I was impressed with the Grizzlies. Mike Conley has really improved and you can now see why he was the 4th pick of the 2007 draft. Rudy Gay is a stud. They'll be very tough when Zach Randolph gets back. I think they will be one of the teams the Warriors will be battling with for the 7th/8th playoff spot.
The Warriors played great. Monta and Dorell were awesome, Lee was solid but is struggling with his shot. Reggie was very good off the bench. I actually liked that they didn't throw JLin in for a few minutes like they did for Bell. Playing Jeremy with Monta or Curry is what I'd like to see.
Don't forget, Jeremy is an undrafted rookie. Coach Smart is not going to play him if he feels that he is not going to help the team win. At the same time, I feel that Coach Smart really has JLin's best interest at heart. Smart and his staff are constantly talking with him and teaching him. He is playing better in practice where he must be learning enormously, going against Monta and Steph (when healthy). You have to trust that Coach Smart will put Jeremy in when he feels he can contribute.
With the structure of the team, it is obvious that they have a glaring hole at the backup point guard. Reggie is like the Microwave coming off the bench. He is a scorer who is a decent passer. Charlie Bell is not a point guard but a solid vet who is in for defense and good decision making.
At some point soon, they will have to give Jeremy a good look. He has not played in any real meaningful minutes yet (they were down by about 17 when he came in against the Lakers). I think we have to give it 10-15 games to see where things are. By that point, we should see Jeremy getting some consistent minutes. If not, then we may have to start worrying about what's going on.
i started this biz the other day and i'm on a mission here so i'm gonna post in two spots tonight...
ReplyDeletePLEASE don't cheer for jlin every time he touches the ball. he aint a circus freak. hes a pro baller and he can play. cheer when he goes in and let him make you cheer -- HE WILL -- like when he played against the lakes. he was great. if reggie buries that nice dish from jlin, dubs go from 24 down to 11 down with jlin at the helm and then maybe we got a qb controversy on our hands... last thing smart needs is jlin leading a 24pt comeback... why else would you sit him with 5 fouls? ... save him for garbage time?
so ...just let him play... he's a point guard ... (did you see the flow change in the lakes game? that's the jlin effect) ... and PLEASE cheer when he deserves it (cause that's what he would want. no pro wants to be cheered for dribbling or holding a basketball. treat Jeremy like what he is ... A PRO!)
Did Jeremy ever express his feelings over ditching the Mavs for the Warriors? Does he feel guilty? Especially since he owes his entire career to the Mavs Coach giving him a chance at summer league.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure jeremy is very thankful of donnie nelson and I'm also sure donnie knows that this is a business and wishes jeremy well. No doubt, he's still keeping an eye on jeremy...
ReplyDeletethis is pretty good insight, nice post
ReplyDeleteLet's not get things confused. The Warriors don't "have to give Jeremy a good look." They are paying him to play ball, not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteThe sad truth is that if Lin didn't have that huge fan base, he might've been cut already to make room for another player.
Teams historically aren't patient about developing undrafted players. 1st round picks yes but not undrafted players. They are cutting him slack because of his fan base in Golden State.
they aren't cutting him slack because of his fan base. he is 1st round draft material according to many experts after they realized who he is and what he can do. they just never thought of looking at Harvard. do you seriously think Bell or Reggie is more serviceable than Lin? he is THAT good. the sad truth is your comment is full of holes and hates.
ReplyDeleteyep, In the Laker game, Lin hardly made any mistakes.
ReplyDeletec'mon let's not go overboard with the praise...i've been following Lin for a while now and have not seen anyone say "he's 1st round draft material". it's too early to judge but I believe Lin will get his chance to shine soon enough.
ReplyDeleteand Lin was very grateful to Donnie Nelson and the Mavs. I think in his very first Warriors interview after he signed the contract, he thanked Donnie for believing in him and inviting him over to his house for 4th of July, etc.
Lin is an undrafted player, but he has a guaranteed contract that is almost similar to a late a first round pick.
ReplyDeleteHe made a decision to play for Golden State, his hometown. He had offers on the table from the Mavericks and Lakers.
In fact, I think Lin would be better off playing in LA with an established coaching staff, a championship roster, and a veteran mentor like Derrick Fisher. They blow out teams almost every night, so you know he will get plenty of garbage time minutes.
Golden State does not have a solid strategy of team offense or defense. JLin will learn nothing valuable from Ellis, Curry, or an inexperienced coach like Smart.
The best thing about Jeremy Lin's game is he has the right kind of point guard mentality. He has really good Basketball IQ.
ReplyDeleteThe priority of a point guard shouldn't be to make as many points as possible, but its to give the ball to the best person open to take that shot, whether it be him or the person to who he gives the assist.
If he were on Lakers or Mavericks, he definitely would have gotten waived. Both those teams are stacked in the guard position down to the D-league. If people think he's not getting enough minutes on the Warriors, I don't understand why they think it'll be better for him at Dallas or LA. Actually both those teams would've been the WORST place for him to go, he would've been completely ignored. If people think that Warriors did this just for PR, why do they think it would've been more legitimate at LA or Dallas, where both teams are championship caliber and don't need guards?
ReplyDeleteCoach Smart may be inexperienced in winning games, but he's actually known for developing players, just look at Warriors roster. As this post said, "Smart and his staff are constantly talking with him and teaching him." Neither LA or Dallas would've done this, they want to concentrate their time and energy on getting the championship.
People cheer for him insanely every time he touches the ball because the cheering mainly come from home games. Many people in the Bay Area have a distant relationship with Jeremy Lin. I know many friends who know him/of him from one way or another, including myself. He's been playing basketball in many Bay Area leagues and has been Bay Area Newspaper multiple times. For the Golden State to see him finally in the NBA with its dense Asian-American percentage, it's unbelievable.
I like this blogpost by JLinfan#1, take a look at this:
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/sierra/2010/08/09/mickael-pietrus-if-it-wasnt-for-keith-smart-id-be-in-europe-right-now/
He may be inexperienced, but hey, you have to start somewhere. Also, it seems his Assistant Coaching career already received praise for player development, it'll be fun to see how this season plays out for JLin and the Warriors.
Monta said in an SFGate story that Jeremy needs to "stop playing scared". His own teammates know he can play better, and the comment show they care enough to want him to step up his game.
ReplyDeletei don't like fisher either...but that man sure can shoot the 3 ball. i really hope jeremy develops a better jumper so opponents can respect his shot. it's getting tougher for him to cut and drive since everyone is understanding his game.
ReplyDeletelin could've gone to the mavs or lakers where the pressure will not be so intense but i seriously think he will not get playing time. the mavs and lakers bench are too deep. i think the warriors are a perfect fit. let's face it, the warriors are not a playoff team. often times they will be blown out by better teams. lin will get his fair share of minutes simply because they are lacking at the point guard position. i think the chance of playing AT home with family, friends, and asian fans is too good to pass up.
ReplyDeleteLMAO! How much longer do you think Fisher, Kidd, and Terry are going to be playing? Kidd and Terry and all of the Mav's backup point guards are all under 6'2" and can't play defense. They probably can't defend Dub's Thunder posting them up. Lin gives you youth, size, speed, hustle, toughness, defense, court awareness, and best of all determination.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, don't just throw out "stacked at point guard position" and assume that Lin would be waived from those teams. Remember, they went after him. And for the right reasons, they needed help at the point because of their aging starter point guards and current undersized D-League material back-up point guards. Lin is a 1st round draft pick material. He is a rare find in the league and anyone who thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves and worst, spreading the foolishness around.
Nice pic of Steph and JL. This is what you'd like to see:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.insidebayarea.com/portlet/article/html/render_gallery.jsp?articleId=16527636&siteId=181&startImage=1
Of course, for all we know, they're talking about Halo, ha.
Wow. In that picture, those Warrios warmups look like some baggy ass pj's. Good job, adidas.
ReplyDeleteCant believe Keith Dumb is giving the backup guard minutes, what little there is to begin with to Charlie f'n bell. Lin held his own and arguably outplayed the top pick in the league and future roy John Wall and your telling me Bell is a more serviceable backup guard? I don't know if its a black thing or just another coach not giving a damn about an asian, much like Lin not receiving a single Division I scholarship offer, but this is ridiculous being held back like this. Someone bring back don Nelson, the guy was a wacky coach but loved small ball and developing 6-5 and under guys (Cj watson, azubuike, morrow, nelson, reggie williams, etc).
ReplyDelete4 Steals and 3 assists in limited playing time was nice however he has yet to show off that shooting touch and I can't believe no one is mentioning his ability to get to the cup. He'll learn to finish in time if he ever gets minutes or earn easy points from the line, regardless very important down the stretch, which is why guys like corey maggette will always be valued.