Caron Butler, originally uploaded by Joel Kimmel Illustrator.
Entering the eighth year of his career, Caron Butler doesn't look like he's got any new angles to explore. He's a known quantity. I had "Tough Juice" ranked at 24th last year. I thought he had more to offer, more possibility for maximization within his potential bubble. But he missed the 70 game mark for the third year in a row, and the Wiz were pitiable, so I can't in good faith rank him higher than this. His numbers read like an actualization of what a well rounded player should be: 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals for good measure. Still, watching him play, you can't help but wish his skills were put more often to dominating the game. He falls into the category of players like Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol who seem to have the skills to dominate a ball game but just slightly too adjusted personalities to destroy all those in their way. It's an old argument. You can wish these kinds of players were different dispositionally, but then they'd be fundamentally different.
Think Ron Artest. Perhaps he could've been the best second fiddle since Pippen, but he pushes way too much at his limits. Caron lives within his limits, which aren't many, and I accept that this puts him ten spots ahead of Artest and thirteen spots back from where I thought I could put him last year. Control is more admirable than the alternative. Watch that video. It's the kind that reminds you why rankings like this mean nothing, and why basketball continues to prove time and time again to be more than just a game.
