Interesting bit by the Wolves commentators last night: 'Parsons simply beat out Budinger for the starting SF spot..Budinger has shown no fight to get his spot back...they (Rockets training staff I guess) are questioning his competitive nature' I know everybody is riding on Bud and mainly because of his defense, rather lack thereof, he should not be starter. I totally agree. He was good for us as a starter after the all-star break last year so we know what he can do (on offense). Now he cannot even get any playing time which is very telling since lately articles and quotes of McHale shows he benches guys who do not play hard which seems to have happened with Twill and now Budinger. I wanted to give Bud a shot as a future back-up SF but if he doesn't even try to fight for the starting spot, let alone to get it back, we have no reason to keep him and should trade him asap. I really hope he does fight back and become that spark off the bench with Lee like before, but if not, he has himself to blame and it would be a shame and sheer waste of potential.
I love what McHale is trying to do: instill in his players the mindset that if you want pt, then you need to contribute on offense and defense. The glaring exception (though he has played better d) is Martin, likely due to the fact he is so good offensively.
martin is actually a little better this year defensively. you can see him trying at least. in rick adelman's post game interview, he says "we have 3 guards and no small forward" time for Morey to pawn off Chase for a big. Cbud for Randolph?
Budinger has never been a good defensive player. He is what he is. A great jumper, with athleticism that doesn't transfer as well on the court. Parsons beats him out in every facet of the game except for three point shooting and I would argue in clutch 3 point shooting Parsons wins there. Bud is a decent backup if you have other strong defenders on the courst but Scola and Martin on the court much of the time you can not afford the luxury of skilled shooter but mediocre defender at the 3. This is one of the problems I saw last year under Adelman. He played Bud too much over Lee. Lee may be slightly shorter but he plays every facet of the game better than Bud. It is not matter of bud quiting. He may have lost a little confidence watching his minutes drop but he is pretty much the same player he was at the end of the season. Parsons and Lee are better than him overall. The 3 spot is better this year because Bud is on the bench more. But it is not because he has quit. It is because other have passed him by. The only other thing I would add is that Mchale is quicker to shorten the rotation than Adelman did last year because he wants to win.( One of my problems with Coach A was he was loyal to a fault) It is a proven fact that shorter rotations are more successful. Because you keep your best players on the court longer. A tired Lee is better than a rested Bud to a point. There are some exceptions to that rule (3 back to backs). BUt I can not think of any championship teams with big rotations. Mostly a shorter rotation is better overall. Players get more comfortable with their roles and coaches learn what they can expect from those players. Bud just happens to be the odd man out. And it is my hope that Morris puts him even further in the hole. If that happens we will be better and if it doesn't it means Morris is not the player we hoped.
Good observation Old Man, this was my only gripe about Adelman...he did play the best, but it took him a long time to do the change...
Bud doesn't even have a great jumper. He's like a career 35% 3 point shooter. His strength is finishing around the rim but he isn't aggressive enough to do it often.
To? For? Is this is what it is why would anyone give anything but a salary dump and Bud's salary isn't a dump, it's a tiny (by NBA standards) lump.
Nobody seems to be get that wolves commentators said the rockets are questioning his competitiveness. it's not about bud's abilities or not getting pt because parsons is better or lee for that matter, he is apparently unwilling to fight for his job which is inexcusable.
I don't believe McHale understands players that don't respond to his fire and brimstone approach. Some guys are not outwardly competitive but that does not mean they don't burn like everyone else. I don't think it is his competitiveness, I think he has lost a little confidence, he goes from a coach that believes in him and calls plays for him to one that just rolls the ball out there for the most part. Chase will be fine, maybe not in Houston, but possibly in Minnesota or on another team. Some coaches like to yell and scream and cajole, others are more like Phil Jackson and push different buttons for different players. We have the former - and I think, Chase needs the latter. DD
Who cares? I like Bud but if he doesn't actively try to get better then get outta here. I think at the deadline Scola and some combination of Thabeet, Hill, and Bud will be moved. If not we will have a lot of holes in the roster to fill next year because in all honesty we should probably pick up none of the 2009 contracts.
We desperately need a 2 or 3 for 1 type of deal or guys going out for future draft picks. The problem with dumping Bud is he doesn't make much, and is hard to trade because of that. Not to mention he has about the same production levels as Clee and Parsons....so if one gets injured you can plug Bud in there without any loss....so he is nice insurance to keep around. DD
McHale has a fire and brimstone approach? Where is that from? McHale is just going with what's working right now, and he's playing 9 guys. Parsons and Lee are just playing better these days.
He's like Hill - more athlete than basketball player. His dribble is bad, his spacing is bad, his shooting is so-so. The only good thing about him is he has lift. That said, the way he dunks looks like a volleyball player jumping to block. I'm pretty sure if volleyball had a major league, he'd be playing there rather than the NBA.
If the Minny announcers were questioning Chase's competitive nature, where do you think that came from, I wonder who used to be part of their organization? DD
