Caron Butler impresses in rehab

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle may have opened the door for Caron Butler to return in time for the Western Conference finals, just three days after team president Donnie Nelson called that idea "next to impossible."

"He's now at a point where he's dunking the ball and he's making more and more progress," Carlisle said Tuesday. "When he's back, he's going to be back 100 percent. Timetable-wise, I don't know exactly when that's going to be. I'll tell you what, it's [Butler's aggressive rehab] something that's energized our team, really since he took his knee cap and shoved it four inches back into place on Jan. 1 in Milwaukee."

"I'm not going to talk about a a timetable because I'm not a doctor," Carlisle said.

But, Carlisle does consult with doctors that constantly examine and monitor Butler's progress.

"I'm not going to comment on it," Carlisle said.

The Butler topic came up when Carlisle was asked if he could have imagined the team making this deep of a run if he had been told earlier in the season that he would lose Butler and Rodrigue Beaubois would be a non-factor.

Carlisle then delivered a 2-minute monologue on Butler's inspiration to the team and how Beaubois has contributed despite being displaced to the end of the bench.

"I believe both guys have had an impact," Carlisle said. "Caron, just simply being here every day and doing what he's doing is an incredible source of inspiration for all of us. I can't even begin to explain to you his positive attitude, the work that he's putting in; he's in here two or three times a day."