Battier should start, we need some defensive presence in the starting line-up. Plus, Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger work very well together and they are a deadly bench combo.
Unless there is a trade I concur...but CBud needs more than 22 minutes...he should be a 30mpg player, and if Shane has to cut his minutes down to 20, then so be it. DD
Battier, even thou CBud is better. But he is better off the bench. And we need all our defensive help we can get in the starting lineups.
We should trade Battier and Hill since they arent being used or useless. Plus the draft picks since Carmelo will make them useless by the trade deadline with the Knicks. For a upgrade at SF. I agree Budinger and Courtney play really well together off the bench. Lets not lose that and add to it some quality depth and shave off a little excess fat to the roster while upgrading it.
Funny man is not so funny. Bud hardly played at all in the 2nd half.........hard to say what he did in the 2nd half with so little run. DD
Battier should start and Bud should play more minutes overall. Bud played great he just wasn't aggresive in the second half. Adelman needs to run more plays with bud coming off screens for open jumpers.
Do all the Battier-to-the-bench people really think that the problem with our team is offense? We had plenty of offense. We just missed some easy shots that will normally go down and more importantly we didn't have the defensive intensity needed with 2 of our best offensive players in AB and Martin. We don't need anyone to bring more offense to the starting line-up unless they bring defense too. Unless people really think Bud is a better defender than Shane, this shouldn't even be a discussion. On the flip side, we've got plenty of defense in the 2nd unit, so having a bit more offense there is a real plus with Bud in there.
He took an ill-advised three and turned the ball over on a fast break. He was great in the first half obviously. I like Budinger out there with Lee. They seem to mesh well together.
We have had one game - in which he had a +9 +/- - and we have what, three or four threads questioning Battier's role with the team. Has everyone gone completely crazy?
As long as Bud gets minutes, I don't care. I am fine with Shane starting, the starting 5 is good enough offensively to have him out there, it isn't really hurting them unless he and Chuck are both in the game
He had two turnovers in the 2nd half, the fast break where he should have bulldozed the guy that stopped in front of him instead of side stepping him. And he traveled on a play at the top of the 3pt line.... That being said....so what? Let the guy play.....Rick yanked him before Kobe even came back in.......Shane should have come in when Kobe came back. DD
There has to be a scapegoat every year. This year, it's Battier. I guarantee you this is mainly a Clutchfans phenomenon too. No one I've talked to in real life has said Battier needs to go.
You want someone with high energy and scoring potential to come off teh bench. That's what Chase brings. Battier would be useless, imo, coming off the bench. He starts to being D against the other team, you don't need his D to play against the other teams bench.
Just heard Bull talk on 610am for the Rockets Power hour. A caller called in with this question but also included Courtney Lee and Kevin Martin in the starting line up discussions. Bull said... Shane is unselfishly tutoring Bud to take his spot. They hang out a lot together off the court, and Shane is teaching Bud a lot about being a pro. Bull said Shane starts because Bud is not yet ready on the defensive end. You dont want the other teams 3 man getting off to a good start. He said Bud is more valuable at the end of the game when you need a shot. He said usually the vet will beat down the pro coming in behind them in fear they are going to take their minutes, therefore the Rockets are very grateful to Shane for the way he is handling the situation. Earlier Bull also said that Shane is the key veteran presence in the Rockets locker room at the moment and the other players look up to him a lot.
Battier should start but cut down his minutes to 20-25 for now. Let Bud increase his time on the court. We'll see how they perform and make more changes then.
Thank you for posting that. Shane is valuable and sure he struggled yesterday but you need guys like him on a team regardless, even if he isn't hitting 3's. He's a class guy, our captain, Yao's friend, and he could teach Bud how to D up. And Bud does have lateral quickness don't know how people come to that assumption.
Folks...basketball is a team sports. Each of the 12 + 3 (practice squad) players has a role. Shane will never ever be a great offensive threat. period. NBA defense is more than just man-to-man defense, it is team defense and Shane is a leader there. If you listen to the TV analysts, they all have great respect for Shane and his contribution to the Rockets. Yes, Shane got burned a few times by Kobe, but it allow others like Brooks and Martin to keep out of foul trouble and get some rest on the court because Shane is covering Kobe mano y mano. If you ever play organized basketball at a high level, then you know what I am talking about regarding defensive schemes and help defense. - Viva el sueno
