I’d just like to say for the record that this is not a made up story, and I will do my very, very best to not be biased.

The NBA made a phone call to new Dallas Mavericks F Caron Butler on Tuesday to tell him not to bring straws the arena. Sayyy whattt???

Yes, straws. Butler has had a habit of chewing on multiple straws throughout each game to calm himself down. It’s a habit he has said started as a teenager and he has gone through around 12 straws a game! He’s got a fix and he can’t help himself now!

So why is this being brought up now? That’s what I’m trying to figure out, and I’m sure people around the Mavs are thinking the same thing. The way I see it though is that with Butler just being traded from the Wizards to the Mavs, he’s had a bit more visibility from those around the league. I think it’s pretty safe to say that people in the NBA offices weren’t watching Wizards games, ever. Now, Butler is on a contender after a pretty big trade.

Apparently there really is a rule against this. I know this for one reason: Mark Cuban was quoted as saying, “It’s against the rules.” I think we all know that if Mark Cuban isn’t fighting the NBA about something, then he obviously knows that he is wrong and has no chance to win!

Butler didn’t play Wednesday night against LA in Dallas, but his teammates poked fun at him earlier in the week by chewing straws during warm-ups. This  has become a phenomenon in Dallas and I’ll be no one even knew this was going on.

It’s going to be a long road to recovery for Butler, but I know with the right people around him, he can overcome this ugly, strong addiction – of straws.

-Shooter