MIAMI – Unaware the Knicks had the Antonio McDyess deal in place, fans at the Garden chanted Caron Butler’s name on Draft Night when Scott Layden came up at No. 7.
The UConn swingman stud wasn’t supposed to fall to seven, let alone 10, elating Pat Riley.
Butler, a Rookie of the Year candidate, thinks the Knicks did the right thing, even if it has turned sour. “When you can get a player like Antonio McDyess, you got to jump on that,” Butler said. “[The chants] felt real good. My family was emotional. Everybody was happy. I felt a lot of respect and recognition that night that I really deserved. I’m not mad at any team or holding a grudge. Probably the best way to pay anyone back is to get a win.”
Butler, the third rookie ever to start on opening night for Riley, gets that chance tonight. He’s averaging 12.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. He worked out for the Knicks in early June, then was invited back on the morning of the draft but declined. “During the process, they were really impressed how I carried myself on and off the court,” said Butler, who reportedly was arrested 15 times before the age of 15. “They thought I was a totally different guy. They said, ‘You’re a real nice guy, we love you’re style, hopefully it will work out.’ But it didn’t.”
Butler thinks his arrests caused his drop.
Had the Knicks kept their pick, they were leaning toward power forward Chris Wilcox over Butler, based on position. A source said had Layden known he could trade Sprewell and had the McDyess deal fallen through, Butler would’ve been their guy.
Riley said it’s too easy to second guess. “They didn’t need Caron,” Riley said. “They had Anderson, Sprewell and Houston. They didn’t need a 3-man. What they needed was a big man and they went out and got the very best big man they could get. He made the right decision. If you go back and read all the articles that you guys write, you loved it. Now you don’t like it.”