Chase Budinger: I Can Be A Playmaker In The NBA
July 2, 2009 – 9:00 am by Tas MelasChase came out after his junior and he was selected at 44 this past week. There were nothing wrong with his numbers at Arizona but people question how great he wants to be. The critics don’t criticize the talent level but they cut up his ‘bring it’ ability. Arguably, one of the top volleyball players in NCAA, Budinger has also been criticized for not loving basketball enough. However, with the uncertainty of the Rockets roster, he has a chance to make the team. Budinger joined 1560 The Game in Houston to discuss what he brings to the table, Houston’s roster being up in the air, and the success of Pac-10 players transferring to the NBA in recent years.
What he brings:
“I bring a pretty solid all-round game. I feel like I do a little bit of everything; score, shoot, rebound, pass. I feel that I can definitely be a playmaker at this next level, especially coming in as a rookie. I just feel that all of those things combined make me a special player.”
On the uncertainty about Houston’s roster:
“My mindset is the same. Get in here, work hard every day, work on things every day, try to learn as much as I can and get my body physically and mentally ready to play in the NBA whether I’m playing a lot or not playing a lot.”
On the Pac-10:
“The Pac-10 is a very tough league, I think it’s one of the toughest. You look at the league and you look at all of the young players that have come out over the last 2 to 3 years. They’re all playing on their teams and doing well for their teams like Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Aaron Brooks, the line just goes down on young players playing from the Pac-10, so hopefully I’m just one of those players.”
Listen to Chase Budinger on 1560 The Game in Houston
Tags: Basketball, Chase Budinger, Houston Rockets, NBA, NBA Draft
