Chase Budinger is already a productive rotation player — on Monday, he helped the Rockets upset the Jazz in Salt Lake City with 17 points and five boards — which, if you’re counting at home, is 17 points and three rebounds more than Detroit’s three rookies combined this season.
This means nothing, of course; roles, more than anything else, determine production in the NBA, and Budinger would be riding the pine in Detroit. But still, considering the Pistons sold Budinger to the Rockets for a future second-rounder and some cash (and considering the Pistons then proceeded to enter the season with an empty roster spot), I’ll always look at his stat line and wonder what could have been.
(And, yes, the same goes for DeJuan Blair, especially as DaJuan Summers racks up the DNP-CD’s — because if Blair can get burn on the Spurs, he’d probably be starting for the Pistons)
Update: More coulda, woulda, shoulda thinking at Full-Court Press …
/sobs
/sobs while hugging Birdman, not scntfc at all…
I’m very confident that if we had either of those two guys on our roster they’d rot away on our bench and not be productive at all. For some reason, our franchise just sucks at developing young guys. Except Grant Hill, but he was already pretty good.
Good call, Garrett. Now I have something even more depressing to think about.
WHY HAS JOD FORSAKEN US?
This means nothing, of course; roles, more than anything else, determine production in the NBA, and Budinger would be riding the pine in Detroit.
Why do you think that? I mean, I’m inclined to agree with Garrett’s comments above.
But with Rip out and no realistic backup SF at the moment, I would think he’d get at least a few chances?
And LOL at Rob G
@joel:
+1
It’s definitely unfortunate we lost two chances at getting some productive rookies but I also believe both of these guys would of been riding the pine in Detroit.
“For some reason, our franchise just sucks at developing young guys.”
I don’t think Detroit “sucks” at developing younger players, I think we suck at giving players a chance to play in their first couple seasons in the NBA.
“I don’t think Detroit “sucks” at developing younger players, I think we suck at giving players a chance to play in their first couple seasons in the NBA.”
This is for two reasons: One, because our coaches have had absolutely no sense of job security since Dumars took over. Unless a rookie is a sure-shot all-star coming into the league, it’s always a gamble putting a rookie into your rotation ahead of veterans. Coaches like Saunders, Curry, Kuester, etc. will always have a subconscious “win-now” mentality, no matter what’s fed to us about the direction of the team, because “winning now” means “having a job next year”. Popovich has that level of security in SA to be able to gamble a little bit.
Secondly, the majority of the time, our veterans on the squad have been far-and-away more productive than the rookies coming in, resulting in a considerable drop-off in play when giving them minutes over a veteran (AJ and Maxiell over McDyess, Delfino against our wing players, etc.).
This just in: Gordon Giricek scored 36 points in his first NBA game. OMG, we should have drafted him!
Seriously, three games into the season this is just stupid. Not stupid in an “I’m just saying” way, but stupid in a way that makes limited Internet access for every man, woman and child sound good.
Budinger has been solid in all four of his games this year:
16mpg/50%fg/40%3pt/9.3pts/3rbd
Per-36 that’s like 20/6. And they’ve played (and beat) quality teams.
The Right Dejuan? In 3 games:
20mpg/70%fg/8pts/8rbds/1ast/1stl
Per-36 that’s 15/15/2/1. Again, against quality teams.
Now I’m a 100% Daye-holic and I think Waterloo’s going to be great off the bench too. But don’t tell me that either of those guys wouldn’t be better than “DNP-CD Dejuan” or “I can’t even keep a roster spot when you’re already paying me guaranteed money” Washington.
ZOMG PER THERTY SICKS MINUTS!!!!!
WUT F DEY DINUNT PWAY THIRDY SICKS MYNUTS???? ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG
An interesting article on The Right DeJuan’s missing ACLs:
http://www.slate.com/id/2234460/
@Joel
I don’t know what the problem is, I cant possibly be that much of a Payne in your ass for you to keep mentioning my name.
Whatever the case I apologize. I always thought it was rather feminine or catty to continue to mention another man, who clearly doesn’t have a desire to pay you any attention.
Kay Wan, good point.
From what I’ve seen from the pre-season (which was limited), I think Jonas Jerebko and Daye will atleast be decent players and contributors.
That’s another reason why I’m not too disappointed about missing or trading away on a few guys during the draft. It happens but as long as a few of these guys come out decent like Jerebko and/or Daye, I can live with that.
@PS:
It hurts my knees to read that. Yeeeouch.
:::Still waiting on Trent Plaisted guaranteed contract:::