoff slot and Cleveland (37-27) coming to town, Butler targeted this game for his return.
“I’ve been working around the clock to prepare to get back out there,” said Butler. “It’s a great opportunity to come back — nationally televised game, I’ve got a nice rhythm, got a few practices under my belt, no symptoms. Big day tomorrow, it’s my birthday. A lot of things really flowing right now.”
When Cleveland edged Washington, 90-89, three weeks ago, Butler was on the bench in street clothes and took a good-natured ribbing from Cavs journeyman guard Damon Jones, who scored a season-high 27 points.
“He was jaw-jacking. He always does that,” said Butler. “He’s really entertaining. When he hits shots, he’s gonna say some really funny things.”
Butler’s return comes at an opportune time as several Wizards are hurting. Forward Antawn Jamison (lower back strain) and guard Antonio Daniels (sprained left thumb) sat out of practice yesterday but are expected to start tonight. Oleksiy Pecherov (ankle sprain), who was not in uniform for Tuesday’s 105-97 win over Milwaukee, practiced. Gilbert Arenas (knee) also practiced, but has not been cleared to play.
“We add a little more ‘Tough Juice’ (Butler’s nickname) to the lineup, and we’ll see how it goes,” said Jordan.
