Warriors star Jimmy Butler undergoes right knee surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Jimmy Butler underwent right knee surgery Monday for his torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his season last month.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Bert Mandelbaum in Los Angeles, and the team said he would begin a rehabilitation program immediately with an update on his progress expected early next season.

Coach Steve Kerr hadn't spoken with Butler, who will be immobilized for some time before he is able to rejoin the team and likely watch from the bench before season's end. Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini accompanied Butler for the operation.

“I've not talked to Jimmy today but I spoke with Bernie Lee, his agent, or texted with him and spoke with Rick Celebrini, he was there for the surgery,” Kerr said. “Everything went well and now the recovery begins.”

Butler was hurt in the third quarter of a win against his former Miami team on Jan. 19 moments after catching a pass in the paint and went down hard and awkwardly following a collision with the Heat’s Davion Mitchell — who was called for a foul.

Butler’s knee buckled upon his landing and he grimaced and grabbed at the knee while down for a couple of minutes. He needed teammates Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield to escort him off the court and to the locker room after the fall on the Warriors’ offensive end. When he finally got up with assistance, he was unable to put any pressure on his knee.

Monday's game against Memphis marked Butler's 10th missed game, and the Warriors haven't been the same without him — going 3-6 during that stretch since his injury.

Butler averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals playing 31.1 minutes over 38 games. He was acquired by the Warriors last year in the trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Heat.

Kerr knows how much it will mean to have Butler back around, even under the difficult circumstances — and Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton just went through it, too, so he could be a resource for Butler.

“I know he wants to be back with the group,” Kerr said. “He talked about that after the injury. Hopefully we'll see him soon. It'll be great to have Jimmy here. He just gives everybody confidence. It's a really hard thing to be out for a year. Melt had his ACL last year. It will be good for them to be together and Melt can help him a little bit. It's always good to have players around when they're injured, it just makes everything feel tighter and more together.”

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