http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4244834.html Oct. 9, 2006, 12:46AM ROCKETS NOTES: Head a rookie no more By JONATHAN FEIGEN Rookie no more Excluding Tracy McGrady, who gets the bulk of his minutes as a small forward, of all the guards the Rockets had in training camp, Luther Head, going into just his second season, has been with the Rockets longest. Head said he felt an enormous difference in his second camp, compared to his first. "Definitely, going from being in college and a guy coming in learning and now not feeling like a new guy, I'm trying to play freely, not being mechanical," Head said. "I feel like I'm not playing like a robot now. "I'm feeling free. I know pretty much what is going on, so I feel more comfortable." After spending so much time last season as the only rookie (eventually joined by Chuck Hayes), Head would also seem likely to notice the difference in not having to do the rookie initiation duties. But Head said teammates still expect him to handle some of the extra chores until the regular season begins. "They still treat me like a rookie," Head said. "I've got to go get drinks during the breaks." Gone home With the Rockets on Sunday getting their first day off since reporting Monday, guard Casey Jacobsen knew how he would spend his one day off the basketball court. Jacobsen caught a 3 p.m. flight out of Austin en route to Park City, Utah, to be with his wife, Brittney, and daughter, Elizabeth, who was born Sept. 28, just four days before Jacobsen had to arrive in Houston for the start of training camp. "It's one of the hardest things I had to do, leaving there," Jacobsen said. "But you have to do what you have to do. "I'm going to be back for practice (today), but we had a day off. I figured there's no better place to be." Scrimmage open The Rockets will hold their annual open scrimmage today, with players taking the court at Toyota Center at about 1 p.m. for a 30-minute scrimmage. Doors will open at 12:15 p.m. for the program that will include a "chalk talk" and a question-and-answer session. Limited passes for an autograph session will be distributed while they last. The event is free. JONATHAN FEIGEN
Three random and very trivial questions pop into my mind: JL3 is technically "a rookie no more" as well, but does he get off the hook this season? Is there a minimum requirement for games played or is it just a matter of respek? If rookies are made to run errands all the time, could that possibly contribute to fatigue and the rookie wall? We don't want Novak losing his shot in the playoffs after hauling luggage around for six months Did LeBron or other star rookies get the treatment in their first season? Must be weird to be carrying your teammates on the court and carrying their bags off it..
oh yes by a long shot, but head gets better with more minutes... and is often accompanied by a tingling feeling.
Luther Head is our new david wesley. Pesky thief on defense and a little more than decent 3pt shooter.
That sounded sarcastic, but the statement you responded to was absolutely accurate. He got 1.1 steals per game and shot .361 from the three point line.
I would like to see this line-up on the floor: Yao Novak Wells Head T-Mac Head is a much better shooter than we give him credit for. He was hitting 40% until he hit the wall. Now he's more experienced, better conditioned, and will see more open shots. With that line-up I can see McGrady, Wells and/or Yao abusing whoever's defending them in the post while Head and Novak spread the floor nicely.
Head last year early on was really a burst of fresh air. He came in and got himself really early on the all NBA 2nd Rookie team. That was good considering he had be a 20 something pick in the draft. But, he did hit the wall when a lot more was being expected of him after McGrady, then Yao, and the rest of the injuries hit the team. I think Head found himself being overwhelmed, and never did recover. I think everyone thought he'd be the replacement for David Wesley. Of course the rookie aspect hit and Head played decently but could never get his shot to consistently fall. But, head showed he can play in the league. His shot has to improve, and Van Gundy did say that Head's shot seems better this year.
If Head does not get traded, I really want to see him at the point. He can defend point guards fairly well and he can shoot the ball on the kickouts just like B.J. Armstrong and John Paxson used to do with MJ and Byron and Nixon used to do with Magic.
I went to Toyota Center today to watch the Rockets' scrimmage. It seems everyone is still a little bit rusty or probably they don't want to play physical to avoid hurting each especially with the preseason games coming. I think TMac, Shane and Bonzi played for about 5-8 minutes. Luther Head seems to be more comfortable with his teammates and has added some confidence into his game. I hope he'll get better this coming season. It would be nice to see him improve his ballhandling skills.
I think Luther will surprize people this year with his play, his athletic ability is he has hops just that he didnt use them too much last season hopefully this year he will let it all hang out will staying in the system.
