He is a decent swingman and will only improve. I'm giddy that it's only his rookie season - if he can make Carl Landrian leaps of improvement during the offseasons - watch out, a 'smaller Dirk' or 'young Peja' might not be that ridiculous of a comparision.
Chase seems extremely streaky to me. I can usually tell when he's going to have an awful shooting game after his first couple shots. And is there a Rocket that has shot more airballs this season? I don't even think Ariza has shot as many.
So, I've figured out Chase Budinger's real identity: <object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/x13amh"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/x13amh" width="480" height="360" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13amh_spin-doctors-two-princes_music">Spin Doctors - Two Princes</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/droogirico">droogirico</a>. - <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/music">Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.</a></i> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAlQ1cR6X9Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAlQ1cR6X9Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I also think he could be a younger Mike Miller. Which is perfectly fine by me, our team could totally use a younger Mike Miller (now and in the future).
Maybe you haven't noticed because he looks like a veteran out there, but the kid is a rookie. And being streaky is the most common flaw of a rookie. I personally really like his game. Athletic guy with a smooth jumper, high IQ. Everyone is talking about Ariza being Shane's replacement, but IMO, Budinger is the best suited to take on that role. If Shane can teach him to use his head correctly and play some great D (and I know they have been practicing alot together), then that would be great.
With Lowry injured and Landry gone, Budinger has been looking more and more comfortable leading the charge off the bench. He still often plays a decoy, a complementary player for our main scorers, but he's taking more of a central role when he's surrounded by fellow bench guys. Especially, watching the team during the extended garbage time last night, I felt everything went through Chase or played off of him. This is not meant as a put-down but rather an observation of how much of a key role he already plays for the second and third units. I know the term "point forward" is scorned at on this board, but that's what I see him growing into, particularly for the bench group. Also, I get the sense that he's benefiting from not having Lowry (temporarily) and Landry (permanently) around. It's forcing him to imagine a greater role for himself.
Is it me or does it seem like every time Chase is guarding someone, they knock a jumper down right in his face. The guy has some bad luck or he is not as good as D as we all thought. Mike Miller or Peja is his celing. For sure.
Well, sometimes guys knock down shots with your hand in their face. Nothing you can do about it. If they were knocking down shots while he did not contest them, that would be something to worry about. The effort is there, nothing more you can ask for.
I think Chase is unique enough to be called "Chase Budinger" alone. He may resemble other players in the past but I don't remember seeing a white player like him posterize defender on daily basis. He's more athletic than Peja or Dirk. And he's only a rookie! Maybe one day we'll see him in Dunk Contest too. Give the boy some time to develop. We'll see him as Chase Budinger instead of the names in the past.
I hope the wink means you're joking. Do you seriously think that Larry Bird had a great shooting form? Also, CBud is hardly relentless. Part of what made Larry Bird great was the ability to can the shot from anywhere at any position with any coverage. I remembering watching Bird make shots that seemed physically impossible. There was this diving shot he made that was very impressionable, where he dove out of bounds and in midair jacked up the shot for the swish. Most players would have tried to pass it mid jump, but he had the confidence to make actually the shot.
I think he's a good athlete, but more linear than anything. He test are high in terms of athleticism, but not through the roof in terms of explosion. His iq is good and thats never been a question. I think chase can be mike miller and not because they're both white either. Thats not such a bad thing either or a person to compare. We will see how much he grows in terms of game in the next 2 yrs. He could turn out to be shane in terms of settling and not improving or he could be like carl who got better every summer.
