By InsideHoops.com

Caron Butler, the Miami Heat's prized young star, has been one of the top rookies of the season. InsideHoops met with him after a recent game in New Jersey to talk about life in the league so far.

InsideHoops.com: So, your rookie season is just about over. What have been the high and low points of this for you so far?

Caron Butler: The high point of my career was just being out there, playing my first NBA game and being out there, big crowd in Miami, facing Tracy McGrady, the greatest player in the league right now, besides Shaq, and it was fun. I think the low part has been the losing, it's hurt. Because I haven't been on a team that lost so many games before, so it's hard to adjust. And you don't want to adjust to losing. So we're going to get this thing together next year; hopefully we can be up and running.

InsideHoops.com: What's the next piece of your game that you want to raise up?

Caron Butler: I think just getting better on my outside shot, and obviously just getting better on defense, because every night I got somebody, there's a beast in every city. Tonight was Richard Jefferson, tomorrow will be Ron Artest, next night Vince (Carter), next night after that Michael Jordan, so the list don't stop.

InsideHoops.com: Who was your favorite player growing up?

Caron Butler: Jordan.

InsideHoops.com: When you were young, who helped make you better?

Caron Butler: I used to just play with the older guys. I decided just play with the older guys and learn a thing or two, and I did. As you're out there watching players like Kobe and Garnett and Shaq and Jason Kidd and all the great ones, you take a little piece of all their games and you just add it to yours, so that's what I'm doing. So, next year I'm going to be even better, the year after that I'm going to keep adding stuff to my game and be better and better.

InsideHoops.com: What was the first thing you did after you got drafted, that very night?

Caron Butler: Actually, I went to sleep, because I was up for the last couple of days just wondering where I was going to be, and I was stressing myself, and they had us doing a lot of stuff, so that night after the draft we came back and went right to sleep, and went right to Miami afterwards. I've been in Miami ever since. The day after the draft I was in Miami, I've been working out every since, and went right to training camp, to the season.

InsideHoops.com: For training camp, how did it go with you learning NBA plays, they give you a book and...

Caron Butler: They give you a book of plays, and you have got to feed off that. They keep instructing you, giving you plays over and over. They make sure you got them first 10 plays, then they give you another 10 plays, they give you special plays. Coach Riley got... man (laughs) he got so many plays, so you just got to be willing to learn and be really focused.

InsideHoops.com: What things has Riley told you specifically to focus on, in improving your game?

Caron Butler: The thing with coach, he always just creates challenges for me, and that's what I love about him, he's just a great coach. I want to be one of the great ones, and I'm going to listen to whatever he tells me to do.


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