After Jeremy's meteoric rise, there has been some leveling off as he adjusts to the additions of Melo, Stat, Baron, and JR.
Here is one of the more thoughtful articles I've found:
Star Turn Leaves the Knicks’ Lin to Learn in the Spotlight - NYTimes.com
My only gripe would be on his last line where the author states that Jeremy doesn't have to be a superstar, just a very good point guard. I've heard this quite a bit. Why, if you're great or gonna be great, do you have to only try to be good? I understand that they are looking at it from the Knicks team standpoint. However, I believe for the Knicks to go deep in the playoffs, Jeremy will have to be great. I have all the confidence in the world, that he will be great come playoff time.
As far as I'm concerned, Linsanity is still going strong.
ReplyDeleteI have not forgotten that Lin is a waiver wire reject who essentially joined the Knicks in midseason. Nobody from the trash bin has been THIS GOOD, even in the latest Boston game.
When a person goes to McDonalds and orders a Happy Meal, he has no right to gripe if he opens up the box and there's prime rib as opposed to filet mignon.
It's such a dilemma for Lin as a PG now. A reason he strove so well with the blue collar players during his breakout weeks was because of his slashing and penetrating, which led to a lay-up, a dump in the post, a kick-out pass, or a trip to the FT line. Jeremy made those decisions based on his basketball instinct, depending on which option would lead to the highest probability of successful play.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite a different story now. Jeremy is counted on to distribute more than anything, to the extend I felt he has been looking to pass for the sake of passing, as if he's returning the favor of his teammates' commitment for "Lin's way."
Like D'Antoni said, it's a learning curve. Not only Jeremy is learning how to cope and counteract with the opponent, he's also learning how to play with talents around him, instead of carrying everything on his shoulder, the way he knows best for his life. As an athlete myself I know what's it like to go through those transitions, from being "the do-it-all man" to "the distributor." He will need to let his teammates play their game when they are on a roll, and take over when everyone else is shutting down. It's not easy, but all the great ones get it. MJ got it in the 90s and got his rings. Paul Pierce got it when KG and Ray joined the team, and he allowed Rondo to flourish, but when the team needed him to throw in the dagger, he was there to save the day. It's not an easy adjustment because it's more difficult to stay within the rhythm without the touches, but Jeremy is smart, he'll get it.
I would rather have Lin and the rest of the Knicks take their lumps during the regular season, rather than it all manifest itself in ugly first round loss in playoffs, accentuated by veteran teams making Lin look like the rookie starter he is at that point.
DeleteKnicks obvious have to win some games, ideally enough to get Atlantic Division crown, but at minimum sixth seed to avoid having to play Heat or Bulls in first round, but having other teams throw their best schemes and efforts at Lin right now can only help him grow.
Tonight will be his second go at the Mavericks, so hopefully he has learned a lot and performs really well (team stats and a team win, not individual statistics).
Lin HAS to pass because opponents are putting all 5 guys on him.
DeleteIf Lin were on a deeper team, those triple teams could not happen because other players would feast on the opportunities. Some of the Knicks are doing that, but the majority of them are not able to.
I don't think Lin has to make any changes to his game or approach. But the other Knicks have to come to play too.
I agree, before he used to make plays due to his aggressiveness. We're not seeing him go for those un-blockable reverse layups anymore. He's not looking for his own shot. Every time down the floor he is looking inside to feed the ball to Melo, who is not open because teams are focused on denying that passing angle.
Deleteyeah, i don't know if he's under orders to feed the ball to melo, lack of chemistry, tired legs, or whatever. we don't know and we can only speculate but he's looking to pass first and shoot second. he should go back to his aggressive style of play to what created this linsanity.
DeleteThe Celtics were rushing double-team traps at Jeremy Lin, and generally gambling that with the ball out of Lin's hands, good things would happen for Boston defensively. It led to turnovers, but at the expense of giving New York easy baskets and multiple opportunities when the trap failed. Carmelo Anthony had 12 points at halftime, Amar'e Stoudemire 10.
DeleteThe Celtics pulled back from this strategy in the third quarter, and at first, the Knicks didn't know how to react. They continued to push on the offensive end, not realizing that what had once been open passing lanes from already-committed defenders had turned into Celtics defenders lying in wait. The result was an ugly quarter, filled with missed shots, a few more turnovers, and most problematic of all, one shot combined for Stoudemire and Anthony.
But once the Knicks adjusted to this reset the results changed in a hurry. They leveraged their athleticism to out-rebound Boston, consistently got quality shots around the basket, and forced Rondo into an 0-for-6 shooting quarter.
Offensive sets produced good shots for Anthony repeatedly—he took 10 in the quarter, making four, and only one of them could have been described as forced. Lin seemed to figure out the new, lower-pressure defense as well, leading to repeated forays to the basket as the game wound to its conclusion.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/null/2012/03/5404955/rondo-and-celtics-teach-knicks-lesson-may-come-handy
Lin can't lift this team to a championship on his offensive skills alone, and neither can Melo, in isolation against constant double and triple teams.
This balanced, pick your poison approach (stop Lin's penetration, or once Melo gets fully back into rhythm, double and triple team him) can makes Knicks very effective once they get that team identity and team chemistry down by playoff time.
I'm happy the NY Times is on Jeremy's side for the most part regarding his recent struggles. He is still brand spanking new! Lets hope he can have a good to great game tonight!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to hate on a humble kid so Lin is getting a free pass from the NY press. However, the honeymoon won't last forever and the bloom is off the rose. He will need to step up and lead the Knicks to build on that 9-4 record or he will be relegated back to the bench behind Baron Davis. Truth be told is that the Knicks have had a really easy schedule in Feb which coincided with his emergence but now they're facing all these really tough teams in March and if they're not winning, Lin's turnovers will look like an easy scapegoat.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but your fantasy isn't going to come true.
DeleteLin is the starter because he has earned it.
The End.
Adversity is an opportunity for JLin, he shows us he can strive, learn and be success at what he do best winning big games. He is a smart player, and he made it this far. We all need to patient and witness....best is yet to come!
ReplyDeleteHe will continue to have a break out moment because he proves to us, he strive during adversity!
Jeremy is smart and works hard, but most importantly he has God to draw his energy from, so things will work out eventually. Godspeed Jeremy and have a great game against Mav.
ReplyDelete