SPL Exclusive Interviews: Caron Butler & Tex Winter

I was at the Lakers-Raptors SPL game and got a chance to speak with Caron Butler in a quick interview. We talked about the triangle and his offseason plans among other things.

BryantDunkGiant: How was it like bulking up over last offseason, working out with Kobe and do you have plans to do the same this offseason?

Caron Butler: Yeah, definitely. We just started actually working out today and we’ll continue to do this until training camp. It’s fun, it’s a lot of hard work [in the] early mornings, getting up at six, seven in the morning and working it, but it’s cool.

BDG: I heard he has a routine he calls the “666 Routine,�? can you tell us more about that?

Butler: That’s something that Kobe does. He gets up, he does the sprints in the morning. He also does the weight training, then he does the agility work. He also does 1,000 makes, which you make 1,000 shots. Not shoot 1,000– make 1,000. That’s anywhere from 3,500 shots to 3,000 shots going up a day, so that’s a lot of shots.

BDG: Have you talked with Phil Jackson yet about what your role is going to be in the triangle?

Butler: I know he’s a fan of big point guards, so my main thing is working on my conditioning and my strength so I will be prepared to bring the ball up the court and also defend smaller guards and take advantage of them. So I look forward to that challenge.

BDG: What have you been doing personally to work on your conditioning and strength?

Butler: You know, just field work. Working on the track, lifting, working on my agility, just trying to get ready.

Caron also commented on Andrew Bynum and the potential he possesses.

“I think he’d be an asset immediately because he’s so big and athletic,�? Butler said, “He really understands the game. I actually saw him in a workout and we were so excited just seeing him. He did so many things. His intangibles to the game are just unbelieveable. He’s so athletic. His shot-blocking timing is great and he’s a hell of a player so I’m excited to have him. Plus he was going to the University of Connecticut if he wasn’t going to the league, so that’s a big plus.�?

I thanked Caron for the interview and wished him the best of luck. He stayed to watch the Lakers take on the Raptors for a while.

Good to see Caron’s still taking the offseason very seriously and is dedicated toward improvement.
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I was at the SPL’s season opener Friday night and got the chance to talk with former Lakers’ assistant coach Tex Winter in a one-on-one interview.

BryantDunkGiant: What are the plans now and in the future for Andrew Bynum in terms of the triangle, because obviously he’s not going to be seeing a lot of playing time this year.

Tex Winter: Well we don’t know about that. I personally feel like we’ve got to get him into the “baptism of fire�? pretty soon, because he’s a guy that I think they’re [planning] on becoming their center. It’s going to take some time– no question about that. It will be a natural maturing process for him, but [I hope] he can get enough playing time so we can get a chance to see what he can do and go from there.

BDG: Phil has a well-known aversion to playing rookies, the younger players especially, do you think we’re going to see a bit more flexibility on his part in playing Andrew Bynum this year, especially considering how high he was picked?

Winter: Yeah, it’s a different situation for Phil. He’s had veteran teams and superstars his whole career of coaching, and now it’s an entirely different situation. So I don’t think he’ll be reluctant to play younger players and give them as much playing time as he can because it’s a developing process and I think that he’ll do all he can to give Bynum as much time as he can. [This goes for] even some of the other younger players, because it’s a new deal.

BDG: Von Wafer, a 6′5″ guard out of Florida State– what is his role going to be in the triangle?

Winter: I think he would probably be a two-guard. They say he’s a very good shooter. I didn’t see any of his college games, so I don’t really have a read on him. But he’s supposed to be a very good shooter and he does have size as you say so I would image they’ll probably try to utilize him at shooting guard.

BDG: Are there going to be any noticeable differences in the triangle this year considering there’s no big guy down low and the roster has changed?

Winter: Of course our stress with Shaq was to get the ball into him, generally as deep as we could, and so there was ball movement and basically everyone was looking to penetrate the ball into Shaq. I think maybe the complexion of the triangle will change. We’ll still have the center as the apex, but I think he won’t be as quite as deep in the lane and he’ll be out of the lane more and probably become a little bit more of a feeder. So we should see a little bit more ball movement, player movement with a purpose, and the center doing a little bit more feeding of the ball as opposed to trying to score every time he touches it.

BDG: What are Phil’s hopes for Lamar Odom, is he going to be using him as a Scottie Pippen-type player, and do you hope that [Kobe Bryant and Lamar] would form a tandem similar to that of Jordan and Pippen?

Winter: Well as you know, Lamar is a very talented all-around player. I wouldn’t be surprised if what Phil does is to try to utilize him some bringing the ball up, [as] a big point guard. Then [we would] post him up so that he has mismatches. But, he’s versatile, so he can certainly be a 3 (small forward), probably his best position right now, and he may even have to play some 4 (power forward). I hope not. I hope he can be a three and someone else can step up and fill that 4 role because that’s a very important need right now for the Lakers.

I thanked him for his time and asked him if he was on staff yet. Tex said he was “down [at the SPL] to talk to Phil�? and see if he’s going to need his assistance this year.

Good to hear that they’ll most likely be moving Odom back down to small forward, his natural position.

Do you have a take on either of these interviews? Questions? Comments? Click here for the Caron Butler interview and here for the Tex Winter interview. Sound off!