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Caron Butler key to Clippers' success

Before Chris Paul was even a Los Angeles Clipper -- before the terms of the trade to send him to L.A. from New Orleans were even consummated, back when he could've still become an L.A. Laker -- the seven-year NBA veteran spoke at length by phone with the Clippers' general manager, Neil Olshey.


The two men didn't get into a ton of particulars in their conversation. After all, Paul wasn't a free agent; he was a trade target. The purpose of the talk, from the Clippers' perspective, was to gauge his excitement about the possibility of coming to L.A., nothing more. But, in that time, Olshey and Paul also briefly talked about something else that would prove significant over two weeks that proceeded: Paul's theoretical wish list, were he to join the Clippers.

Atop that wish list was one player: free-agent forward Caron Butler.

Shortly afterward, on the first day NBA teams could talk to free agents, the Clippers spoke to Butler and scheduled a visit. Three days after that, Butler agreed to a deal with the Clippers. A week after that, the Clippers agreed to a deal with New Orleans for Paul.

"We have to do a better job getting Caron more involved," Del Negro said. "Caron, in that mid-range, we can run things through him a little bit. We've got to find a way to do a better job of getting him some more touches, because he can put a lot of pressure on the defense."

But understanding his role isn't difficult. It's clear, and he's embraced what the Clippers want him to do behind Griffin, Paul and Billups this season: Be the guy they can turn to when they need it.

"I have no problem playing off those guys," Butler said. "If they're getting doubled, I have to make teams pay. Make them make the adjustment."

Pedro Moura, ESPN Los Angeles

Caron Butler quietly leads Clippers

He's not going to have these kinds of games every night, but Caron Butler knows they're going to come. If teams don't account for him, he has the ability to make them pay.

Saturday night at Staples Center, Butler helped turn a game in the Los Angeles Clippers' favor by making big shots and playing tough defense. On a team of stars, he's the one guy who sometimes gets overlooked.

Consider that four of the Clippers' starters are listed on this year's all-star ballot. The only player who's missing? Butler.

"I don't have to be on no ballot," Butler said. "I know what my value is to this team."

"Caron is a lot of times going to lead this team in scoring because teams are setting themselves up to stop Blake and stop Chris and maybe myself," teammate Chauncey Billups said. "Caron is just going to have those quiet nights with 20, 19, 21. We look for him to do that. We need that out of him."

"CB can score with the best of them," said Paul. "He can defend well, and he's a problem on the offensive end for a lot of guys as well."

"This is a comeback year for me," he said. "I'm just taking everything in stride. Some days are better than others, but I'm feeling good from a health standpoint."

Michael Martinez, Fox Sports