Buddy and Bogdan’s extension?

[ESP47]

Buddy last year was a lot closer to Klay than those other guys listed.

The thing I like about Buddy is he's always talking about how to get better at his weaknesses. He's like the anti-WCS. During his interview during that summer league game, he was talking about how he needs to get to the line and play better defense. That's the kind of stuff you want to hear and if he can start putting that together, he will be one heck of a player.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Someone is going to pay Buddy 25/mil year.

 

[Kingster]

If Buddy is just a sixth man, then there aren't a whole lot of good starters in the league. He's a 20 PPG scorer who shoots 40-something percent from 3, is probably the 3rd best pure shooter in the league, and isn't a complete sieve defensively. Dinwiddie and Ross are insults honestly. Lou Williams is an obvious steal of a contract and he's probably the best sixth man in the business, and even then I wouldn't take him over Buddy.

Compare CJ McCollum, whose stats are similar. CJ is a better creator, but leagues worse as a defender (he's that bad) and a less physical player. JJ Redick was a starter on a good Clippers team for years and he's a worse scorer overall and comparable defender with Buddy.

If we can give Barnes 4/85, then Buddy will command 20+ a year easy. Barne's profile is very valuable in the league right now but so is Buddy's.

We agree about Bogdanovic though.

If Buddy is just a sixth man, then there aren't a whole lot of good starters in the league. He's a 20 PPG scorer who shoots 40-something percent from 3, is probably the 3rd best pure shooter in the league, and isn't a complete sieve defensively. Dinwiddie and Ross are insults honestly. Lou Williams is an obvious steal of a contract and he's probably the best sixth man in the business, and even then I wouldn't take him over Buddy.

Compare CJ McCollum, whose stats are similar. CJ is a better creator, but leagues worse as a defender (he's that bad) and a less physical player. JJ Redick was a starter on a good Clippers team for years and he's a worse scorer overall and comparable defender with Buddy.

If we can give Barnes 4/85, then Buddy will command 20+ a year easy. Barne's profile is very valuable in the league right now but so is Buddy's.

We agree about Bogdanovic though.

In a bell curve, I think McCollum is an overpay, just as Lou Williams is an underpay. Redick shows the bottom of the range for me; he doesn't necessarily indicate that Buddy should be paid $13 mill a year, but there's no way I think Buddy worth 2x Reddick. Lou Williams is every bit the shooter is as Buddy, and I don't need to ponder stats to figure that out. He's a very good closer that doesn't make silly turnovers down the stretch. He's making $8 mill/year, which is highway robbery by the Clipps. It's a wash when it comes to defense for Buddy and McCollum. McCollum is a better ball handler than Buddy, a proven playoff performer, and has a higher BBIQ. In fact, all of the forementioned have higher BBIQs, which translates into wins in close games down the stretch.

 

[bajaden]

I would give Buddy 100M 4 year today.

And trade Bogi.

I agree with the first part, but not the 2nd. Too early to make that kind of decision. I'd have to wait till the end of the season to see if "Bogi bounces back to his old self. The worse thing you can do is give up on a player too early. It comes back to bite you in the butt too often.

 

[upinsmoke]

I agree with the first part, but not the 2nd. Too early to make that kind of decision. I'd have to wait till the end of the season to see if "Bogi bounces back to his old self. The worse thing you can do is give up on a player too early. It comes back to bite you in the butt too often.

Other side of that coin is he doesn't and now we have a depreciated asset. But after FA i admittedly feel better about bogi strictly playing 2 because hes not a pg/sf thats for sure.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Other side of that coin is he doesn't and now we have a depreciated asset. But after FA i admittedly feel better about bogi strictly playing 2 because hes not a pg/sf thats for sure.

If possible, I would rather try to lock him up on the cheap for an additional 2-3 seasons rather than pay full market as an RFA. Even if we decide to trade him at that point having him under contract adds value.

 

[Telemachus]

In a bell curve, I think McCollum is an overpay, just as Lou Williams is an underpay. Redick shows the bottom of the range for me; he doesn't necessarily indicate that Buddy should be paid $13 mill a year, but there's no way I think Buddy worth 2x Reddick. Lou Williams is every bit the shooter is as Buddy, and I don't need to ponder stats to figure that out. He's a very good closer that doesn't make silly turnovers down the stretch. He's making $8 mill/year, which is highway robbery by the Clipps. It's a wash when it comes to defense for Buddy and McCollum. McCollum is a better ball handler than Buddy, a proven playoff performer, and has a higher BBIQ. In fact, all of the forementioned have higher BBIQs, which translates into wins in close games down the stretch.

Not sure you realize that Redick has made around $20 million the past few years. He gotless this season because he is 34 years old.

 

[BigVirg]

If Buddy improves a grade on his defense and his court sense, then I could see him approach the $20 million/year mark. For me, Malcom Brogdan is a superior overall player. He just signed a four year contract that averages $21.250/year. In my view, that's the absolute ceiling for a Buddy contract.

If Buddy doesn't take that step up, then he's more like a very good 6th man, not a very good starter, which means considerably less. Take a look at the Lou Williams contract with the Clipps - 3 years for $25 million ($8 mill/yr), signed in 2018 when he was 31. JJ Redick, age 35, just signed a two year deal with the Pels for an average annual salary of $13.25 million. (I am making an assumption here that Redick is more of a 6th man type because of mediocre defense and ball handling skills). Dinwiddie, age 26, of the Nets, just signed a 3-year contract at an average of $11.5 per year. Terrance Ross, age 27 just signed a 4-year contract with Orlando for an average of $13.5 million per year. At the low end of the range is Lou Williams at $8 mill/year. At the high end of the range is Ross at $13.5 million per year. To really come up with his worth, the Kings would have to meticulously compare the above player's strengths, weaknesses, and respective ages with Buddy's, as well as look at additional contracts signed within the last couple of years. Just ballparking it, it looks like his range is between $13 - 20 million/year. And in my own opinion, much of where Buddy falls in that range will depend this coming season on the non-shooting elements of his game, as the shooting aspect of his game is pretty much nailed down at this point.

WHHAAATTTTTTT? Buddy isn't a very good starter?

 

[VF21]

WHHAAATTTTTTT? Buddy isn't a very good starter?

You're quoting Kingster out of context. What he said was "IF BUDDY DOESN'T TAKE THAT STEP UP, then he's more like a very good 6th man, not a very good starter."

 

[SacTownKid]

Buddy like Klay Thompson? Come on. Let's get real here. He's got a long ways to go before he's HOFer material. If he becomes a great defensive player, then we'll talk, but that's a moon shot from here at this point in time.

Buddy is undersized compared to Ross or Dwinwiddie (or Thompson), and right around Redick's height at 6'4".

A max contract should have nothing to do with how the Kings use him. It's the skills he can provide relative to other comparable players. Those skills include shooting, but are not just limited to shooting. He's a long, long ways from a max contract player.

I'm talking in terms of what he does for your team on the floor. I personally don't think he's that far behind him either to be honest if used similarly but that's a different convo. Buddy isn't undersized for a SG. Near 6'10" wingspan and probably clocks in around 220-230.

 

[midtowner]

Lock Buddy up ASAP. The dude is dope on and off the court. He is so positive and works his tail off. He opens up our offense for everyone and never stops moving. His D is improving every year. I don’t understand why he is so under appreciated in Kings land.

 

[bajaden]

Whether we like it or not, a player will get paid relative to others with similar skill sets. Which to be honest, isn't always fair because some team will overpay and thus up the overall percentages of the best players. Yes, I'm referring to one Andrew Wiggins who is due to make 27.5 mil this coming season. The worse example is Nicolas Batum, who is due 25.5 mil. An offer of 15 to 17 mil for Buddy would be hard to swallow when he looks at those two salaries.

The major question should be, who in the league at the SG position is better than Buddy. It's a somewhat subjective question and someone somewhere will argue for some player one way or the other. I went around the league and looked at the starting SG on every team and listed his points per game, rebounds per game, and his 3pt%. Obviously some are better passers or defenders. But I have better things to do with my time than dive into the stats of every player.

I start with the best players and how much their going to make this coming season, unless that player is still on his rookie salary, which would make it irrelevant. To be honest, it was hard to tell who the starting SG on some teams was.

James Harden: 36.1 ppg - 6.6 rpg - 38.0% 3pp - 38.1 million due this season.

Klay Thompson: 21.5 ppg - 3.8 rpg - 40.2% 3pp - 32.7 million due this season.

Jimmy Butler: 18.7 ppg - 5.3 rpg - 33.8% 3pp - 32.7 million due this season.

Andrew Wiggins: 18.1 ppg - 4.8 rpg - 33.9% 3pp - 27.5 million due this season.

C. J. McCollum: 21.0 ppg - 4.0 rpg - 37.5% 3pp - 27.5 million due this season.

Devin Booker: 26.6 ppg - 4.1 rpg - 37.5% 3pp - 27.2 million due this season.

Bradley Beal: 25.6 ppg - 5.0 rpg - 35.1% 3pp - 27.0 million due this season.

Nicolas Batum: 9.3 ppg - 5.2 rpg - 38.9% 3pp - 25.5 million due this season.

Victor Oladipo: 18.8 ppg - 5.6 rpg - 34.3% 3pp - 21.0 million due this season.

Zach Lavine: 23.7 ppg - 4.7 rpg - 37.4% 3pp - 19.5 million due this season.

Gary Harris: 12.9 ppg - 2.8 rpg - 33.9% 3pp - 17.8 million due this season.

Evan Fournier: - 15.1 ppg - 3.2 rpg - 34.0% 3pp - 17.1 million due this season.

Danny Green: 10.3 ppg - 3.5 rpg - 45.5% 3pp - 14.6 mil due this season.

Josh Richardson: 16.6 ppg - 3.6 rpg - 35.7% 3pp - 10.1 mil due this season.

Then there are those still on their rookie salaries who are in the same situation as Buddy, or will be a year later.

Donovan Mitchell: 23.8 ppg - 4.1 rpg - 36.2% 3pp - Still on rookie salary.

Buddy Hield: 20.7 ppg - 5.0 rpg - 42.7% 3pp - Still on rookie salary.

Jaylen Brown: 13.0 ppg - 4.2 rpg - 34.4% 3pp - Still on rookie salary.

Landry Shamet: 9.1 ppg - 1.7 rpg - 40.4% 3pp - Still on rookie salary.

Luke Kennard: 9.7 ppg - 2.9 rpg - 39.4% 3pp - Still on rookie salary.

The rest are players that have bounced around the league for a while. One could argue that some are underpaid, but in many cases it's due their age. Like Lou Williams who is 32 years old, or J.J. Redick who is 35 years old.

Lou Williams: 20.0 ppg - 3.0 rpg - 36.1% 3pp - 8 mil due this season. Clips are certainly getting a lot of bang for their bucks.

J. J. Redick: 18.1 ppg - 2.4 rpg - 39.7% 3pp - 13.2 mil due this season. Another bargain signing.

Joe Harris: 13.7 ppg - 3.8 rpg - 47.4% 3pp - 7.6 mil due this season. Harris is one of the best 3 pt shooters in the NBA. last year of his contract.

So the question is, how many of these players are better than Buddy, and how much are those players getting paid. Buddy has gotten better every year in the league, and because he's a tireless worker, I have to assume he'll take another step forward this season. He's always in top shape, and is seldom injured. Those two things alone are worth something. He increased his freethrow attempts last season, and if he can get those attempts up to 5 or 6 a game, your looking at a very efficient 25 pts a game scorer.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Hard not to value him between Batum and McCollum, so 25.5-27.5 million.

 

[Sactown ExPat]

Someone is going to pay Buddy 25/mil year.

This. I think people lose sight of the fact that these decisions really boil down to 29 guys (Ainge is permanently safe) trying to keep an awesome 7 figure job. Narrative matters a lot, and a team can build a great narrative around Buddy being their major acquisition—who doesn’t need super positive guys that are a top shooter in the league? Put it this way, nobodies getting fired for giving Buddy 4/100.

I have not looked at projected cap space for next year, although I know it’s lower. However, if you look at Buddy’s draft class two guys stand out as RFA overpay candidates—the type where a GM thinks “if I get him that’s great, and if I don’t then I ruin the other team’s cap and they’ve got some other guys coming up that I’m really interested in”. Those two guys are Jaylen Brown and Buddy.

 

[chief bromden]

Hard not to value him between Batum and McCollum, so 25.5-27.5 million.

I'd turn my head a bit if it were 30, but I'm even fine with that. His shooting is elite. He tries to improve all the time. Most importantly, he stays healthy. He even hurdles camera cords after game winners!

 

[macadocious]

give him 5 for 125. Good for both sides.

 

[BigVirg]

You're quoting Kingster out of context. What he said was "IF BUDDY DOESN'T TAKE THAT STEP UP, then he's more like a very good 6th man, not a very good starter."

I'm definitely not quoting Kingster out of context. Stating "If Buddy doesn't step up then he's more like a very good 6th man, not a very good starter" is making a statement that in his current level of play that he's not already a good starter. Personally, I think Buddy is an above average starter and a fringe below All Star level in his current level of play. I usually agree with Kingster's posts but I'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[Kingster]

Not sure you realize that Redick has made around $20 million the past few years. He gotless this season because he is 34 years old.

I said in the original post that you'd have to adjust for age with these contracts.

 

[Kingster]

WHHAAATTTTTTT? Buddy isn't a very good starter?

No. He has to get considerably better in defense and ball handling to be a very good starter, which I'd classify as being a legit All Star candidate. (e.g. Klay Thompson is at the top of the hill; and I disagree with Kayte Hunter who was cheering for Buddy last year to be an All Star). Otherwise, he's a very good 6th man type, imo. Nothing wrong with getting the 6th man award by the way.

It's not a shocker that Buddy needs to improve his D. He said so himself. He oftentimes seems confused on who he should be guarding; hopefully under Walton that will improve. Enough said on that.

On offense he just needs to improve his decision making. Either do less with the ball, having a more limited role, or make better decisions with the ball in the expanded role we've seen him in the last couple of years. If he cannot make good decisions down the stretch with the ball in his hands, then the ball needs to be less in hands. Common sense. Otherwise, it's a key turnover that will lose you the game, not a big time 3 point shot that will win you the game. I think it's going to be very interesting how this particular dynamic plays out over the coming year. As Fox and Bagley expand their roles, what will happen to the role of Buddy Hield?

P.S. By the way, I've noticed that when I've said someone is not very good, it's mis-translated as "he's just not good." I mean literally he's not in the very good category, not that he's not a good player. As in sequentially: poor, average, good, very good, excellent. Excellent players would be HOFers in my view.

 

[midtowner]

Buddy is dope. He’d start for most teams in the league. And he keeps getting better. I sure hope he is not the new WCS for Kings fans looking to invent criticisms.

 

[ESP47]

No. He has to get considerably better in defense and ball handling to be a very good starter, which I'd classify as being a legit All Star candidate. (e.g. Klay Thompson is at the top of the hill; and I disagree with Kayte Hunter who was cheering for Buddy last year to be an All Star). Otherwise, he's a very good 6th man type, imo. Nothing wrong with getting the 6th man award by the way.

It's not a shocker that Buddy needs to improve his D. He said so himself. He oftentimes seems confused on who he should be guarding; hopefully under Walton that will improve. Enough said on that.

On offense he just needs to improve his decision making. Either do less with the ball, having a more limited role, or make better decisions with the ball in the expanded role we've seen him in the last couple of years. If he cannot make good decisions down the stretch with the ball in his hands, then the ball needs to be less in hands. Common sense. Otherwise, it's a key turnover that will lose you the game, not a big time 3 point shot that will win you the game. I think it's going to be very interesting how this particular dynamic plays out over the coming year. As Fox and Bagley expand their roles, what will happen to the role of Buddy Hield?

P.S. By the way, I've noticed that when I've said someone is not very good, it's mis-translated as "he's just not good." I mean literally he's not in the very good category, not that he's not a good player. As in sequentially: poor, average, good, very good, excellent. Excellent players would be HOFers in my view.

It almost seems like you copied and pasted this post from the 2017-18 season. Buddy was one of the best offensive shooting guards in the league last year. I think you are severely underrated him on the offensive side of the ball. He's not CJ McCollum or Lou Williams with the basketball in his hands but efficiency wise, he's elite. Of all the shooting guards that scored at least 15ppg this year, Hield's true shooting percentage is only behind Harden and Brogdon. The guy simply puts the ball in the basket at a better rate than almost every other player in the league that plays his position. That alone covers up a bunch of his weaknesses.

You want Fox running the show but you want Buddy shooting the ball. A Buddy Hield shot is the best shot on the team outside of a point blank layup or dunk from another player. He's not even close to a 6th man anymore. I mean I guess you could make him your 6th man if you landed Oladipo, Beal or McCollum but just because you aren't a top 5 player at your position doesn't mean you're a 6th man. There aren't that many shooting guards that are better than he is right now.

 

[Kingster]

It almost seems like you copied and pasted this post from the 2017-18 season. Buddy was one of the best offensive shooting guards in the league last year. I think you are severely underrated him on the offensive side of the ball. He's not CJ McCollum or Lou Williams with the basketball in his hands but efficiency wise, he's elite. Of all the shooting guards that scored at least 15ppg this year, Hield's true shooting percentage is only behind Harden and Brogdon. The guy simply puts the ball in the basket at a better rate than almost every other player in the league that plays his position. That alone covers up a bunch of his weaknesses.

You want Fox running the show but you want Buddy shooting the ball. A Buddy Hield shot is the best shot on the team outside of a point blank layup or dunk from another player. He's not even close to a 6th man anymore. I mean I guess you could make him your 6th man if you landed Oladipo, Beal or McCollum but just because you aren't a top 5 player at your position doesn't mean you're a 6th man. There aren't that many shooting guards that are better than he is right now.

Excellent shooter, below average ballhandler. I think I'm pretty clear on his offense. And in my first post on the subject I said that the hard cap for me would be Brogdon's salary of $21 mill or so. Brogdon is a superior player, so why should the Kings pay $25 MM or more for Buddy?

 

[midtowner]

I don’t agree with the premise that Brogdan will continue to be a better player than Buddy. Maybe, maybe not? But Hield plays in 15 more games a season than Brogdan. That’s worth a lot of money.

 

[ESP47]

Excellent shooter, below average ballhandler. I think I'm pretty clear on his offense. And in my first post on the subject I said that the hard cap for me would be Brogdon's salary of $21 mill or so. Brogdon is a superior player, so why should the Kings pay $25 MM or more for Buddy?

Excellent shooter, below average ball handler can be attributed to a ton of players that don't average 20ppg. You're acting like Buddy is a 6th man if he doesn't improve considerably from his campaign last year. I'm just saying he's not even close to being a 6th man unless he reverts back to the season before last. If he just holds pat with what he did last year for the next 5 or 6 years, he'll be thought of as one of the best Sacramento Kings ever.

Brogdon could easily be a superior player as early as next year but we'll see if he can keep his efficiency when his usage rate goes up. I really like him but things might go a little differently when he doesn't have Giannis collapsing down the defense for him.

 

[King Baller]

Yeah well, Buddy’s better than Brogdan. Brogdan is more of a 6th man combo guard. Buddy starts for most teams as a 3 point sniper IMO.

 

[regularkingsfan]

There aren't that many shooting guards that are better than he is right now.

I think there should be a SG ranking to see where Buddy is at. I'll go first.

1. Harden (max)
2. Thompson (max)
3. Butler (max)
4. Mitchell (assumed max)
5. Oladipo (21M)
6. Beal (max)
7. Derozan (max)
8. Booker (max)
9. McCollum (26M)
10. Buddy (???)
11. Richardson (11M)
12. Lavine (20M)

These are 9 nine guys that are definitely better than Buddy right now. Then you can make a case for any of Buddy, Richardson, or Lavine at 10.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think you can remain static when evaluating a player. Players evolve and get better. And when that happens, you have to give them credit, and readjust your evaluation. My main knock on Buddy when he first arrived is that he tried to do too many things that required better ball handling. Too many times his drives ended up being a turnover, either by having the ball stolen, or by trying to pass out of a bad situation that he got himself into. But he's dramatically improved his ball handling and his decision making in the last two years.

This was part of the reason why he didn't get to the freethrow line with any regularity. That improved last season, and hopefully with the hard work I know he'll put in, it will take another step forward. What Kingster or anyone thinks amounts to a good starter at SG in the NBA is purely subjective. All the players I listed are starters, and I would say that Buddy is better than two thirds of them, and maybe more. All of them have some sort of flaw, and few are capable of excelling at both ends of the court.

My hope is that the Kings and Buddy are able to come together on an extension this summer some time. The last thing I would want is for Buddy to be on the open market, because trust me, some team out there will give him a kings sized offer. Players like Buddy don't grow on tree's. I'm huge on results, and efficiency. Buddy brings both those things. There are a lot of players that can score 20 plus points a game, but they take 20 shots to do it. Buddy is much more efficient, and once he starts getting to the line more, that efficiency will improve more.

 

[bajaden]

I think there should be a SG ranking to see where Buddy is at. I'll go first.

1. Harden (max)
2. Thompson (max)
3. Butler (max)
4. Mitchell (assumed max)
5. Oladipo (21M)
6. Beal (max)
7. Derozan (max)
8. Booker (max)
9. McCollum (26M)
10. Buddy (???)
11. Richardson (11M)
12. Lavine (20M)

These are 9 nine guys that are definitely better than Buddy right now. Then you can make a case for any of Buddy, Richardson, or Lavine at 10.

Well I just listed all of those players, plus every starting SG in the league. DeRosan is a SF by the way and not a good 3 pt shooter. He shot 15.6% from the three last season. There is no way on god's earth that Richardson is better than Buddy. Very few of these players are as efficient as Buddy, and some are not good defenders. Point is, I can find flaws in almost all of them, and I can find things they do extremely well. Those players that scored more points than Buddy, in general, played more minutes, took more shots, and went to the line more.

So in my humble opinion, Buddy is just 3 or 4 trips to the line, and a couple of extra minutes of playing time away from being up there with the elite of the league offensively. Defensively he still has some work to do, but I lay most of the teams defensive deficiencies at the feet of Joerger. Hopefully Walton will correct that.

 

[ESP47]

I think there should be a SG ranking to see where Buddy is at. I'll go first.

1. Harden (max)
2. Thompson (max)
3. Butler (max)
4. Mitchell (assumed max)
5. Oladipo (21M)
6. Beal (max)
7. Derozan (max)
8. Booker (max)
9. McCollum (26M)
10. Buddy (???)
11. Richardson (11M)
12. Lavine (20M)

These are 9 nine guys that are definitely better than Buddy right now. Then you can make a case for any of Buddy, Richardson, or Lavine at 10.

If I had to compare the season Buddy had last season to the other players I'd probably rank them...

1. Harden
2. Butler
3. Beal
4. Oladipo
5. Green
6. Thompson
7. McCollum
8. Hield
9. Derozan
10. Mitchell
11. Booker
12. Richardson

I think efficiency, passing and defense is much more important than shot creation. Which is why I have Derozan, Mitchell and Booker near the bottom with Lavine not even making the list. Harden and Butler pretty much put your team in the playoffs. Beal and Oladipo are in the next category but they need help and can't just carry the team on their backs alone.

A lot of these guys would be switched around depending on what team they're on. Richardson would be much more important to the Kings than say Booker or Derozan, despite not having the gaudy offensive numbers. Same with Danny Green. But if you were starting a team from scratch, you wouldn't build around Danny Green. You'd want a Booker to carry the load on offense and then build around him. It's just if you don't put the right pieces around players like him, he just becomes an empty statter because he only plays one side of the ball. If he played defense he would be Butler or Oladipo. Instead, he's down with the Lavine's of the world. The only time you can carry a team despite not playing great defense is if you're elite elite offensively like Harden and Curry. But that's like upper tier HOF elite and there's only a few players per decade that are like that.

 

[Kingster]

Excellent shooter, below average ball handler can be attributed to a ton of players that don't average 20ppg. You're acting like Buddy is a 6th man if he doesn't improve considerably from his campaign last year. I'm just saying he's not even close to being a 6th man unless he reverts back to the season before last. If he just holds pat with what he did last year for the next 5 or 6 years, he'll be thought of as one of the best Sacramento Kings ever.

Brogdon could easily be a superior player as early as next year but we'll see if he can keep his efficiency when his usage rate goes up. I really like him but things might go a little differently when he doesn't have Giannis collapsing down the defense for him.

He's not close to Lou Williams? Is he better or worse? I'd say Lou Williams is better. And the question isn't better, worse, good, bad or one of the best Kings' ever. The question is $$$. What's he worth? What should the Kings pay for him? I love Buddy's spirit, but when it gets down to $$$ it's business, and how you want to divy up the pie.

Brogdon was better than Buddy was last year. And the year before that. >BBIQ > Ballhandling > Defender. I'll take a little less in the shooting category for those qualities. In fact, if Buddy was greater in those qualities this coming year at the expense somewhat of his shooting total and percentage, I'd be very happy because that translates more into wins.