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Butler Arrives In Dallas With High Expectations

Dallas, TX (September 22)… Dallas Mavericks Forward Caron Butler’s off-season has been anything but time off. The two-time NBA All-Star has spent his summer focusing on training and getting stronger, determined to get in the best possible shape heading into the 2010-2011 season. After spending time working out in McLean, VA and then in his hometown of Racine, WI, Butler finished the summer with a one month stint in Chicago, training with Tim Grover at ATTACK Athletics. Butler, who returned to Dallas yesterday, is confident that his extra time in the gym will produce impressive results on the court.

“I’ve been focusing on my core this off-season,” said Butler. “My legs are stronger. I feel like I’m more agile, and I have a lot more flexibility in my hips.  I’ve lost ten pounds, and I am down to 225. That’s where I wanted to be, and where the coaching staff wanted me.”

Butler used last year’s first round playoff exit to keep him motivated.

“I have been talking to my teammates and Coach Carlisle about what this group of players can achieve. As a team we have a lot of expectations for what we can accomplish this year,” Butler continued. “Last year we peaked early and went on our run. We finished the season strong, and won 13 in a row at one point. We were fighting people off to get the two spot in the West. But then we just weren’t able to win our playoff series against San Antonio, which we had to compete in on the road.

“Maybe losing in the early round last year is what we needed as a team. Now I sense hunger from everyone to get it done this season. We are all looking forward to training camp, getting in a team rhythm and doing some big things this year.”

While he has continued to push himself in training for the coming season, he has also seen how the differences in Grover’s training methods have helped him. Grover, who made a name for himself by training Michael Jordan nearly 25 years ago, has developed a reputation as a fitness guru and trainer for top NBA players. Butler shared the gym over the summer with fellow NBA stars like Dwayne Wade, Devin Harris and Gilbert Arenas.

“Since being in Chicago with Grover, my explosiveness is back, and I feel better than ever,” said Butler. “He tapped into what I needed. He’s made my game better. Last year I was settling for jump shots. Now I want to be more aggressive and execute a variety of looks from the court both on the attack and on defense.”

The hard work will be put to the test soon, as the Dallas Mavericks tip off the preseason against the Washington Wizards, the team Butler was traded from during the NBA All-Star break, on October 5. Then on October 27, they will officially open up the regular season at home against the Charlotte Bobcats.

“With this team that we have in place, I want to win it all. We definitely want to finish in the top three in the West. That’s a very realistic goal. We want home court heading into the playoffs. To have an opportunity in this conference, you want that.  Then once you’re in the playoffs anything can happen, and I believe we can make a run to the top.”

Follow Caron Butler (@realtuffjuice) throughout the upcoming NBA season on Twitter at www.twitter.com/realtuffjuice.

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Contact: Kelly Swanson/Jeremy Silkowitz, Swanson Communications, 202-783-5500

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From the Orange County Register’s Kevin Ding

“Bryant has always been open to cutting-edge technology and treatment – whether medically with physical therapist Judy Seto or training-wise with Tim Grover or strategically with personal advance scout Mike Procopio – and will again be in this case.”

From the Bowling Green Daily News

Western Kentucky forward Jeremy Evans was drafted 55^th overall by the Utah Jazz in this year’s 2010 NBA Draft. “Considered a long shot at best by nearly every NBA Draft projection, the most consistent knock against Evans was his lack of bulk – he was listed at just 196 pounds during his senior season at WKU.  But Evans spent much of the spring in Chicago working with famed NBA trainer Tim Grover at Attack Athletics, and he put on at least eight pounds of muscle while making a position switch from his natural post spot to small forward.”

From Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thompson

“His advice was technical and specific to dozens of situations and the difference it made is impossible to quantify. The Lakers won Game 7 by four points, which is to say that two field goals gave Bryant his fifth NBA championship. Maybe Sweetchuck’s advice on how to pass out of the double-teams made an incremental difference. Maybe confidence was drawn from Bryant’s knowledge that he had done everything he could imagine, even relying on the most unimaginable of basketball Rasputins. “He’s my Jack Bauer,” said Bryant. “He gave me all the edits and scouting reports and wrote defensive rotations of the Celtics. He was my eyes and ears, so when I played the game I’d use all the scouting reports and all the information. And it was huge for me.”

From the New York Times’ Jonathon Abrams

“(Procopio) spent the postseason watching, editing and analyzing game footage with Kobe Bryant. Throughout the postseason and particularly in the finals, Procopio delivered Bryant scouting reports through meetings, late-night e-mail messages and phone calls.  Their relationship is an N.B.A. version of the odd couple. Bryant, one of the league’s premier players, has a select inner circle. Procopio, who is shorter than some of the ball boys and never played more than a few minutes in high school, is in the middle of it.  This year’s postseason served to expand the alliance that developed during the Lakers’ title run last year. When Procopio, 35, left the Celtics four years ago, he joined the trainer Tim Grover’s Chicago-based Attack Athletics and is now its director of basketball operations.”

From the Boston Globe’s Frank Dell’Apa

“Former Celtics scout Mike Procopio and former Chicago Bulls trainer Tim Grover have been working behind the scenes for Bryant the last two years, and their involvement was ramped up after the Lakers lost to the Celtics in Game 2 of this series.  “After that game, Kobe called and said, ‘I need you in Boston,’ ’’ said Procopio, who is based at Grover’s Attack Athletics facility in Chicago.”

From DraftExpress.com

11 p.m. Central Time, Saturday night, Tim Grover’s ATTACK Athletics gym in Chicago.  Projected top 10 picks Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis are running on fumes after an incredibly long and busy day at the NBA combine. It consists of athletic testing, interviews with NBA teams, a media session and an extended sit-down with the NBA Players Association that goes on for nearly three hours.  Johnson and Davis are exhausted, but they need to get a workout in, and trainers Tim Grover and Mike Procopio are here to accommodate them in this incredibly important time of the year.

Photo courtesy of Nick Friedell/ESPNChicago.com | Tim Grover watches Tracy McGrady work on his legs.

Tracy McGrady trained all summer with Tim Grover and ATTACK Athletics.  He continued the trend of NBA players reaching out to ATTACK Athletics to get healthy and to continue their success on the basketball court. T-MAC saw results from the extensive work that Tim Grover and staff did for him over the course of a summer. ESPN featured our work in a story. To read the complete story click on Read More below. Continue reading →