Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Arrested 15 times before he was 15, Caron Butler faced enough hurdles in trying to make it to the NBA.

One of them, the Heat first-round draft choice insisted Thursday, was not a battle with a wounded knee.

Butler said erroneous reports of knee trouble soured his draft experience and, perhaps, his place in the draft.

"I never had a knee problem," he said upon his introduction to the South Florida media. "I broke my leg when I was 12 years old, and I haven't had a problem since. I haven't missed any games."

Yet there it was, on national TV, reports of ACL trouble. And on the draft floor at Madison Square Garden, word reached Butler of reports that he had been shot in the knee during his tumultuous adolescence.

During the draft, Heat coach Pat Riley was asked about the forward's knee. He responded that it was not unusual for a prospect to have endured and recovered from such problems.

Butler said several agents had attempted to "buy" him as a client, overtures he had shunned. "So they just put rumors out there," he said.

General Manager Randy Pfund said there were no red flags during Butler's predraft physical, no ongoing concerns.