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Butler ready to be a Pistons triple threat: play, mentor, lead

Chemistry is as difficult to define as it has proven elusive to capture by recent Pistons teams. But it’s usually pretty easy to spot, especially when you’ve been knocking around the NBA for 12 seasons.

“You can see the ball moving side to side, you can see guys communicating on defense,” said Caron Butler, who broke into the NBA in 2002 with Miami when Stan Van Gundy was an assistant under Pat Riley. “When those things happen and you see guys on a string and talking and helping and the huddle is tight and rallying behind the coach, you can see that team is really together. Me being a veteran guy and seeing a lot of basketball, those are the little things I look for in a team.”

Butler, targeted by Van Gundy early in free agency as not only a talented player but a disciple for his message in the locker room, says opposing players are going to see that in this year’s Pistons.

“Structure and consistency. You know what you’re going to get,” he said of the traits of a Van Gundy-coached team. “You’re going to get good, quality basketball. You’re going to get leadership. You’re going to get accountability. You’re going to help the growth of these guys. One thing they will understand and know how to do is play the game the right way. And play with each other. The camaraderie will be strong and it will be a winning tradition.”

The Pistons brought in Chauncey Billups a year ago, hoping that not only his end-game savvy and clutch shot-making would win them games but that his locker-room presence would hasten their maturity. But it’s tough to lead from the rear as injuries rendered Billups inactive for most of the season. Butler, at 34, is coming off a season in which he was still shouldering a major role for a title contender in Oklahoma City.

“I played with Chauncey in Los Angeles and I saw his will and desire,” Butler said. “Seeing the opportunity he had here to restore the winning tradition and unfortunately he wasn’t able to be out there, I know that was frustrating to him. But to come in and be able to fill that role is something I accept with open arms. That’s the challenge you want. You want to be able to help these guys get over the hump and be the voice in the locker room and a guy people look up to.”

Butler heard overtures from a handful of contenders in that first week of free agency, just as he weighed offers from the likes of Miami, San Antonio and the Clippers before signing with the Thunder upon taking a buyout from Milwaukee last February. Proximity to his Milwaukee-area home and his high school-aged son factored into deciding on Detroit, but so did his familiarity with Van Gundy and the eyeful he caught of the Pistons in the regular-season finale last April.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 30 points that night, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe combined for 42 points and 21 rebounds and Kyle Singler added 20 points on just nine shots. The Thunder needed a win to secure the No. 2 seed and home court for their anticipated second-round showdown with the Clippers, but the Pistons – minus Josh Smith, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum – pushed them to the last minute.

“That was the thing that was attractive about that team,” Butler said. “Even with nothing on the line, something was on the line and they still came out and competed at a high level even with guys out.

“I love our post presence with our big guys, Greg and Andre. That’s extremely attractive playing with guys like that. You look at our guard play with D.J. (Augustin) and Brandon (Jennings) and Will Bynum and all those guys. Jodie Meeks stretching out the floor, making shots. We have a really strong, perimeter-oriented team where guys can stretch out and make shots. And definitely with Josh Smith being able to play the three or the four and facilitating and doing a lot of things, I love the roster. I love our versatility. We can go small, we can go big, we can mix it up. It’s a great roster.”

Drummond, coming off his stint with the gold medal-winning United States national team in the FIBA World Cup, evokes comparisons to a recent Butler teammate.

“He reminds me a lot of DeAndre Jordan,” he said. “I played with DeAndre for a couple of seasons out in Los Angeles. His explosiveness, his base, his pick and roll, just his style and his effort and energy is like a young DeAndre. I can’t wait to start practicing with him and talking with him and helping him through.”

That’s exactly what Van Gundy had in mind when he wasted little time once free agency opened in letting Butler know he was wanted – and needed – by the Pistons.

“He reached out to me immediately and told me he’d love to have me,” he said. “The opportunity to play quality minutes and be a mentor to these guys, share my experiences and get us over the hump was big. They were right there last year, four or five games out of the playoffs, and adding that leadership in the locker room and on the court, I definitely feel I can do that. I like helping guys get better, competing and being part of that shock factor. This is a great opportunity with a lot of talent in place.”