Does Chase Budinger Have a Future in the NBA?

How did this happen?

Scouts from all over the place ensured Chase Budinger that he was a lottery pick, and at the very worst, a first-rounder.

They've been telling him this since he left high school. They said a return for his senior year would only hurt his stock.

Dear God, how the mighty have fallen.

Well, I don't know how mighty the rest of the world views Budinger as, but I'd say it's at least arguable that a supposed lottery-pick shouldn't plummet to the second round.

But before we dive into a variety of complaints and scenario dissections, let's look again at Budinger, the NBA prospect:

Pros

• Great size and frame to build on at 6'7'' and 206 pounds
• Can score in a variety of ways (18 PPG)
• Very athletic with a 40'' vertical
• Solid lateral quickness
• Good finisher at the rim
• Excellent shooter, spotting up or coming off screens (39 percent 3's)
  
• Has three years of Pac-10 experience
• Led Arizona to the Sweet Sixteen
• Took a foot to the face, displaying his toughness
• Good rebounder and passer (6.2 RPG, 3.4 APG)
• Good team player and leader, on and off the court
• Moves well without the ball
• Plays great help/team defense
• Very durable
• Good versatility (can play SG/SF)

Cons

• Doesn't have elite lateral quickness
• Only an average defender
• Doesn't have a true NBA handle
• Doesn't excel in one-on-one, offensively
• Has had "toughness" concerns
• Could stand to add some muscle

For Budinger, the good outweighs the bad, and with his size, quickness, and shooting touch, there's no reason he should have fallen out of the first round.

To even further prove that point, until Budinger was selected by Detroit with the 43rd pick in the second round, five "wing" players were picked ahead of him, despite being rated with him or below him.

Budinger lost out in the first round, while Wayne Ellington, Christian Eyenga, Omri Casspi, Cictor Claver, and DeMarre Carroll all heard their names called by pick 30.

In the second round, we saw lesser talents such as Jermaine Taylor, Dante Cunningham, Jonas Jerebko, and Derrick Brown taken ahead of him.

Even undersized shooting guards, Jodie Meeks and Marcus Thornton, were taken before Budinger, who offers a better combination of athleticism, shooting, and passing.

Heck, even Jon Brockman heard his name called before Budinger.

Still, even when Budinger was drafted, he was then immediately shipped off to Houston, where he now gets to compete with a slew of guards and wing players.

Not exactly the scenario a potential lottery pick saw himself walking into.

It's no longer about carving out a niche for his NBA team. Budinger now doesn't have guaranteed money, and will have to fight to survive, simply for a spot on the Rockets (or someone else's) roster.

In today's NBA, and in correlation with the draft, it seems value and need has gotten to be a bit skewed.

It's almost a crime for scouts and agents to be that far off in predicting a player's tock.

At the same time, being drafted in the second round (or not being drafted at all) can sometimes be the best thing that can happen to a player.

It gives them the freedom to sign wherever they want, compete on several summer league squads, and feel out the best situation.

However, as nice as that must be to have some control over where you go, I'm sure Budinger would have liked to be a first-rounder.

And whether you like it or not, he should have been.

If Budinger does indeed stick with Houston, the only thing holding him back from becoming an eventual starter and impact player is his sub-par defense.

But these are things a talented, athletic kid can learn.

So, if you're still wondering: Can Chase Budinger make it in this league?

Yes, he can.

Like the Men's Warehouse, I guarantee it.