More thoughts: - CarlHerrera and Kwame were both really cool guys. It was great meeting them. And thanks for dinner! - Kwame and I sat right next to Joey Dorsey's girlfriend(?). Wow - Yoyo needs a new computer chair
I watched the second half of the first summer league game, but unfortunately missed the rest because of plans this weekend. I have watched chase play in person back when they played against a&m (January I believe). Although that team struggled last year at times, he was a very good offensive player. He was the best offensive player on the court that game and had a great shooting stroke accompanied with an overall solid skill set. He isn't a great defender but he isn't suspect either. I think he is the only guy on our developmental team that will make it in the NBA. I think with his body type and not being a superior athlete, he could learn a whole lot from a guy like shane battier. It would be great if he spent a lot of extra time with shane and learned the ropes of being a good one on one defender. He could also use some extra pounds of muscle so he can last through an 82 game season (maybe help his explosiveness as well). Overall he is the best player at this point on our sl team and he has the biggest upside. If in fact we do lose von wafer, despite them being two different style players, I could see chase maybe later on this season filling wafers role if he commits to the rockets system.
Nothing really impressed me in this year's summer league... Dorsey's slow development, Luenen's bad defense, White's incompetent, Taylor's shoot-only-minded. Chase Budinger maybe the only player come out there with a plus sign over their head. But his athleticism and his long range shooting were nothing more than he is advertised.
Quoted for TRUTH! And the kicker is that Wafer is NOT even on this team, JT IS. In any case, I am excited about Budinger and hopeful for Dorsey. THESE are players who appear the most likely to contribute to the ROCKETS rotation in the near future.
I just haven't seen much.....don't get all upset, he may be something special...but so far, I have not seen it. Landry sucked in the summer league, and the Rockets only gave him a 1 year deal, which worked out better for him in the end. Maybe Taylor is trying the same approach? DD
...don't confuse draft measurements with NBA player guide measurements. That may be true, but you have to realize there are few players in the NBA who are their actual height listing. Most players exaggerate their sizes but some underestimate them too(Garnett for one). In short listed height measurements are an inexact science and it really doesn't matter how tall either player is anyway as long as they can get off their shot accurately.
So DD, I know you seem to know it all, but just one question popped into my mind... since you're so sold on Von Wafer and all. <br><br> WHY HASN'T ANYONE ELSE SIGNED HIM TO ANYTHING? He's on the sidelines with the likes of Drew Gooden, Flip Murray, Mikki Moore, Sean May, Gerald Green, Anthony Carter, Lindsey Hunter, Fred Jones, Luther Head, Rodney Carney, Keith Bogans and a ton of scrubs/injured players. ODOM & AI are the best FA out there in terms of star power/immediate help and you act like Wafer is next in line and that the Rockets are crazy to let him go... HOWEVER, why isn't anyone else throwing offers around at him, driving up the price and offering trade-and-sign deals or anything to lure this fantastic FA away from the Rockets.... ... it's ok, I'll wait .... Oh yeah, that's b/c he's a dime a dozen in the NBA. You seem to know what you're doing most of the time, but your BROMANCE with Wafer needs to end. OUT! <b><font color=red>Bleeding RED since 1980</b></font>
I don't know whether I have the skills to really evaluate, from a summer league performance, whether a player is ready to contribute to the Houston Rockets. I don't even know if a summer league performance provides any sort of adequate standard for making that sort of judgment.
Awesome! I love this kind of update on our guys from someone who is watching them play. I'm really enjoying all that I'm hearing about these guys, especially Buddinger. Looks like he just may have a spot on this team after all!
Great read. Looking forward to hearing more about the new guys. I'd of course be more than happy if Taylor gave the team the same scoring punch off the bench as Wafer did last season. But it sounds like he may have similar weaknesses as Wafer (tendency to keep the ball rather than pass, defensive problems), and we'll have to see if he can overcome these deficiencies.
I've been impressed by a few guys, and for more than one reason. Here are those guys and why. Chase Budinger - Shown excellent offensive talent. He can score from anywhere on the court. Also, he leads the team in FG%, 3FG%, and PPG. Has great athleticism, and an overall solid player. His weakness is his defense though. If he improves that, I can see him being a very special player for us. Joey Dorsey - HUGE body and strength. Very physical, and a great rebounder. Variety of good post moves. He leads the league in RPG, at 14.3. Has shot for a good FG%, and is a big presence down low. Could improve on his FT%, and should go strong to the hoop more often. Also, could improve his passing, and decisions as he leads the team in turnovers per game. Maarty Leunen - Showed major improvement in his first season in Turkey. Can shoot pretty well from just about anywhere. He could be a very well role player for us in the future. Can probably improve on his defensive intensity, and his rebounding skills. Well, there's my opinion on the guys that I feel have played the best so far. If you think otherwise, please let me know, as I would really like others opinions on our guys so far. Thanks for the post The_Yoyo, enjoyed reading it. I share many of the same thoughts as you. This is my vision of a good thread.
