Since when has Luther Head been able to create his own shots? When teams crowded him, his weak handles get exploited. 65% of his shots were assisted, 71% of Battier's were. Huge difference?
Duh! Shane couldn't handle Kobe or Wade, why do you still think that he can? Anyway, I think we'll see head blossom this year and Battier will come of the bench. We'll see what happens.
battier can handle kobe and wade, his task is not to contained but to make them work hard to earn points, and tmac is a good jump shooter, he just isnt attacking the basket enough which he should be doing everytime
Considering that 61% of all of the Rockets shots were off of assists, yes, that is a significant difference difference.
If you think Bonzi Wells, at this point in his career, is more athletic than Shane Battier, you are either blind or senile.
You know, looking at the all the stats you have put up in this thread...it's hard to take your statement seriously... Anyway, you may find that being more civil to others will pay other kinds of dividends.
He had two of them against us. One in the first half of the season and one of them in the second half. It actually does make a difference how and when he scores. You want him to consistently score 10 a game. Not 4 points one game then 15 points the next. Those four points that one game could be the difference between a win and a loss. You'd always rather a player score his average consistently, not make an average between scoring slumps.
This whole Battier discussion is misguided in my opinion. I think we can all agree that he is a very good defender and all around player, especially with spot up 3 pt shooting. Real and fantasy wise this is the case as he gets good %'s, 3's, steals, and blocks. His problem is Bonzi is on the team and Bonzi is a better offensive player, especially down low and in playoff situations, where the disparity is magnified-- see the San Antonio series where Bonzi gets >20ppg, and see the Utah series where Shane gets <10ppg. So if we want a true upgrade for our playoff run, the answer is crystal clear. You have to go with Bonzi. He is the 3rd option offensively! No need to look any further. It's just a matter of him being in shape and having his head on straight. Having Shane off the bench is not a bad problem to have at all. With Shane, Rafer, and Hayes coming off the bench, our rotation will be 8-9 deep, allowing us to compete with the likes of deep teams like phoenix and dallas.. We've never really had matchup problems with San Antonio-- in fact you could say they have a problem matching up with Yao and TMac, as most teams do. And lastly, remember, it's not what you think will happen, it's what you think Adelman will do.. that makes it much clearer to me....
No way, Head can't create his own shot, if you think that's the case, you must be day dreaming.. Head is a nice guy, he is more clutch than Battier, but their offensive skills are pretty similar base on last year's games. On defense, Head was the weakest link that most team exploited when they were playing the Rockets.. Head's weakness exposed during last year's playoff, I expect Head to be trade away by the beginning or middle of the season.
I agree, I would prefer consistency if it's possible, but consider our two stars Yao and Tmac both have quite a few 10+ point games and some 30+ or 40+ games, I wouldn't be too harsh on a role player..
There's fantasy stats and stats that actually reflect what goes on. As for civility, I find it hard to be when people are spouting made-up crap as facts, especially when the made-up crap (like "Head can get his own shot") is directly contradictory to evidence.
That is a stupid argument. If him not scoring 6 points could lead to a loss, couldnt his scoring an additional 6 points in a different game contribute to a win. No player in the league consistently hits their average. Yao had games of 30 points, games of 20 points and games of 13 points. Its not like he hit between 23-28 points every game for his 25 point average.
how many times did he play the 4 this past year? maybe the 1st game? He plays straight up defense, and doesnt gamble too much. Thats what makes him a really good defender. Duncan is a great fundamental player and you know where he's rated. Didn't battier play for the us squad last summer? What about bowen?
battier is a starter...and we will go at least to wc finals this year. no one in the east can beat us either so if we get to the finals we will win it
It is not a stupid argument. Someone hitting their averages or thereabouts consistently is better than someone that is streaky - at least you know what you are getting every night and can count on it. It is also much easier to to piece together game plans. On the flip side, those high scoring games for streaky shooters may be in blowouts, and hence their contribution may not be as significant as the numbers show. There are so many permutations to piece together the same average that its really not worth getting into. Yao elevated himself to MVP status with consistent play, not with erratic play and high averages.
I don't think Battier is anywhere near Duncun...and playing for Team USA doesn't mean anything. Being first team all-defensive 3 years in a row does. And Battier has never even made second team ever. Luther Head had the SIXTH highest 3 point shooting percentage, and he's a second year player. And yet you guys want to trade him? And you know what - Luther's defense suffered because he was forced to play the 1. He can't guard point guards. Of course he will get exposed. He's a two guard!
Another assertion that flies in the face of reality. His defense against 2s were actually worse than his defense against 1s. 2s shot an eFG of 52% against him, while 1s shot a 46%. http://www.82games.com/0607/06HOU3C.HTM Also, the Rockets were a worse team with him as a 2 defensively than with him as a 1. 96.3 points per 48 minutes in 1399 minutes with him next to Rafer Alston (likely Head was playing the 2), 92.1 points per 48 minutes in 555 minutes with him next to anyone other than Alston or Lucas. The points per 48 in 256 minutes in which he played next to Lucas was quite good defensively (though horrible offensively) but most likely it's because it's garbage time with garbage players and a small sample. http://www.82games.com/0607/0607HOUP.HTM Lucas got killed by bigger guys posting him up and beating him up in the paint.
im pretty sure playing for team usa means more than you think. Lets get one thing straight here... battier finished in the top 5 this year for defensive player of the year. He got snubbed this year. luther couldn't even guard his own man much less trying to guard point guards. He would get posted up numerous times each game.
Star players get their numbers regardless, its really a matter of how difficult you make it for them, and how less efficient they are. I think Shane did a great job for the team. He is a great defender.
