I believe he will be a starter, and may make some of our wings expendable for NEXT year..... This is a great year for Chase.....there are no team expectations so he can come in do his thing and grow comfortable, so that when Yao comes back, he is even more ready. DD
Its one good game, hopefully he has another one tonight. Thought he moved real well without the ball and when playing D.
I believe you are right on the money with this. Buddinger will be a legitimate starter in this league. Until Battier is traded he won't get the opportunity to start, but he will get 20 mins or so until Tracy gets back. If Tracy is for real his minutes may take a bit of a hit, but by then I think he will be established as part of the rotation and maybe Ariza/Battier will give up a few minutes to him. I think we will be slightly better than a .500 team this year if Tracy contributes. If not, I think we should go ahead and start readying for next year by either moving Battier to a bench role or trade him and go ahead and start Buddinger. Our lack of interior height will make it impossible for us to be a legitimate contender. We are going to get killed by offensive rebounds and lack of interior defense. Scola and Landry are going to be in foul trouble all year, unless Morey can pull some magic and get a legit center in. Buddinger has a sweet quick release and looks comfortable on the court either spotting up, coming off picks, or on the run. He will be perfect with Yao in the middle next year.
This season: Solid back-up/rotation player. Player comparison: Rip Hamilton/Reggie Miller type player who moves well without the ball in order to get open to get a good shot. I can see Adelman calling plays for him, especially setting screens/double screens for him to get good jump shots.
waaaay too early to make such a claim. dont underestimate his b-ball IQ. that can at least help him get into decent defensive positioning. with the guidance of ariza and battier, theres still hope.
If you can outscore the guy you are guarding, your defense only needs to be average. I think it is easier to teach a talented offensive player to play decent defense than it is for a talented defensive player to play decent offense. DD
Worst case is V-Span bc he would never make it off the bench. Wally is a damn fine player for his role...that may be Mr. Budingers ceiling but we will know when the time comes. I was thoroughly impressed by him, Morey is a damn fine talent evaluator.
This season? Limited minutes behind Tmac/Battier/Ariza and maybe even AB, if RA do goes along playing 2 small guards.
Budinger needs Yao back. Yao with Scola, Ariza, Budinger, and Brooks could be a very potent lineup at doing what I think Adelman wants to do offensively. Defense is the key as it looks like Budinger is great at coming off screens and hitting jumpers. I can't wait to see Yao setting screens for Budinger. I can wait to see Brooks and Budinger play defense against an aggresive backcourt without Yao backing them up.
Agree with this assessment. I think Buddinger will be a decent team defender, but he, and all the Rockets, will be hurting until we get a defensive stopper in the middle. Yao may not have been a great defensive center, but he sure commanded space in the lane and provided defensive rebounds. If we can't get that stopper this year, I think we are sunk anyway and might as well play Buddinger as much as possible to get ready for next year.
So basically you're ssaying that u would rather have kobe score 35 and his man score 15 than have kobe score 28 and shane to score 7?
Budinger's jumper is poetry in motion. He's also a good athlete and a smart player. Moves off the ball well. Makes smart passes. Like Adelman said, his ability to defend his position will determine his fate.
Y'all guys are killing me. I am sticking with it. Budinger will be a liability on defense his entire career. Jumping and volleyball athleticism do not translate to being athletic on the basketball floor. If you aren't quick laterally and not explosive you cannot be defined as athletic in the NBA. Yes you are athletic compared to the general public I mean c'mon. Geez. This BBS just loves to hype and glorify its latest white basketball player. Been happening since this site existed. One day Ill get used to it.
