If you watched the game, Lin gets a Garden welcome when he enters the game and the sound of 'Awwww" when he missed his and one FT. I think the NY crowd likes him. Either that there were alot of Asians at the game which is not normally the case.
WHAT IT MEANS: Carmelo Anthony returned to the court Tuesday after a two-game absence. He brought the Knicks' offense with him.
The Knicks shot 60 percent in their most complete offensive performance in two weeks. It coincided with Anthony's most efficient game of the season.
Of course, all the good vibes for New York came against a Pistons team that has won just four of its first 23 games and entered play Tuesday ranked 29th in the league in defensive efficiency.
Still, the Knicks have won just twice in their past 11 games, so they'll take what they can get.
THE GOOD: Anthony had struggled mightily with his shot recently. Playing through ankle, wrist and thumb injuries, the small forward went 40-for-126 in six games before deciding to shut it down for the last two games of the Knicks' recent road trip.
After testing his ankle prior to tipoff against the Pistons, Anthony decided to return to the court. He came out hot, hitting four of his first five shots, including two behind the arc, to finish with 10 points in the first quarter. He ended up with 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting and six assists. It was the first full game in which he shot at least 50 percent from the field since Jan. 4.
FIELDS DAY: Landry Fields had one of his strongest offensive performances since the Anthony trade, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. He added three assists and six steals.
Aside from an off night against Houston on Saturday, Fields has come on strong recently. He's scored in double figures in seven of his past eight, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor in six of those seven.
In addition to Fields, Tyson Chandler had 17 points, making five of his six attempts (he was 7-for-10 from the line). Amare Stoudemire had 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
THEY LIKE LIN: Third-string point guard Jeremy Lin got a loud ovation when he came in the game in the second half. And he didn't disappoint. Lin had four points, four assists and a steal.
THE BAD: Stoudemire tweaked his ankle during warm-ups prior to the second half. He came out in the third and had two 3-point opportunities, so he appeared unharmed.
WHAT'S NEXT: Tuesday was a warm-up for what will be a rough week for the Knicks. They have a dreaded three-games-in-three-nights stretch, starting Thursday at home against Chicago. New York then travels to Boston on Friday and returns home to face New Jersey on Saturday. Every team plays at least one set of three games in three nights.
1)Part of it is the love for the 12th man/underdog.
2) Part of it is the sheer novelty of his Asian-ness. When JLin made the layup and got the and-one call, you'll notice that Melo celebrates in kung fu/naruto/ambiguously asian hand motions. (putting a fist into the palm of an open hand in front of the chest and then bowing slightly). they all did that when he had that killer through-the-legs crossover drive in the charlotte game as well.
And that is just something that JLin has probably gotten used to and dealt with his entire life and he's not about to make some political/educational statement about how that is sorta racist, because the kid's still just trying to get minutes. Heck, he might not even think that it's wrong because he hasn't really thought too deeply about it. And it sure beats the blatant racial epithets that he grew up with.
He was probably oftentimes the only serious Asian American baller on the court growing up, so when you're the only Asian someone knows, it's just natural to reference stereotypes. Just as many times that it might have been an attempt to positively reference his Asian-ness, no doubt he's heard "chink" or "pork fried rice" a gazillion times. Either way, he has no choice but to shut people up with his on-court play.
3) But most importantly, the final reason I believe Knicks fans were cheering for him is that they're knowledgable - they saw what he did in the Houston game, and there is now a mounting consensus amongst message boards and twitter that he deserves more minutes. It's a bit measure, of course, because we know that the stats are happening in garbage time minutes, but they also know it's worth finding out what he can do with the starting unit. It's hard to argue against a 10 assists per 36 minutes rate.
As a Knicks fan AND a Jeremy Lin fan, it's super exciting (our overall 8-13 suckiness notwithstanding)
Aww, I don't think Carmelo doing a traditional Chinese bow of respect is racist.
I've had nonAsians do that to me and I am flattered. No matter what your race is, the intent behind the gesture is what counts to me. In his own way, Carmelo is showing his respect not just for Lin's game but his race. To me, the respect for Lin's game from an esteemed teammate is the best part.
It's like Wu-TANG clan. NO harm no foul. If anything most African American's love Chinese culture or at least Martial Arts. The fact is Jeremy's teammates appreciate his hard work and play.
Dan astutely noted last night that the Knicks aren’t in any position to make a trade that upgrades the roster around the margins, owing to the team’s salary distribution and the fact that the supporting players have all underperformed (or are just plain crappy, depending on your viewpoint). Consequently, until Baron Davis shows up (and we’re assuming something there, aren’t we?), the team is going to have to make do with what they have at point guard. Which is virtually nothing.
Toney Douglas has performed well at times as a floor spacer and rudimentary ball handler, but has demonstrated over a fairly large sample that he just doesn’t have the court vision or instincts of a point guard. Douglas struggles with even simply pushing the pace on a consistent basis. He loses focus and walks the ball up on too many possessions even when there are obvious opportunities to get it out to teammates in transition.
Iman Shumpert does a much better job than TD of consistently playing fast–and sees the court a little bit better too– but makes poor decisions in the half court and is surprisingly reluctant to use his athleticism to get into the paint. He may become a competent playmaker someday, but he isn’t one now.
Most importantly, though, neither one, for the life of them, have any idea how to use a ball screen. Both Douglas and Shumpert almost always miss both the roll man and the open shooter off pick-and-roll action resulting in several wasted seconds of dribbling away from the trap, resetting, and ultimately an out-of-rhythm jumper by one of our stars at the end of the shot clock (or, in the worst instances, an offensive foul).
The player who has suffered most by the “point guards’” ineptitude in pick-and-roll play has, of course, been Amar’e–previously an unsolvable problem for defenses across the league but completely shut down by Douglas and Shumpert.
Enter the Jeremy Lin.
I’m not suggesting that Lin is going to be a great player, or even a good one. I’m really not (maybe a little). But in his 26 minutes over the past two games he’s made better use of ball screens than any other Knick guard has over the entire season. COMBINED! EVER!
While Lin has a deceptively quick first step he’s not especially athletic and he’s not a very good perimeter shooter. But what he does have going for him is a nice feel for the pick-and-roll. He understands how to set up a screen, read how it’s being defended, and then at least try to make the right play. He doesn’t always succeed but at least he evinces an understanding of what he’s supposed to do. On this team that makes him a candidate for some minutes.
Here’s what I’d do for now (hopefully Baron plays someday): Over the next few games at the start of second quarters, when the Knicks usually remove Melo and Chandler and play Amar’e at the five to get him matched up on a bigger, slower guy, I’d try putting Lin in there too. Round out the lineup with Douglas, Billy Walker and Jeffries (too bad Jorts is hurt because he’d be perfect for this). Let Lin and Amar’e run some high pick and rolls for six minutes with the other guys spacing the floor and see if this can get Amar’e going. Hell, maybe he can set up a few open looks for Douglas and get him going too. If it doesn’t work, no harm done–the other guys couldn’t do it either. But maybe, just maybe, having a PG who makes good reads off the screen is just what Amar’e needs. Just a hunch I’m basing off his entire career to this point.
My guess is that Lin can eventually develop into a competent backup PG, if someone takes the time to develop him, because his best skill is one that’s so coveted among guards in the NBA. With Amar’e scuffling and the Knicks other options not looking like options at all, why not shake things up and give Lin some run?
I am amused at how there are still journalists who write that Jeremy Lin is unathletic.
There is no statistical or visual evidence that could possibly support that opinion. Usually the guys that criticize Lin's athleticism also correctly observe that he has lots of energy, can easily beat NBA defenders off the dribble, and has a knack for making smart plays. NBA athleticism is needed for any guard to play like that.
Also, there is a lot of talk about how Baron Davis is supposed to be the Knicks savior. Frankly, I don't see how he could help the Knicks. Davis is a shoot first player who may not have the athleticism needed to score consistently. Besides, Davis was never much of a defender or distributor when he was in his prime years ago.
I cannot imagine Baron Davis strolling into Knick practices and schooling Lin on both ends. I can easily imagine Lin being as good a pg in practices as he is in NBA games, though. If Baron Davis beats out Lin in the depth chart, he better be outperforming Lin in games. The media is correct in speculating that Lin might end up starting at pg for the Knicks.
I will laugh if the Knicks waive Lin by Feb 10. That would be as dumb as benching and then dumping Mark Jackson after he led the Knicks to the playoffs and made the All Star Team in his second season.
Admittedly, the Novak dish was an assist in-name-only. But JL also had a great pick-and-roll feed to Chandler, who was fouled and missed the shot. So he didn't get credit for that pass. Lin also appeared to have two steals, not one.
My point is, these things even out. Even Nash, Paul and Rondo pick up lots of "phony" assists. They also have great passes that end up in fouls or missed shots.
I count them as assists. No matter how talented your bigs are, if you don't get the ball in their hands down low, they can't score. Not all guards could get the ball to their bigs effectively, but everyone can get the ball to the open guy for an open shot. It is much more difficult to get the ball to a guy being defended, matching his rhythm in the play, and effectively finishing. That's skill, art, beauty...
That's how assists are counted for everyone. Even CP3 gets an extra couple freebie assists per game every time Blake catches the ball at the top of the key, makes a nice move, and flushes it home. True, some assists are more helpful than others, but it's hard to argue against "official" assists lol.
Lots of good things said about JL by a Knicks reporter (See Video) http://www.msg.com/our-teams/knicks/the-knicks-fix-driving-guards-amare-and-blakes-dunk-131-1.82031
Watched that video and tried to pause it as Lin was making initial reads before attacking.
That performance reminds me very much of his Erie Bayhawks triple double performance with Jerome Jordon in D-League.
You can see that Knicks are running set plays and Lin has good feel for where other players are supposed to be. His natural court awareness / vision is apparent, but seems much better than other garbage time performances because as this Ricky Rubio article points out, it can be developed with PRACTICE and EXPERIENCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5797316). Whether he has ultimately can develop elite level court vision (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_w0taTPYg&feature=BFa&list=FLtMe_Vxt06qJqLptTcclHZQ&lf=mh_lolz), only time will tell, but even when he was running point with Reno last year (familiar with offensive sets and players around him), he at times still didn't pick out offensive player in peripheral vision and didn't seem to distinguish between who is a real shooting threat and not.
If Lin could ever develop eyes in the back of his head (plus credible outside or pull up jumper that defenders really have to respect), Look out! :)
No player in today's defense focused NBA can have perfect decisionmaking. Even Hall of Famers like Steve Nash will have stretches in minutes where nothing is going right.
Lin has amply demonstrated that he can make the right reads. Plus, he can create shots for himself and others (a really rare skill that very few NBA players have). I'd start him, if only to get the ball to Stoudemire and Chandler and Fields and Anthony while giving the Knicks their most court savvy and athletic starting backcourt. Should Lin not play well, bench him and bring in somebody else.
The other thing I'd do is have Lin guard the top backcourt scorer early in games. For example, I'd have Lin guard Kobe Bryant while Shumpert or Douglas guarded the other guard. Let Lin accumulate fouls and fatigue while Douglas and Shumpert conserve their energy for making shots. Lin will continue to get into the paint and get assists on offense even if he isn't scoring himself.
Now in the case of teams like Phx with Nash and Min with Rubio where the point guard is the most dangerous player, I would play Lin against those guys. I would love to see Lin go against Rubio in particular, as they would really go at it on every possession.
here's some comments about Lin around the 3:00 mark.
ReplyDeletehttp://knicksnow.com/videos/390
If you watched the game, Lin gets a Garden welcome when he enters the game and the sound of 'Awwww" when he missed his and one FT. I think the NY crowd likes him. Either that there were alot of Asians at the game which is not normally the case.
ReplyDeleteFrom ESPN NEW YORK KNICKS BLOG
ReplyDeleteWHAT IT MEANS: Carmelo Anthony returned to the court Tuesday after a two-game absence. He brought the Knicks' offense with him.
The Knicks shot 60 percent in their most complete offensive performance in two weeks. It coincided with Anthony's most efficient game of the season.
Of course, all the good vibes for New York came against a Pistons team that has won just four of its first 23 games and entered play Tuesday ranked 29th in the league in defensive efficiency.
Still, the Knicks have won just twice in their past 11 games, so they'll take what they can get.
THE GOOD: Anthony had struggled mightily with his shot recently. Playing through ankle, wrist and thumb injuries, the small forward went 40-for-126 in six games before deciding to shut it down for the last two games of the Knicks' recent road trip.
After testing his ankle prior to tipoff against the Pistons, Anthony decided to return to the court. He came out hot, hitting four of his first five shots, including two behind the arc, to finish with 10 points in the first quarter. He ended up with 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting and six assists. It was the first full game in which he shot at least 50 percent from the field since Jan. 4.
FIELDS DAY: Landry Fields had one of his strongest offensive performances since the Anthony trade, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. He added three assists and six steals.
Aside from an off night against Houston on Saturday, Fields has come on strong recently. He's scored in double figures in seven of his past eight, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor in six of those seven.
In addition to Fields, Tyson Chandler had 17 points, making five of his six attempts (he was 7-for-10 from the line). Amare Stoudemire had 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
THEY LIKE LIN: Third-string point guard Jeremy Lin got a loud ovation when he came in the game in the second half. And he didn't disappoint. Lin had four points, four assists and a steal.
THE BAD: Stoudemire tweaked his ankle during warm-ups prior to the second half. He came out in the third and had two 3-point opportunities, so he appeared unharmed.
WHAT'S NEXT: Tuesday was a warm-up for what will be a rough week for the Knicks. They have a dreaded three-games-in-three-nights stretch, starting Thursday at home against Chicago. New York then travels to Boston on Friday and returns home to face New Jersey on Saturday. Every team plays at least one set of three games in three nights.
I believe it's a confluence of factors:
ReplyDelete1)Part of it is the love for the 12th man/underdog.
2) Part of it is the sheer novelty of his Asian-ness. When JLin made the layup and got the and-one call, you'll notice that Melo celebrates in kung fu/naruto/ambiguously asian hand motions. (putting a fist into the palm of an open hand in front of the chest and then bowing slightly). they all did that when he had that killer through-the-legs crossover drive in the charlotte game as well.
And that is just something that JLin has probably gotten used to and dealt with his entire life and he's not about to make some political/educational statement about how that is sorta racist, because the kid's still just trying to get minutes. Heck, he might not even think that it's wrong because he hasn't really thought too deeply about it. And it sure beats the blatant racial epithets that he grew up with.
He was probably oftentimes the only serious Asian American baller on the court growing up, so when you're the only Asian someone knows, it's just natural to reference stereotypes. Just as many times that it might have been an attempt to positively reference his Asian-ness, no doubt he's heard "chink" or "pork fried rice" a gazillion times. Either way, he has no choice but to shut people up with his on-court play.
3) But most importantly, the final reason I believe Knicks fans were cheering for him is that they're knowledgable - they saw what he did in the Houston game, and there is now a mounting consensus amongst message boards and twitter that he deserves more minutes. It's a bit measure, of course, because we know that the stats are happening in garbage time minutes, but they also know it's worth finding out what he can do with the starting unit. It's hard to argue against a 10 assists per 36 minutes rate.
As a Knicks fan AND a Jeremy Lin fan, it's super exciting (our overall 8-13 suckiness notwithstanding)
Aww, I don't think Carmelo doing a traditional Chinese bow of respect is racist.
ReplyDeleteI've had nonAsians do that to me and I am flattered. No matter what your race is, the intent behind the gesture is what counts to me. In his own way, Carmelo is showing his respect not just for Lin's game but his race. To me, the respect for Lin's game from an esteemed teammate is the best part.
It's like Wu-TANG clan. NO harm no foul. If anything most African American's love Chinese culture or at least Martial Arts. The fact is Jeremy's teammates appreciate his hard work and play.
Deletehttp://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/ny/cat/PER/new-york-knicks
ReplyDeleteHe has a ridiculous 28 PER right now. I'd love to see where it ends up with more consistent minutes.
http://www.msg.com/our-teams/knicks/the-knicks-fix-driving-guards-amare-and-blakes-dunk-131-1.82031
ReplyDeleteThey discussed the driving game Knicks lack and mentioned Lin's play as example.
Dan astutely noted last night that the Knicks aren’t in any position to make a trade that upgrades the roster around the margins, owing to the team’s salary distribution and the fact that the supporting players have all underperformed (or are just plain crappy, depending on your viewpoint). Consequently, until Baron Davis shows up (and we’re assuming something there, aren’t we?), the team is going to have to make do with what they have at point guard. Which is virtually nothing.
ReplyDeleteToney Douglas has performed well at times as a floor spacer and rudimentary ball handler, but has demonstrated over a fairly large sample that he just doesn’t have the court vision or instincts of a point guard. Douglas struggles with even simply pushing the pace on a consistent basis. He loses focus and walks the ball up on too many possessions even when there are obvious opportunities to get it out to teammates in transition.
Iman Shumpert does a much better job than TD of consistently playing fast–and sees the court a little bit better too– but makes poor decisions in the half court and is surprisingly reluctant to use his athleticism to get into the paint. He may become a competent playmaker someday, but he isn’t one now.
Most importantly, though, neither one, for the life of them, have any idea how to use a ball screen. Both Douglas and Shumpert almost always miss both the roll man and the open shooter off pick-and-roll action resulting in several wasted seconds of dribbling away from the trap, resetting, and ultimately an out-of-rhythm jumper by one of our stars at the end of the shot clock (or, in the worst instances, an offensive foul).
The player who has suffered most by the “point guards’” ineptitude in pick-and-roll play has, of course, been Amar’e–previously an unsolvable problem for defenses across the league but completely shut down by Douglas and Shumpert.
Enter the Jeremy Lin.
I’m not suggesting that Lin is going to be a great player, or even a good one. I’m really not (maybe a little). But in his 26 minutes over the past two games he’s made better use of ball screens than any other Knick guard has over the entire season. COMBINED! EVER!
While Lin has a deceptively quick first step he’s not especially athletic and he’s not a very good perimeter shooter. But what he does have going for him is a nice feel for the pick-and-roll. He understands how to set up a screen, read how it’s being defended, and then at least try to make the right play. He doesn’t always succeed but at least he evinces an understanding of what he’s supposed to do. On this team that makes him a candidate for some minutes.
Here’s what I’d do for now (hopefully Baron plays someday): Over the next few games at the start of second quarters, when the Knicks usually remove Melo and Chandler and play Amar’e at the five to get him matched up on a bigger, slower guy, I’d try putting Lin in there too. Round out the lineup with Douglas, Billy Walker and Jeffries (too bad Jorts is hurt because he’d be perfect for this). Let Lin and Amar’e run some high pick and rolls for six minutes with the other guys spacing the floor and see if this can get Amar’e going. Hell, maybe he can set up a few open looks for Douglas and get him going too. If it doesn’t work, no harm done–the other guys couldn’t do it either. But maybe, just maybe, having a PG who makes good reads off the screen is just what Amar’e needs. Just a hunch I’m basing off his entire career to this point.
My guess is that Lin can eventually develop into a competent backup PG, if someone takes the time to develop him, because his best skill is one that’s so coveted among guards in the NBA. With Amar’e scuffling and the Knicks other options not looking like options at all, why not shake things up and give Lin some run?
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/nba/nba-analysis-knicks-must-find-way-use-jeremy-lin
Game video vs Pistons is up:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQu3X-nE8UM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQLC6KPN7fg
I am amused at how there are still journalists who write that Jeremy Lin is unathletic.
ReplyDeleteThere is no statistical or visual evidence that could possibly support that opinion. Usually the guys that criticize Lin's athleticism also correctly observe that he has lots of energy, can easily beat NBA defenders off the dribble, and has a knack for making smart plays. NBA athleticism is needed for any guard to play like that.
Also, there is a lot of talk about how Baron Davis is supposed to be the Knicks savior. Frankly, I don't see how he could help the Knicks. Davis is a shoot first player who may not have the athleticism needed to score consistently. Besides, Davis was never much of a defender or distributor when he was in his prime years ago.
I cannot imagine Baron Davis strolling into Knick practices and schooling Lin on both ends. I can easily imagine Lin being as good a pg in practices as he is in NBA games, though. If Baron Davis beats out Lin in the depth chart, he better be outperforming Lin in games. The media is correct in speculating that Lin might end up starting at pg for the Knicks.
I will laugh if the Knicks waive Lin by Feb 10. That would be as dumb as benching and then dumping Mark Jackson after he led the Knicks to the playoffs and made the All Star Team in his second season.
Just saw the tape. Lin probably should have had 2 official assists, not 4. The other 2, the guys took it off the dribble and created their own shot.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, the Novak dish was an assist in-name-only. But JL also had a great pick-and-roll feed to Chandler, who was fouled and missed the shot. So he didn't get credit for that pass. Lin also appeared to have two steals, not one.
DeleteMy point is, these things even out. Even Nash, Paul and Rondo pick up lots of "phony" assists. They also have great passes that end up in fouls or missed shots.
there is a 2 dribble allowed rule for nba assists. its how everyone in the league gets good stats
DeleteI count them as assists. No matter how talented your bigs are, if you don't get the ball in their hands down low, they can't score. Not all guards could get the ball to their bigs effectively, but everyone can get the ball to the open guy for an open shot. It is much more difficult to get the ball to a guy being defended, matching his rhythm in the play, and effectively finishing. That's skill, art, beauty...
DeleteThat's how assists are counted for everyone. Even CP3 gets an extra couple freebie assists per game every time Blake catches the ball at the top of the key, makes a nice move, and flushes it home. True, some assists are more helpful than others, but it's hard to argue against "official" assists lol.
DeleteLots of good things said about JL by a Knicks reporter
ReplyDelete(See Video)
http://www.msg.com/our-teams/knicks/the-knicks-fix-driving-guards-amare-and-blakes-dunk-131-1.82031
Look at that play after Lin gets the rebound where his pass ends up getting deflected. He gets mad at himself for not seeing a wide open Novak.
ReplyDeleteLin is a smart player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQu3X-nE8UM
ReplyDeleteWatched that video and tried to pause it as Lin was making initial reads before attacking.
That performance reminds me very much of his Erie Bayhawks triple double performance with Jerome Jordon in D-League.
You can see that Knicks are running set plays and Lin has good feel for where other players are supposed to be. His natural court awareness / vision is apparent, but seems much better than other garbage time performances because as this Ricky Rubio article points out, it can be developed with PRACTICE and EXPERIENCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5797316). Whether he has ultimately can develop elite level court vision (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_w0taTPYg&feature=BFa&list=FLtMe_Vxt06qJqLptTcclHZQ&lf=mh_lolz), only time will tell, but even when he was running point with Reno last year (familiar with offensive sets and players around him), he at times still didn't pick out offensive player in peripheral vision and didn't seem to distinguish between who is a real shooting threat and not.
If Lin could ever develop eyes in the back of his head (plus credible outside or pull up jumper that defenders really have to respect), Look out! :)
Enough said!!!! He just need some playing time...go JLin!!!
ReplyDeleteNo player in today's defense focused NBA can have perfect decisionmaking. Even Hall of Famers like Steve Nash will have stretches in minutes where nothing is going right.
ReplyDeleteLin has amply demonstrated that he can make the right reads. Plus, he can create shots for himself and others (a really rare skill that very few NBA players have). I'd start him, if only to get the ball to Stoudemire and Chandler and Fields and Anthony while giving the Knicks their most court savvy and athletic starting backcourt. Should Lin not play well, bench him and bring in somebody else.
The other thing I'd do is have Lin guard the top backcourt scorer early in games. For example, I'd have Lin guard Kobe Bryant while Shumpert or Douglas guarded the other guard. Let Lin accumulate fouls and fatigue while Douglas and Shumpert conserve their energy for making shots. Lin will continue to get into the paint and get assists on offense even if he isn't scoring himself.
Now in the case of teams like Phx with Nash and Min with Rubio where the point guard is the most dangerous player, I would play Lin against those guys. I would love to see Lin go against Rubio in particular, as they would really go at it on every possession.
I'm going to the game tonight fellas! If #17 goes in during the first half against the bulls, i'm gonna go berserker up in there. GO JEREMY!
ReplyDelete