Luther's defense improved dramatically from last season, when he looked as clueless as Novak. Why didn't Novak get better? We need him!
This is why the rockets need to develop him...... By the way, Novak's release is pretty fast too........
Damn. I had to double check the stats but you're right. Peja looks more like 20lb heavier but I guess not. Novak seems like a real nice guy and I bet he practices his rear off but if he isn't giving you a 3 every minute or so he is a liability. He is without a doubt the worst defensive player I have ever seen. You can pretty much pencil whoever he is guarding in for 6-10 points in 4-5 minutes of being guarded by Novak. Maybe he can prove me wrong. I hope he does.
I don't find his release quick at all. Peja is quick on the trigger. Novak has great form but his shot is more of "load up" shot instead of the quick flick of the wrist like Peja. It's difficult for a 6'10" dude to have a quick trigger when they use so much of their legs like Novak does.
Novak is probably the most unathletic guy on our roster. If this guy does something about that, i suggest making RUNNING a big deal he could fix that. Also he needs better handles, he needs to be able to dribble around his defenders to get the open shots, its not always your teammates jobs to get you an opening.
I'd be very surprised (and mad) if Luther is still here by the start of the season. I think if Landry and Scola stay healthy and Deke stays one more year or we get a competent backup C, Hayes should occupy the end of the bench like he should. Sadly, if Adelman, who has proven to give young guys chance to prove themselves in games, won't give Novak regular rotation minutes, its for a good reason. This isn't JVG who thinks inexperienced guys gets coaches fired, this is Adelman who gives everybody a shot.
Are you kidding? Steve Novak isn't in the same universe as Ray Allen. There is a doubt about Novak even being an NBA worthy player. I'm not a Luther Head fan at all. But at least he has the ability to get to the basket. He can hit 3's and play some semblance of defense. Of course, he'll pass it to the opposing head coach 3 times per game. But Novak is such a black hole on d that you can't possibly take the chance of him being on the court in a critical situation.
what exactly do you expect him to develop into? He really doesnt have that much potential. he isnt as good as peja, he can maybe be a little better than Bull was
Sort of, Novak plays behind Tmac and Battier and they suck up so many minutes..... I think you have to find some minutes for Novak.....his shot is soooooo good....and this team needs shooters SOOOO bad. DD
Lol, Novak never had a chance to develop with JVG. Seriously, name me one rookie that JVG gave a real chance to develop. Well lets say he gave Luther a chance to develop, but look where he is now..... Its time for Novak to get stronger and better. RA has to work on him. And how can you guys even say he is not NBA worthy, this guy's shots are more accurate than 90% of the league.
I think we can only give him regular season minutes, as his defence is too much of a liability. Did you see Korver sink like 3 threes while Novak was on the court? But still Novak is as pure as a shooter will come. His 3pt percentage .333 to .479 last season to this season as I guess he is still improving. Thats a massive improve by the way. My guess is to keep him and use him as a shooter, or package him in a deal if we can get good value for him. Otherwise keep him, he is on a vet min salary right?
There are only 2 solutions for Novak: 1. Doesn't Crack the rotation, more of these threads pop up 2. For some Idiotic reason, we trade him to Utah and he flourishes as the leagues best 3 point shooter and a key player for the Jazz.
I don't know what games you guys were watching that saw Luther play D this year. I didn't see even a semblance of defense from him and I saw about 75 of the 82 regular season games. Just for kicks, I took a peak at Novak's game logs. I decided to take away all the games where he got one shot off, since most of those shots were either buzzer beater type rushed shots for a certain quarter or game ending possession or we were in full scramble mode and everybody was jacking. When I took those shots out, his shooting percentages go up to 50% from the field and 51% from the 3 point line. And probably 85% of those shots were spot up shots where he is either a decoy or the play was designed to go elsewhere and was forced back to him. Very few of Novak's shots were plays actually designed to get him the ball off multiple screens or a pin down. Most of them he is operating weak side off the ball or setting a pick and pop for the shot with the defender drifting back to him because they all know he can shoot. The point being that if plays were actually run for Novak, like they were at Marquette, where he was the focal point of the offense, there is no telling how much scoring he could do. He's got good ball fakes, a great up and under move, he can do the step back jumper, the side step jumper, dribble behind the back jumper. He's got plenty of moves with the basketball designed to free him up for the shot, not to mention actually setting some screens for the guy. I don't think I saw two screens the entire season that were designed to give Novak room to shoot it. When a dude can shoot 50% from 3 land, that's 1.5 Points Per Shot. That puts him at the top of the charts for offensive shot efficiency, right up there with Maggette and guys like that. You gotta make use of that skill. I don't care how bad he is defensively. For him to be ineffective, he has to make the defensive unit weak enough that they are giving up more than 1.5 Points Per Shot, because in a rough, dirty calculation, that is what he is giving us on the other end. If I was the coach, I would zone it up totally, and have a long distance shoot out with him in the game if I had to. Cuz he's gonna win that contest the vast majority of the time. You've got to find ways to exploit his shooting skill. I know he's one dimensional. But his one dimension is the MOST IMPORTANT SKILL in the game of basketball. The ability to make the shot is the most important skill in the game of basketball. A shot maker can beat even the best defenses by squeezing off the shot with deadly accuracy. His shot making ability has to be exploited. If Kyle Korver, Detlef Schrempf, and a host of other nonathletic, slow shot makers can carve out a career and successfull contribute to a playoff team, there is no reason Novak cannot do the same.
Novak is a situational guy. Its really his fault he doesn't play more. Put the ball down and get on the track to improve quickness and explosion. After that, hit the weights. Then work on ur short dribble pull up game.
Schrempf was not a one dimensional player and he was quicker than Dirk. Novak is no way near as good,but I do want to retain him because he is tall and his shooting has gotten better.
