Miami makeover

First-round pick Butler ready to change Heat's complexion

Caron Butler says he'll make teams pay for passing him in the NBA Draft. AP

MIAMI (AP) -- Peering out from under a floppy hat bearing his new team's name, Caron Butler sat in the Miami Heat interview room and stroked his chin, contemplating the whirlwind events of the past 24 hours -- and the past six years.

"There's a lot going on," he said with a dazed smile.

Butler was chosen with the 10th pick by the Heat in Wednesday's draft, the latest milestone in his improbable journey from juvenile delinquency to the NBA.

The forward from the University of Connecticut flew Thursday to Miami for a news conference, where coach Pat Riley touted Butler as his most promising rookie since James Worthy in 1982 when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers.

Later, Butler discussed the pain of the past, which has been eased by the promise of the present.

"You don't see this often -- a guy who was incarcerated and went through all I went through, and all of a sudden he's a top-10 pick," said Butler, 22. "A lot of people go into correctional facilities and become a better criminal. I became a better person."

Butler, who grew up in a rough neighborhood in Racine, Wis., was arrested 15 times before he was 15. He spent 14 months in a state prison for bringing a gun and cocaine to school.

Butler said he took a bum rap to protect someone else, but prison nonetheless reversed the direction of his life. When released in August 1996 at age 16, he said, he was a different person.

"While I was in there, I had nothing to do but think. I couldn't hang around with certain people because everything was crazy in there. I stayed by myself, and when you have all that time to think, you just become more mature," he said.

"It was a hard turnaround, but my mother moved out of the neighborhood I was staying in. And when I came out, I had a unique circle of people around me ready to help me any way they could."

He began playing basketball at a youth center. He took a job at Burger King and worked there for 18 months. And he stayed out of trouble.

Butler's game blossomed in high school at Maine Central Institute. He earned a scholarship to UConn and led the Huskies in scoring during each of his two seasons there. And, again, he stayed out of trouble.

"I haven't had a brush with the law in probably eight years," he said. "The only thing was a parking ticket -- I accidentally left my car by a meter too long and I was five minutes late and I got a $15 ticket. That was it.

"I don't want to be in trouble. I don't want to be around anything negative anymore."

Butler, who has a 7-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son, plans to marry his fiancee this summer. UConn coach Jim Calhoun says he has the maturity of a 25-year-old. Other former coaches also rave about him.

"It was well-documented some of his problems," Heat general manager Randy Pfund said. "We really felt like that was behind him. We did our homework but also were focused on the talent."

There's plenty of that. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Butler is a slasher and a scorer with a reputation for playing his best in big games -- all attributes the Heat lack. It's a bonus that he plays small forward, the weakest position on Riley's roster.

"We feel very good about being able to draft a player very specific to our needs," Riley said. "We're confident that at this level, he's going to be able to perform at a very high level."

Butler needs to improve his outside shooting and ballhandling, but concerns about his health are apparently unwarranted. He said talk that he had knee trouble -- including one rumor that he was once shot in the knee -- came from agents upset that he didn't hire them to represent him.

"I hope I didn't get shot," he said with a smile. "I've never had a knee problem. I broke my leg when I was 12 years old and haven't had a problem since. I've played probably a thousand games since then."

In two seasons at UConn, he didn't miss a game because of injury. He'll likely log a lot of playing time for the rebuilding Heat, who kept Riley out of the playoffs for the first time in his 20-year career.

"They've got great talent," Butler said. "Probably there was something missing last year. Probably me."

Riley grinned. Butler grinned. They know the past is history, and together they're ready to tackle tomorrow.

 

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