I don't know why everyone is so enamored with him. I don't think he would have started for us next season. He's a better athlete than he is a basketball player.
I thought it really odd that Fudge took that many 3's at the end of the season. Even the announcers were commenting on how he was a 20%ish 3 point shooter. Like he was auditioning? It certainly didn't help us win for sure. I was thinking if the center Aly Khalifa and his post passing came to Florida, the one to benefit the most would have been Fudge from the 3 and/or from the 4. Thunderous dunks. He could have averaged 13/14 a game. What was the question was is Fudge a 4... or a 3? He can't cover down low as a 4 and doesn't have the ball skills shooting and handle for a 3. But... he has height, quick twitch, leaping ability, and speed that the NBA is looking for. Oh well
I wish him the best. Ultimately, this will prove the right move… at least from Florida’s perspective.
If he had a summer where he became proficient at 3’s he could be a real asset. But an undersized 4 on defense with no stretch game on offense wasn’t going to move the needle outside of being a role player. So if he stays, great, if he ultimately moves on, OK. Good luck to him either way.
Or maybe he just saw the writing on the wall. Fewer and fewer minutes with the guys we're bringing in. If I were an agent, I wouldn't take him on as a client.
That's not what I was expecting. Don't see how this is a positive for our roster. We certainly have the space. How big his role would be is hard to guess, but he added depth and lineup versatility in the worst case. Best of luck!
Odd, but thanks for the memories. Good luck in the pursuit of your happiness. I sincerely hope it bears fruit.
Judging by the reactions, I don’t think “enamored” is the right word. Most probably agree with your assessment of him even starting (at best probably 50/50 with the Princeton transfer). This might help clear the deck on getting that last big in the transfer portal. Obviously his athleticism is off the charts, and I wouldn’t have pushed him out by any means. But he was also a tweener who was a bit of a project as a basketball player. He came in from LSU as a project, and didn’t seem natural fit at the 4, too lanky for that even at this level. He’s got the body and athleticism of an NBA 3, but the individual skills aren’t close to there. So I think that’s why the reaction to the NBA draft is a bit of a “lolwut”.
Yeah, I was super excited that we got him last year, but what seemed like unlimited potential never materialized. He has the physical skills. I hope he figures it out and has a solid career, but am almost relieved that he's moving on.
I agree with you. He has a whisper of a buzz of getting drafted. I don’t see him as breaking out next year the way this roster is taking shape. Transferring again doesn’t look good, either, so it might actually be the best to go try and get drafted.
And is it any wonder why coaches are having trouble building consistency in their roster. Every year kids declare for the draft and are obviously have the attention of another coach somewhere. That and the NILrent-a-player portal have created wild west minor league.
