The Chicago Bulls will be at full strength when they battle the Detroit Pistons on Friday at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. After missing significant time with injuries, Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler are both probable to return Friday. Although it is a positive that the Bulls are finally at full strength, these two players may hinder Tony Snell’s opportunities to play moving forward.
Nov 28, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) and Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) battle Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) for the ball during the second half of the Chicago Bulls 109-102 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bulls are 13-3 when their starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah have all been healthy at the same time. Provided that Butler does in fact play on Friday, the occasion will only mark the 17th time (out of 54 games) that this starting five have all played together.
Bulls backup point guard Kirk Hinrich is expected to return to the Bulls lineup on Friday night against Detroit after missing the last three games with turf toe. Hinrich told the media on Wednesday that his toe has been bothering him all season, but the pain was most acute the last six weeks. After resting the injury for the past week and a half, Hinrich says he feels much better and is ready to return to the lineup.
"“[It was] Just something I needed to get taken care of. I feel refreshed. The toe’s feeling much better.”"
According to ESPNs Doug Padilla, Jimmy Butler suffered a shoulder strain in the Bulls February 8 win against the Orlando Magic. He further aggravated the injury two days later against the Sacramento Kings and subsequent MRI analysis confirmed that it was a strain. Butler participated in the All-Star game last Sunday. He scored 6 points in 9 minutes of playing time. Butler participated in an intense practice session on Wednesday and Coach Tom Thibodeau said he liked what he saw out of the 4th year guard from Marquette.
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"“He was great. He looked really good. He did everything in practice, scrimmaged well, was attacking. So he looks good.”"
With Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich likely returning on Friday, the future minute distribution between these two players and Tony Snell becomes unclear. Snell has certainly staked his claim for still getting significant playing time after the all-star break. In last Thursday’s win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Snell scored 22 points on 9-11 shooting including 4-6 from behind the arc. The game before, Snell notched 24 points on 9-11 from the field including 4-6 from behind the arc. It is ironic that his field goal percentage was exactly the same in these two games. That isn’t a typo.