Detroit Pistons: Caron Butler Offering Rare Bright Spark
By Adam McGee
There’s little doubt that starting the season by going 3-8 through the Detroit Pistons first eleven games was not exactly how Stan Van Gundy had imagined his start as coach in the Motor City, but then again little has gone how he drew it up so far.
One of the few exceptions to that might just be the impact of Caron Butler.
There were some raised eyebrows amongst Pistons fans over the summer when Butler was signed, yet their were always definitive traits in his character and play that he would bring to the table. First and foremost, as a veteran player, his experience could help bring something to the locker room in a leadership capacity.
Secondly, and in line with one of Van Gundy’s biggest priorities this summer, Butler was a proven shooter. The 34-year-old can space the floor by knocking down 3s at will, which for the team who ranked 29th in the league in 3-point percentage last season is a much needed improvement.
Along with Butler, Detroit signed Jodie Meeks, Cartier Martin and D.J. Augustin to help add quality from long range over the summer. With Meeks and Martin yet to have taken to the floor in the season proper due to injury, and Augustin shooting a measly 22.6 percent from deep, it’s been a solo crusade from behind the arc for Butler so far.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Even so, the Wisconsin native hasn’t shirked the challenge one little bit, and is playing really impressively.
In his 26 minutes of play per night, Butler is averaging eight points and 4.8 rebounds, all while shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range. Butler is doing pretty much exactly what his coach would want from him, and right now it’s hard to tell if that could be said for many others on the roster.
Butler and Van Gundy go back a long way though, as Butler was a part of the Miami Heat team on which Van Gundy got his start as a head coach. In conversation with Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News last week both men reflected and compared those two situations.
In 2003-04 in Miami, Van Gundy and Butler were 5-15 for their first 20 games before it all turned around.
Butler understands Van Gundy’s methods though, and knows it will have to be a gradual process:
"You have to understand that you create habits, whether good or bad, you have to stay the course. It doesn’t happen overnight. It don’t happen like that. I see the improvement. If I didn’t, I’d tell you. I see the improvement and guys buying in, and understanding. Guys are trying to make (defensive) rotations, instead of being on film and saying, “He got blown by, it’s not my coverage.’"
It’s that level of patience and understanding that made Butler an appealing prospect for Van Gundy to start his new adventure with, but arguably the bigger question is, now that the season has started should Butler have an increased role?
For the moment, Van Gundy is sticking with the front court trio of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond which was so disastrous last season, but inserting Butler in one of their places would give Detroit a much more conventional feel.
Right now, an argument could be made for any one of the three to be utilized from the bench, as Smith has been dreadful having never found his game since his move to the Motor City, Drummond is playing perhaps the worst he has during his time in the NBA thanks to his frequent foul trouble, and as Monroe is a free agent this summer it might be wise to try to shape the team without him.
These are all conundrums for Van Gundy to consider, but one way or another, Caron Butler’s positive play is bound to be offering him some sort of comfort.