Wizards' Butler Happily Goes on the Defensive

RICHMOND, Oct. 2 -- Caron Butler was like a child eagerly anticipating the first day of school this week. He woke up early for the first day of training camp on Tuesday, hung his practice jersey over a chair and stared. While describing his enthusiasm for his eighth NBA season -- and fifth with the Washington Wizards -- Butler used phrases like "a new beginning" and "something beautiful."

The Butler who arrived in Richmond this week was a noticeably sleeker model, having lost 10 pounds after eschewing Mountain Dew in April and changing his diet to include eating breakfast more frequently. But Butler, a two-time all-star, also plans to be a different player this season, taking a personal challenge and a request from Coach Flip Saunders to be a better individual defender.

Butler said he is trying to get accustomed to Saunders's offensive schemes, which are a stark contrast to the Princeton concepts used by former coach Eddie Jordan, but he has spent most of his time focused on grasping Saunders's defensive principles.

"I can score, a proven scorer," said Butler, who has averaged at least 19 points in each of his last three seasons. "I'm trying to be the best defensive player that I can possibly be. I have a lot of key assignments this year, and I look forward to it. I pride myself on that and having my body prepared to enforce my will on the game defensively. That's what I've been concentrating on."

Butler said he decided to change his defensive approach after enduring a 19-win season in which he felt like he was constantly fighting with his hands down. During that difficult campaign, Butler dropped to 13th in steals (1.7) after finishing fourth (2.2) in that category in 2007-08, when he made his second all-star appearance.

"I told him I think he can be an all-defensive type player," Saunders said. "On the perimeter, he's as good as anybody. He has the ability to be a stopper. He relies a lot defensively on his ability to get steals and gamble a little bit. I told him, 'Let's be more of a meat-and-potatoes type defensive player.' He's taken that challenge and he's put a lot of effort on the defensive end."

Butler said Saunders's defensive system, which focuses on man-to-man defense and the matchup zone, would help him have greater success while guarding perimeter players such as Kobe Bryant andLeBron James.

"Usually, our defensive schemes left us on an island," said Butler, recalling a time when he was guarding Bryant and said, "Where the help at?"

Butler said he was just told, "You got him."

"Now, I know where to push him. I know where my help is coming from," Butler said. "There was a lot of confusion before. This defensive system is unbelievable. Guys know the rotations. This is real simple."

Butler said he has taken it upon himself as one of the team leaders to show that the game revolves around more than just offense. "If we do it, taking charges, working our [tails] off, everybody else will do it. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to be out there," Butler said. "If you look at our runs, three years ago, we were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but defensively, we were at the end of the pack. We made progress with [former Wizards assistant] Randy Ayers and we went to the middle. But last year, we had a down year."

The only benefit from last season, Butler said, was that he didn't finish with the nicks and bruises that often stunted his offseason workouts. Three seasons ago, he was coming off a broken hand and two years ago, Butler was dealing with a hip injury.

"Last summer was the first summer I went through with not a lot of aches and bruises," said Butler, who was able to concentrate on sculpting his body. "When you get a little older -- I'm 29 now -- you got to focus on your strength and agility. The first thing that goes sometimes is your legs, your speed a little bit. The lighter you are, the faster you move. I'm enhancing my endurance, my speed, my agility. I saw Kobe do it. See him running up and down, flying around the court at 31, it's unbelievable."

His offseason workouts have paid off, Butler said, because he has yet to feel winded despite the grueling pace of the practices. He concluded practice on Friday by hitting a half-court shot. "I never competed like this in a long time," Butler said. "Not since my Miami days. I'm just so anxious to get out here and compete and progress toward this new season."

Wizards Notes: Gilbert Arenas's surgically repaired left knee is not a concern, but Saunders said that his dislocated left middle finger could be "a whole-year situation."

Wizards reserve guard Javaris Crittenton emerged from practice wearing a protective boot on his left foot. He had an MRI exam on Friday to determine the severity of the tendon strain and bone bruise he suffered this summer. Fabricio Oberto was held out of the final stages of practice after injuring his hamstring. He is expected to practice on Saturday.