Jimmy Butler listed as doubtful, his return seems imminent

Jimmy Butler is now listed as doubtful but will his return be too little too late for the Timberwolves and their playoff hopes this season?

According to Alan Horton, the Timberwolves have now listed Jimmy Butler as doubtful, leading us to believe that he will be returning in the very near future and possibly as soon as Thursday. The Wolves are very close to clinching a playoff spot but are still dangerously close to losing their way out of the postseason.

Jimmy Butler returning to the floor gives the Wolves their best chance to win, but how productive can he be after sitting out since late February? Karl Anthony Towns has played well as of late and Wiggins is going to get his buckets but as we have seen, they are not enough. Butler is the straw that stirs the drink and the Wolves do not have enough games remaining to wait for him to knock the rust off.

Tom Thibodeau brought Butler here to be the alpha and rise up to show the younger players what they need to do when the game and season are on the line. This is a lot to ask of a player coming off of knee surgery but it is what the Wolves have lacked desperately over the 16 games Butler has missed.

Next: Butler cleared for contact

There is a strong sense of disappointment and failure hovering around this team like a rain cloud  but Timberwolves.com tells us that a win against Denver and then a win against any other team will clinch the Wolves a playoff spot.  With Jimmy Butler back, this team should be capable of meeting those requirements and qualifying for the postseason. Should they fail to make the playoffs, this season will go down as one of the most disappointing in Timberwolves history.