http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3273761 Head demonstrates instinct for winning Rockets' draftee a jack-of-all-trades with confidence By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle MINNEAPOLIS - Luther Head laughed at the suggestion but was willing to play along. He was told Tuesday that the Rockets had not lost a game since he was drafted, thanks to a 5-0 run through the Timberwolves Summer League. "OK," he called out down the hallway in one of the few syllables offered at a decibel or two above a whisper. "Let's keep that going in the season." With that, he was gone, off to the rest of his first offseason as an NBA rookie, amused at even the joking suggestion the Rockets might have won five games — or even more ludicrous that he never would lose again because he was with them. There were many reasons for the Rockets' Minneapolis roll. There were greater contributors than their first first-round pick since Yao Ming in 2002. But look closer. Look beyond the statistics, beyond the obvious. That is where the Rockets saw what they hoped to find in their rookie guard. Doesn't disappoint Intangibles are what the Rockets were considering when they made Head, 6-3, the 24th player selected in last month's draft. But at a minicamp in Houston and five summer league games in Minnesota, the Rockets saw a player skilled at doing the things that win. "He's got great instincts," assistant head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "There's probably not any one thing he does great. He does a lot of things well. On the floor, you feel very comfortable with him. He makes the right play. He's team oriented, plays hard, great feel for team defense. He has that quiet confidence. He's a very humble guy, but he's a very confident guy. "He has a great demeanor on the floor. He has a lot of intangibles. He does a little bit of everything, individual defense, team defense, he can move the ball, hit an open shot. He's clever with the ball, too. There's a lot of things like that. Like, he makes quick decisions with the ball. When guys are open, there's no hesitation. He'll pass up a good shot to get a great shot. He does a lot of those things." "Those things" might not always mean more than the job requirements. Head made 33.3 percent of his shots while averaging 8.2 points per game in Minneapolis. To get consistent minutes, he will have to consistently knock down open shots and finish his drives reliably. But the shooting stroke is solid enough to expect that. In 107 minutes over five games, Head showed a talent for doing the "little things" that win games. He was often the first player to loose balls. He got deflections and more than his share of rebounds (3.4 in 21.4 minutes per game). He was solid in one game running the point. "I think I got a better understanding of it," Head said. "I obviously feel I have a lot more learning to do. I'm still in the learning process. But this was a good summer camp to transition over to what's coming up. "I know I can play. I always thought I could play. I know it's a tough league. I'm not saying I'm going to come in and dominate. But I can play in the league. I'm going to compete as hard as I can and go from there." Head — who signed a two-year contract with the team holding two one-year options beyond that — is assured to get a chance in October, but the future for the Rockets' other draft pick on the summer league team, Malick Badiane, is less certain. Badiane improves Badiane, a 6-11 bundle of quickness, demonstrated marked improvement since his play with the Rockets in the 2003 Los Angeles Summer Pro League. He was quicker to the ball and more confident with it. He was much more active defensively. But he also demonstrated he remains raw with a great deal to learn. He ran plays more reliably but made enough mistakes to have fans mimicking Rockets coaches as they called out a flowing stream of corrections. "He's definitely gotten stronger," Thibodeau said. "I think he's more confident. He's better in a lot of areas. I think he's reacting to the ball better. His communication defensively has gotten better. He's altering shots. Offensively, I think he's a little behind right now. "He still tends to put the ball down in the paint. We have to get him out of that habit. You put it down in the paint in the NBA you're going to be in trouble. He makes some mistakes, but he's far more aggressive than he was two years ago and the time we saw him last summer. He has to continue to grow." But the Rockets will face a difficult decision in choosing whether Badiane, their 2003 second-round pick, can improve more rapidly with another season in Europe, at Rockets practices or in the NBA Development League. Badiane said he has offers beyond returning to Germany. Head will get a chance to make their immediate decisions about him for the Rockets. He might have shown enough for them to believe he can handle the rookie's first responsibility: First, do no harm. But he will have to show he can help. "He's a smart, solid player without any one great skill," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "As a complementary role player, how many shots you make when left open will help you get on the floor." But for now, Head got off to a strong start and showed enough to expect more. Besides, if the Rockets never lose again, he won't be the only one laughing.
Head seems to be the type of guard that Van Gundy always likes. I think he'll have a very calming influence on the team once he enters the game. He'll always keep his composure, he'll make the smart play over the flashy play and he'll always play great d. Exactly what Van Gundy likes. The only aspect of his game that might prevent him from getting a lot of PT next year is his shooting, but hopefully he'll work on that this summer.
as much as I respect Doc's takes... it wasnt the Chron making that assertion. Now...what I wonder is how he knows exactly how much better Badaine has gotten...last time we fielded a summer league team...was Thib even with us? Im torn...I normally agree alot with what DoD says re:basketball, but we got a coach saying Badaine has gotten better...who to believe?
well.....yeah. He hasnt shown the tendency to say anything other than what he means in any of the interviews after halftime during broadcasts...if things arent going right...he always seemd to say so. He just hasnt struck me as being a asskisser....especially of a 2nd round pick who isnt even signed to the team..
I think it is about expectation. Maybe as fans we expect Badiane to be an Amare-Killer or Amare-lite. Tom said Badiane got better in a lot of areas, but he didn't say "much" better. And he did say Badiane is a little behind in offense, which is in accordance with what DoD said.
Yeah, and saying he's "improving" doesn't mean he's good. It could mean he's gone from terrible to pretty bad. Or from overseas-good to NBDL-good. Either way, it suggests he has much more improving to do, particularly on the offensive end. I don't think that's very contradictory to what DoD said.
If that's what the coach said, I think I believe more in coach's words because they're professional coaches. They have first hand knowledge of the player. So I think Badiane improved in ways that are not obvious to the regular fans.
It sure as heck doesn't sound like Badiane has a shot in landing a roster spot in Rockets this season.
True but he sounds like the prototype for the NBDL spot. He could sell tickets in Austin, get NBA coaching and weight training, and a lot of playing time on a team that it really doesn't make any difference if he make mistakes. He could be on the bench on a Euro team trying to play for a championship if he was making mistakes.
After reading this article filled with faint praise, Badiane nut riders are saddling up at this very moment.
this is true...I personally dont expect him to do anything yet. The point I was making was that instead of making zero progress...it seems that he has made a little progress. What I hope for is that they at least give him the chance to get some time in the NBDL so that they can see if his slow progress is a product of not enough talent, or inferior training.
from Dubious: Well said. Ill-Skillz is incapable of posting without mentioning a mammalian body part that is either directly or indirectly associated with secretion, even on a basketball website.
Yes Tom Thibodeaux was the head coach of our 2003 SL team assisted by Pat Ewing. He saw Malick and Boki first hand. He was also on hand last summer when Malick was re-evaluated a year later.
He is not that good to begin with. I will be more than thrilled if he turns out to be better than a role player that averages 15 min/game.
