Bulls' Butler returns Monday after missing 11 games

Gradually, the Chicago Bulls are getting their players back. 

On the heels of Taj Gibson's return over the weekend, swingman Jimmy Butler will be back in the lineup Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

Butler missed Chicago's last 11 games with a sprained left elbow, a stretch in which the Bulls went 5-6 while also playing without Gibson and point guard Derrick Rose. Thibodeau said Butler would not be on a minutes restriction upon his return, something center Joakim Noah is dealing with - much to his chagrin. 

Noah is out Monday with due to general soreness.

Butler's impending return has Noah excited, however. The big man called the Bulls "the toughest team to beat in a seven-game series," according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

With all the crucial man games lost to injury, the Bulls offensive rating in March was only 101.5 points per 100 possessions, good for 19th in the NBA. On the season as a whole, they are 10th in the league at 104.6 points per 100.

Butler is the Bulls' leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, and in his absence Tony Snell became more involved offensively. Thibodeau said Monday there is still a role for Snell.