ClutchFans Rockets Draft Thread (Rockets select Luther Head at 24)

trade Sura and/or Wesley....cut Mooch and Ward....Bring in Head/Barry and Sura if he isnt traded and Spano if he is ready.....there is still room for Cat to start at the 2.

Cat wins the starting job over any other guard we have..

GOt a scouting report from a guy that is trustworthy and watched over 60 games of Illinois...Head has PG skills, was forced to play SG cause of Williams..Chicago camp reports are good.

We get a swingman adn a PF via FA(per Lindsey)...and we got a team going.

Have faith

 

Haven't seen the kid play but I like what I hear. Athletic, great vertical, solid perimeter shooter, defends and has a non-stop motor. We have nobody at the 1 or 2 that has his skills, if every thing that has been written about the kid we are already better. Don't see his height as a disadvantage, has the vertical and wing span to make up for a few inches. Anyone know if the kid can make FTs and does he work hard?

Now that the draft is over, it influences what the Rockets will do in FA. IMO, I think we can rule out Cat coming back, I don't think we go after AD and the most likely PF we try to get is Swift.

 

from http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/lutherhead.asp

"Terrific work ethic"

 

If we get rid of Wesley and Sura as rumored (and desired by the BBS), then I think there's room at SG. However, I no longer seeing the Rockets being very interested. We have too many guys now (James, Head) who seem to bring similar traits to Mobes. I think an undersized scorer at SG makes even less sense now. If anything, we need a utility player, someone closer to Shandon Anderson at SG. (Mario Elie would be perfect).

I also hope we don't go after Antonio Daniels now, unless it's to play SG. In my mind, PG is set for a couple years with James, Spanoulis, and Head; Wesley and Sura are prime trade bait (maybe James if the price is right), and we should look for a tall/long defensive utility-type SG to contrast with T-Mac. I like Barry at backup SG for a year, and maybe a 10th man type the following year.

 

Rockets Tried to Move Up

http://www.clutchfans.net/news.cfm?NewsID=1222

By Clutch
Copyright 2005 ClutchFans.net

Rockets director of player personnel Dennis Lindsey said on local 610 radio that the Rockets tried to move up, hinting it was to get local high school product Gerald Green.
"We were quite busy," said Lindsey. "We were aggressively trying to move up, offering multiple picks."

When asked who they were trying to acquire, Lindsey laughed.

"Well, there is a local guy who is pretty athletic," said Lindsey, referring to Green.

He also added that the selection of Luther Head at #24 will make more sense after the free agent period.

"You not only weigh in the draft who you can get in the draft, but you also weigh free agents and the trades you can make [afterwards]. We think as we move forward this move will make sense to the fans."

"Free agency is where we are going to make a major move. We have crystallized some of the things that we think we can do. The Head pick will make more sense as we piece our team together."

 

Why does everyone worry about size so much? Everyone wants a 6'5" 2 guard, but Head is only two inches shorter. I don't think height is as important for perimeter players as post players. Wesley has lasted a longtime being a 2 and being only 6' tall. I don't think we have to shift him to PG because of his size.

 

That pretty much sums our needs to me too. We're a PF, a swingman, and two or three years experience from a championship-contending team.

 

Its been said that he`s one of the most underrated players in the draft, If he was a couple on inches taller he`d definitely be a lottery pick.

www.Elitedraft.com

look under *wes*

 

Someone said Head has a long wingspan. I think that's key.

 

Looks like his weaknesses, from a PG stand point, are court leadership and taking control of the offense. "Poor shot selection at times", taken from a scouting report. All of which can be worked on in the off season.

 

I actually think it's James that's gone, as well as Wesley. No reason to trade Sura, as he doesn't have much value coming off of injury, plus he is the heart of our team and he can play both guard spots. I think Sura, the Greek, and Head will man the pg position (with Ward as insurance). I think we'll find a SG, and a PF through trade and free agency.

The Cat is still possible.

 

If Head can:

-be a 40%+ three point shooter
-score in transition
and
-be an effective defender against the PGs of the west (Daniels, Nash, Parker, Miller, Willams)

I will be extremely happy with this pick.

 

So much negativity! This is the first draft pick made with JVG as our coach. I assume he had some input into the decision. Given the loyalty he's commanded from his players and what he did with the team this year (despite having 22 different people on the roster, despite having to deal with a whole new rotation midway though the season, and despite losing his starting PF toward the end of the season), I'm happy to give JVG, CD, and Luther Head the benefit of the doubt and simply welcome him to the franchise.

Luther Head, if you're reading this: We're great fans who value the heart of a champion above all else. Work hard, play hard, keep a good attitude, and bring it every minute of every game, and we'll love you as much as we loved guys like Sam Cassell (2nd round draft pick), Mario Elie (7th round, later came to us from the CBA), Cuttino Mobley (2nd round pick), and yes, Chucky Brown.

Thanks to all those on the board who have posted various facts about his history and his workout in Chicago. I'm a fan who lives away from Houston now, and I've learned more about our draft pick from reading these posts than anything the talking heads have had to say. And I must say, I rather like what I'm hearing. Pros: Tough competitor, strong and athletic with great hops, good shooter, capable in clutch games. Cons: Will he be a PG or a SG, and don't we already have combo guards?

I'm relieved that no one has questioned his attitude or work ethic. If he's a great athlete who plays hard and shoots well, and the worst we can say is that he's not a true PG but small for a SG, then I think it's really a pretty good pick at #24. (Disclosure: I had been thinking Simien when our turn came.)

 

I am still stshocked and depressed.

Wow!

I miss those years we did not have any first round picks.

We get one first round pic, we mess it up - we get multiple first round pick, we messed that one too.

To make things worse, Astros lose in a very very painful way. What a night.

 

I like the pick. I thought they were going to take Simien, but oh well.

Luther Head is an outstanding athlete and a winner. I think he will be our starting PG sooner than later.

I think the Rox will address the PF position in free agency or trade.
CD aint done yet!

HEAD RULES!!!

 

I honestly never imagined we'd all be talking about CD getting Head. It's unbelievable.

 

I'm not excited about the pic (only because we already have too many pg's and/or combo-guards on the roster as is, including Spanoulis) but how did we mess up?

What was available that would have made this team better?

They got the best talent on the board at the time and one, which if you believe Lindsey, will fit in our plans next year after free agency and trades go through.

Lets see this guy play next season before we write him off as a screw up.

 

This was the 24th pick guys, there wasn't a whole lot to screw up. We got a fairly solid guy who is pretty good value at 24. What else could you want? Not every pick in the draft can be a steal. This was a good pick and obviously a player the team wanted.
I wish we could have moved up and got Gerald Green, but I am happy with Luther Head, and you should be too.

 

Aye, and im almost positive JVG had some input on this pick because it is the SAFE pick. It seemed like all the other prospects around #24 had glaring question marks in their game, and mabye some will say where he will play is a question mark, i think the Rockets already know what they are doing with him. Trust our management.

 

I'll tell you something else - I'm just glad I don't live in Toronto. As much as I hate to say it, Stephen A. Smith is right. Babcock may be the worst GM in basketball right now. Even if Villaneuva ends up being a good player, what the hell do they need him for? He's not going to be better than Bosh and he isn't going to play center. I just don't get it. There were a few other teams I thought picked pretty terribly too, considering where they picked. I can't be so upset about getting Head. Hopefully he'll be good.