Well I almost spilled my drink. I thought he was going to miss it all with an airball, but he swooshed it, I almost dropped my drink in suprise. He really got me there. I wouldn't be suprised if some people choked on their food last night during the game.
I didn't scan the whole thread, due to the fact that the first four responses pointed out he's a rookie. but... I think that Luther has proven to be leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities we should have been expecting, and to be honest, it seems to me that he only gets the ball when NO ONE is hitting their shot, and the team actually seems to count on him hitting the big ones. That says alot about their confidence in him, and his confidence in himself (when he's hit the big ones, and there have been a few, like the one before halftime vs. the clippers the other night. It's no secret that NO ONE else is shooting that well, and let's face it, Luther is going to see some open shots as a rookie. He will improve, and I have been completely impressed by what he's been able to do, being thrown into the fire so to speak. He's the least of our problems.
Among rookies... 8th in PPG (5th among guards) 6th in MIN 6th in 3P% 3rd in SPG 5th in APG T10 in EFF Drafted 24th overall. And for critics of his shooting, he's 11th in overall FG%, 9th in 2P% among rookie guards with at least 50 games played. There are 5 rookie guards that shoot as much as Head. Their combined 2P% is 42% which is the same as Head. He's 3rd in 2P% among these guards. In comparing apples to apples, our rookie guard isn't a bad one.
Shooting is the point of this thread. I didn't criticize his shooting at all. I didn't complain about his shooting during his 3-month shooting slump.
Then, when I began the sentence with "And for critics of his shooting..." that was your cue that I wasn't referring to you. But, from your original post... I think that qualifies. But to specifically address your astute observations... 63rd in PF per 48 minutes among rookies 44th in T/O per 48 minutes among rookies 6th in APG among rookies 5th in Assist/Turnover ratio among rookies 7th in FGA per game among rookies 6th in APG among rookies. Again, drafted 24th overall, I think the stats indicate that he's closer to where we want him than where we don't.
1) do you mind explaining where you got these rankings? I don't think there are 63 rookies drafted. Are we including all the interns who have been on 10-day contracts? 2) when you quoted TO and PF numbers, you used per 48 minute stats. but when you quoted FGA and APG numbers, you used stats without adjusting for playing time. Sneaky, but did you really think I wouldn't notice? 3) We had higher expectation on Head than being a 24th pick. Earlier this season, when people were debating a trade for Artest, most people were saying they'd rather keep Head and give Pacers the lottery pick. I may have to reconsider my choice on that vote now.
Oh PUH-LEASE. Stop it, you're embarassing yourself. There are these small, relatively unknown web sites called NBA.com and 82games.com that publish statistics. You didn't know? There are two rounds in the draft. There are thirty teams in the league. Is the math really that hard? And what do 10-day contracts have to do with anything, anyway? And if you don't understand the meaning of per 48 minute stats, then just accept it and be quiet. Don't, in a futile attempt to redeem a hopelessly pathetic argument, try to reach for straws to refute the significance of the facts that are being revealed to you. And if you're trying to convince us that a 24th pick who is arguably among the top 12 rookies in the league is a bust, may God help you. Man. Such desperation! Hope you don't hurt yourself.
Because 30+30=60. He quoted Head being the 63rd of something among rookies. You are like average kids nowadays who fail math miserably. You are embarrassing yourself. I suggest you staying out unless you want to be embarrassed again and again.
Aw man, do I have to break it down for you further? Let me guess -- you think Chuck Hayes is a sophomore.
Let me give you a free lessen here. When I questioned his stats, I meant this: 1) he used per 48 minutes stats on TO and PF because that way it makes Head look good. Playing 27 minutes put you in disadvante when you compare TO and PF states without adjusting for 48 minutes, so he adjusted for playing time here. 2) he did not use per 48 minutes stats on FGA and APG stats because that way it make Head look good. Playing 27 minutes instead of 12 minutes will certainly get you more FGA and APG numbers. That comparison without adjusting for playing minutes is meaningless. I doubt you understand anything I said above. You cannot even tell 30+30<63, how can you understand stat manipulation?
So you figured out 30+30<63? Hayes started with a 10-day contract. We don't compare 1st round picks with dozens of 10-day contract rookies. That lowers the standard too much.
Right, because using per-48 minute stats would make his FGA and APG numbers look a lot worse. Don't worry, I'm not stressing myself trying to find logic here. Err...per-48 minute stats are important for turnovers and personal fouls because they indicate the rate at which they are committed. Which you know, is the last thing we want to know when labeling someone (who's probably a lot smarter than you) a low IQ ballhog. I even threw you a bone with the Chuck Hayes comment, and you still don't get it.
you think head has no ball IQ, what about stro. he's the most r****ded player on the court every game. leaving his man open for layups or not knowing what to do during the game, only wanting to dunk on someone.
We never expected Stro to have a IQ, did we? We knew we were getting a athletic freak with a brain of pea size. I am holding Head to a higher standard in term of ball IQ. PS: this is too negative tone for your 1st ever post.
The numbers come directly from NBA.com. Obviously, the rookies included both drafted and undrafted players. However, that is not an argument in your favor. That only goes to show that even including undrafted rookies, he's still fouling less. And yes, I chose the stats with the higher ranking based on per game or per 48 minutes, but there wasn't a significant difference between the two - honestly. You have to make a judgement call there, since Head plays more minutes, he's obviously going to have more turnovers, but you need to put that in the context of 48 minutes as opposed to total numbers. You still haven't shown us anything other than your personal observation to refute the numbers. You're frustrated because Head hasn't played to your liking. Believe me, I'd like the entire squad to player better, but among rookies, he's solid. He's certainly performed better than many drafted ahead of him. Of course, that doesn't discount the possibility that the entire class is a bunch of idiots.
Head's problems with post passing have nothing to do with his height. Let's get that clear. Derek Fisher, who's known for having terrible PG skills, easily fed Shaq down low and even lobbed perfectly when Shaq was fronted. Getting Shaq the ball was Fisher's first priority on offense and he's even shorter and slower than Luther. But canoner, recognize that it took years for a young Fisher to get comfortable making those kinds of passes. Luther is a rookie and rookie's tend to get better. You may not know that because we really haven't had a rookie of note in awhile, but it's true. You think Head has no IQ, I think he's just a rookie. He's out there looking more poised than most of the rookies taken in the first round. Mistakes are common and I dare you to name some rookies who don't make the mistakes that luther does besides Chris Paul, of course. Now I dare you to name some better rookies that were around when it was our time to pick. Luther ain't ready yet. But shooting can improve, passing can improve, and even defense can improve. He hasn't been great, but what he's shown me is that he can be a solid player in the future and that's more than I can ask from any rookie.
You chose the the FGA number to show he wasn't hesitant to take shots. He ranks high in that catagory because he plays more minute than a lot of other rookies. Same goes for the APG and SPG stats. You see, his playing more minutes lead him to more turnovers but also to more shots more assits and more steals. You adjusted for the playing time only when it is in favor of your argument. That is sneaky but really not quite smart. Alright, so here is my observation: 1) I said he is hesitant to take shots, which was pointed out again and again by our commentators during this game. So it is ok for them to say it, but I cannot say it first. 2) I said his passing and handleing is poor and commit stupid fouls. Today, we run a 3-on-1 and he turned the ball over and then commit a foul out of frustration when we were over the limit. When West shot that airball, he should've let it go out of bound, instead he caught it off balance and threw it back under our basket almost causing a TO and a easy layup for the hornets. I am not using one or two things to write off all he is doing, but he is supposed to be a smart player and I expect him not to play hotheaded. 3) I said his shooting is inconsistent. You quoted his season stats. But look at his monthly splits. He shot .309, .294, .343 from behind the arc in Dec. Jan. and Feb., after he shot .482 in November. Also take a look of his gamelog http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?statsId=3950, his shooting percentage curve looks total random walk. Was I wrong to say his shooting comes and goes? I must say that if I knew how he plays now, I'd be thrilled to draft him with that 24th pick. But we are not at 9 month ago, now my expectation had changed. Many people including me even valued him higher than a lottery pick when we were debating the Artest trades. I am holding him to a higher standard now cause we thought he would be our rising star our solid starting sg for the future. I am not as sure about it now.
LOL. Now our friend inadvertently reveals to us all that he doesn't know what the term "rookie wall" means. What's worse, I don't think he's giving up any time soon!
