If you are a Dallas Mavericks fan, you’ve no doubt heard the big weekend trade (Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson) dissected over and over again, at least how it will affect the Mavs on the court. I won’t add to that. Here, instead, is a scouting report on potential off-the-court matters of interest, for whenever beat reporters have a slow day.
Caron Butler: Becomes the only Maverick to have appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s couch. Why? He had a troubled childhood (arrested 15 times before the age of 15) and basketball saved him from a further life of crime. His semi-official nickname: Tuff Juice. He likes to chew straws (preferably from McDonald’s) and used to be addicted to Mountain Dew.
Brendan Haywood: Pretty non-controversial player, unless Etan Thomas is on the same team. Haywood and Thomas got into at least three fights with each other during practice while Washington Wizards teammates. And he also probably shouldn’t blog ever again. Extremely unofficial nickname: Brenda.
DeShawn Stevenson: Lots of material here: Has some really interesting tattoos, even by pro athlete standards. Once called LeBron James “overrated,” then aligned himself with Soulja Boy in an astonishingly one-sided “feud” with James and Jay-Z, which did little more than make James get the giggles. Was involved in a beard-growing contest with now-former Mav Drew Gooden. Those are just the highlights.
