No. Nobody in the NBA dribbles worse than Luther Head. At this point I would have more confidence in Yao bringing the ball up the court. I've been surprised at how poorly Artest plays with his back to the basket. I was shocked he didn't abuse Jack last night. He definitely bulls his way to the basket; it seems like 9 times out of 10 he just "finishes," by throwing up junk but gets fouled. The problem is when the refs don't blow the whistle.... He is a very, very good shooter when his feet are set though. I've been pleasantly surprised by that. The best way to describe his game is indeed, "awkward." I can't imagine too many kids watch him play and try to emulate him.
That's because Head is often the guy who brings the ball up. Artest is never that guy unless it's a fastbreak. Also, Artest's strong body keeps the defender away from him, making it harder to steal from him. Head doesn't have that strength. Of course Luther dribbles better than Artest. Luther is a guard. Artest is not. Anyways, I've been saying this all along. I think this board grossly overrate Artest's offensive talent. We always needed a third guy who could create. When Artest came, everybody and his grandma thought Artest was going to solve this instantly. Artest never struck me as a good creator when he played for the Pacers and the Kings. He's better than Battier. But that doesn't say much.
He looks like he's forcing it to much at the wrong times on offense but its like I'm waiting for him to knock it off of his foot at any moment. HIS SHOT is tu hey el porque.
To me it kinda looks like he thinks about his move faster than his body can react which makes it look akward. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else notices but he shuffles his feet a lot when he makes his move like a roadrunner trying to get ready to take off.
He really isn't that quick off the dribble. IMO a pick and roll that creates a mismatch with a bigger and slower defender would be a better option than the iso. Also, I am curious, how did the Kings use him offensively.
It may be more accurate to say that Artest is a "more willing" offensive player than Battier, but not necessarily better, unless being more willing is actually better..
I don't know. I've never seen Battier try to create, other than posting up for his little hook shot. Artest at least CAN do something off the dribble, just not very good. The one thing Battier is definitely better than Artest is spot up 3pt shooting. That's why Battier is still a better fit playing with McGrady and Yao. We still don't have that 3rd creator we craved. My hope is that Brooks may develop. He has the tools. Just doesn't have the size and experience.
Artest just forces the issue too much when taking his man off the dribble. A simple dribble drive and using his body to bump off the defender would get him to the rim. Head is by far the worst dribbler and passer that basketball has ever seen. I've never seen anyone throw a ball completely over the head of a 7'6" guy and the rim. And who else throws bounce passes to a 7'6" guy's feet. I cringe everytime he takes more than 1 dribble or whenever he passes the ball, even if the guy is 2 inches away.
I dont like him, i just want him to be good enough to get us a decent PG, please! I am begging for him to play decent enough so his trade value goes up.
Do not worry, Ron just need time to find his pace again. It's a new team and only 16 games , I trust him. He will be back.
