Yes it is. Ben Gordon led the NBA in 4th quarter scoring AS A ROOKIE! He is so much better than Luther they aren't on the same planet. Gordon is a dominant scorer because he's quick, VERY strong, can create his own shot and finishes like a devil. Not only that, he hits shots from all kinds of positions. When his shot is on, Gordon is a complete nightmare to defend one on one, even more than Wade. Gordon's weakness is during late game crunch times, he doesn't always make the best decisions, especially when double-teams come. This has bitten the Bulls a few times. Luther will also never be Barbosa because of speed. Not even close. For now, his upside is limited to being an effective role player off the bench. Luther has a long way to go before he could be a productive starter because he is so one-dimensional. His handles, defense and ability to score off the dribble are just too weak.
Luther CAN'T drive or dunk (read: slash) on a consistent basis in the NBA simply because everyone is bigger and stronger in the NBA. He needs to bulk up and get stronger if he ever wants to become a slasher in addition to being a shooter. If he can add this dimension to his game then he will be a great SG for us. I don't think he'll ever become a PG, unless somehow his handles improve dramatically. So his max potential = solid starting SG
he needs to improve his mid-range jumper and ball handling skills. "Are we going to give him Barbosa money?" ========== No.....Barbosa is better than Luther at this point... maybe 3-4million range for Luther?
I'd say in scoring, he's not as good as any of the previously mentioned players...however, bear in mind, he's only in his second year. Also, he rebounds well and records assists at a decent rate.
good one, if hayes had howard's mid range j, or if howard could rebound like hayes if yao could rebound like deke if tmac would want to attack like snyder
its funny that you guys pick Derek Fisher because i think alot of what he did best was when he was next to kobe and shaq, and that superstar effect is what got him that massive contract golden state gave him, (that and chris Mullin's hair bleach going to his brain)
I hope that luther improves his handles... but I don't think it just comes easy. Maybe if he dedicates himself in the offseason and gets a personal coach.. etc. is it just me or does it seem like he has to watch the ball when he's dribbling sometimes. I don't think he'll ever be as good a passer / ball handler as rafer is. (weird. did i just give rafer a compliment?)
I've been saying it since midway through his first season... this kids got All-Star potential. He's got a winning attitude and history of being on teams that contend for titles. That coupled with his skill gives him the opportunity to be something special. Will he be an all-star? I don't know. But I do think after about two more off-seasons of development time on his handling and defense, he's going to be a top 25 talent in the league.
What you have to remeber is that Luther is a quick learner. He got alot better in the offseason and showed us more depth in his game. If he can replicate that work ethic this offseason than we can see what he is really capable of.
Head is the opposite of Battier. He'll always look better on the stat sheet than he does on the court. And he'll look especially good in the recaps, because he hits those clutch 3's with the game on the line. Players who do more on the stat sheet than on the court can generally be traded for more than they're worth.
I think it is silly when people compare bball anecdotes of ordinary people to NBA players. It's called reaching plateaus. Sure you can improve dramatically when you can't even start on a YMCA team, but if you keep working on it you will hit a plateau, where it becomes harder and harder to improve. I think we can all agree that NBA guards have gone through several plateaus on their dribbling ability by the time they reach the league. The question about Luther is can he reach the next level? I'm not so sure he can. It is certainly harder than you state. It is harder because to improve guard handles at the NBA level, you really need to be doing it at NBA game speed. It is hard to simulate NBA games while practicing in the Summer. It's equivalent to trying to improve your man-on-man defense without any all-star NBA player to practice against at full speed. I'm not saying he can't do it, but I can name several NBA guards/swingmen who never appreciably improved their handles, moreso than I can name guys who did noticeably improve.
That's true. But the team value of players who exceed expecations each year, and are more of a fit for you than most teams, trends ahead of their trade value. This will end at some point like it did with Cat, but I think Luther's value to us (considering his clutchness and ability to improve) is still trending ahead of his trade value.
I don't totally agree. Luther Head's trade value is severely limited by the fact that he's a 6'3" SG. GMs don't exactly clamor to get 6'3" SGs. Were he 6'6" and the same player, his trade value would be much, much higher.
wow are you guys kidding me? Mobley was an underrated passer. not that he was great at it, because he rarely did it, but he was CAPABLE of throwing some amazing passes. credit his body control for that. luther, on the other hand, has shown the willingness to pass but not the fundamental ability. his passes are slow and uncreative, and dangerously inaccurate. his handles might improve his passing, but again, i don't think his peak passing-wise is that great. now, if he can improve his handles and get better around the rim, he'd be one solid role player. not mobley good, but good.
Surprised that nobody has mentioned Jason Terry. He's much closer to the type of player that Luther is than Gordon or Barbosa. If only Luther could learn to bring the ball up against pressure. I'd gladly take that.
Totally agree. Barbosa and Gordon do alot of damage off the dribble and thus aren't good Luther comparrisons. Terry is more a spot up shooter just like Luther. I think Terry is a good comparrison in terms of what Luther's upside could be. They key, as said many times before, is Luther just has to get better handles.
Sounds like people just regurgitate (sp?) what they read around here. Handles and defense, handles and defense. Luther's handles aren't that bad. He doesn't get the ball stolen that often. His turnovers come off of poor passes/decisions. His size is a limiting factor somewhat, his defense is ok, can improve, but it's ok. He can play man to man most of the time, everyone gets burnt sometimes. But he can stay in front of his guy most of the time and put a hand up. Fouls sometimes, but then again who doesn't? And like someone said, he's really good at playing the passing lane. I feel the main concern with Luther is simply his decision making. If he can make better decisions with the ball, the kid is going to go places in the league.
