MIAMI (AP) — The first time Dwyane Wade was supposed to make a public appearance on behalf of the Miami Heat back in 2003, he found himself paralyzed by nervousness.So Rasual Butler jumped into action, joining his teammate for the event solely to keep him calm."That's who he was," Wade said. "A great individual that was always there for people when they needed him."Tributes like that were offered all over the basketball landscape in honor of Butler, a longtime NBA player who died Wednesday in what police said was a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles. Police said Butler and his wife, R&B singer and former "American Idol" contestant Leah LaBelle Vladowski, died at the scene and that autopsies were pending.Butler was 38. The NBA released a statement saying it was "devastated" by Butler's death."A pro's pro, Rasual enjoyed a long, successful career and was widely respected by his peers and coaches," the NBA said.That's perhaps an understatement.Butler never played in the NBA Finals.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife were killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles early Wednesday.The Range Rover crashed around 2:30 a.m. in the Studio City area and left a swath of damage along a major thoroughfare.Los Angeles police said in a statement that Butler was speeding before his vehicle jumped a curb, hit three parking meters and a concrete wall and then flipped over twice. The vehicle came to rest inside a shopping mall parking lot.Butler, 38, and Leah LaBelle Vladowski, 31, were pronounced dead at the scene, said Ed Winter, assistant chief investigator with the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Autopsies were pending.Butler was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat out of LaSalle University in his hometown of Philadelphia. He played for eight NBA teams during his 13-year career, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.He had career averages of 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds.Butler's death sent shockwaves... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife were killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles.The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Studio City area and left a swath of damage along a major thoroughfare.Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter says the 38-year-old Butler and 31-year-old Leah LaBelle Vladowski were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies are pending.Butler was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat and played for a total of eight NBA teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.Butler's wife was an R&B singer signed to Epic Records. She placed 12th on the third season of "American Idol" in 2004.

G Rasual Butler had 12 points for the Spurs, who are 4-1 five games into an eight-game road trip necessitated by the annual rodeo run at the AT&T Center.

Butler is listed on the Spurs' training camp roster, Michael Erler of SB Nation reports.

The 36-year-old Butler had a surprising resurgent season for the Wizards in 2014-15, posting averages of 7.7 points and 20.1 minutes in 75 games, all of which marked his highest totals in three years. His advancing age could make it difficult for him to break camp with the Spurs, but it's possible coach Gregg Popovich may be willing to keep him aboard as a veteran mentor for some of the team's younger players.

Butler averaged 7.7 points (42% FG, 39% 3Pt, 79% FT), 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 20 minutes per game during 75 regular season games in 2014-15.

The 36-year-old small forward played a decent role during the regular season only to completely fall out of the rotation by playoff time, logging just seven postseason minutes.

Butler has seen just one minute of action through three playoff games against the Raptors.

Butler is at the end of the bench and isn't expected to see significant time on the court in the playoffs as a result. Unless something unforeseeable occurs, the pride of La Salle is a lackluster option in almost all postseason formats.

Butler went from a DNP-CD to playing 36 minutes with Bradley Beal out due to rest, scoring nine points (3-11 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with three rebounds and one block.

Even when Beal sits, relying on Butler is fraught with danger and he hasn't made it into double digits in scoring for a month now. Don't expect big minutes like this again in the near future, even with Beal out, as he couldn't log that sort of court time even when Beal was missing around the All-Star Break.

Butler received a DNP-CD after playing the previous 54 games.

Bradley Beal (leg) and Paul Pierce (knee) returned to the lineup, and all five starters played at least 30 minutes. Otto Porter, Jr. and Garrett Temple have shown enough recently to give coach Randy Wittman the leeway to dissolve Butler from the rotation for one night. Since January 21st, Butler's shooting 22 percent from beyond the arc on 3.4 attempts per game, the worst mark on the team.

Butler had a solid game Saturday with 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt), four assists, and two rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor.

Butler has scored in double figures in two straight games as Bradley Beal continues to sit out with a toe injury. Butler's value hinges on Beal's status, so he'll revert to a non-factor in fantasy formats once Beal returns. However, if Beal sits out again on Monday against Orlando, Butler could be a solid value play.

Butler scored 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt) with two assists, two blocks and a steal in 24 minutes off the bench Wednesday.

His early December scoring binge is ancient history, and on nights when Butler isn't hitting threes he isn't helping your fantasy teams. In anything but the deepest of leagues, you can probably make better use of his roster spot.

Butler continued to shine Sunday against the Celtics, posting 22 points (8-17 FG, 6-10 3Pt) to go with four rebounds and one steal in 30 minutes of action.

Butler has been on a tear of late, averaging 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 3.3 three-pointers made over the last four games. He's certainly not likely going to keep up this production, but owners in deep leagues shouldn't hesitate to ride him in the meantime.

Butler recorded 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals over 28 minutes in Friday's 119-89 win over the Nuggets

Butler has surprisingly emerged as Washington's top wing player off the bench, logging more minutes than Otto Porter Jr. in each of the last five games. While he'll likely come back to Earth soon, Butler is impressively averaging 16.2 points, 3.4 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.2 steals and 2.2 three-pointers over his last five games. His shooting has stood out above all else, as he owns a .579 field-goal percentage and .533 three-point percentage this season, compared to career-long marks of .403 and .363, respectively.

Butler scored 23 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT) to go along with three rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes Monday against the Heat.

Butler continues to be hot or cold as he has scored 23 points in two of his last four games, but he scored six points and five points in the other two games. He has the potential to put up big stat lines, but he's too inconsistent at this time.

Butler had a season high 23 points (9-15FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2FT), with one rebound, one block and one steal in 28 minutes during Wednesday's loss to the Cavaliers.

Over his past seven games, Butler has either played over 26 minutes, or under 8 minutes. This erratic playing time makes him an unreliable fantasy option.

Butler scored 18 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 3P, 2-2 FT) in 27 minutes off the bench during Wednesday's win over the Pistons.

After being nailed to the end of the bench for a four game stretch, Butler regained a spot in the rotation this past weekend and then caught fire on Wednesday. His minutes came at the expense of Otto Porter though, which barring an injury isn't likely to happen often, so don't expect Butler to repeat this performance any time soon.

Butler has not played any minutes since the Wizards' season-opening game against the Heat on Oct. 29.

Suspensions allowed Butler to log 10 minutes in the opener, but it has since become clear that he doesn't have a spot in the rotation. Otto Porter is averaging 27 minutes per game, and Glen Rice also has a significant role off the bench.

Butler will get extra playing time during the preseason after Brad Beal (fractured wrist) and Glen Rice (sprained ankle) suffered injuries, CSN Washington's J. Michael reports.

Butler entered camp on a non-guaranteed deal, merely hoping for a shot at one of the final spots on the roster. With the Wizards now lacking a healthy true shooting guard, the likes of Butler, Xavier Silas and Damion James may be competing for a role in the team's early-season rotation. Beal's spot in the starting lineup will likely be filled by Rice or Otto Porter.

Butler signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Wizards on Monday, reports.

Butler spent last season with the Pacers, providing veteran depth and appearing in 50 games. He'll enter camp with the Wizards in an attempt to earn the finals spot on the roster, as Washington already has 14 guaranteed contracts. The 35-year-old will compete with Xavier Silas and Damion James for the position.

Rasual Butler will get the start at shooting guard against the Bucks on Wednesday.

He's had just three games playing at least 20 minutes this season, averaging 7.6 points with 1.7 triples in those three. The Pacers will likely move guys around and slide Evan Turner to shooting guard to allow Chris Copeland to get some minutes, so Butler may not see too much playing time. Unless you're really just targeting treys in a deep league, there should be other options.