I'm not sure where I stand when it comes to this kid. I do enjoy seeing him on the court because of what I know he's capable of (at least at the college level), but after seeing him struggle in the Summer League and then again last night, I'm starting to wonder where he will be this year and in the future. Obviously his biggest strength is scoring so it makes sense to see him shoot a lot, but he seems to pass less than Von. I'm sure when he's hitting his shot he can be one of the best, but when he's not he's pretty much worthless. I hope he proves me wrong, develops a more all around game, and starts shooting better because knowing his potential, I'm sure he will be fun to watch. Where do you think Taylor will be this year? Unless he can turn things around, I can see him getting quite a few DNP's, on the other hand, if he can start hitting his shot and gain some confidence he could be in the 8-9 man rotation. My final take...he'll play 30-40 games this year in a limited role, possibly even getting sent down to the D-League. Following this year after he gains some confidence, I think he'll be a reliable scorer off the bench in the Von Wafer mould. Pugs
My take is that he is a scrub we picked up to obscure the mishandling of the Von Wafer situation. He will never be a significant nba rotation player.
Never saw him in college. After watching him stink up the summer league I can't imagine how he was a bulk scorer at school. Ok, he had some decnet moves and got plenty of chances at the rim, but nothing's been falling for him.
So we picked up a player in the June draft to obscure the mishandling of a situation that unfolded in late July and August...
Even though he did not shoot well in limited minutes last night, I was impressed with his defense and his first step. He needs to figure out what type of player he wants to be... He will need some time, but I think he is a player.
He needs play to his strengths. Driving the ball and taking it to the hole is his strength, not jacking up contested jumpers.
I honestly don't think anyone can guage his potential after a SL and only one preseason game under his belt. I'm sure the reason he's shooting so much is because he is a passer and until he gets to the point where he is comfortable like Chase seems to be, he will be more of a passer since guys will be leaving their man to help on him if he's just lighting people up like any good defense would. Definitely not saying that he will torch everyone in the NBA but these guys are rookies and its hard to expect much from them at this time. That's why it is such a shock to everyone that Budinger is shooting so damn good. We need to give them time, we all want to see results now, its human nature but I really don't see us relying on either him or Chase to be a proficient scorer in their first year. If that were to happne than great for them and even better for us. The likeliness if very low though...
I have a novel idea. Call me crazy, but hey, why don't we give him maybe two weeks -- or even three! -- into the preseason before we start labeling him a scrub, a bust, a smokescreen for the "mishandling" of the Von Wafer "situation," etc. Give the kid a chance. It's rare that a rookie comes into summer league and then training camp with the poise that Budinger has shown. So let's pat Morey on the back for seeing something in Chase and at the same time, acknowledge that just maybe, Morey didn't completely lose his talent-assessing skills when he looked at Taylor. There might be something there, once he gets the hang of things in the big league. As for that Von Wafer "situation," my take is that Morey and RA knew by the end of the season that they didn't want Von Wacko on their team anymore. With that in mind, what do you think they'd do, make a possible career-killing announcement? "The Rockets have decided that Von Wafer, while a talented basketball player, was far too much of a moron and knucklehead to offset the fact that he has the kind of skill and intensity that coaches and GMs normally drool over. Consequently, we have no intention whatsoever of re-signing him." No, they just said, they were "waiting to see what his market value is" -- GM-speak for "not making him an offer." And despite his numbers for last year, not a single one of the other 29 GMs chose to make him a decent offer. That situation wasn't mishandled -- it was played perfectly.
Letting Von escape was a stupid move probably the worst Morey's made. I knew he was going to be a good player before he started playing i watched him in the d-league before joining the Rockets he was good why did they let him leave he was still young.
I think Taylor is a good scorer but he needs to work on his game still. I think he could be a good bench player. I think we should have him in the D-League this season though.
Good comparison, although I think Taylor is a slightly better shooter. That's not really saying much.
The guy got sent to the showers in the middle of an incredibly intense game by the biggest player's coach in the league. If that doesn't say how much of a knucklehead he was, nothing does, and after that incident, Wafer was not worth 5 million.
