With Jeremy not able to play in game 5, the Miami Heat beat the Knicks 106-94, closing out the Melo led Knicks 4 games to 1. This was a very predictable end to this series without JLin. Also, very predictable is the New York media trying to call out Jeremy for not playing. He wasn't even cleared by the doctors and he is making the league minimum. Why in the world would anyone try to come back at 85%, early from knee surgery, without a contract? Also, your team would still be a heavy underdog going up against the team favored to win the NBA Championship?
NBA Playoffs 2012 -- Jeremy Lin is New York Knicks' most important player of 2013 - ESPN New York
At least we can now turn our attention to the summer and Jeremy's rehab and training. He should be heading home to the Bay Area soon. We will follow Jeremy throughout the summer and give you updates as often as possible.
Never before have I seen a waiver wire reject blamed for NOT leading his team of highly paid players over a team favored to win the championship.
ReplyDeleteYet that's what's happening with Lin because he gives people HOPE. He's really that good, folks.
A lot of people hate me for rating Lin as high as I do. They think Lin doesn't deserve to be in the NBA, that he has too many flaws in his game, that he's actually healthy enough to play and is refusing to play because he's a sissy, that he doesn't deserve to be celebrated the way he is.
With those folks on this forum and in the media, they hate Lin when he's playing and hate Lin when he's not playing. That's because Lin PUNKS haters by showing us all how much better his teams play when he's on the court.
well the knicks are down to mike bibby and i think they rather have an injured lin to start over bibby. people are that desperate.
ReplyDeleteits annoying when the media is putting unjust pressure to the player. They blamed Melo,they blame Stat and now they even blame jeremy for not playing. I believe in Jeremy as a leader and player but i doubt if he can make a lot of difference when he is rusty.Bulls forced Rose and we all know what happened and he's an MVP. Knicks should stop looking for hero every week. With a limited cap space NY is extremely lucky they got Jlin. There is no way they will get a PG at Jlin's level and marketability for 5 million,so forcing him to play and risk another injury is not only annoying but also stupid.
ReplyDeleteI know it's still very early, but I really look forward to a tremendous Knicks makeover. I really dislike this Melo-centric offense that Woodson has been implementing (granted, given for stretches of time he really had no other option), and having both Stat and Melo on the court at the same time is a waste of Tyson's talented D; the hole is just too big to cover up.
ReplyDeleteI know the chances of Jeremy NOT returning to the Knicks is minimal, but damn, it is just frustrating to see him in a situation like this. It reminds me of his warrior days when Acie Law was playing a head of him, and Ellis refused to pass him the ball.
We could only pray to God that everything is happening for a reason and things are in HIS good hands. Take care, Jeremy!
On the positive note, there are some that are sticking it up for Jeremy:
Delete"Jeremy Lin is making the right choice by sitting, even though it stinks"
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jeremy-lin-making-choice-sitting-even-though-sucks-222031892.html;_ylt=Ai.vJxbetWweyjb8hpQG8M05nYcB
Of course Tyson couldn't cover Melo and Amare. Tyson is quite overrated to be honest. I doubt he would have won DPOY if he didn't play in NY and Dwight didn't create that circus in Orlando. How a former No 2 pick had zero post game and jump shot after so many years in the league is completely beyond me. His rebounding and block stats are mediocre at best. He is really a role player. Just because NY was from playing no D to semi decent D and that he was lucky to be on a Mavs team that won championship last year mainly thanks to Dirk made a lot of fans and media people seriously overrated Tyson.
DeleteAnd also the league is so severely lacking dominating centers. Tyson would have been a nobody in the Hakeem, Robinson, Ewing and Shaq era. I remember even Yao Ming seriously dominated him when healthy. It was just too bad that Yao couldn't stay healthy otherwise Yao and Lin could form a great inside-outside combo and made both of their careers so much better.
DeleteI agree that the league is missing dominating centers, and Tyson probably wouldn't had won it if it wasn't for Howard fiasco in Orlando, but rating him as a semi decent defensive presence is definitely unfair. Yes, he really lacks a post-up game, but we were talking his defensive side of the game. Plus, he did run the PnR pretty well with Jeremy. I'm not saying he is flawless and multi-talented, but seriously speaking, apart from getting Jeremy through the waiver out of pure luck, inking Tyson last summer has been the single acquisition that I'd ever applauded for the NYK organization in the past decade or more.
DeleteDid you guys read Twitter? A NY Post sportwriter suggested that NY should not re-sign Lin. He said Nash, Kidd, Andre Miller, Felton among others would all be better choices. A lot of other writers and fans also said that only Nash could probably make Melo and Amare work and the Knicks would be stupid to choose Lin over Nash. A lot of Lin hating. Lol.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is...I would LOVE that. I seriously hope the Knicks don't sign Lin this year.
DeleteLet him leave on good terms with Melo (and Woodson) while acknowledging they don't belong on the same team.
Say it with me now: BROOK-LIN NETS. BROOK (Lopez) and (Jeremy) LIN.
Even if they don't get Dwight, it'll still be: Lin, Humphries, Lopez, Marshon Brooks, Morrow and Gerald Green and/or Wallace.
I hope the Knicks do try to sign Nash. That will force them to set JLin free.
DeleteHe can then sign up with a better team in a better situation.
Meanwhile, the Knicks will go with their usual short-term "sign big names" development plan that has worked out so well for them.
LOL.
I would kind of feel sorry for all the people who purchased Lin Knicks #17 jerseys, though. Not that there would be a huge problem wearing a jersey signifying Jeremy's breakthrough (coming onto the scene/emergence of Linsanity) - but it would still be a little weird.
DeleteYES. I hope the Knicks do not resign Lin. It'll continue their history of stupidity. A 38 yr old Nash over Lin. roflmao
Deletethere are several cowards from the other thread that never bothered to respond after it was pointed out Chris Paul missed 2 months from his knee injury. the cowards had the audacity to question lin's courage, leadership, and toughness. LOL! seriously, they were actually dumb enough to question lin after he led the knicks back to the playoffs with courageous 45 minute games (leading to his knee injury), and consistently took it strong over good shot blocking centers like hibbert, brand, etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteyeah i'm calling you out again you flippin cowards. i don't expect any of you to man up and apologize for your stupidity, though. FOH with your nonsense.
What I'm about to say is beyond basketball, and beyond whether Jeremy would've helped win a game. As you can see from the other blog sites he is getting called out for not being man enough to play. You can say that's stupid thinking, because physically, intellectually and financially it doesn't benefit Jeremy to play if he is not 100% healthy. We Asians have been marginalized whether fairly or not based on actions that we did not take. America is a physically tough country where the brave are honored. Those of us who are physically able should fight and not back down. I don't provoke a fight but I don't back down either in the real world. I'm just one person trying to change how we are viewed. I hope more of us do the same.
DeleteAnd to your point about Chris Paul, your logic is Chris Paul is a professional basketball player, and Jeremey Lin is a professional basketball player. If Chris Paul gets hurt from coming back too soon then Jeremy Lin will get hurt. Chris Paul is a sample size of 1.
bloggereng, you are a hypocrital chicken / coward. you completely ducked the fact that lin's knee is nowhere close to game condition, as he even admitted he could not even touch the freakin' rim in his current state. you completely ducked the fact your "leadership" and "courage" argument could not possibly apply to chris paul, aka the best point guard in the league, even though paul missed even more time than lin. you have not manned up to acknowledge any of those basic facts. do not pass go. man card denied.
Deletethen, you completely ignored how yao ming tried his best to repeatedly come back when his feet were not completely healthy, and had his career ruined by doing so. of course, now we all hear cheap shots about how yao was racially inferior because of such overuse/poor health decisions. so much for your "honoring the physically tough" argument, huh? imagine if lin suffered the same fate without even a full season under his belt. why should racists and haters dictate lin's health? they shouldn't, especially not from mentally weak pussies like you who would put his own racial insecurities over lin's future. besides, he has already proven to be a leader and demonstrated tremendous courage by repeatedly getting back up against the game's best big men, which a gutless coward like you still refuses to admit because it completely undermines your credibility.
You are obviously a loser in life. Don't let my words enrage you. They are only words. You really have problems to get bent out of shape by me. Keep ranting and show what a fool you are.
Deletetoo predictable. let's note how the chickenlittle coward bloggereng completely ducked the above examples of chris paul, yao ming, and jeremy lin not being able to touch the rim. your "courage" and "leadership" arguments were completely debunked/destroyed. better luck next time, loser.
DeleteStop it guys, you are both right!
Delete"Why in the world would anyone try to come back at 85%, early from knee surgery, without a contract?"
ReplyDeleteLeadership, and Lin was under contract for every game he missed.
I agree with O'Connor: Lin is the key for the Knicks next season. I'm still a fan. But I am disappointed in him.
i'm glad lin wasn't dumb enough to listen to critics and "fans" like you. it is blatantly clear his knee is nowhere close to game condition.
DeleteLin simply made a right decision. He wouldn't have saved this Knicks team anyway. No point to risk further injury. This Knicks team's problem went deeper than just an addition of Lin or any PG for that matter. They are always looking for a savior type of guy but in fact one player or coach can't change the whole culture of building a successful team.
Delete@Eric:
DeleteJeremy’s decision not to play could be a collective one.
The competitive self of Jeremy definitely wanted to take the court in Game 5, but we can’t be certain whether Melo (the self-proclaimed leader ) had advised Jeremy to not play, and Jeremy on the other hand knew darn well the intentions of Melo, just took heed ; at only 85%, Jeremy might have considered he isn’t good enough to be of help to the team(we all witnessed how Jeremy had always put in =>100 in every game that he plays),and his insertion to the line up after not playing for 5weeks plus could spell trouble to the team chemistry.
Also the BOD, management of MSG could have interfered and prevented Jeremy from playing as MSG has enjoyed a robust top line and bottom line increase, stock price appreciation after the outbreak of Linsanity, they just wouldn’t want to take any risk to jeopardise Jeremy’s long term NBA career (with NY Knicks in particular), and in turn, MSG’s value.
I do not wish to come out with excuses for Jeremy but as a big fan of Jeremy, I try to look at all aspects before I draw a conclusion. A true leader takes into account of the interests of all parties. Imo, Jeremy has demonstrated true leadership throughout.
You're disappointed he chose to allow himself to heal a 100% and not risk reinjury in a series that was all but lost? In a playoffs season where Shumpert and Rose went down, in a week when Baron Davis had what is pretty much a career-ending injury and in a week an article on the rise and tragic fall of Greg Oden comes out you're disappointed?
DeleteWhat a fan.
Lin doesn't need to risk his long term career to earn the so called leadership?? at this moment. He will have a lot of chances in future.
DeleteThe Knicks would lose game#5 with or without a rusty Lin. If Lin played and lost, people would accuse him of messing up the team chemistry that won game#4.
If he played and re-injured himself, people would say he's so stupid and delusional to think that he at 85% could beat the Heats and to take the risk.
Lin made a right decision not to play. He doesn't have to prove himself to people who question his courage, leadership, or what (people can always think of something). Health is absolutely the first concern for athletes, period.
A knee injury is not like a hand injury. Or a thigh bruise. Or even a concussion.
DeleteIt's not about pain or avoiding a freak collision. Every single play would put stress on Lin's still healing knee. EVERY. SINGLE. PLAY.
Doctors didn't clear him. Jeremy didn't feel right. Heat play hard/dirty defense.
End of story.
@JesLee: well said. I expressed exactly the same concern in another thread. If JLin re-joined the team in the playoff with even the slightest discomfort on his knee, and if Knicks happened to win, he may not be getting the credit, and if Knicks lost, he would have been the scapegoat (people would want to find some easy target to blame, anyway).
DeleteI don't understand why the media and some people become so vicious and inhumane. I really want to ask them, if that is their son/grandson/brother/nephew/friend, would they push him to go out there facing Heat with an aching knee? Where are their hearts/souls/conscience?
I also think Knicks management team and the coaches failed their jobs in protecting their players. It is the time when they should have stepped up and said JLin was not healthy enough to play Game 5. They should not have leave JLin alone to face the pressure. They can NOT just hide behind the scene, and count the money/rising stock price they earned because of JLin.
Carmelo: "I believe in my team".
ReplyDeleteGuess he will never change. He believes in his iso system. He believes this team is his team and his team only.
Sigh.
Did anyone else read the article on espn saying that Amare wanted Nash in NY next year? What a teammate!
ReplyDeleteIf I were Amare Stoudemire, I'd want Lin AND Nash on my team too.
DeleteDamn, why am i on this site at four o'clock in the morning? Well, the internet is full of uninteresting and boring stuff so here i am again. I should get a life. Wait I do have one ;). Anyways, there is a lot of rubbish journalism going on in today's world. Sometimes I read their articles and the connections they make between things just don't make sense. Especially journalists online. They think they can get away with their less than stellar writing and logic because it's the internet where quality is an issue. Overall, the public knows what's real and what's not. What's real is Lin and what's not is the Knicks organization as a whole. They got to abandon the Stat-Melo experiment. Recognize that Lin is a legit player that can effect positive outcomes and will get you to where you want to go. This is the key phrase. Alot of guards in the NBA are very talented, but they can't and won't get you to where you want to go. Same applies to alot of supposed All-Stars. Personally, I rather have a bunch of non all-stars who hussle, plays hard on defense, make good shots with good form, box out on every play, have good passing skills, but also is tough mentally, and throw in a few guys with athleticism and energy.
ReplyDeleteOh wait, that reminds me of the Denver Nuggets team. I should start watching them now. Jeremy Lin should swap places with that guard of theirs. Now that would be killer.
Deletemt, I agree with you. You said it better than I could ever have said. Many teams, including Philly, believe in the team concept, so they do better than Knicks. I just don't want Lin to be stuck in Knicks unless they are willing to take actions to back up their belief that Lin is a winner. My definition of a true winner in everything in life is someone who make others around them better, and Lin is that kind of person. I am not saying this just because I am an Asian-American; I believe the same about Duncan, Rubio, Chandler, Schumpert, Kevin Love, Rondo, etc. But this is not a common trait. It amazes me that many organizations don't see that and try to find winners and put them on a team.
DeleteIn America, it is not OK for Jeremy Lin to miss games on the injured list but it is OK for Ricky Rubio, Al Horford, Derrick Rose, or Chauncey Billups to be on the injured list. And we are not even going to consider how nobody called out Blake Griffin missed his ENTIRE rookie season because he hurt his knee by overtraining.
ReplyDeleteThen again, the same people that hate on Lin for being legitimately injured are the same ones that hated him when he's punking them.by being the "little Asian that could, would, and should've".
Hey now, racial double standards are what made America great.
DeleteIt's part of the American way!
ROFLOL.
Ideally, I would love to see Lin paired with a dominant center like Dwight. And then add a young great wing like Harden. That would form a great team in my opinion to be able to challenge Miami's Big 3 team.
ReplyDeleteAny chance that Lin and Harden go to Orlando?! :-)
Dwight seems to me a lazy bum and not a true winner. Maybe Lin can inspire him, who knows?
DeleteLin's mistake is using a number 85% that is basically meaningless. My doc says i'm 85% for a middle aged guy. Did lin just pick that number or a doc? I believe lin's main point is recovery is logarithmic. Harder to go from 85 to 90 than from 50 to 55. He should have not used numbers or used a lower number like 60%. That was his mistake. But understanfable because my kids say 85% is an asian fail
ReplyDelete85% is an Asian fail. That is a funny way of putting it.
DeleteI also agree that Jlin was trying to make the pint about how much harder it is to make the final progress from not ready to ready.
There is a mistake to say that Jeremy is 85% "ready". I think what he should have said is his knee is not ready, period. 85% refers to proper recovery not being ready. You are not ready until you are deemed 100% finished with the rehab process.
Feeling 85% is different from being ready. Even if he feels like it is 100% ready, the doctors may say he is still not ready.
Knicks, as long as they have Amare and Melo, will never be a Championship contender or even go far in the playoffs, with or without JLin. I don't say this because I think Amare and Melo are not good players -- I think Melo is a great offensive player and Amare is definitely in decline but still be a good role player -- but because they just don't mesh well as a team to play consistently. They have individual pieces but just don't mesh well. Also, they seriously lack the commitment to the team concept. They do not have that ONE player/leader around whom to build a great team around. Lin could be that player (more in terms of the leader role) in future, but again, the team owner probably is not willing to take that chance but is happy to make a lot of money from JLin's marketability and appeal. Therefore, I believe he would do better to look for an opportunity to move somewhere else after he becomes a free agent. I think Lin would do better at a young team that is building towards something great, rather than a jaded and over-priced team like Knicks, because frankly, they have no room to attract top talent. Also, Chandler needs to improve his offensive moves if he wants to help Knicks do better. So, my conclusion is this: As long as Amare and Melo are on Knicks, they cannot do that much better than they did this year. In fact, I would not be surprised if they do not even make playoff next year.
ReplyDeleteI really hope Lin works on his game during the off-season and improve his shooting and improve his driving to the left and learn to pick his spots better. Landry and Chandler have to improve their free throws; it's embarrassing how they suck at free throws.
I'm all for bringing Nash in and have Lin play behind him for next season. He'll have a great opportunity to learn and develop.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe it will help him become his own player and an even bigger star after Nash leaves/retire.
I agree with you. It will take some pressure off him, and Nash seems to be the type of person who is willing to share his knowledge with Lin.
DeleteThey won't have money to pay both
DeleteI'm not opposed to the idea of having both in NY but yes, they don't have the money.
DeleteNash won't be able to beat Lin out in practices.
DeleteIf Mike Woodson is anything like Keith Smart, no matter how badly Lin beat Nash in practice, the coach will still play his "veteran favorite".
DeleteAsk Dolan to buy back the farm. They sold the farm for the 2 big stars & it got us no where except power struggles. Dolan's pride would never admit it was a mistake. I rather keep Lin, Novak, Jr, shump, jeffries....
DeleteTrue, it is a rookie mistake to use % or any numbers when talking to the media to describe readiness to play because it just gave talking points to the media to start questioning his toughness by comparing the numbers to other injured players who came back too early (foolishly).
ReplyDeleteAnd not a lot of stories about Brandon Roy being mentioned, just speculation on getting bigger payday and conspiracy theory of Knicks secrecy of the whole thing to protect his market value.
He should just focused on how he wanted to start practicing drills earlier than scheduled but got setbacks after setbacks but promise to try different drills to alleviate the pain. In other words, be a politician to give promise and hope :) Give those media writers something positive to write about.
Now I can see the media starts focusing on off-season moves on Amare campaigning to bring Nash to NY. Of course, Nash would help him get more shots than Melo did :)
With this crazy NY media, I can see that Jeremy can be out of favor in 2 months if they keep harping about the need to win now with Nash. Maybe then I can buy Jeremy Lin's Suns jersey :)
You're right about media. Even the Nash Amar'e issue is media driven. If you ask me -- would you welcome Nash as a Knick IF he came? What would you say as a former teammate who made you an all-star? No -- Nash is not welcome here?
DeleteAnswering the question: "If Nash is a Knick, would you welcome him" is different than "Should Knicks trade Lin for Nash"?
DeletePrecisely! I'm curious to know the exact question that was asked to Amare to bait him. The media is really in the business of creating soundbites starting from "Amare is fired up to bring Nash to NY" to "Amare is campaigning for Nash" LOL
DeleteI don't trust this Frank Isola guy who was all for Linsanity but turned on a dime to question his only 85% toughness. He is an instigator!
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/amar-e-stoudemire-fired-bring-steve-nash-york-article-1.1075531?localLinksEnabled=false
I was inspired and created a transcript from the actual video of the interview (see http://bit.ly/KW3Teo). There were two questions: One being.. Reporter: Amar'e, I know you said it's an open market. But if Steve were to express a desire to come here, would you be open to that? What impact do you think he would have on this team? Check out the video for yourself.
DeleteJeremy's position in the NBA is unique because he already commands so much press and marketability that every franchise would love to have him. That also means though that they need to feature him and develop his game so that he can be an elite player if they truly want to maximize their ROI. Knicks front office and MSG got a taste of just what happens to their marketing potential when Linsanity strikes and I'm pretty sure they're going to try and replicate that sensation again, not for Jeremy, but for $$$.
ReplyDeleteA good SI article predicting Knicks' offseason moves.
ReplyDeletehttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/05/10/knicks/index.html
Fields, Novak, JR Smith will be the first ones to leave. Lin will stay because of his business appeal and steadying force on court to fix that NY mess.
It would have been dumb of NY management to play Lin as well. To extend a series that they were going to lose, risking the PG of their future.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that it was a rookie mistake for Lin to use that 85% number. To most people, 85% means you can play, just a little banged up. I highly doubt Lin is at 85% (as most people interpret it).
good detail on how teams can sign Lin http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-can-the-knicks-get-steve-nash-3
ReplyDeleteLin might not be a Knick next year.
DeleteLet the bidding begin!
Hm, 6 teams gunning for Jeremy Lin. I wonder who they can be.
DeleteKnicks, Nets, Raptors, Lakers, and who else..?
http://www.nj.com/knicks/index.ssf/2012/05/six_teams_gunning_for_knicks_j.html
Mavericks for sure want Lin. I don't believe any of the Kidd courting Deron rumours rather I don't think Cuban is thinking that way.
DeleteHopefully, some other team will offer Lin a backloaded contract that New York doesn't match.
DeleteEscape From New York ... coming Summer 2012.
Jeremy will make wise choice for his basketball career for the long run. Forget about all the media hype for criticize him for not playing game 5 with a 85% heal knee. Why re-injure the knee again for a team that not appreciative of his present? Jlin should improve all his flaws as a player during the offseason and comeback a fitter, healthier and better. Whether he stay with Knicks or not is not important to us in Asia, we wil always be proud of him whichever team he decided to sign up for next season.
ReplyDeleteWoodson makes some interesting remarks:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/knicksblog/woodson_says_lin_absolutely_will_3K07yDER9eDvsSyUkmywjM
"Will he [Lin] be back next season? Absolutely."
I'm surprised that Woodson came out and said this on the record. It's not his call, it's the GM's call. Who does Woodson think he is, Hue Jackson?
"Will he start? Only time will tell. He’s had some success in our league where he’s played at a high level and he’s done a lot of nice things for our ballclub. There’s still room for growth. He’s still gotta learn the NBA game and what it's about and playing at a high level."
I guess Woodson's leaving the possibility for the Knicks signing a superstar PG like Nash, which would relegate Lin to the bench. But Woodson's starting to remind me of Keith Smart, an old school coach who underestimates Lin's ability despite all of the evidence. (For the record, I'm not opposed to having Lin play with the second team, I think he would do better and help the team more. He'd immediately be one of the best 6th men in the league. And he could still get 30 mins/game.)
Woodson is actually making a smart move (pun intended) by strongly suggesting Knicks will match any offer by any teams so it will deter some teams from driving up the price for Jeremy Lin. He wants Dolan (owner) and Grunwald (GM) to thank him for spending less on Jeremy Lin when he makes his case to be rehired as a head coach.
DeleteI do believe Woodson has more trust to Jeremy than Keith Smart does, although that's not saying much. The strongest evidence was during the road game at Philadephia when Jeremy started badly with 1-11 FG but he didn't yank Jeremy and finally Jeremy delivered in the 4th quarter with 10 straight FTs to ice the game. If that's not mental toughness, I don't know what that is :)
It's still amazing to watch how Jeremy can dominate on both ends on the floor. That's why his PER rating in 4th quarter is so high; all those blocks, FTs, steals, points not counting deflections do fill up the stats :)
And good idea on having Lin play with the second team. We know he played best during Linsanity with Chandler, Jeffries, Shump and Fields.
DeleteIt still needs to be proven if Melo, Amare, Chandler, and Lin can play effectively together. Perhaps a long off-season to gel will work wonders.
Hell no to those "Lin to be the sixth man", "Lin learns from Nash" crowd. Lin won't be able to become a top PG by sitting on the bench. He needs to start and play! You won't see Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Rondo etc wanting to play behind and learning from Nash. Lol.
Deleteit could be a mute point :) Knicks won't have the money to sign both Nash and Lin anyway.
DeleteAnd if Nash is willing to accept the veteran minimum to get a championship ring, even Amare thinks
Nash is better off joining the Heat.
Personally, I think Nash will sign a big fat juicy 2-yr contract and retire in Phoenix so he can buy as many rings as he wants :) Don't forget he gets to pick up two young daughters from school if he stays in Phoenix
Nash AND Lin in Phoenix, starting together in the backcourt.
DeleteLin himself sounds like he may not come back: I love knicks but it's business...
ReplyDeleteWoodson's assessment on Lin is like asian parents on their children, very picky! Mike D'antoni with big smiles, "He (Lin) is just so good...", Woodson never gives Lin anything even close to this kind of praise. Maybe he has to be different from his ex-colleague.
Of course Lin has room to improve at lot of areas, but Woodson's eyes on Lin are just picky, emphasize on the negative side, instead of positive side. It's hard to draw some nice compliment words from him on Lin.
I think that Woodson knows the Knicks will match any offers to JLin. Even if Nash says he wants to play in NY, the Knicks will have no choice to use their midlevel exception on JLin, who has so much more potential, instead of Nash, who will be focusing his energy on his Canadian basketball team.
ReplyDeleteI think we're going to see Chandler, STAT, Melo, and JLin together next season. I am hoping that J.R. Smith opts out of his contract because I don't think he fits in with the Knicks. I hope they can resign Novak because they need more sharp shooters behind the arc. The Knicks biggest offseason acquisition will probably come from their 2nd round draft pick due to cap space. I don't see the Knicks giving up on JLin, not even for Steve Nash.
Woodson is known for his preference for veterans especially at the PG position, evident by his usage of a wash up Bibby over a young Teague at Atlanta. So it is not a surprise that he probably requests the management to sign a veteran PG and then try to relegate Lin to the bench.
ReplyDeleteI am not too worried about Lin though. I think he will know that Woodson will try to find any excuses possible to bench him. But as long as he plays well, the NY media and many fans will call out Woodson and eventually Woodson will get canned for his poor playoffs showings and misusing of PGs. It may take several years (poor Lin though he has to wait). I also imagine that Lin will get the support of the owner if not the coach or management.
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ReplyDelete