Any questions about how important Jimmy Butler is to the Bulls were answered Saturday.
After missing nearly three games and losing 10 pounds in the last week because of the flu, Butler returned to score 28 points in the Bulls\u2019 107-99 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center.
\u2018\u2018We needed that,\u2019\u2019 teammate Dwyane Wade said of Butler\u2019s return. \u2018\u2018And his leadership is very important. With this team, with us trying to get to be better, you don\u2019t want to miss any of the consistency from your team.\u2019\u2019
Especially when that consistency involves Butler.
\u2018\u2018Jimmy was great,\u2019\u2019 coach Fred Hoiberg said. \u2018\u2018He came out aggressive. Really was great throughout the game. Really showed how much he means to this team by being out there.\u2019\u2019
Butler continued to show why he is an MVP candidate midway through the regular season. He was hit with the flu before a home game Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and tried to play through it before Hoiberg pulled him and sent him home early. Butler then missed road games Tuesday against the Washington Wizards and Thursday against the New York Knicks.
Not coincidentally, the Bulls (20-21) lost all three of those games.
Butler, who finally was able to hold down some food, returned to the starting lineup against the Pelicans and made an instant impact. He scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first quarter.
\u2018\u2018That\u2019s a huge sign of the importance of a player for a team \u2014 how much you miss them when they\u2019re not in the lineup,\u2019\u2019 Hoiberg said. \u2018\u2018Jimmy, obviously, we\u2019re so much better with him on the floor. You talk about just a select few in this league that have that type of impact on their overall team.
\u2018\u2018He does everything, and the thing that\u2019s most overlooked with Jimmy \u2014 and we talk about this a lot \u2014 is a lot of these guys that are putting up these types of numbers are not guarding the other team\u2019s best player. Jimmy goes out every night and takes pride in that role, and that\u2019s what makes him one of the top players in this league.\u2019\u2019
And after Butler got the Bulls off to a good start, Wade had no problem closing late. He scored 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.
\u2018\u2018When he\u2019s making shots like that, feed the monster,\u2019\u2019 Butler said.
What was amazing about Wade\u2019s performance down the stretch was that he entered the fourth quarter 2-for-13 from the field. Then it clicked, and any chance of a Pelicans comeback was crushed.
\u2018\u2018Legs weren\u2019t in it, for some reason, but they kept coming to me,\u2019\u2019 Wade said. \u2018\u2018[Butler] kept running plays for me, even when I was struggling, and it helped me confidence-wise going into that fourth quarter. Got one to fall and another to fall, and then the basket starts growing.\u2019\u2019
Follow me on Twitter @suntimes_hoops.
Email: jcowley@suntimes.com<\/p>\n

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