I can't find any videos or highlight reels of this guy anywhere. I've been reading some scouting reports and he sounds like a late 2nd rounder at best. He'll be 24-years-old by the time next season starts and one scout on DraftExpress described him as a 6'1" combo guard with shaky ball handling skills and explosiveness. Apparently he's skipping the NBA pre-draft camp too. I don't know how he expects anybody to get a feel for him.
This 'kid' has super sleeper potential. Wouldn't be surprised if Morey pulled the trigger on it. Although, I haven't seen much in person and am basing my opinion on scouting reports and mock drafts so what the hell do I know.
That's what I'm thinking. He put up huge stats all season. And even put them up against Memphis right out of the gate. They couldn't shut him down and you know he had to have been the focus after at least the first quarter. And I did read also where he is skipping the pre draft camp. That don't make sense to me..................at all. However, in an interview today on DraftExpress he is indicating that he has had a number of teams contact him about doing individual workouts including us. And he also states he is thinking about not going to Orlando because he has heard that there may be some negatives for him there? What is that all about? He supposedly doesn't have an agent yet, giving him the option to return to school. But dude is going to be 24 years old in 3 months. Why would he go back to school? In my opinion, I just don't think this guy has anybody right now that is giving him good counsel. It is very hard to get a read on him and he appears to be looking for somebody to trust and is taking advice from all different folk. Doesn't have an agent. Somehow he is down at IMG working out. I would imagine one of his coaches probably steered him there. I suppose he is thinking if he can't get the guaranteed money and a first round promise that he would go back for another year and bust out the stat sheet at Tennessee-Martin, at age 24........and then expect to go in the first round next year when he is 25?? Isn't it obvious he's not getting a lot of professional career advice? So, if he is a player, one major risk to me would be the possibility that he winds up surrounded by some posse that bleeds him and steers him towards bad decisions. However, I am still intrigued by this guy. Anybody that can put up those kind of all around numbers has something going on. And 6'1" doesn't bother me at all when the scounting reports say his wingspan is almost 6'10" and he already has a rep as a defensive stopper and ball hawk. His weakness is he turns it over some? I'm sure he does when he's handling the ball 99% of the time and really is the lone real player on his team. I'm sure every team they played, they were gunning to shut him down. And he still put up ungodly numbers. It'll be interesting to see if he pulls up his draft status through these individual workouts. I think when these guys get first round promises, DraftExpress has a good history of being on top of that, so it should reflect in their mock. I'd love to see some game footage of this guy.
He was compared to Rodney Stuckey. I wanted Stuckey in last year's draft but he was drafted early. I did read scouting reports on Hudson and he seems intriguing. Any guy that can create his own shot and handle the ball would be a great addition to the Rockets.
I just read some article about him on ESPN. Here are some quotes I liked about his game: "He's the heart and soul of this basketball team," UT-Martin coach Bret Campbell said. "Even if he doesn't score, and that doesn't happen very often, he just makes everybody around him better. He's got a great feel for the game. He's one of those guys who has a high basketball IQ and understands it." Granted, that's his coach, but still good to hear. "He's really good; good offensively and he's good in every way," Stallings said. "He can pass. He can handle the ball. He can make tough shots. He can get into the lane and get to the basket, and he's got deep range. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3252464
I've been intrigued by Hudson, but only from what I can gather from the mocks and "scouting reports." He's a little old, but we're kind of in a win-now mentality, as Tmac and Yao aren't getting any younger. I like Chalmers a lot too (they seem to be similar defensively, though Hudson is a better scorer). Do we need Hudson's scoring more than Chalmer's better PG skills? I could either way. We suck when we can't score, but we also suck when we get many TOs. I say bring them in the same day, compare them against some Rocket players in mock games, and see who comes out on top.
They're also worried that he'll have to run a team at the camp, which is not his strong suit. He'd shine more in the individual setting and he's got plenty of appointments, so all the GM's will see him anyway. If he goes back to school, he may get to run the point full-time to show scouts he's capable of it. I honestly don't know how bad he can be at it. I heard Luther Head ran point amazingly well the pre-draft camp and we all know how much he's sucks at it in the pros. DD's right, this guy might be the next Bobby Jackson.
Hudson is closer to 6'1" than 6'3".Do we need any more mini-guards despite their college achievements? I think not. Chalmers is a nice player who is 6'1" too but I think he will have trouble running the point as he isn't a true 1 either.Learning how to play point guard takes years. We need someone with size,decent height,athletic ability who can adjust to the pros quickly. Getting someone like that at 25 is hard but we don't have the luxury of waiting too long either.
So he's closer to 6'1 than 6'3... Apparently his wing span is very long, and he has excellent strength - not exactly "mini guard" for the point. NBADraft.net DraftExpress.com
Running the point is a hard job even as a backup. Look at hooroo's post about him. Hudson himself admits it's going to be hard for him to run the point. I was referring to him as a combo/guard when I said I was concerned about his height. A PG with strength,long arms,athletic ability at 6'1" is all right with me.
I think the point is if you're under a certain height in this league, and don't know how to "run" a team as a leader and primary PG/ballhandler, you will never be great, and are unlikely to start. Ben Gordon is the best in the league in this category, and he had trouble as a starter, and for all his scoring ability and positives, he has his fair share of negatives, too. If Hudson is a SG walking around in a PG bodies height, he better have some amazing skill that can't be overlooked...ala Aaron Brooks type speed, or Ben Gordon type scoring ability. He may have that, but I don't think we can afford to find out, when the team has so many other needs,
I don't recommend Hudson as a starting PG, but I do believe he's interesting as someone who can put in 15 min per game backing up Rafer. We have a capable point-forward in McGrady. Hudson can be brought in as a defensive stopper that also happens to be very talented in other areas. I'm not satisfied with our current options for backup PG. The defensive/offensive production for the PG spot is our biggest deficiency in my opinion - even bigger than SF. Our current primary PG backup, Jackson, is not someone I would call a "true" PG. However, Adelman/Morey traded for him anyway. I'm suggesting that, because of his size and skill-set (<- see other posts/draft boards), Hudson can possibly do a better job of fulfilling the role of backup PG than either Jackson or Brooks. (My perfect world) Trade Brooks and Jackson. Keep Rafer and Francis and draft Hudson.
Derek Fisher is barely 6'1" and has less skill than many other combo guards. He doesn't have great quickness or long arms, never has been able to "run" a team. Yet he's starting for the best team in the west. Anyone can be a starter if they play defense and hit big shots. I'm not endorsing Hudson; I've never seen him play. But you can't write off someone's potential just because of their height. If he manages to carve out a career as a Derek Fisher, Bobby Jackson, or Jameer Nelson type then he'll make some team very happy.
Derek Fisher is playing because of his ability to "run" a team, not because he's never been known to do so. The difference between knowing how to "run" a team, and not "run" a team is the difference between Fisher/Nelson/heck, even Rafer Alston....and Luther Head. Luther Head is incapable of "running" a team. Fisher, Nelson, Alston aren't spectacular players, but are great team managers. Fisher complements this with solid 3 point shooting and defense. Same with Nelson (like Fisher, over 40% from 3), who is a little bit better of a passer. Rafer is less the shooter/defender, but a better distributor. Whatever the case, they all now EXACTLY how to "run" a team. Bobby Jackson, on the other hand, even in his prime, was never a great PG in the traditional sense, but a great scoring spark of the bench. Same with Ben Gordon, or Earl Boykins, for that matter. Gasol aside, Fisher's PG leadership skills are pointed to as a key reason for the Lakers success this year. Ideally, your starting PG is a combination of the two - Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Parker, etc. are all great at both running their team, and are efficient and prolific scorers. Point being, if you are short in the NBA, and fall more on the Bobby Jackson side of the equation than the Derek Fisher, than you are typically a backup. Does that mean you can't have a long career....No. That does mean the Rockets don't need you, though, as we already have a bunch of the backup variety.
Interesting article on Lester Hudson... http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/may/11/nba-draft-profilelester-hudson-skyhawk-stunner/ When referring to his game against Tenn-Martin, John Calipari mentioned the following about Hudson:
