The start of the 2011 NBA Finals is hours away, but Mavs forward Caron Butler still hasn’t been cleared to practice. Mavericks medical staff call his recovery one-two months faster than average, but haven’t yet signed off on his return to face the Heat.

As Tim McMahon points out, Butler, on the other hand, thinks that he’s ready.

It’s frustrating, and it’s not like AAU. It’s not like [I can just say], ‘I can give it a shot.’ It’s one of those things where there’s a chain of command. You’ve got to go through the right people to get cleared.

He also says that, if cleared, he would look like himself on the court. That Caron Butler would be a huge boost for the Mavericks. They lack ample options to guard LeBron James as well as true two-way players. Butler also shot 43% from three-point range in 29 games before his injury this season.