Jimmy Butler isn't willing to sit around and let his team fight for the postseason without him.
The Minnesota Timberwolves swingman has been out since Feb. 23 when he suffered a torn meniscus in a non-contact play against the Houston Rockets that required surgery. While Butler's original timeline suggested he would only miss four-to-six weeks, the 28-year-old is adamant he will be back before the end of the regular season on April 11.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah, I plan on doing it," Butler said, courtesy of NBA.com's Kyle Ratke. "I can't give you the exact date, but I want to come back and I want to help. I want to play."
While the Timberwolves undoubtedly want Butler to return only when he's 100-percent healthy, they could use his presence in the lineup as soon as possible in order to secure a playoff spot.
After a loss to the Houston Rockets Sunday, Minnesota now holds the eighth and final playoff spot in a volatile Western Conference, sitting just 1.5 games above both the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, who are ninth and 10th, respectively.