[CHRON] 24th draftee to provide defense off the bench

• THE HEAD FILE


• Who: Luther Head.
• Position: Guard.
• Height/weight: 6-3; 185.
• School: Illinois (senior).
• Scouting report: Shooting guard that could work at the point in the NBA. Strong on the ball defender, improved his shot through four-year college career. Outstanding athlete, needs to develop more point guard skills. Second team All-American off one of nation's top teams. Carroll Dawson said: "We're fortunate in a lot of ways with this young man because he played point guard in high school and because of the high talent level they had at Illinois, he played two. So he's very versatile. We think he's one of the best defensive players in the draft. The way Jeff (Van Gundy) likes to play, he fits our team very well. He's a two position player and he can cover a lot of people on the floor. He's a good leader with a lot of plusses and hardly any negatives."
There should have been no surprise.


JONATHAN FEIGEN

The Rockets knew what they wanted and didn't keep it a secret.

They wanted an athlete, a flier with afterburners. They wanted a defender, because they always want a defender. And they wanted a solid perimeter shooter.

They began seriously targeting Illinois guard Luther Head when he lit up the Chicago predraft camp. They went into Tuesday's draft hoping he would last long enough.

Then, after failing to move up after months of trying and a night of heavy discussions with eight teams, the Rockets grabbed the guy they had targeted all along with the 24th selection, making Head their first first-round pick since 2002 when they took Yao Ming and Bostjan Nachbar.

They then sounded almost as excited.

"On the phone, we were both sounding the same," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He was excited about coming in and was breathing heavy. And I had been holding my breath since (pick No.) 20 and was out of breath, too."

The Rockets did not have a second-round pick, having sent the pick to New York to get Jeff Van Gundy released from his contract early in June 2003.

Head was a shooting guard at Illinois, whom the Rockets plan to also work at point guard. He was considered among the best athlete's in the draft at any position. But the Rockets went for him because of his outstanding perimeter defense and solid, improving shot.

"You all know our coaching staff," Dawson said. "The thing that can keep you off the floor on our team is defense. That's why we think Luther has an outstanding chance of seeing the floor pretty quickly. He's one of the best defensive players in the draft. Getting out on the floor, putting pressure and keeping the ball in front of you, that's very important when you still have Yao Ming learning how to stay out of foul trouble. If you get more people out there that can contain people, that's a big plus for us."

Said Head, "I can bring a defensive effort. I like to use my energy. I like to play defense. Hopefully, I can come off the bench and bring some energy off the bench."

Head's 3-point shooting improved throughout his college career, making 41 percent as a senior. But he shot 59 percent for a career inside the 3-point arc.

"He does a good job finishing," Rockets vice president Dennis Lindsey said. "He can really change speeds with the dribble and get all the way to the rim.

"We think it's a great fit. The fact that he came from an execution system, from a winning system. On top of that, the fact he played point guard at Chicago and did it well ... probably had the most outstanding game that week, we were really excited. We think he has a safe handle. He's not overly creative as a 1. But he's really safe. He turns the ball over only once every 18 minutes. He knows how to run pick-and-roll basketball. Bruce Webber runs an outstanding system, so we think he's very ready to play. That was a big part of our decision.

"Depending on roster-spot opportunity and who we sign in free agency — you all know Jeff is a veteran coach. We hope at minimum a roster player, someone who can help our practice improve. One thing that's big with Jeff and Carroll, not only complementary but will add to the mix. The complementary skills are: good passer, good defender, can space out to NBA 3. We wanted to get faster. Luther is a fast guy. He's quick on defense."

By the time the Rockets selected Head with the 24th pick, the group of players the Rockets had considered for that pick was down to Head and one other player. Going into the draft, of the players they considered likely to be there, there was only one — they would not say whom but Nate Robinson or Julius Hodge would be a safe guess — that the Rockets rated as high.

"We're extremely pleased," Lindsey said. "We think he's ready to play. We think with our age and our roster, a guy should be ready to contribute inside 24 months. It surprised us, quite frankly, he was the seventh-rated player in this draft, a 39-inch vertical."

Head said he knew Houston was a strong possibility when the Rockets brought him in for a second workout, having seen enough to suspect he could be the athlete they were looking for.

"I think that describes me in a way, but I can bring more things," Head said. "I think the Rockets know that. I talked to the coach and he seemed to have confidence in me. I can come in and handle the ball some, bring it up, definitely knock down open shots, and get past my man and create for others.

"He said they were excited about me, just like I'm excited about them. I used to watch them all the time. Getting Tracy (McGrady) together with Yao, I knew they were going to be special so I knew I couldn't miss that."

He'll now get to see that up close. But if the Rockets considered that excited and he called it special, it could not be deemed a surprise.

 

So 2 hours ago you didn't like him and now you do. What changed? You sobered up?