I guess I'm gonna have to disagree with how teams should develop rookies. They should be given at least a chance at playing time. And not just a few garbage minutes either, but meaningful minutes against real nba players. Look at the spurs. In tony parker's rookie year they played him 29mpg, and he started every one of those. A rookie pg starting for a contender and he's making mistakes left and right. But he got noticeably better by the end of the season. Look at ginobli: his rookie year he played 20mpg as a second round draft pick! Udrih played 15mpg last year, and contributed in the playoffs immediately. The point is to give them some time to see what they've got, and give or take minutes away depending on how they do. Last year, I saw udrih play a solid game one night and he ended up playing a lot of minutes. He was passing well, shooting well; and as a result he was constantly out there. Then in another game he starting making mistakes. He was taking selfish shots and trying to penetrate off the dribble too much. Even I could tell he was ball-hogging. Popovich took him out immediately and yelled at him. He didn't play much that night. I guess udrih was used to getting solid minutes, started feeling like he could start "experimenting", and pop had to put him in his place. That's what jvg should do. Tell head exactly what he has to do, give him time to do it, and threaten to take those minutes away if he doesn't do his job. If he does that, head might be able to help us by next years playoffs. And wouldn't that be a nice thought?
CD gave a very reasonable explanation of drafting Luther Head. He said that Lonnie Baxter was as good as any PF they could have taken with the pick. In other words LB > Simien I can handle that reasoning. Why draft someone if you plan to sign someone you believe is better. LHead is a very good value at the place we drafted. He is very athletic, long and quick. Decent defender and shooter. Smart BBIQ That has been our strategy- younger, longer and more athletic. Give LHead some time, he has composure and he can leap, his shot is decent and he can slash. If he doesn't develop it won't be because of talent. Very good late round pick, especially since the Stro' signing worked out.
Let's face it, big men take a lot longer to develop and we're not gonna sit around and wait for mediocre talent like Simiens of the world to develop and plug our holes at the PF position. Rockets did try to move up to draft some better big men talent to no avail. Drafting Head makes a lot of sense to me at #24.
I regret that theres a NBDL leauge. without the NBDL there's not any talk about Luther Head being a bust, or Luther Head not making the teams roster. JVG, a coach who says over and over again that he will play the players that give him the best chance to win, will do exactly that, play the best players which will include Head. All i heard last year and still hear this year is that the Rockets need youth, the Rockets are too old, so we get a young guy, and then theres this nbdl, and now all we want to do is send him to the nbdl wihtout ever have seen him play in an nba game. Wesley a great chemistry guy and all that but he will look like the rookie going up against Head in training camp.
Anybody know for sure we have the right to sign Lonny Baxtor? Or other team is gunning for him too? I think we need to sign him fast because we need another big man.
No, we have no rights to Baxter. Any other team can sign him right now if they want to. But I think we're the only ones that are interested. On a side note, here are some of the "Head"lines I think we might see in the future: "Rockets have a good Head on their shoulders!" The rookie out of Illinois has been impressing many teams lately. "Rockets a-Head of the pack!" With a strong performance from Luther Head, the Rockets hold a two-game lead over the Spurs for the top spot in the Southwest division. The Mavericks continue their 25 game losing streak. "Van Gundy gives starting lineup Head!" Luther Head had his first start in last night's game against the Lakers. "Rockets Head-ed to the finals!" Head's clutch shot against in game 7 against the Spurs last night will bring the Rockets to their first finals appearance since 1995. "Rockets fans get all the head they can handle!" The Rockets Power Dancer roster might face a lifetime ban for "rewarding" the loudest-cheering Rox fans. "The rationale was simple," said one dancer, "they're going to have sore throats, so we will too." In an unrelated story, season tickets for next year have sold out at double the normal price.
I'd say it's a little early to have regrets over getting Head. Anybody else feeling good about getting head? Swiftly of course! My significant other disagrees.
