heh no thanks, I don't wish head to end up anything like mike james: mike james: [$5.2m] 30mpg 43%fg 36%3Pfg 12.4ppg 4.3apg 2rpg 1.89to luther head: [$1m] 28mpg 44%fg 49%3Pfg 11.2ppg 2.6apg 3.6rpg 1.9to
Luther is a career bench guy. Thats it. He'll probably play on 5 or six teams in 10-12 yrs because he's good at one thing, shooting and hitting open 3's. He's nowhere close to jefferson or Bobby jackson for as that go. If i would have to say, he's a newer version of matt maloney.
jefferson? are you referring to richard freaking jefferson? luther would kill maloney and eat his first born.
Same player. Cant create a shot, best suited for spot up three's. Luther Head on the Rox 97 team would be matt maloney. Pass the ball in the post go wait for a kickout. If Luther Heads overrall game was better, Rafer would be on the bech
luther is substantially better than maloney ever was, for one thing. if you seriously think richard jefferson can shoot, maybe you should start focusing in on football instead of basketball.
I think Head is better than Maloney. Not as good as Bobby Jackson, but Head is getting better..developing. Richard Jefferson is a small forward..but I think RJ is pretty good. A solid starting SF.
jefferson isn't a bad player...but a shooter he isn't. also, if he wasn't playing with jason kidd he wouldn't be playing to the level he plays at now either.
i think we are underestimating luthers improvement from last season: 1. his stamina - he is able to play big minutes while staying active and his shots don't fall short after he plays more than 20 minutes like last year. 2. his finishing ability - on cuts or fastbreaks he is money on the finish. i'm not sold on luther as a PG. i think career-wise he will be a better SG. i wouldn't mold him into a PG because we need one right now. because of that, i feel that ball handling IS NOT what he needs to work on. i'd rather see him add: 1. a mig-range J - the league knows he can shoot. they will close out on his quickly. if he can pump fake and take a dribble into the mid range and finish he could add 4 points a game to his average, easy. 2. offensive moves - he needs to be able to create his own shot otherwise he will be a career steve kerr. 3. defense - he's been solid this year, but he's too quick to let guys burn him on defense every game. if he can become a stopper on the perimeter he would go from kerr to fisher.
Great thread, BTW! I'd say Luther will be a star IF and only IF he can play point guard. He is small at 6'2", too small to play SG effectively all the time, but at PG, he would be at perfect height. He is fast enough to guard most PG too, and it seems his decision making is great. The only thing he is not that great at yet is his driving and passing skills. Imagine a Luther running the show with serious 3-pt threat, let's say even a notch less than Steve Nash, Rox would rise to a much higher level.
Why David Lee? I think Luther is much more effective. The Rockets need consistent shooters. That has always been our weekness. David Lee does not impress me. We have had enough "hustle" players.
I'll have to disagree with the guy above who said Luther's a career bench - it's only been his second year in the league and he's already seen as clutch and reliable amongst our Rocket fans. Depending on how much more he improves the next two years, Luther could be anywhere from a solid Horry type to an all-star.
if the rockets trade luther they are idiots.........they will never get anything of equall value for him. KEEP HIM he is going to be quite a player in the future and will help this team in ways it needs (spacing for yao)
to get someone like bibby head will have to be included in that package and you would have to make that deal happen some how if it was presented to you
i think luther has a bright future ahead of him. he seems to be soaking things up like a sponge. if he can start creating his own shots, and combine that with his deceptively quick releasing 3 point shooting, he can be a great SG/PG. he'll need some time to work on the ballhandling but he's definetly a good investment and a steal for the rockets in the second round. i dont think he;ll ever be a superstar but a surely needed consistent 3rd scorer and x-factor
I prefer David Lee, who does everything better than Chuck Hayes plus a jump shot. His game fits Yao's really well. With Hayes, Rox starting five is already one of the best in NBA, with Lee, Rockets starting five would simply kill. Rockets is always at an disadvatage defensively when he's playing SG because of his size and strength. Sometimes the entire defensive rotation is broken because we need to double team his man. That's the reason when Tmac goes down our defense is a lot worse, the reason why Head still has a negative +/-, the reason Rox gave up 95.6 points per 48 minutes when Head is off the court, 102.9 points when he's off the court. I really don't like to see him and Rafer both on the floor at the same time, it seems we can't get defensive stops when we need them. Don't get me wrong, Head's clutch 3 point shooting is very important to Rox. But is it enough to compesate that several more points we gave up on defensive end? With David Lee, we may not need those clutch points frequently from Luther in the end of the game.
