Butch's NBA dreams may stall; some say he plays too small
PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- Brian Butch has long dreamed of playing in the NBA. But what does it say for his chances when, as one of 64 college senior players in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last week, he wasn't impressing a man like Thierry Chevrier?
Chevrier, director of the Cholet Basket team in France's top pro league, spread the fingers on one hand and tilted it from side to side when asked what he thought of Butch, who recently concluded his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin.
"He's a very good 3-point shooter but he must play harder underneath," Chevrier said in accented English while adjusting his black-rimmed glasses. "He runs well and he is big but he plays a little small."
Thierry was watching Butch play his third game in as many days for one of eight teams in the 56th annual PIT, a showcase for senior players that's had future NBA players like Derek Fisher, Ben Wallace, Cuttino Mobley and Theo Ratliff participate.
There's no question the PIT's quality has declined sharply since the days Jerry West would lead the Los Angeles Lakers scouting delegation and hold court at a local diner after an evening's games were done. But even in sagging health, the tournament is a crucial meat market for players like Butch who are there to be seen by scouts from worldwide leagues and not just the NBA.
Chris Monter, the editor and publisher of College Basketball News, told a local paper here last week that he estimates as few as two 2008 PIT participants and no more than five will be NBA draft picks. And no one was talking about Butch being one of them.
Still, the lanky Badger has been down this road before. He began his high school career on Appleton West High School's junior varsity, redshirted at Wisconsin and figures to need further seasoning before he can aim to play in the bright lights of New York, Chicago or even Salt Lake City.
Butch's immediate basketball future may hold an address in Istanbul, Strasbourg or Madrid. But he impressed his PIT team coach with his basketball IQ and he isn't willing to accept a European career just yet.
"I've got some pretty good skills and I know I can play with the best," he said after averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds for an injury-depleted squad that finished 1-2 but placed two players on the all-tournament team. "I want to follow the (NBA) dream as long as I can."
Butch is hoping to receive an invitation to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando in late May. That would bolster his big-league status before the June 26 draft at Madison Square Garden. His reputation could use that boost after a run-of-the-mill PIT performance.
Four times in his final game, Butch had the ball swatted out of his hands before he could raise it to pass or shoot. The only offensive inside move he consistently displayed was a rather flat, right-handed hook shot that met with mediocre success.
Upon receiving passes with his back to the basket, Butch's first instinct was almost always to take a dribble back toward the 3-point line and then turn to face the hoop. But once he did that, he usually paused, allowing defenders to adjust.
"He's got good size but he doesn't really use it," said George Paul, a Frenchman who's been an agent for French and American players in France's pro leagues since 1991. "We want players who go harder to the basket.
"His size is going to help defensively, but he would not be a go-to guy for us. Maybe a backup guy who can play 15 or 20 minutes."
Before you dismiss that critique, consider that Paul has signed an average of four or five PIT players each year since he got in the business. Assuming that Butch doesn't land with an NBA team, talent evaluators like Chevrier and Paul will have considerable say in his future. For point of reference, salaries in the top French league range from $60,000 to $120,000, according to Paul and Chevrier.
Paul said he won't waste his time talking to players in Butch's situation until they're bypassed in the draft because "they don't take you seriously until then." In the meantime, Butch will keep plugging away and trying to alter the view that he's soft in the paint.
"I've heard that from a lot of people but hopefully people here saw some physical play from me the last few days," he said after his final PIT contest. "These are pretty much controlled pickup games, so it's tough for a big man to get touches.
"The things you want to show people watching, you don't have much opportunity to show here. The main thing is to show up and to play hard."
And to hopefully avoid playing in France.
Mark Humphrey/Associated Press
National Team's Jason Thompson of Rider, left, and American Team's Brian Butch of Wisconsin, right, along with National Team's DeMarcus Nelson of Duke (14) react to a loose ball during the first half of the NCAA College All-Star Basketball Game on April 4 in San Antonio.
