I heavily disagree. Novak = One trick pony. And did you see exactly how difficult it was for him to get on the court? Head lacks only height and confidence. It amazes me sometimes what some people see on the court as they are watching games. I don't know if it comes from my coaching background or what, but I tend to see the whole game and not just the scoring totals.
Once again I disagree. Luther Head can go as far as I'm concerned. Dude can't hit a 3 in the playoffs, whoever he guards is just gonna post him up, etc. I'd rather have Wafer who's 6'5... As you're last sentence says, we're wasting time talking about these guys but i'd rather give up Luther's shot for Wafer's size because Barry will make up for the shot.
So what exactly are the other trick-ponies you're seeing from Head? I don't see defense, I don't see passing, I don't see ball-handling, and I don't see a very intelligent basketball player in general. Enlighten me, Coach.
Again... I heavily disagree. If you think rebounding is all Chuck does on the court you aren't watching very closely. Just because a guy can dunk the ball does not mean he's better than someone who doesn't. It's a matter of weighing the plus and minuses. Quite literally what do you do on the court that is productive for your team. plus/minus last night Chuck +10 Landry +6 Dorsey -6 Scola -2 (start) Against the Durants Landry +12 Dorsey +1 Chuck 0 (start) Scola -14 Against Boston Dorsey - DNP Carl +6 (start) Scola -4 Chuck -11 Against Memphis first game Chuck +7 Harris +7 Landry +6 Dorsey -2 Scola -5 The stats for the Spurs game weren't available. But you get my point. Different people match up better with different teams. More often then not, when Chuck is on the court the team holds the lead, increases the lead, or makes a comeback. That isn't because they are impressed by his good looks or scared of his mask. It's because he does things you don't see in the box score. Last season, the stats proved it. http://www.82games.com/0708/0708HOU1.HTM
He runs the Adelman offense pretty well, that doesn't speak stupid to me. He can dribble drive and create his own shot within that offense. He makes hard cuts to get the pass and easy buckets down low. He is good on help defense, he covers for others and even if he doesn't get a steal helps his teammates get one. Even though he's shorter than the guys he's playing defensively he doesn't let them back him down anymore (the exception being guys like Baron Davis or Williams - who most any point guards have trouble with) He has decreased his turnovers over the past year and a half. All that and he can shoot. Does he make an occasional boneheaded play? Yes, but so do Tracy and Yao.. and we aren't paying him near as much. Edit: Is he a starter? Not on our team. Is he a rotational player? That remains to be seen, but I don't mind him being there if someone gets hurt. I have said this before that he and Chuck were likely trade fodder in the mid-season depending on injuries and what we could get for them. But that doesn't mean he's a one trick pony. It just means that the Rockets team is stacked with talented people and it's all about fit with Tmac Artest and Yao now.
He "runs" the offense well? You're kidding... right? Head CAN dribble drive and create his own shot, but nobody wants him putting the ball on the floor because more often than not, bad things happen. Strawberry can do the same, and probably better by using his size, and he's a much better defender. Head is a terrible one-on-one defender, which is more important at his position than his help defense. What about his turnovers per minute? In the playoffs? I'd like to see what those numbers are instead of minute dependent numbers. His boneheaded plays are a little more than "occasional". I just can't ignore his playoff chokes (and it would be ridiculous to blame that exclusively on Utah). He was literally helping the other team, I was embarrassed for him. He just couldn't do anything right. Either way, it's going to be moot what we think about him. I'm convinced he won't be on the roster by the first game of the season or at least the deadline. He will be traded for cash and/or pick to get under the tax. Hayes will not be dealt.
I think Hayesfan meant he moves well in Adelman's offense, which I totally agree. Head is one of the few guys who move pretty well without the ball. That's why he's more useful than Novak. Anyways, let me repeat. Head has a guaranteed contract. He is not going to be cut. Players with contracts get traded, not cut. Even if Wafer was a better player than Head (extremely doubtful, but just for argument's sake), they still wouldn't cut Head. They would probably keep Wafer and try to trade Head. In fact, if it happens that way, I will not be surprised. If TMac and Barry are both healthy, Head won't see much PT. Might as well trade him for a draft pick plus TE for future use. And keep Wafer for cheap just in case someone gets injured.
What we see in this (admittedly) small sample is that Landry helps the team and Scrubola generally hurts ...
Solid IMO YM T Mc BAT RON AB RAF LAN SCO WAF.................9 players Who else??????? 10 Barry 11 Head 12 Strawberry 13 Harris 14 Dorsey 15 Francis 16 Hayes Possibly Mutombo
I put hayes above harris. barry instead of wafer. and when head is traded off, mutombo can comes back in.
Solid IMO Yao TMac Bat Ron Rafer Scola Landry Barry Head Aaron Hayes (Mutombo) 12 Dorsey 13 Harris 14 WAF 15 Strawberry 16 Francis
Solid 12 Yao TMac Bat Ron Rafer Scola Landry Barry WAF Aaron Hayes Strawberry 13 Dorsey 14 Francis Still want to see how the coaches repond to his practicing 15(Mutombo) Head Trade bait Harris-cut
I agree, but i don't think it'll happen. Morey has already said there only keeping one of the three (Harris, Strawberry, Wafer) Also they'll keep Head until mid-season when teams start to really have injuries and need a shooter and he'll get trade then and Deke will get signed. I think on opening night there will be only 14 men on the roster with Wafer being the one making it, i hope i'm wrong and the the list above is right!
Yao Scola Artest Tmac Rafer Battier Barry Landry Brooks Hayes (That is 10 for the rotation) Mutumbo (Send Dorsey to the NBDL this season) Head WAF Strawberry Francis (keep him at least until the deadline to see if he can work it out)
Even if Dorsey is in the NBDL, he still counts toward the roster. So as it stands, there'll be one guy too many .
Most likely Strawberry will get cut because he has not been consistent...Von Wafer somewhat has been... If I were morey...I'd cut strawberry now...and since mike harris has proved that he can truly contribute to the team...its only fair that we keep both harris and wafer and see who can produce more from now till feb trade deadline...then cut one of em and bring back Deke!
Luther Head will not be cut...simply because he has a gurantee contract...but wafer is a scorer, strawberry has athleticism. mike harris will not make the team this year because we got artest and battier this year. Sorry MIKE :/ 12th spot will come between maybe wafer or strawberry thats my guess
At this point, I don't mind trading Head for a late first rounder next year, and to keep Wafer and Harris.
