Surprised there isn't a C-Bud thread after these past few games. Now we all should note this is indeed the summerleague, and we shouldn't read much into it. Add to that it has only been 4 games, much too small a sample size to conclude anything. That being said, it's summer time, people supposed to speculate! We all figured he could shoot. His quickness was a question mark. And toughness was the big issue. Well now we know he can shoot. His quickness is quite adequate. Toughness is still to be determined though. But from my early observations, the big surprise is how well a passer/playmaker he is. This is the one aspect of his game that may make him a contributor this year, even against the odds as a 44th pick. To become a playmaker as a guard/forward, you need 3 things. Vision, ballhandling, and lastly, quickness, to some degree. The latter being the least important, as inferior quickness can be masked by superior ballhandling. This is the reason why guys like Von Wafer and JJ Reddick are one dimensional. They either lack vision, or ballhandling. In Von's case it is both, severely. But I digress. Chase has shown vision, his quickness is passable, and most surprisingly his ballhandling is somewhat above average. The ingredients are there for an adequate playmaker. I think from the skill set he has shown, there is no reason why he can't turn out to be a guy like Mike Miller. In addition, there are a few more aspects of his game that may translate well to the NBA. Height- He is not undersized Quick release- has anyone else noticed this? He has a very quick, and pretty release Elevation- you can question his quickness all you want, however there is no denying his leaping ability, this means a very nice elevation on his jumper All 3 of the above aspects mean his shot should translate over to the pros. Add to that his passing ability, and we may have our next surprise contributor. Think of it as what Reddick, Boki, Novak et all were supposed to, or we hoped to be. Except Chase may actually have the chance to live up to it. But hey! This is just summer speculation.
He looks like he'll fit in just fine in an Adelman-motion offense. Whether he becomes a contributing rotation player will be probably depend more on how he progresses on the defensive end. It's no cakewalk defending the SG/SF position in the NBA, and he doesn't have the veteran savvy of a Brent Barry to help make up for any deficiencies he may have.
I definitely think that Budinger can contribute this year. He has a sweet and smooth jumper, and he's extremely athletic. He has tons of potential, and if he can improve his D, there's no telling how good he can be. I saw him play at Arizona and I was extremely impressed with his shot. If he doesn't contribute this year, I say with no doubt he will be able to contribute next year or in the near future. I love watching him play.
The question is can he defend well enough to be trusted on the court. He doesn't need to be Battier or Ariza, just not horrible at the Wang Zhizhi/Steve Novak level.
Yes he can, if given the opportunity, his movement off the ball is already the best on the Rockets by a long way. It is very young Brent Barry-ish. On D you can hide him by having Battier or Ariza paired with him guarding the tougher assignment. DD
And that veteran savvy hardly even helps Barry, so Chase certainly has his work cut out. Let see how his quickness hold up in the next level.
He puts points in, but doesn't grab a rebounds or defends. He can be used as a spark off the bench, when the 4th quarter collapse happens and Yao gets fronted.
lets not get ahead of ourselves. isnt adam morrison averaging 25 ppg in SL right now? but i like what i see from c-bud.
Didn't even read your post. Thats how I feel about the guy. Most 2nd rounders in general. Seen Budinger play, his athleticism and defense are ridiculously overrated. Its one thing to jump high, but he isn't explosive or quick. His game is nothing like Reddick, Boki, or Novak's. None of those. And if he did play like them their rookie seasons then again, no, he cant contribute.
I think there are enough disclaimers in the OP indicating no one is getting ahead of themselves. Besides DD.
I found his high school tape! http://goazcatsserver.com/basketballvideos/chasebudingerhighlight.wmv Just download it. Enjoy
