By Eddie Sefko
The Dallas Morning News
January 4, 2011
Caron Butler is gone. He's not going to help this so-far grand season any more, at least not beyond moral support from the bench.
The ruptured patella tendon in his right knee was surgically repaired Tuesday, and Butler is out for the season.
So now what?
How do the Mavericks replace 15 points per game and Butler's grit that was every bit as important as his offensive production?
"It's a blow," team president Donnie Nelson said. "Those are some big shoes to fill."
It's going to be a challenge for the Mavericks to plug the void. They were already having trouble scoring points, even with Butler, averaging 90 points in the last four games.
The attitude of Butler's teammates, coaches and fans going forward can't be one of a pity party. The league isn't going to send any sympathy cards, much less sympathy wins.
"He's such a big part of what we do," said forward Brian Cardinal. "The fans just see what he does on the court. They don't see the work he does in the locker room, in the weight room, all across the board. It's a tremendous loss.
"I feel bad for Caron. He's as devastated as anybody, because he knows what we have going here and what we're capable of. He wants to win the championship as much as anybody.
"But you can't have the poor-me mind-set."
Butler had surgery Tuesday morning. The procedure, performed by Mavericks physician Dr. T.O. Souryal, reattached the ruptured patella tendon, which runs from the kneecap to the tibia (shin bone).
While Butler will miss the rest of this season, he should be 100 percent before training camp begins in October.
The big unknown is what the Mavericks will do in the interim. Since they don't have any player capable of increasing his scoring average 15 points (save for perhaps Roddy Beaubois, who still is a long way from returning), the road to recovery will begin with defense.
If the Mavericks play it like they have in the first 33 games, they won't suffer a huge drop-off because they'll be in virtually every game.
If teams can't score a lot, it's impossible for them to bury you.
That brings us to Tyson Chandler. And Brendan Haywood, too. But mostly Chandler, who has the ability to play 30 minutes and alter shots and basically clog up the interior of the opponent's offense.
At the other end, somebody is going to have to add something to the attack.
Which brings us to Chandler, again.
Of all the Mavericks, he's the offensive threat with the highest ceiling.
Jason Terry already averages 15-plus points. He's not going to go much higher consistently.
Shawn Marion might raise his average some, but Chandler
