Is it fair to judge Head on how well he matches up with Utah?

He has a place in the league for sure but it isn't on a contending team. His deficiencies as a player are exposed in the playoffs and I imagine that would be the case against most teams and not just the Jazz.

I keep saying Head could be a 14-15ppg 6th man on a non-playoff team but he will never be a rotation player on a team that is a contender.

 

Head can't dribble, that's the problem.

His regular season shooting will return someday in the playoffs.

 

That's EXACTLY what I thought when I saw this thread.

So I looked up his career stats vs Utah in the regular season alone - and this is what I found:

MPG: 20.3
PPG: 4.6
FG%: 32.7
3%: 27.3
FT%: 50
RPG: 1.4
APG: 2.0
TPG: 1.2
SPG: 0.9

His career mpg are 25 - so the 20.3 he plays against Utah aren't especially low. Just a tad lower - and unsurprisingly because he stinks against them.

Be interesting to see how Head performs in the playoffs this year (should we draw a team other than Utah and should he still be on the roster!)

 

Head's playoff struggles have nothing to do with Utah. He's a one dimensional player that lost his only dimension in the postseason: perimeter shooting. It's nerves.

All the other stuff he can't do, like ball handling, defense, passing, etc. had nothing to do with Utah's defense. Those are his own deficiencies, and wouldn't change regardless of who he's playing against. It's not an issue of matchups.

 

Based on what do you make that assertion?

If you look one post above you, you'll notice Head's CAREER regular season stats vs Utah.

Suddenly his post season vs the Jazz looks right on par with the 'mismatch'.

 

I'll try to defend Luther and give him the benefit of the doubt from both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Defense:
Jerry Sloan is one of the best coaches in terms of X's and O's. He knew bigger/longer/stronger defenders would give Luther fits and he exploited that too the fullest extent. With the addition of Barry, Artest, a healthy SF3 and Strawberry (if he makes the team) this would push Luther down considerably on the depth chart both offensively and defensively but more so the latter. Last year we had to depend upon him way too much.

Offense:
A key point is that we all know Luther cannot create for himself off the dribble. Luther's biggest weapons are cutting to the basket and stand alone 3pt shooting. Last year in the playoffs we had no Yao Ming. This meant no wide open 3's for Luther when Yao got doubled. Also no easy buckets since there was no Yao feeding him after he cuts to the hoop.

 

In your stats, how many attempts are we talking about? Lets see what the sample size is before we make a conclusion on those stats.

And none of those stats really indicate his abilities of ball handing, defense, bball IQ, and passing. Utah had nothing to do with Head struggling in those areas.

 

I would also like to note that if you're using Head's career stats against Utah, then you're using numbers from the 2005-06 season, when the Jazz were 41-41, obviously not the same team we played last year the playoffs.

Also, MPG and FT% aren't really related to team matchups.

 

I actually thought Head could've been a real factor in Adelman's motion offense, which often times lends a lot of open 3-pt opportunities, but he actually regressed from the year before under JVG.

 

Head actually does a pretty good job of cutting/moving without the ball under Adelman's offense. In fact I'd say he's one of the better Rockets in terms of being able to play a motion offense.

So far as playing against Utah goes, Yao doesn't exactly do great against Utah either. Head has had some good stretches during the regular season--he did a very commendable job filling in for T-Mac when he had to sit due to injury and he looked fantastic when the Rockets finally beat the Warriors.

 

I want the rookie Luther back.

Remember that guy?

Balls of steel and ice cold in his veins.....whatever happened to him?

 

I seem to recall a few times when he's iso'd a defender and blew past them for layups or even a dunk (yeah ok the dunk was once).

Now, not saying he's got the skills to do this consistently, but his 3 point threat allows him to take advantage of defenders playing him for the 3. He should use this to his advantage, which he seems to be doing more.

Not agruing with ya. I just really believe that he brings more to the table than just shooting. And I certainly don't agree with the he can't drive, can't dribble, can't defend ideas.

 

You make a good point. I also have to point out that he plays much better with Yao Ming.

He was a decent 2nd string player. Now that we have added artest and barry his role has shifted to a 3rd string bench player. A 3rd string player at luther's caliber is very good imo.

I will agree with everyone else though, he does need to improve his dribbling.

 

im holding my judgement until we get a different matchup, harpring and deron williams are just too much for him, harpring even gave battier fits, i think its the matchup but we'll see after we get a different matchup

 

Are you for real?

MPG are useful to show that it's not a 'tiny sample size' (as another Einstein here failed to realise...)

FT% can show that a player is intimidated/ frustrated and has been 'worried' out of their game and shot.

As far as the 05-06 season: you have a fair point - it's not the same Jazz team - but Head's numbers against them are fairly similar (4.7ppg etc). One might argue that it's the defensive rotations that worry him as much as the 'taller guards' that the Jazz have (and had in 05-06).

 

The sample size is as big as it could be - 9 games in 3 years @ 20mpg. That's 5.4 FG attempts per game (2.4 per game from beyond the arc).

The sample size is fair, and the CLEAR evidence here is that he struggles in games against the Utah Jazz. It's not uncommon for non-superstar players to have 'bogey teams' that they struggle to perform against - which is exactly why they aren't superstars, they have an inability to correct certain deficiencies in their game and overcome a bad matchup.



Granted the ball handling and bball IQ aren't measurable - but I don't think Head is the worst in the league in either of those categories by a long shot.

He's a guy who makes a living as a 3pt shooter that can put the ball on the floor to beat a 'rushed' defender. He'll never be as good as Cuttino Mobley, but he's got a lot more to offer than a Gabe Pruitt or Stephen Graham.


I'm not saying he's a starter, but you don't cut Head to put Wafer on your roster...

 

Head makes too much money to cut, and in his "on" games he definitely leaves something for other teams to desire in terms of trade value.

That being said, every game that Luther plays for the Rockets will be a game too many. I believe that people can change, and that you are really only as good or bad as your last outing. Nevertheless, from what we've seen of Head over three years, it is my opinion that he is the kind of person you would call a "choker" if ever there was one. When he is called upon to perform in especially pressure-filled situations, his brain freezes, he makes poor decisions, and his shot becomes way off. I don't think you can caveat the Utah matchup and exonerate him for the rest, because honestly that argument is reciprocal. Is it Utah's physical play that makes him choke, or the pressure of being in the playoffs? We can't tell from the past two years because Utah has been the entirety of our playoff experience with Head. Nevertheless, he has choked, and three years is enough for me. Even in the regular season he has made bad decisions and played poor defense.

Let him get a "fresh start", and let us move on with 2 million less on our luxury tax.

 

The best way I could see Luther contributing is about 13 or 14ppg. Mainly a cutter who finds himself wide open in set 3 point shots, or he's got to use his speed to create some mid-range jumpers, which we know he has the ability. He can be inconsistent at times though.

I think he's worked on his ball handling and cutting a lot every summer, so we shouldn't criticize him over that. I think his size is the main reason he might turn it over a lot. Utah series was all mental IMO.

He should go back to whatever he did sophomore year.

 

Luther is making the same dumb plays this preseason , against some scrubs, as he did in the season and playoffs. There is no hope for him in the near future.

 

We're not paying $2million in lux tax anyway...

He's certainly made bad decisions - but who hasn't?

I want evidence of him "choking"

His post season against Utah is pretty well the same story that he wrote against them in the regular season (ie - he sucked). That's not a choke, that's a standard performance against that particular team.