Chase Budinger

[sarcasm] Budinger has to score at least 20 PPG to show he's a real star or we are doomed by the Ariza trade. [/sarcasm]

 

The love for Budinger on this forum is really getting out of hand.

That said, I think he's ready to handle more minutes and he should play well. But as evidenced during summer league and some bad stretches, when Budinger can't put the ball in the hoop he seems fairly incapable of doing much else. I hope he's been busting his butt on his defensive switches this offseason.

 

You still need some athleticism in combination with smarts to play good defense, and currently Budinger has more athleticism than Battier.

Also, the OPs other concern was that Budinger did not attack the basket enough and only settled for jumpshots, well, heck, isn't that what Battier has been doing since he got here? Although the truth is Budinger is a lot more offensively capable than Battier.

My argument is it doesn't matter if Budinger does not fill the OP's requirements of a starting SF; even if the OP is right and Budinger isn't starting SF material, he's still the best SF on this team and thus should start.

 

I'm guessing that the team likes what they're seeing in Budinger this summer, enough to hand him the backup SF position outright. Let's hope he lives up to the high expectations.

However, after the luxury of having three legitimate small forwards, the SF rotation now feels a little thin. I suppose the Rockets have the option of keeping Mike Harris around as the third string SF.

 

One more thing about Hey Bud.

He played well last year, but Adelman was able to pick and choose when to give him minutes, and even sit him when he went through minor slumps. You'd expect that from a rookie, but being the backup SF means he'll have to perform more consistently while playing at least 15 minutes every game. I think he's up to it.

 

We were more thin at SG position than SF position we are at now. Before the trade, we only had Martin at SG and Taylor backing him up???? THink about it mann

 

For what it's worth: when Carl Landry was a rookie, he couldn't string together two dribbles. By his third year, he was dribbling around every post defender he faced.

 

I really don't think his rebounding is that bad. He averaged 3 rebounds in 20 minutes a night. That's 5.3 per 36 minutes. Thats pretty close to what Igoudala and Granger have put up over their careers. Also that's pretty much what Ariza put up last year although he has typically been a better rebounder over the course of his career.

He's really good at running around screens for open jumpers as well as the set shot. Also he's shown he can get to the rim pretty effectively when the defense has shifted (those dunks came from somewhere) though he doesn't really have the ability to beat guys off the dribble.

 

Also I don't think his minutes will increase all the much. Battier will be the starter playing about 30 minutes a night, and Bud will be his back up. He'll get occasional minutes at SG depending on matchups. I don't see him getting more than 25 min a night.

 

+1

Budinger is getting overrated big time.

 

Good for you. Just talked yourself into a whole season of Battier. You must be very happy when the season ends.

 

I will simply go by what Daryl Morey says when he talks about Chase being the best prepared player coming into the league he has ever had, or when he says that Chase's ceiling is up to him, that he will go as far as he likes because he is so skilled.

I love how people are calling a guy drafted in the middle of the 2nd round, who just made our big free agent signing last year expendable, as overated.

Ok, we shall see.......I believe he is going to be a very good NBA starter, at the very least.

And yes, I am a talker, maybe you should pay attention to what is said though, you might learn something.



DD

 

Concur. You can more easily teach defense to an athletic shooter by far than you can teach a defensive player to be an athletic shooter. Budinger has the tools, the intelligence and the drive as well as youth and athleticism. As much as I admire Battier for his character and intelligence, he doesn't dwell on the same talent planet as Big Bad Bud.

 

He's not going to fulfill his potential on this roster though...not enough opportunities, even if you throw im in the starting lineup....we just have too much depth....which is why i pointed to rebounding...that's not about plays or touches, all-star appearances or salary...it comes down to wanting the ball and going after it. He's got the vertical reach to beat players at the 1,2,3, and many of the 4s. He doesnt have to be physical either, as he's a perimeter player and there's tons of opportunities to just run and steal rebounds.

 

I don't think Ariza's attitude was a perfect fit with the team.
Lee and Budinger both have exemplary attitudes/mindsets.

I think that has something to do with it.

 

agreed.

 

Right now the Rockets needs Budinger to be an offensive spark of the bench. Hopefully he can learn from Battier and improve his defense. Budinger has taken guys off the dribble a few times and gone strong to the rim. I think its more of a confidence issue as he gets more confidence about his game other than the pull up jumper he will show more variety. In other words I don't think he is going to be a Steve Novak or Scott Padget, he will be/already is better. Oh, bye the way I am a Rockets fan not a Budinger fan.

 

I like the trade too, as it brings more balance to the team. I get the feeling Courtney Lee will be a great fit, and I'm hoping Morey will use the trade exception for another upgrade.

That said, Hey Bud will be taking on a much larger role than he had last season. I think he's up to the role and the increase in playing time, but there are some questions about his defense and his stamina, so I also expect a few bumps along the road.