Brian Butch to join Nuggets from D-League with Birdman grounded
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Brian Butch will join the Nuggets after Denver lost another big man to injury last Thursday. Chris “Birdman” Andersen suffered an ankle sprain against Portland, and joins big Power Forward Kenyon Martin on the list of injuries to Denver’s frontcourt.
Butch, a 6’ 11” Center who played college ball with the Wisconsin Badgers, has played all season with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA’s Development League. Brian averaged nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds in his time with the Jam.
Interestingly, Chris Andersen also came to the Nuggets from the D-League nearly ten years ago. Birdman was playing with the Fayetteville Patriots in 2001 when Denver called him to NBA action. Andersen has had an up-and-down career since, missing two seasons due to substance abuse issues. However, he did come in second in the NBA last season in total blocks with 175, well behind top shot-blocker Dwight Howard’s 231.
For Butch, the learning curve will be much shorter.
The Nuggets need Brian to be a contributor in their final 5 games in order to land a respectable playoff slot. The team currently sits in a 4-way tie with Dallas, Utah & Phoenix for the West’s second playoff seed. Every game has enormous home-court playoff implications in this final stretch, and that’s why the Nuggets pulled the trigger on a player with no NBA experience.
Denver may need even more than a token 5-game contribution from Butch, as there is no guarantee that Kenyon Martin will be able to return to the team after injuring his knee 16 games ago. Martin has been undergoing an advanced form of rehabilitation & treatment in an effort to get him back in powder blue for the playoffs, but may end up needing season-ending surgery if his recovery isn’t near flawless.
That puts the onus on Andersen to get healthy in a hurry and Butch to get his NBA legs even faster. Wednesday night’s game against Oklahoma City will be Brian Butch’s first test in the big leagues, and may go far in foretelling the Nuggets’ playoff future.
