No need, he will be starting at SF for the Rockets....did you read the article that showed other SF's had a 12.7 per when playing against him? Turns out he is a better defender than most people thought. DD
He definitely stepped up his defense after becoming the starting SF last season. That being said, he's still just an average defender. I could see him continuing to improve in that area, though. However, I do think he is somewhat of a soft player. He definitely has an aversion to contact when attacking the basket. He also hasn't been very consistent shooting the ball.
Players usually make the biggest leaps in their 3rd year....that is the year you generally find out who is a good NBA player, and who is not. We have a lot of those on this team....lol.... Including Chase.. DD
Not buying into Chase as a starting SF. I think Terrence Williams or Marcus Morris take the spot. I feel like those guys have more to offer with higher potential. Unless they are traded of course. Same goes for Chase.
Chase isn't a proven starter, he got that spot since Battier was traded and he is practically the only SF in the rotation. I could easily see Morris taking over Chase though, we aren't stacked at all in the SF department and to be absolutely honest I don't think our team would suffer much if we do start Morris over Chase. Maybe from rookie mistakes early on but if Morris is the player we hope he is that should be no problem. I kind of see this as a Patterson/J Hill scenario. RA opted to go with PPat mid way through the season over the more experienced J Hill in the rotation and we weren't worse off.
Pure shooters do well in Europe. Martin's above average athleticism and great NBA shooting will make him a God in Europe.
I could see Morris taking Chase's spot, moving him down to the 6th man position, which I'm fine with, I'd rather see a 2nd rounder coming off the bench then a 14th pick overall, however that's not to say we should just hand Morris the job. T-Will on the other hand, I don't see becoming little more than a spark plug off the bench, I didn't want him when we got him, and I don't think he'll be any good now or ever.
Gotta agree with DD on this one. Martin is one of those players who'd do awful in the Euroleague, compared to what he does in the NBA. The type of fouls Martin gets in the NBA simply don't get called there. FIBA courts are smaller. Handchecking is allowed. No defensive 3 seconds rule. It's very hard to create good spacing. The pace, for the most part is much slower. Martin is a good shooter, but he's not Steve Nash. If it weren't for all his free throws, he'd be nothing special from an efficiency standpoint. His handles are below average. He'd have a hard time creating seperation. He'd also be called for traveling a lot, given how often he takes a step or two before putting the ball on the floor. He doesn't really have an in-between game. Now Martin's defensive shortcoming wouldn't be as exposed as they are in the NBA, but offensively he'd have a very hard time. Budinger on the other hand is pretty much the exact opposite. His game translates very well to the FIBA game.
Isn't that what the majority wants? There are two sides to this... Play the immediate better rotational player in Chase and MAYBE salvage a few wins. Or... Develop the player who has a bigger arsenal of moves, the potential to be a better defender, and just as good of a shooter. Did I mention the ability to create his own shot? That is Marcus. Or play T-Will... You know what that guy CAN offer. But will it translate to numbers and wins? At the end of the day, it's a win-win. Develop the player with more potential and win games... or lose a few games due to rookie mistakes and end up with a better draft pick. Or maybe I am wrong about Morris/Williams' potential. This is what training camp would have answered. Unfortunately we are stuck with Q's and no A's at this point.
This is very good for Bud, I am very happy for him. I will have mild interest in his Russian team and career.
If he did sign with Lokomotiv then he would be in Russian League and United League. This is considered mid-level competition by European standards.
