How many people would be anxious to fill our final roster spot with the likes of Robert Dozier, Chinemu Elonu, Emir Prelzdic, or Ahmad Nivins? Because those are the two guys taken after and the two guys taken before Hudson. I mean if Hudson was potentially wearing any other uniform, would anybody really want him over some random vet out there? I think people are becoming a little too in love with young green talent.
That said, I'm fine if he signs here. But if there's a better option out there, cut him. We won't regret it. Best case scenario is that he's a bench player in this league 3 years from now. I think we'll recover.
You didn't explain your post the way you wanted to, did you?
Here's the thing: none of the guys you mentioned are guards, they're forwards. Hudson is. To be fair, ESPN listed him as a SG. Now, that all said, if Hudson shows he can be a backup PG, so be it. If he doesn't, so be that too. But, don't assume he'll fail without even giving him a chance. Bench player in 3 years at best? Come on, we don't know that.
I was in a rush, but I think you see enough to get the gist. And I'm not ruling him out. I'm simply saying that there's about a 90% chance he's out of the league in 3 years, about 7% chance he becomes a fringe rotation player, about a 2% chance he becomes a rotation player, and probably even less than 1% chance he ever becomes anything the C's are going to regret not having 3 years from now.
I mean even if he turns into the next Eddie House, who cares? The current version of Eddie House will last us as long as the Big Three are here and after that, when we start rebuilding, we won't particularly need an Eddie House. And if we do find ourselves needing an undersized shooting guard, they're about a dime a dozen on the FA market.
Again, I'm OK with signing him. I don't think there are many scenarios when this current team will use either Hudson or a vet backup PG this season. However, I don't understand why people are so anxious to sign him.
keep in mind that IF Hudson makes the team, it's as the 15th player. Not the game roster. Not a player actually getting game time off the bench. A 15th player on a roster is a gamble or more optimistically, an investment in the future by the team. That's all Hudson should be considered, nothing more. Personally, I think he's worth a serious look in camp. Danny's shown his best talent so far is drafting. That alone gives me reason to think he could make the team even though he was drafted that late. Danny's picked several players late in the draft that, if the draft were redone, they'd have gone much higher--Gomes and Powe are prime examples. Even his first rounders would have gone higher like Al, Perk and Rondo.
The real issue with the team is that they have 2 spots taken by players they would rather not have -- TA and Veal. They're the 11th and 12th men on the roster. (realistically, Walker nor Giddens is getting ahead of them on Doc's depth chart) Those are the roster spots that really need to be filled by a backup PG that might get game minutes. Unfortunately, those aren't freeing up until the trade deadline at best. If Hudson shows the potential to bring instant offense off the bench, keep him for next year. Bear in mind that moving Eddie at the trade deadline doesn't necessarily hinge on Hudson's development. Eddie's contract is just another bargaining chip if Danny can use it to bring in someone better that fills the team's needs. I don't see House going anywhere unless the C's get someone that can fill Eddie's shoes and then some.
I'm not ruling out that Hudson could be the next Gomes or Powe. But for everyone who lauds Danny for getting these players that late in the draft, they have to realize that some GMs intentionally pass on these player knowing that there's a decent chance they become role players. The fact of the matter is that role player like Powe and Gomes really only have value to contenders. I mean look at Gomes. He did alright for the C's when he was here, but he certainly wasn't a difference maker. Same with him in Minnie. If they didn't have him, what, they would have lost a game or two more last year? And so what, that means they would have missed the playoffs by another game or two.
The reason that Powe and Gomes were available when they were was because a lot of teams said to themselves, a role player isn't going to get them to the next level, so they might as well roll the dice on a project and hope he turns into a superstar.
Is this a critique of Danny? No. Through sifting through what's left in the draft, he's obtained quality role players at a very cheap price. But it's getting late in the game now. By the time Hudson pans out--if he does pan out--the C's window will be closed and role players won't be of that much use to them. Plus, role players like House are readily available. Remember that House didn't opt out of his contract because he realized no one would want him at anything more than a couple million a year.
So if Lester Hudson is the 15th man, I'm OK with it. But if Danny thinks that some vet PG is a better fit, I'm OK with that too. Plus, if we don't sign Hudson and three years from now he's Eddie House, likely he'll be available for a small contract if we want him back.
