Butler wavied by Houston

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With their preseason schedule complete, the Rockets returned to practice on Saturday without center Jackie Butler and guard John Lucas III who are expected to be placed on waivers later today.

Lucas had been considered likely to be released or traded since the Rockets acquired Mike James and drafted Aaron Brooks in June, with the Rockets working to deal him since early July. Butler's prospects, however, were much less certain.

Acquired from San Antonio in the trade for forward Luis Scola, Butler would have been the third center, behind Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo. At just 22-years-old, he was thought to be a project that could develop and insurance in the event of injuries to Yao, who has missed large portions of the past two seasons, and Mutombo, the NBA's oldest player at 41-years-old

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/5250911.html

Looks like Butler shall ever be a project.

:lol WTF?

Good luck to Jackie. Hopefully he gets in better shape again. He was on track for awhile.

My friend (Noel Felix) will likely get waived from the Cavs today too. I hate it when the young guys on the edge of making the NBA get waived :(

:lmao

would you want the spurs to pick up noel?

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Originally Posted by ducks

would you want the spurs to pick up noel?

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Of course!

who would you waive for him
beno or williams?

timvp, your thoughts?

Cut Williams, cut Udrih, sign Washington, sign Felix.

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Originally Posted by whottt

timvp, your thoughts?

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He's sleeping.

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Originally Posted by T Park

Cut Williams, cut Udrih, sign Washington, sign Felix.

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A lot of other teams are desperate at the point and eyeing Washington - Kings, Cavs, etc. He's going to get snatched up fast when (if!) he gets waived.

Its Raja bell all over again no question.

Stupid Cavs will get a PG and the Spurs could've traded one to em for NOTHING.

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Originally Posted by T Park

Its Raja bell all over again no question.

Stupid Cavs will get a PG and the Spurs could've traded one to em for NOTHING.

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We'll see. Cavs are trying to make a deal. I'm just not sure they have any interest in Beno anymore.

Prob cause they realized it was beno udrih and not someone worth a crap.

Fuckin Beno is the new HITA.

I remember when Spurs were in need of a center after the 06' collapse and Jackie Butler was highly praised as the number one center in the free agency class of 06' according to some people. Gives me a chuckle.



Best of wishes to DK! Hope he has a good career in europe.

Thank god I was wrong :lol

It would be PERFECT now, to move Beno for an exception, and sign either Butler or Felix.

Butler blows

Spoken by a person whos never seen him play.

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Originally Posted by whottt

timvp, your thoughts?

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:lol

As if whottt wasn't equally excited about Butler last summer. Don't make me do a search.

Butler is a very good talent. He has natural talents that are rare in a big man. However, he's immature at this stage of his career. He fails at the aspect of being a professional.

If he ever figures it out and can get the mental part of the game down, he could be a good NBA player. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him now that he's a free agent. There aren't that many teams with free roster spots who need a bigman so Butler might have to settle for the NBDL or Europe.

Sign him up Austin...

edit...

Darius is being kept!!!!

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Originally Posted by T Park

Its Raja bell all over again no question.

Stupid Cavs will get a PG and the Spurs could've traded one to em for NOTHING.

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Dude, WTF are you talking about? :dizzy :dizzy :dizzy

Butler will never be a player in any 8 man rotation in the NBA. You can book it! He's a typical complacent IR player. He lacks an ignition to get better and his competative fire is non-existant . Even though he has a soft touch around the basket, he is also a soft rebounder/ shotblocker and doesn't really enjoy picking up his feet off the ground for rebounds or even running down court ( which i think is pure laziness). Sometimes it seems like he has cement blocks on the bottom of his feet. I personally think he is going to have to go to Europe or NBDL and prove his worth the GM's around the league the next year or two. If he gets picked up by an NBA team I'll be surprised.

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Spoken by a person whos never seen him play.

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Just because I don't have 35 thousand post counts doesn't mean I don't watch basketball.

Post counts have nothing to do with it.

Saying that "Butler sucks" is an ignorant statement.

he doesn't suck. If you had watched the end of the year when he got consistent PT and more than 2 mins in blowouts, you will see he produced great numbers.

It's not an ignorant statement its a FACT. Jackie Butler is NOT GOOD. Why would rockets waive him if he could produce such great numbers? It's not like rockets are so loaded at the 4 or 5 position to begin with. After Yao Scola and Hayes they have hardly anything.

Houston needed a center and they have waived Butler, he should have very bad to be cut. Spurs were maybe right to give up on him. It makes too the Scola trade better. When you see that teams sells late first round pick for $3M, Spurs have gotten more than that for Scola.

I'm surprised he got waived. I don't know what it says about Butler that a team feels more comfortable with an 80 year old Dikembe Mutombo as their backup over him. :lol

Deke arrives in shape and gives effort as long as he's on the floor. If Butler did he'd probably still be a Knick. That Scola trade is looking smarter and smarter.

Lets not forget that Butler being moved is the real reason for washington making the team today!!

Think of it more like Butler being moved created cap space to sign Udoka and Washington.

two thoughts:

1. The Rockets have no problem eating a contract like Butler's even though they're in luxury tax territory

2. I'm not so sure that Butler will be working on his maturity or at his mental game or going to europe or trying to get back in the league and such. The Spurs made him rich, something even Isiah refused to do. He got paid and now that he won't be in the league full time is at risk for ballooning up in weight, and he'll still have a lot of money in the bank.

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Originally Posted by objective

1. The Rockets have no problem eating a contract like Butler's even though they're in luxury tax territory

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That was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the thread title. *cough* Beno *cough* pull the trigger. :hungry:

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1. The Rockets have no problem eating a contract like Butler's even though they're in luxury tax territory

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Teams that are desperate to get to where the Spurs are, usually do :)

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Houston needed a center and they have waived Butler, he should have very bad to be cut. Spurs were maybe right to give up on him. It makes too the Scola trade better. When you see that teams sells late first round pick for $3M, Spurs have gotten more than that for Scola.

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Bruno, Rick Adelman put Scola as a Center in the preseason a lot

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Originally Posted by Hemotivo

Bruno, Rick Adelman put Scola as a Center in the preseason a lot

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Yes, Chuck Hayes played too some C.
Hayes and Scola are true PFs.
Butler was so bad that Adelman has rather used PFs to play C than Butler.
Houston roster was overcrowded but not at the C spot, Houston cutting Butler means that he was really bad.

I'm a little surprised that Butler couldn't thrive in an Adelman offense. He seems like a decent fit. I hope Jackie gets the fire back at some point, but at summer league it looked like he was intentionally showing how he wasn't Spurs material.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

Of course!

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Kori, what are Noel's dimensions? What are his strengths and weaknesses as a player?

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Houston roster was overcrowded but not at the C spot, Houston cutting Butler means that he was really bad.

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Yeah, those center scrubs Houston has are lucky to be in the NBA. I mean, Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo are just horrible.

:dramaquee

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Originally Posted by SenorSpur

Kori, what are Noel's dimensions? What are his strengths and weaknesses as a player?

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6'9 245-250 PF. Strengths: Shotblocking. Post offense and D. Athleticism (he dunks a lot but he has good range now too). He didn't get cut today, but I'm guessing he will in a couple days after the Cavs make a trade. Weaknesses: Used to be outside shooting, but he's actually pretty good now. He needs to be more aggressive, but he's better at that now too. He's my best friend (other than timvp) that's why I want him here.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Yeah, those center scrubs Houston has are lucky to be in the NBA. I mean, Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo are just horrible.

:dramaquee

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So you don't need a third string center behind the injury prone Yao and the 41 years old Mutombo?
At the start of the training camp, Butler roster spot was said to be quite safe because he was an insurance at the C spot.

As for Butler, I haven't really looked at him lately but I heard he put some weight back on. He needs to get disciplined and stay disciplined to stick in the league.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

6'9 245-250 PF. Strengths: Shotblocking. Post offense and D. Athleticism (he dunks a lot but he has good range now too). He didn't get cut today, but I'm guessing he will in a couple days after the Cavs make a trade. Weaknesses: Used to be outside shooting, but he's actually pretty good now. He needs to be more aggressive, but he's better at that now too. He's my best friend (other than timvp) that's why I want him here.

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Sounds like an interesting player. Would love to get a look at him. Why do you think he's bounced around a bit?

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Originally Posted by SenorSpur

Sounds like an interesting player. Would love to get a look at him. Why do you think he's bounced around a bit?

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Because he didn't get started til late. He didn't play high school basketball in his freshman year, then he went to Inglewood High where he just dunked and blocked shots (he averaged 5 block a game) - he didn't get coached really to learn much of anything else. He went to Fresno St during a chaotic time when there were NCAA violations, players killing people, players getting suspended for drugs (not him), etc. So he was just lucky enough to get through.

I first saw him in 2004 at Spurs summer league, but he's 10 x a better player than that now. For the past few years, he's been the last cut in camp on a few teams. Last season, he actually requested to get waived by Seattle because he had an offer for $500K+ to play with Maccabi. He needed the money because he has a baby and Seattle wasn't guaranteeing him anything. This summer, he played for the Bucks in summer league and looked great and had interest from 7 or 8 NBA teams. He was then sent to a camp by the Cavs in August, then they brought him up to Cleveland about a month before training camp started -- so he's been there for around 50 days. I'm just not sure they have room for him if they make a trade, or if they end up signing AVarejao back. We'll see. In the NBA, when he makes it, he will find a niche as a shotblocker. In limited minutes with the Cavs in preason, he's averaging a block in five minutes playing time. (Sorry for the rant)

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Originally Posted by Bruno

So you don't need a third string center behind the injury prone Yao and the 41 years old Mutombo?
At the start of the training camp, Butler roster spot was said to be quite safe because he was an insurance at the C spot.

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Adelman teams in the past have rarely even played backup centers. He likes to slide over a power forward when the center is resting. I expect him to use Mutombo in spot defensive situations like he used to use Pollard.

However, Adelman has always seemed to prefer going small with his backup center, whether it was Buck Williams behind Kevin Duckworth, Lawerence Funderburke behind Vlade Divac or Kenny Thomas behind Brad Miller.

It'll be interesting to see if Butler catches on with another team before the season starts. What really hurts Butler is a team can't sign him and send him to the NBDL. He needs to actually play. Perhaps a Euro team will take a look at him.

Butler should have enough in the bank to be able to play in the D-League himself this year. He's good enough to wait out the draft and be a little more choosy about when he enters the player pool.

Of course he could probably make millions in Europe without ever getting any better.

It's all up to him.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

Because he didn't get started til late. He didn't play high school basketball in his freshman year, then he went to Inglewood High where he just dunked and blocked shots (he averaged 5 block a game) - he didn't get coached really to learn much of anything else. He went to Fresno St during a chaotic time when there were NCAA violations, players killing people, players getting suspended for drugs (not him), etc. So he was just lucky enough to get through.

I first saw him in 2004 at Spurs summer league, but he's 10 x a better player than that now. For the past few years, he's been the last cut in camp on a few teams. Last season, he actually requested to get waived by Seattle because he had an offer for $500K+ to play with Maccabi. He needed the money because he has a baby and Seattle wasn't guaranteeing him anything. This summer, he played for the Bucks in summer league and looked great and had interest from 7 or 8 NBA teams. He was then sent to a camp by the Cavs in August, then they brought him up to Cleveland about a month before training camp started -- so he's been there for around 50 days. I'm just not sure they have room for him if they make a trade, or if they end up signing AVarejao back. We'll see. In the NBA, when he makes it, he will find a niche as a shotblocker. In limited minutes with the Cavs in preason, he's averaging a block in five minutes playing time. (Sorry for the rant)

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No worries. Makes me wonder with Varejao asking for $10mil per, perhaps the Cavs need to take a look at a guy like that. Keep him around just in case.

In case he doesn't make it there, do you have a feel for how he's viewed by the Spurs organization? Would they be willing to take another look at him down the road?

Good stuff. Always like to see any player that can protect the rim. Looks like the only shotblocker we have here besides TD is Mahinmi - and he'll likely be relegated to Austin duty.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

As for Butler, I haven't really looked at him lately but I heard he put some weight back on. He needs to get disciplined and stay disciplined to stick in the league.

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Gotta give the Spurs props for shipping his lazy ass to Houston. As much as the Scola move was criticized, you have to admit throwing Butler into the deal to save his "god-awful" salary was a good move.

No there's only one more lazy ass on the roster to get rid of.

Even if Adelman plays often without a center, Butler has had to be really bad to be cut. When Yao will be injured as every year, Houston will only have Mutombo as true C.
Butler has not been cut because of Adelman, he has been cut because he was horrible. Adelman hasn't even given him playtime during the preseason.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Adelman teams in the past have rarely even played backup centers. He likes to slide over a power forward when the center is resting. I expect him to use Mutombo in spot defensive situations like he used to use Pollard.

However, Adelman has always seemed to prefer going small with his backup center, whether it was Buck Williams behind Kevin Duckworth, Lawerence Funderburke behind Vlade Divac or Kenny Thomas behind Brad Miller.

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:clap Took the words right off of my fingertips. Adelman will be going to Mediumball in the playoffs.

Wonder if we'll even see Butler again in this league.

its a shame. he got a huge chance from pop and wasted it- i guess hes content with a couple million and a ring. i'm sure that if he tried harder he could get up and down the floor quicker. dude makes oberto look like a track star.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

Wonder if we'll even see Butler again in this league.

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If he doesn't start to mature and develop some level of discipline with managing his weight and improving his game - it's unlikely.

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Originally Posted by T Park

Prob cause they realized it was beno udrih and not someone worth a crap.

Fuckin Beno is the new HITA.

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At least Beno doesn't make $9 million per, and never threatened to hold out when he didn't get his extension. They do seem to exert about the same amount of effort in the playoffs though.

We managedto dump that contract, save some money, get Udoka... nice.

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They do seem to exert about the same amount of effort in the playoffs though.

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Smitty did have that nice run up the score three vs the Lakers in game 6 in 03 though....