InterBasket > Player Profiles > Carl Herrera, Venezuela

He debuted with the national selection of Venezuela when he was only 16 years old. He was a member of the Venezuelan National Team that got to the South American Championship of Nations in Valencia Carabobo. In 1991, he fought in the Tournament finally in Portland Oregon against the Dream Team representatives of the United States. Then he played in the Olympic Games of Barcelona (1992).
The Miami Heat chose him in the second round of the NBA draft in 1990 and Miami sold his rights to Houston Rockets. In the season 1990-1991 he went to play in Spain after being signed by Real Madrid, where his team placed second in the Copa Korac. In 1991 he returned to United States, where he joined the Houston Rockets. He remained on this team up to 1995 and was on the champion Rockets teams of the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons, becoming the first Latin American in winning a NBA title. Next he went to another NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs. More recently he was a valuable forward for the San Antonio Spurs before moving on to Vancouver and Denver. His rights were renounced by the Nuggets on August 5, 1999. Herrera didn't join the Rockets immediately, instead spending one season in Spain before entering the NBA in 1991-92. Since then he has developed into a steady backup forward who specializes in defense. In his second season at Houston, 1992-93, he averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. In 1993-94 he was the big man on the team behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe as the Rockets won the Midwest Division and the NBA championship. In the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks he reached double figures in points twice. The next season he was poised to become the Rockets' starting power forward after Otis Thorpe was traded, but injuries kept him out of action. He missed the entire postseason as Houston marched to its second NBA crown. Signed by the San Antonio Spurs as an unrestricted free agent on Sept. 29, 1995, Herrera saw little action in his first season with the Spurs. He appeared in only 41 games and averaged just 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.9 minutes, all career lows. He was on the injured list twice and also logged 25 DNP-CDs. He proved his worth in his second season with the Spurs, however, appearing in 75 games and making 58 starts after injuries depleted the ranks of San Antonio's frontcourt. He averaged a career-high 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes for the Spurs. His playing time dropped off dramatically in 1997-98, as he appeared in 58 games for San Antonio and averaged 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game. Following the season he was traded to Vancouver along with the rights to Felipe Lopez for Antonio Daniels. He played just four games for the Grizzlies before being waived on Feb. 29, 1999, then was signed by Denver on March 3 and played in 24 games for the Nuggets over the remainder of the season. His rights were renounced by the Nuggets on Aug. 5, 1999.

Ibn Facts: