Moving past that cheesy pun, I want to talk about one of the most underrated players in college basketball, Jamar Butler. I don’t think that anyone could have watched tonight’s Ohio St/Cal NIT game and not believe that he is an NBA caliber player.
First and foremost, there will always be room for pure shooters in the NBA game (see: J.J. Redick). I realize that Butler isn’t quite the shooter that J.J. is (not many are), but he isn’t too far behind. Butler is the perfect player to have at the end of games, due to his accurate shooting. If you’re up late in the game, he’s the guy you want at the line, (a career 86.7% shooter, 94.2% this season) and if you’re down late and need a big three, look no further then Jamar (OSU’s all time leader with 233 3’s).
Second, Butler has unbelievable court vision. His head is always up and his back is never to the ball. In tonight’s game on a fast break he threw a 55-foot alley-oop pass that was dead on to David Lighty, who finished with an easy bucket.
Another thing, he will do anything that will help the team win. In the Buckeyes’ 2005-2006 campaign, Butler played a large role and was one of the team’s best players. Last year, with the new arrivals of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Daequan Cook, Butler received less minutes and was much less of a factor in the team’s offense. This didn’t bother him, as he focused more on defense and distributing the ball, and served as a great role player. This season, with the three freshmen opting for the NBA and Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris graduating, Butler needed to be the leader and star offensive player. He passed that test with flying colors.
Oh yeah, did I mention he’s Ohio St.’s all time leader in assists (564)? If I’m an NBA team, I’m taking a serious look at Jamar Butler in this year’s draft. BECAUSE HE’S MY BUTLER!
Monday, March 24
The Butler Did It
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7 comments:
I love Redick to death, and he's one of my favorite college players, but I'm not sure that's a favorable comparison for Butler. Redick hasn't done much in his NBA career (which in fairness, is less than two seasons). His 41.9% FG percentage is very ordinary, and his minutes have been cut this season because Stan Van Gundy sees him as a defensive liability.
I agree with you that shooter's can always find a niche in the NBA, and maybe Redick just hasn't found his yet (think Jason Kapono), but at this point a comparison to Redick doesn't necessarily bode well for Butler.
Great closing line. "I think he stole the raisins!"
I definitly think Butler is a far better all around player than Redick, I was just trying to make the point that even if he wasn't able to do anything else, he should at least be able to stick around in the league as a shooter, as Redick has. You're right, Kapono would have been a better example.
That's what I figured you meant.
I don't remember Andy or Nick introducing Figgs as a writer for Forest City Fanatics. What the hell Jason you think you can just walk in here and talk like you know something.
I felt as if there was a lack of Buckeye coverage on this site, so when Allburn asked me if I wanted to join I took it. Piss off dave.
Let me tell you all you need to know about Ohio St. They have the best chicken place ever in Cain's (I don't know how to spell it). And that about sums it up. Good Talk.
Dave, we'll sign you up as soon as we decide we need more Kobe content.
Also, I like how the only thing you know about OSU is something you can't even spell.
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