By Brian A. Lester

There was pure joy on the face of Caron Butler Wednesday night, but it goes far beyond the fact that his dream of playing in the NBA had come true.

Those tears in his eyes and the wide smile on his face represented something far greater than having his name called in the NBA Draft by commissioner David Stern. What draft night meant to Butler was that he had finally come full circle, reaching a point in his life that didn't seem realistic nine years ago.

It was 1993 when Butler's life changed forever. He was locked up for more than a year in an adult facility and a home for boys in trouble. Cops found a small amount of cocaine and an unloaded gun in Butler's possession and that was the end of his freedom for the next 13 months.

Often, an experience such as Butler's is only the beginning of bad things to come. The stories of young teens running into trouble -- Butler was only 12 at the time of his incident -- are all too common in today's society, and most of the time, someone like Butler eventually falls through the cracks permanently.

For Butler, though, his brush with criminal life was a blessing in disguise. He saw how his mistake crushed his mother, and it's safe to say that the disappointment in her eyes drove him to become a better person.

And a better person is exactly what the Miami Heat got on Wednesday by taking Butler with the 10th pick, a surprising selection in the sense that Butler wasn't even supposed to be available that late in the draft. The experts said he would go no lower than sixth, but they were wrong.

But then, that is good news for Miami and bad news for everyone else. The sophomore from the University of Connecticut was hurt that teams passed on him for someone else and he has vowed to make them pay.

And he will. It would be foolish to believe otherwise.

Butler is coming off of a sensational season with the Huskies, averaging a shade over 20 points per game (20.3) during the regular season. He was even more impressive once the NCAA Tournament rolled around, torching opponents to the tune of 26.5 points per outing.

UConn's strong run in the tourney did come to an end in a regional final against eventual champion Maryland, but even in defeat, Butler still came up big, hanging 32 points on the Terps.

In time, Butler will fit in with Miami the same way he fit in at UConn. He is with a team that needs him now, not later, and don't be surprised if he ends up as the Rookie of the Year.

Aside from his skills, Butler also has a level of maturity that most rookies don't, much of that due to the fact that he did experience adversity in his life and learned from it. Also, Butler is obviously a driven person, and he proved that much by moving forward after his mistake instead of in the opposite direction.

Speaking of moving forward, the Heat is looking to do just that after a downright horrendous season. With Butler on the team, turning things around should not be a problem.

Butler, after all, is living proof that fortunes can change for the better.

Brian Lester is a sportswriter in Ohio and can be reached via e-mail at BAL4@hotmail.com.