Thank you for posting this interview. I really like him to stay in NYK but if they will take him for granted, He better go to a team that will respect him and appreciate his talent. Im so tired of reading article about jeremy's trading. He makes NBA basketball very exciting to watch. It's really boring without him. I hope he makes a wise decision for his future. "Jeremy, don't worry we trust you and we will follow you wherever you goes and thank you for this memorable season. You make us smile all the time. We love you, goodluck and we wish you more success in your basketball career." God Bless Jeremy Lin!!!
This is a must read. Ziegler is a sports kinesiologist who uses multiple sensors to analyze the biomechanical symmetry of an athlete. Force plates only measure the "final output" from the feet, but these sensors can measure motion and rotation above and below the knees. If an athlete has an imbalance, they're on a path towards eventual injury. http://zigsports.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/greg-oden-brandon-roy-what-what-happened/ (Also search for Zig's comment reply about Jeremy Lin that talks about force plates.)
Do you think it is coincidence that Lin had surgery on his right knee in the offseason, then tore his meniscus in his left knee this year? Do you think Derrick Rose was extremely unlucky this year with his litany of leg/ankle/foot injuries? Or was it likely that they were all related? Their injuries are almost certainly due to compensation for the original injury.
JLinFan#1, I hope you can forward that article to Jeremy, his coaches, or whoever. Lin's been wearing knee supports since high school, and the size of the knee support have been increasing every year. With his style of play, he needs to take advantage of the most advanced technology to keep his biomechanics optimal in order to have a long and injury-free career.
If he can't play for Phoenix and its cutting-edge medical staff, Jeremy needs to get his own independent fitness experts. It could mean the difference between a GOOD ten-year career and a GREAT fifteen-year career.
Using force plates testing to identify body imbalance and potential career-ending injury is the first step.
The next step would be to strengthening the whole body and not just specific parts to prevent injury like what A-Rod is doing with Phoenix Suns doctor, Dr. Mike Clark, who also worked with Grant Hill to overcome his own potentially career-ending ankle injuries.
Yes, JLinFan#1, please forward these articles to Jeremy Lin Team so they would be able to help him make the best decision to recover well and prevent future injuries. Many of us are concerned with his long-term health. And please, please don't go to Portland :)
Check out many Google News articles related to "A-Rod Phoenix Suns Medical" about his special training with Dr. Mike Clark.
Thanks for the article Real-DSB. I hope that Jeremy and his trainers read it, it explains a lot.
I remember an interview with his trainer at Sparta Science, who said that Lin is faster driving to his right, because his left leg is stronger, and has more power to push off. And that if he wants to improve driving to his left ... he needs to strengthen his right leg.
This sounds like a serious physical imbalance, when one leg is overwhelmingly favored over the other all the time.
I have been watching a lot of NBA playoff basketball. I have to say it's exciting whether JLin is playing or not. I love seeing Indiana give it to Miami and Thunder stealing games from Lakers. From my observation, I can say with some confidence that unless Lin develops a consistent, quick-realeasing mid-range jump shots, he is not going to be effective in the playoffs. Even Chris Pau, who is the best PG in terms of penetrating and passing, is not as effective because he is being asked to score more.
NBA players know Lin is pretty good now, and unless he has a variety of weapons, they are not gong to let him drive and make shots. There is no way Knicks can compete with Thunder, Miami, Indiana, Denver, even Lakers during playoffs with their players -- I just don't see this happening. In short, I see no potential to go far in playoffs if Lin stays with Knicks. I am not saying Lin should leave Knicks (he can play pretty well during regular season and make a whole load of money off his marketing appeal). Anyway, this is clear as bell to me after having watched all teams play in the playoffs. If Knicks win their division in next 3 years, I will eat my own words.
Jlin hasn't even had one full season starting in the NBA, and he is already one of the best point guards in the game. Give him a couple years, I suspect he'll develop a range of weapons for whatever situation he'll encounter, playoff games or not. When you're smart, which we all know he is, he'll work on all aspects of his game and improve.
From D-League to bench warmer to superstar in a matter of weeks? You've got to have serious talent and understanding of the game to get that far. Give him a couple years at the starting point guard position, and I will not be surprised if he surpasses the likes of Chris Paul, D-Rose, Steve Nash, etc.
Lin's first four/five starts is what it is - he's racked up more points/game than Jordan, Shaq, Iverson, and Magic. That just doesn't happen by accident whether you're a D-League player or an NBA starter.
Not all NBA stars develop that midrange game. Some of them, like Clyde Drexler, even win championships despite glaring holes in their game. But that is no excuse for NBA players to fully develop their games.
The reason Jeremy Lin has succeeded is because his innate talent is bolstered by his willingness to pay the price to improve. Not all NBA players are willing to change their games the way Lin is.
Even though Lin still has his "rookie moments", his poise and skill level are that of a seasoned NBA veteran. He eventually will become a complete player who will perform well no matter how much teams scout him.
"Jlin hasn't even had one full season starting in the NBA, and he is already one of the best point guards in the game." You contradict yourself right there. Yes, we all want to see Jeremy Lin succeed but to say he is already one of the best point guards in the game is extremely laughable.
Flip Murray was putting up crazy numbers too when he got to start over Ray Allen. Jeremy's numbers started came back to earth as the season progressed and teams started game planning against him, which is a reason why Jeremy struggled big time vs the Miami Heat. Don't get me wrong, Jeremy has the potential to possibly be one of the best, but he's far from that. Nothing wrong in wanting to wait and see how it all plays out before proclaiming he's a Top PG in the league, but posts like that just reeks of a big time Asian fan boy.
You're just here to flame us. OK, we'll take you on.
Flip Murray wasn't putting up Lin level numbers in his first few starts. Actually, NOBODY ever has.
Murray is nowhere near as good as Lin on either end of the court, and time will prove that.
Jeremy Lin's stats in his starts indeed make him an elite pg. People like you can flame away, but the numbers don't lie. At the least, Lin should be considered one of the better pgs in the league based on production alone.
I get tired of guys like you using Lin's fatigued game against the Heat as a reason to flame people here. One bad game at the tail end of a miraculous historic domination streak does not make Lin incapable of playing, especially since he was worn out from playing huge minutes. Lin followed that game up with several more incredible efforts that would've been even more.impressive had Carmelo Anthony not been tanking games on purpose.
Don't come on this board to flame people and expect not to be called out.
@ Niu Baller, are you posing as Matt Steinmetz - Warriors sports writer whom no one follows anymore? He has made that same JLin and Murray comparison and still thinks JLin is a 2nd/3rd string point guard at best.
What I find ridiculous is that people like you and that Stephen A fella will pick out one bad game Lin had against Miami and consider Jlin a fluke. Where as, if you look at the numbers that are available through the course of Lin's NBA career, he is right up there with the best of them. And if it takes entire teams to scheme, plan, and focus on defending Lin in order to take him out of his game so that his numbers "come down to earth", that already speaks volumes. Which players draw that kind of attention from opposing teams? Perhaps a Kobe, D-Rose, and Wade come to mind?
And let me kindly remind you in case you may have had amnesia, this is a JLin fan forum...duh!
@ gokusays, the problem with your analogy is that you continue to contradict yourself. 25 games is not enough to measure an elite PG. Not to mention those elite stats went away when Mike D'Antoni left. Niu Baller clearly said Jeremy Lin has the "potential" to become one, but he isn't YET.
Kobe, D-Rose, Wade's sample size is a lot larger than Jeremy Lin's. Multiple seasons in fact. You like to mention stats, but did you even mention any of his turnovers. Your opinion clearly shows your riding Lin very hard.
PS: Take your own advice in case you may have had amnesia, a fan forum =/= 100% fanboys which you clearly are, but thanks to admitting that you are one.
Actually, Lin has been dominating a lot of leagues for a very long time. He's performed like an elite guard at every level, so the small sample size thing doesn't apply.
Besides, sample size doesn't factor in when NBA teams set up their defenses. Opponents double and triple team Lin because he kills teams that don't do that. There are All Star PGs like Jameer Nelson and Rajon Rondo who don't get that kind of coverage because they do not impact the game like Lin does. Not even Kyrie Irving (considered an elite talent) gets piled on the way Lin does, and that's because Irving is NOT AS GOOD as Lin.
Jeremy Lin has had a lot of turnovers, which is to be expected from a team that has ZERO starting caliber guards and relied on him to create for his D league players when Stat and Melo went down. Besides, the winning record that Lin led the Knicks on vastly overshadows the turnover number.
@ChineseTaipei - 25 games and he has already caught every team's attention to shut him down. Are you saying none of these teams know how to "measure an elite PG"?
The small sample size argument seen in this light is support for the case that JLin is already an elite PG level.
Fan forum != 100% fanboys, but it would be deeply confused not to expect a large majority of contributors on this forum to see Jlin's progress in good light rather than with cynicism as you and Niu Baller have insinuated.
It's too bad Lin's season was cut short so we weren't able to analyze a larger regular and post-season sample, but he showed a lot within that sample.
Like many Lin fans, I've repeatedly watched the Linsanity highlights on youtube. His smarts, toughness, and playmaking ability were put on blazing display during Linsanity. However, his season highlights weren't limited to Linsanity. A more instructive exercise is to pull up his lesser known games after D'Antoni quit. A simplified meme repeated by Lin supporters and critics is that Lin's game left him under Woodson. That's not true. While Lin was asked to play differently under Woodson, Lin continued to play effectively and delivered in big moments for Woodson. My post-D'Antoni index games for Lin are the 2nd Pacers game in Indianopolis where Lin delivered a well-balanced all-around game against a motivated quality opponent and the 76ers game where he carried the team in the 4Q after a poor 1st 3 Qs.
Lin's FG% dropped off suddenly and dramatically in his last games, but I think a lot of that can be blamed on his knee injury. Chandler has said he thought Lin was slowed down by his knee in his last games.
Mr./Ms. Taipei, if you need another 10 seasons to make up your mind / determine that Jlin is one of the best point guards in league, that is absolutely your right. I won't fault you for that. After all, there are professional scouts and NBA experts out there who still think Lin is a backup point guard at best.
But let me just point out the problem for you folks. There are those in life who can make a decision based on available evidence and determine that something is a winner, and then there are those who require constant reaffirmation to believe that something is no fluke. Mr./Ms. Taipei, I think you know which category you're in. And if you and Niu Baller need another 10 seasons to see that JLin is one of the best in the business, you're absolutely welcome to it.
Sit back and enjoy show. We all welcome and can't wait for the upcoming season. And if you need someone to spell it out for you in case you have no idea what domain you've entered or if somehow you think we fans here are all hiding in our closets..."Yes, I am a JLin fan." Let me repeat, slowly, "I am a JLin fannnnn." Hope that helps you Mr./Ms. Taipei. :)
Niu Baller and Chinese Taipei need to back up their arguments with "solid proof" that Jeremy Lin is "laughable" as one of top PGs in the league and 25 games (actually 35 games) is too small for a sample size and turnover rate is too high.
Check out Hollinger's PER for NBA PGs and you'll see that Jeremy Lin is ranked #10. Does that not qualify as Top PG? You can say that his TO rate is high (15.6) but so does Steve Nash (15.2) at #8 35 games are too small for a sample size? In the Top 10, DRose, Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry only played 39, 51 and 26 games due to injuries in this compressed NBA season.
If anything, it shows that Jeremy Lin is already a top 10 PG even with high TOs like Steve Nash. We can be positive to offer suggestions so Jeremy won't get chronic injury in the future.
I would advise Niu Baller and ChineseTaipei to not be "half-glass empty/pessimistic/negative" fans. Sounds like you are just looking for the next Jeremy Lin mistake to support your opinion that he is not an elite PG yet rather than be willing to learn and offer positive feedback. It's not fun to live life as a "half-glass empty" person because you end up criticizing yourself all the time.
The reason we love Linsanity is because he shows that through hard work, perseverance, trials and lots of prayers we can all be successful despite many naysayers. Don't be naysayers or "critical-eye" Asian parents who never acknowledges positive results and offer encouragement.
Hehehe, I'm chuckling in my seat. :) Nice one KHuang...we're coming out of the closet now.
The next fella that comes to into this fan forum and tells me that I am a Jlin fan, I've got news for him already..."I am a JLin fan...I am a Jlin fannnnn." :)
There's the debate over the 'what he is' floor that Lin proved this season and then there's the debate over his 'what he can become' ceiling.
I criticize Lin from the 'what he can become' perspective that he hasn't yet proven himself as a top PG who is trusted at the play-off level, which he can't prove until he does it in the play-offs, and he's a playmaking college SG converting to NBA PG who has areas he needs to improve upon as a PG.
However, even accounting for his relative weaknesses, I think the 'what he is' floor that Lin established this season is he's already an above-average NBA PG.
Ms.Goku. The fact that you can't tell the difference between a FAN vs a FANBOY already speaks volumes. There's a reason why you were labeled a FANBOY. But you obviously can't take off your homer glasses.
Eric, nice assessment. Good to see that you proved that everyone here isn't a fanboy.
Ms. Wilsc and Ms.Goku, I suggest you look up the term "Fanboy".
ChineseTaipei, why didn't you just post your latest response first instead of PUNKING YOURSELF with your ignorance of Jeremy Lin's statistical domination?
If you want to flame, FLAME. Don't bring your intellectually weak trash in here and then whine when you get smacked down the way Jeremy Lin rejected Derrick Rose's shot before the refs came to Rose's rescue. To all wannabe flameboys who hate Jeremy Lin and especially fans like the ones on this site that believed in him even when nobody else did, I advise you to simply FLAME AWAY and leave the basketball analysis out.
It's painful to watch you guys punk yourself repeatedly over topics that have already been dissected and digested in earlier posts.
Eric, that is a fair assessment for a positive criticism. There is no doubt that JLin has not proven that is a top PG in the playoff level yet because Playoff Linsanity was derailed by his knee injury.
To me, JLin has proven that he is a Top 10 PG with much greater potential WHEN he is healthy. This is the BIGGEST concern that I have.
Would he have a career similar to great players like Penny Hardaway and Brandon Roy cut short by knee injuries? Or would he be able to change his playing style like DWade and Grant Hill to have a long NBA career?
There is no doubt Jeremy Lin can play as a top PG in the NBA. It's highly unlikely that as many as 6 NBA teams would have interest in 2nd or 3rd string PG (even for marketing purpose - see Golden State in 2011). No point of arguing about this. You'd also have to disprove Jerry West, Magic and Kobe's positive comment on him. None of us qualify here.
The BIGGEST question is can he stay healthy enough? We know he suffered knee injuries in both 2011 and 2012 season.
I'm interested to see what changes JLin would make in the off-season conditioning and playing style to ensure a long NBA career. I know some of us already shared this concern.
I hope by God's grace the Jeremy Lin Team can find good medical/training team or be a Phoenix Suns PG for a long-term NBA career sake.
It would help procedurally to first say whether one is critiquing Lin's floor or ceiling.
I don't agree with critics who cap Lin's potential, especially based on 1 game against the Heat. It's too early to know what he'll be. I'm aboard with fans who think Lin's potential ceiling is on the Steve Nash level. However, I don't know yet that Lin will make the fundamental improvements necessary to become an elite NBA PG. Some young players improve and others don't, for different reasons. One reason some players don't improve is they're injury-prone, and I'm more concerned at this point about Lin's durability than his talent.
Right now, Lin is one of the NBA's best passing PGs in transition. His half-court awareness, however, isn't on the same level. Regarding the ugly turnovers Lin made this season, we hope they'll go down as the game slows down for him in the half-court, but it's also possible Lin will always be stuck with 'gray areas' (Lin's term, when he described how Rubio and the T-wolves forced him into turnovers) in his half-court awareness. Right now, Lin's half-court awareness at PG is good enough to destroy bad NBA defenses, create against average defenses, and play within a structured (Woodsonian) offense against the elite defenses. That's not a defining statement at this point of his career because it's early. Maybe Lin's career arc will top out, then regress like Flip Murray's career. I think that's unlikely. Maybe he's on a Nash-like career arc, but more accelerated than Nash. Maybe he'll plateau early and what we've seen is more or less what we'll get.
A big difference between me and some Lin fans is that they're against the idea of Lin coming off the bench as a 3rd guard. It's like they think Lin returning to the bench would be a slippery slope to the Shanghai Sharks. Where I think Lin needs to improve his PG tools to become an elite NBA PG, I believe Lin owns the combo-guard tools right now to be a top playmaking and scoring NBA 3rd guard. So, if Lin's PG game has plateaued and he isn't satisfied with being only an above-average NBA PG, I'm confident Lin has a fall-back role to become a special NBA player.
I remember Jlin had numerous praises on his court vision/awareness and pinpoint passes during transition. And there were indeed some ugly TOs during half-court offense and when he tried to bring up the ball.
IMHO, there is higher ceiling that he can learn half-court offense to be more like Steve Nash because of his intelligence, hard-work and ability to adjust quickly. The comments from his Harvard teammates also indicated that he was much improved from his Harvard days in skills and confidence level. A stronger evidence would be his improvement of Average TO/game as a starter:
Date Ave TO/game Comment 2/6-2/23 6.09 Linsanity Period 2/29-3/12 3.63 After All-Star game until D'Antoni got fired 3/14-3/24 3.71 Coach Woodson regime
It's safe to say that JLin can make improvement to limit his TOs in a short period of time. That's why we didn't hear so much about his TOs after the All-Star game but the stigma sticks.
While I have no doubt of his ceiling to be higher than the current Top 10 PG, I also have reservation about his durability. His famous workout with Sparta gym contributed to his explosiveness and vertical jump but it remains a question if it can protect him against chronic injury. This compressed season is an anomaly but his other knee also got injured last season so it is definitely an area of concern. Hope he finds a good conditioning program.
Eric, thanks for making the helpful distinction between the two quite different evaluations of Lin's current progress and potential. It is true that the games that we have seen do not show that he is an elite PG in the sense that he can win in the playoffs. There are simply no 'samples' of playoff games from which we can make inferences from. If we are allowed to speculate a little, however, I would say that what he has displayed so far, namely that he can adapt quickly to challenges thrown at him (whether it be changing defences or injuries), that he excels at the most critical moments (Linsanity has shown that this man is clutch), that he is not only a great athlete in his own right, but also elevates the play of teammates around him, and that he importantly possesses the leadership skills and vision to win, he will have great success in the playoffs, creating stories and performances worthy of being called an elite point guard.
I also agree that even if Lin comes off the bench, it is not necessarily the end of the world for his road to becoming an elite PG. Lin himself seems to be surprised by the rate of opportunities that has opened up to him, if not his actual development as a PG. He did note that while his ultimate goal is to be a starting point guard in the NBA, he only expected to break into the rotation at this point into his career. He may still benefit from sitting behind a proven guard, someone like Steve Nash. However, if Lin is benched for someone of Baron Davis caliber or another young PG, I doubt that that will be very helpful for him to develop into an elite PG.
Lin is already an above-average PG and he now needs to improve to become elite, meaning Chris Paul or Tony Parker level. There are definitely many things a college SG now turned essentially rookie NBA PG must improve on. As mentioned by commentators here before, for example, Lin has to pick is spots instead of barreling into the lane. This is to preserve his body and also to keep the defenders thinking. I have already seen the small tear drop move that Lin uses over big defenders instead of trying to draw contact every time. This also has the benefit of drawing defenders further from the basket so that has more space to drop off that easy dime to his bigs. Tony Parker is probably one of the best examples of a PG playing smart in the lane using this type of shot.
As to the question of whether he will improve, my assessment is that it will be unlikely that Lin will plateau as guard who comes off the bench. Even if injury (God forbid) curtails his current tough drives to the basket, he does not need nearly the level of athleticism that he currently has to become an elite PG. Elite PG skills does not require elite (for example Westbrook-like) athleticism. He has the smarts to develop great half-court set decision making and the determination to actually achieve those skills.
On reflection, Niu Baller's assessment was not as unreasonable as his assessment of fans here. On what basis can you make the disparaging suggestion that the fans here are mostly irrational fanboys when most of us here provide reasoned conclusions (albeit admittedly open to refinement and correction, and in their nature (optimistically, but in no way hopelessly) speculative)? Your resort to attacks against the person by suggesting the lack of manhood (using the title such as Ms) shows that you are, amongst other things which I shall for the decency of me not resort to calling you, as KHuang has appropriately coined, a flameboy rather than that we are unsophisticated fanboys here.
Having said all that, yes, I am a fan(nnnn)! Heck, I do not even mind being called a fanboy, if that means being bright eyed and being like a kid again, hoping that Lin scores every basket he attempts (as Nash admittedly felt during Linsanity).
Even though the Spurs are my favorite team, I am just not all that impressed with Tony Parker.
Maybe what I should say is that Parker is absolutely incredible with Tim Duncan creating shots for him. I just can't see Parker being "Parker" without Tim Duncan on the court with him.
Frankly, I consider Jeremy Lin a far better PG talent than Tony Parker. It's just that Tim Duncan makes Parker look sooooo good.
Parker is a better ball-handler than Lin, he's played in the NBA a long time, is very familiar with his coach and teammates, and protected by a system that's designed for him. Other than the ball-handling, Parker doesn't have any other innate PG abilities better than Lin.
What Parker is asked to do for Popovich is similar to what Lin was asked to do by Woodson.
An earlier post complained that the NY media ignored Lin's inclusion on the select team as evidence of lack of support for Lin in NY, when in fact, media reports were only repeating - not confirming - the same initial rumor. The NY Daily News is reporting it today due to USA Basketball's official announcement: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-knicks-jeremy-lin-named-2012-usa-basketball-select-team-train-olympic-squad-article-1.1081920
John Wall is on the team too. That makes me happy.
I know that John Wall had a rough season in which he shot one of the worst percentages I've ever seen an NBA player shoot. But I still highly value his dynamic game and consider him on par with Jeremy Lin in raw talent.
The irony is that while Jeremy Lin went from underrated to highly rated, John Wall went from highly rated to underrated. At this point, I favor Lin over Wall but not by much.
Carmelo Anthony needs a coach that won't call him out, one like Mike Woodson. Stan Van Gundy is too brutally media savvy for Carmelo Anthony to play mind games with. We'd end up chanting "Fire Melo" at the Garden!!!
Earlier this year, I posted that SVG set himself for future coaching jobs by calling out Dwight Howard's desire to get him fired.
Indeed, that is what happened. SVG is now being looked at as a guy who won't put up with superstar sabotage instead of a limp coah who can only watch helplessly as an intransigent superstar like Howard blows up the franchise in an effort to leave.
While unlikely, I don't think it's implausible that Lin makes the senior national team, provided he shines during the practices and some roster decisions that are out of his control fall his way.
First, Mike D'Antoni is Team USA's main offensive assistant coach and he's a Lin fan.
Second, Lin's game as a bigger scoring PG fits the international game.
Third, the candidates for senior-team PGs are Paul, Billups, Rose, Westbrook, and Williams. Pencil in Williams and probably Westbrook. After Williams and Westbrook, though, Billups and Rose are out, and Paul was playing hurt in the play-offs. Paul may opt out of the Olympics. If that happens, Lin will have an opening. Westbrook was a very dynamic and effective Barbosa-type for Team USA in the WCs, but he doesn't have a PG mentality. For the 3rd PG, the coaches - especially D'Antoni - may want a more versatile reliable guard, and that would be Lin's opening.
Of course, Lin would have to stand out in the practices by outplaying Irving and Wall with the select team. Irving is stiff competition and Wall may see Team USA as his opportunity to wash off the Wizards losing stench.
I think that Lin will easily outplay John Wall. That's not because I think Lin is so much more capable than Wall, but because Wall for now is mainly a slashing dribble attacker without the requisite shooting skills needed for international ball.
Kyrie Irving is stiff competition indeed. While I feel that Lin is more athletic than the slower Irving, Irving obviously has All Star potential and knows how to play. Selecting Irving would be far less controversial than selecting Lin.
I expect Lin to play well off the Select Team bench. I figure that it'll basically be reliving Summer League 2010, only with star NBA players and not draftees/journeymen.
I just read that Team USA has to submit its final Olympics roster on July 7, which makes it more unlikely (but still not impossible) for Lin to make the senior team, with only 2 days to impress the coaches. It's also possible that James Harden makes the senior team as the 3rd PG if Team USA decides a smaller frontcourt demands a larger backcourt. Coming off the bench, Harden's experience offsetting the mercurial Westbrook would also be an advantage.
Jeremy Lin has 0% chance of making this summer's Olympic roster. The Team USA select team was not selected to replace anyone immediately this summer. The soonest Jeremy Lin could play would be during the Americas championship, if Team USA doesn't do well in this Olympics. After that it would be in 2014 at the FIBA World Cup in Spain, but that's if Jeremy is considered for future Team USAs. Of course if that doesn't happen, Taiwan will put him back on the preliminary roster again =)
It might be the best scenario if Jeremy Lin plays in the Select Team but not actually be in the Olympics team this year.
Besides having a good excuse to not join China/Taiwanese National team :), he would get the invaluable experience without wearing out his rehabbed knee. Also, Jerry Colangelo is big in players paying their dues so there would be less target on his back from other jealous players.
A select team player wouldn't be able to jump to the senior team any normal year and it's unlikely this year, except the senior team has lost so many of its PGs. As the senior roster stands, Deron Williams and Paul are the only conventional PGs.
It looks like Team USA is leaning toward going big if Paul doesn't play given that Harden was added to the expanded senior roster. Another option is giving Lebron James back-up PG duties so that another big man or shooting specialist can be added.
Jeremy isn't going to play this summer in the Olympics regardless. Not for Team USA, China, or Taiwan. Taiwan didn't even make the Olympic qualifying tournament, so there was no reason to assume he'd play for them this summer. Also, Jeremy has go to through a whole process of citizenship to even be considered to play for China, which won't happen this soon and China had already selected the number of players they are trying out. He already has his excuses covered.
Eric, you're assuming that Jeremy Lin would outplay all the other select team members, which is is not going to happen especially since he's coming off a knee injury. I'd bet that that Kyrie would make it over Jeremy if they were going to pick members of the select team.
Also they can still add other players that are not part of the select team. Rondo is another strong candidate who participated early on during training camp roster for the World Championships but withdrew last minute. There's also other guards they can look at like Ty Lawson or Eric Gordon. Simply put, Jeremy is not going to play in the Olympics this summer and it's probably better that he doesn't.
However, Eric is also right. The injury situation can throw things totally out of whack. All Eric is doing is pointing that out. USA Basketball is currently set up to avoid the freaky situations that led to America's basketball demise in 2002, 2004, and 2006 (that Greek National Team played their best game ever against Team USA.) Roster depth is key.
I did say Lin would have to outplay the other PGs on the select team (and probably shine in comparison to the senior team PGs) as a condition.
As far as coming off an injury, I recall that Wade was coming off of rehab when he shined in the Beijing Olympics. Lin hasn't been in a full-leg cast for the past month. He was working out and practicing during the Heat series. By July, Lin should be working out hard. If his knee's still not ready for basketball by July, then he has bigger career problems than making the Olympic team.
I don't recall Gordon being used as a PG in the WCs. Despite his size, I think he's strictly a SG.
With Lawson and Rondo and other veteran PGs not now on the extended roster, therefore not scheduled to be in training camp, I doubt they'd ask someone to come off the beach or the golf course just to be the 3rd PG on Team USA.
It will depend on injuries to Team USA members and how other players feel about joining the Olympic team.
Some of them are free agents this year, like Deron Williams, and don't want to risk injuring themselves or their free agent contract.
Some of them already won a gold medal in Beijing, and they have a 'been there, done that' mentality and don't feel it necessary to play on an international stage again.
I'm sure that Jeremy Lin is hungry for every opportunity he gets, whether it's in the NBA or even charity games. He will most likely play if he's invited.
Deron Williams isn't worried about finding his next NBA job. I expect he'll show up for the London Olympics after a frustrating season with the Nets, which also means he's sat out the play-offs, and after his positive experience playing in Turkey during the lock-out. Williams, like Lin, has a game suited to international play. He also can now take his turn as the top PG for Team USA with the older PGs (Kidd, Billups) out.
Westbrook opens the door for a 3rd PG because he's not a PG even though he plays that position.
Paul is the key. We don't know how beat up he is. He's a veteran with an injury history who was playing hurt against the Spurs. As a smaller PG, his game isn't a great fit with international play, either.
I expect Team USA to go big (Harden or James as back-up PG) before dipping into the select team for a 3rd PG, but if there's an opening and Lin stands out - with D'Antoni pulling for him in the coaches meetings - there's a possibility.
Hi, everyone: I posted this in knicksnow.com, and I'm sure you will be very excited to see this, too. (http://watch.webbyawards.com/webbyawards/?topic_id=30049632&content_id=21633901) - watch the 2nd video in the playlist. it's Spike Lee and Jeremy representing Webby Awards today.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this interview. I really like him to stay in NYK but if they will take him for granted, He better go to a team that will respect him and appreciate his talent. Im so tired of reading article about jeremy's trading. He makes NBA basketball very exciting to watch. It's really boring without him. I hope he makes a wise decision for his future. "Jeremy, don't worry we trust you and we will follow you wherever you goes and thank you for this memorable season. You make us smile all the time. We love you, goodluck and we wish you more success in your basketball career." God Bless Jeremy Lin!!!
ReplyDeleteDon't matter where he signs, if NY wants him, they can match.
ReplyDeleteThis is a must read. Ziegler is a sports kinesiologist who uses multiple sensors to analyze the biomechanical symmetry of an athlete. Force plates only measure the "final output" from the feet, but these sensors can measure motion and rotation above and below the knees. If an athlete has an imbalance, they're on a path towards eventual injury.
ReplyDeletehttp://zigsports.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/greg-oden-brandon-roy-what-what-happened/
(Also search for Zig's comment reply about Jeremy Lin that talks about force plates.)
Do you think it is coincidence that Lin had surgery on his right knee in the offseason, then tore his meniscus in his left knee this year? Do you think Derrick Rose was extremely unlucky this year with his litany of leg/ankle/foot injuries? Or was it likely that they were all related? Their injuries are almost certainly due to compensation for the original injury.
JLinFan#1, I hope you can forward that article to Jeremy, his coaches, or whoever. Lin's been wearing knee supports since high school, and the size of the knee support have been increasing every year. With his style of play, he needs to take advantage of the most advanced technology to keep his biomechanics optimal in order to have a long and injury-free career.
If he can't play for Phoenix and its cutting-edge medical staff, Jeremy needs to get his own independent fitness experts. It could mean the difference between a GOOD ten-year career and a GREAT fifteen-year career.
DeleteGreat article! I agree wholeheartedly.
DeleteUsing force plates testing to identify body imbalance and potential career-ending injury is the first step.
The next step would be to strengthening the whole body and not just specific parts to prevent injury like what A-Rod is doing with Phoenix Suns doctor, Dr. Mike Clark, who also worked with Grant Hill to overcome his own potentially career-ending ankle injuries.
Yes, JLinFan#1, please forward these articles to Jeremy Lin Team so they would be able to help him make the best decision to recover well and prevent future injuries. Many of us are concerned with his long-term health. And please, please don't go to Portland :)
Check out many Google News articles related to "A-Rod Phoenix Suns Medical" about his special training with Dr. Mike Clark.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=a-rod+phoenix+suns+medical&oq=a-rod+phoenix+suns+medical&aq=f&aqi=d2&aql=&gs_l=news-cc.3..43j43i400.10122.17834.0.18636.26.2.0.24.24.0.75.148.2.2.0...0.0.#q=a-rod+phoenix+suns+medical&hl=en&safe=off&gl=us&source=lnms&ei=pzy3T8TzOKOC2AXN6bymCQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=1&ved=0CBEQ_AUoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=72e94fd8b9c26ce4&biw=1280&bih=676
Thanks for the article Real-DSB. I hope that Jeremy and his trainers read it, it explains a lot.
ReplyDeleteI remember an interview with his trainer at Sparta Science, who said that Lin is faster driving to his right, because his left leg is stronger, and has more power to push off. And that if he wants to improve driving to his left ... he needs to strengthen his right leg.
This sounds like a serious physical imbalance, when one leg is overwhelmingly favored over the other all the time.
Anybody following the NBA playoffs and the soap opera that is the Miami Heat?
ReplyDeleteThe Knicks aren't the only team with dysfunctional "superstars" who choke in the clutch it seems. LOL.
I have been watching a lot of NBA playoff basketball. I have to say it's exciting whether JLin is playing or not. I love seeing Indiana give it to Miami and Thunder stealing games from Lakers. From my observation, I can say with some confidence that unless Lin develops a consistent, quick-realeasing mid-range jump shots, he is not going to be effective in the playoffs. Even Chris Pau, who is the best PG in terms of penetrating and passing, is not as effective because he is being asked to score more.
ReplyDeleteNBA players know Lin is pretty good now, and unless he has a variety of weapons, they are not gong to let him drive and make shots. There is no way Knicks can compete with Thunder, Miami, Indiana, Denver, even Lakers during playoffs with their players -- I just don't see this happening. In short, I see no potential to go far in playoffs if Lin stays with Knicks. I am not saying Lin should leave Knicks (he can play pretty well during regular season and make a whole load of money off his marketing appeal). Anyway, this is clear as bell to me after having watched all teams play in the playoffs. If Knicks win their division in next 3 years, I will eat my own words.
Jlin hasn't even had one full season starting in the NBA, and he is already one of the best point guards in the game. Give him a couple years, I suspect he'll develop a range of weapons for whatever situation he'll encounter, playoff games or not. When you're smart, which we all know he is, he'll work on all aspects of his game and improve.
DeleteFrom D-League to bench warmer to superstar in a matter of weeks? You've got to have serious talent and understanding of the game to get that far. Give him a couple years at the starting point guard position, and I will not be surprised if he surpasses the likes of Chris Paul, D-Rose, Steve Nash, etc.
Lin's first four/five starts is what it is - he's racked up more points/game than Jordan, Shaq, Iverson, and Magic. That just doesn't happen by accident whether you're a D-League player or an NBA starter.
Good points, eb5attorney and gokusays.
DeleteNot all NBA stars develop that midrange game. Some of them, like Clyde Drexler, even win championships despite glaring holes in their game. But that is no excuse for NBA players to fully develop their games.
The reason Jeremy Lin has succeeded is because his innate talent is bolstered by his willingness to pay the price to improve. Not all NBA players are willing to change their games the way Lin is.
Even though Lin still has his "rookie moments", his poise and skill level are that of a seasoned NBA veteran. He eventually will become a complete player who will perform well no matter how much teams scout him.
^^ Big time homer post right there.
ReplyDelete"Jlin hasn't even had one full season starting in the NBA, and he is already one of the best point guards in the game." You contradict yourself right there. Yes, we all want to see Jeremy Lin succeed but to say he is already one of the best point guards in the game is extremely laughable.
Flip Murray was putting up crazy numbers too when he got to start over Ray Allen. Jeremy's numbers started came back to earth as the season progressed and teams started game planning against him, which is a reason why Jeremy struggled big time vs the Miami Heat. Don't get me wrong, Jeremy has the potential to possibly be one of the best, but he's far from that. Nothing wrong in wanting to wait and see how it all plays out before proclaiming he's a Top PG in the league, but posts like that just reeks of a big time Asian fan boy.
You're just here to flame us. OK, we'll take you on.
DeleteFlip Murray wasn't putting up Lin level numbers in his first few starts. Actually, NOBODY ever has.
Murray is nowhere near as good as Lin on either end of the court, and time will prove that.
Jeremy Lin's stats in his starts indeed make him an elite pg. People like you can flame away, but the numbers don't lie. At the least, Lin should be considered one of the better pgs in the league based on production alone.
I get tired of guys like you using Lin's fatigued game against the Heat as a reason to flame people here. One bad game at the tail end of a miraculous historic domination streak does not make Lin incapable of playing, especially since he was worn out from playing huge minutes. Lin followed that game up with several more incredible efforts that would've been even more.impressive had Carmelo Anthony not been tanking games on purpose.
Don't come on this board to flame people and expect not to be called out.
@ Niu Baller, are you posing as Matt Steinmetz - Warriors sports writer whom no one follows anymore? He has made that same JLin and Murray comparison and still thinks JLin is a 2nd/3rd string point guard at best.
DeleteWhat I find ridiculous is that people like you and that Stephen A fella will pick out one bad game Lin had against Miami and consider Jlin a fluke. Where as, if you look at the numbers that are available through the course of Lin's NBA career, he is right up there with the best of them. And if it takes entire teams to scheme, plan, and focus on defending Lin in order to take him out of his game so that his numbers "come down to earth", that already speaks volumes. Which players draw that kind of attention from opposing teams? Perhaps a Kobe, D-Rose, and Wade come to mind?
And let me kindly remind you in case you may have had amnesia, this is a JLin fan forum...duh!
@ gokusays, the problem with your analogy is that you continue to contradict yourself. 25 games is not enough to measure an elite PG. Not to mention those elite stats went away when Mike D'Antoni left. Niu Baller clearly said Jeremy Lin has the "potential" to become one, but he isn't YET.
DeleteKobe, D-Rose, Wade's sample size is a lot larger than Jeremy Lin's. Multiple seasons in fact. You like to mention stats, but did you even mention any of his turnovers. Your opinion clearly shows your riding Lin very hard.
PS: Take your own advice in case you may have had amnesia, a fan forum =/= 100% fanboys which you clearly are, but thanks to admitting that you are one.
Actually, Lin has been dominating a lot of leagues for a very long time. He's performed like an elite guard at every level, so the small sample size thing doesn't apply.
DeleteBesides, sample size doesn't factor in when NBA teams set up their defenses. Opponents double and triple team Lin because he kills teams that don't do that. There are All Star PGs like Jameer Nelson and Rajon Rondo who don't get that kind of coverage because they do not impact the game like Lin does. Not even Kyrie Irving (considered an elite talent) gets piled on the way Lin does, and that's because Irving is NOT AS GOOD as Lin.
Jeremy Lin has had a lot of turnovers, which is to be expected from a team that has ZERO starting caliber guards and relied on him to create for his D league players when Stat and Melo went down. Besides, the winning record that Lin led the Knicks on vastly overshadows the turnover number.
Lin IS an elite guard.
@ChineseTaipei - 25 games and he has already caught every team's attention to shut him down. Are you saying none of these teams know how to "measure an elite PG"?
DeleteThe small sample size argument seen in this light is support for the case that JLin is already an elite PG level.
Fan forum != 100% fanboys, but it would be deeply confused not to expect a large majority of contributors on this forum to see Jlin's progress in good light rather than with cynicism as you and Niu Baller have insinuated.
It's too bad Lin's season was cut short so we weren't able to analyze a larger regular and post-season sample, but he showed a lot within that sample.
DeleteLike many Lin fans, I've repeatedly watched the Linsanity highlights on youtube. His smarts, toughness, and playmaking ability were put on blazing display during Linsanity. However, his season highlights weren't limited to Linsanity. A more instructive exercise is to pull up his lesser known games after D'Antoni quit. A simplified meme repeated by Lin supporters and critics is that Lin's game left him under Woodson. That's not true. While Lin was asked to play differently under Woodson, Lin continued to play effectively and delivered in big moments for Woodson. My post-D'Antoni index games for Lin are the 2nd Pacers game in Indianopolis where Lin delivered a well-balanced all-around game against a motivated quality opponent and the 76ers game where he carried the team in the 4Q after a poor 1st 3 Qs.
Lin's FG% dropped off suddenly and dramatically in his last games, but I think a lot of that can be blamed on his knee injury. Chandler has said he thought Lin was slowed down by his knee in his last games.
And even despite the knee injury, the Knicks kept winning with Lin as the starting PG.
DeleteGreat players find ways to win even if they are not having their best games. Lin is a GREAT PLAYER who wins even on one leg.
After years of being underrated, it's acually good to see Lin being called out for being OVERRATED!
Mr./Ms. Taipei, if you need another 10 seasons to make up your mind / determine that Jlin is one of the best point guards in league, that is absolutely your right. I won't fault you for that. After all, there are professional scouts and NBA experts out there who still think Lin is a backup point guard at best.
DeleteBut let me just point out the problem for you folks. There are those in life who can make a decision based on available evidence and determine that something is a winner, and then there are those who require constant reaffirmation to believe that something is no fluke. Mr./Ms. Taipei, I think you know which category you're in. And if you and Niu Baller need another 10 seasons to see that JLin is one of the best in the business, you're absolutely welcome to it.
Sit back and enjoy show. We all welcome and can't wait for the upcoming season. And if you need someone to spell it out for you in case you have no idea what domain you've entered or if somehow you think we fans here are all hiding in our closets..."Yes, I am a JLin fan." Let me repeat, slowly, "I am a JLin fannnnn." Hope that helps you Mr./Ms. Taipei. :)
I am a JLin fan
DeleteI am a JLin fannnnn
Niu Baller and Chinese Taipei need to back up their arguments with "solid proof" that Jeremy Lin is "laughable" as one of top PGs in the league and 25 games (actually 35 games) is too small for a sample size and turnover rate is too high.
DeleteCheck out Hollinger's PER for NBA PGs and you'll see that Jeremy Lin is ranked #10. Does that not qualify as Top PG? You can say that his TO rate is high (15.6) but so does Steve Nash (15.2) at #8
35 games are too small for a sample size? In the Top 10, DRose, Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry only played 39, 51 and 26 games due to injuries in this compressed NBA season.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?position=pg&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics%3fposition%3dpg
If anything, it shows that Jeremy Lin is already a top 10 PG even with high TOs like Steve Nash. We can be positive to offer suggestions so Jeremy won't get chronic injury in the future.
I would advise Niu Baller and ChineseTaipei to not be "half-glass empty/pessimistic/negative" fans. Sounds like you are just looking for the next Jeremy Lin mistake to support your opinion that he is not an elite PG yet rather than be willing to learn and offer positive feedback. It's not fun to live life as a "half-glass empty" person because you end up criticizing yourself all the time.
The reason we love Linsanity is because he shows that through hard work, perseverance, trials and lots of prayers we can all be successful despite many naysayers. Don't be naysayers or "critical-eye" Asian parents who never acknowledges positive results and offer encouragement.
And yes, I am not ashamed to say I'm a JLin fan :)
DeleteHehehe, I'm chuckling in my seat. :) Nice one KHuang...we're coming out of the closet now.
DeleteThe next fella that comes to into this fan forum and tells me that I am a Jlin fan, I've got news for him already..."I am a JLin fan...I am a Jlin fannnnn." :)
There's the debate over the 'what he is' floor that Lin proved this season and then there's the debate over his 'what he can become' ceiling.
DeleteI criticize Lin from the 'what he can become' perspective that he hasn't yet proven himself as a top PG who is trusted at the play-off level, which he can't prove until he does it in the play-offs, and he's a playmaking college SG converting to NBA PG who has areas he needs to improve upon as a PG.
However, even accounting for his relative weaknesses, I think the 'what he is' floor that Lin established this season is he's already an above-average NBA PG.
Ms.Goku. The fact that you can't tell the difference between a FAN vs a FANBOY already speaks volumes. There's a reason why you were labeled a FANBOY. But you obviously can't take off your homer glasses.
DeleteEric, nice assessment. Good to see that you proved that everyone here isn't a fanboy.
Ms. Wilsc and Ms.Goku, I suggest you look up the term "Fanboy".
ChineseTaipei, why didn't you just post your latest response first instead of PUNKING YOURSELF with your ignorance of Jeremy Lin's statistical domination?
DeleteIf you want to flame, FLAME. Don't bring your intellectually weak trash in here and then whine when you get smacked down the way Jeremy Lin rejected Derrick Rose's shot before the refs came to Rose's rescue.
To all wannabe flameboys who hate Jeremy Lin and especially fans like the ones on this site that believed in him even when nobody else did, I advise you to simply FLAME AWAY and leave the basketball analysis out.
It's painful to watch you guys punk yourself repeatedly over topics that have already been dissected and digested in earlier posts.
Eric, that is a fair assessment for a positive criticism. There is no doubt that JLin has not proven that is a top PG in the playoff level yet because Playoff Linsanity was derailed by his knee injury.
DeleteTo me, JLin has proven that he is a Top 10 PG with much greater potential WHEN he is healthy. This is the BIGGEST concern that I have.
Would he have a career similar to great players like Penny Hardaway and Brandon Roy cut short by knee injuries? Or would he be able to change his playing style like DWade and Grant Hill to have a long NBA career?
There is no doubt Jeremy Lin can play as a top PG in the NBA. It's highly unlikely that as many as 6 NBA teams would have interest in 2nd or 3rd string PG (even for marketing purpose - see Golden State in 2011). No point of arguing about this. You'd also have to disprove Jerry West, Magic and Kobe's positive comment on him. None of us qualify here.
The BIGGEST question is can he stay healthy enough? We know he suffered knee injuries in both 2011 and 2012 season.
I'm interested to see what changes JLin would make in the off-season conditioning and playing style to ensure a long NBA career. I know some of us already shared this concern.
I hope by God's grace the Jeremy Lin Team can find good medical/training team or be a Phoenix Suns PG for a long-term NBA career sake.
It would help procedurally to first say whether one is critiquing Lin's floor or ceiling.
DeleteI don't agree with critics who cap Lin's potential, especially based on 1 game against the Heat. It's too early to know what he'll be. I'm aboard with fans who think Lin's potential ceiling is on the Steve Nash level. However, I don't know yet that Lin will make the fundamental improvements necessary to become an elite NBA PG. Some young players improve and others don't, for different reasons. One reason some players don't improve is they're injury-prone, and I'm more concerned at this point about Lin's durability than his talent.
Right now, Lin is one of the NBA's best passing PGs in transition. His half-court awareness, however, isn't on the same level. Regarding the ugly turnovers Lin made this season, we hope they'll go down as the game slows down for him in the half-court, but it's also possible Lin will always be stuck with 'gray areas' (Lin's term, when he described how Rubio and the T-wolves forced him into turnovers) in his half-court awareness. Right now, Lin's half-court awareness at PG is good enough to destroy bad NBA defenses, create against average defenses, and play within a structured (Woodsonian) offense against the elite defenses. That's not a defining statement at this point of his career because it's early. Maybe Lin's career arc will top out, then regress like Flip Murray's career. I think that's unlikely. Maybe he's on a Nash-like career arc, but more accelerated than Nash. Maybe he'll plateau early and what we've seen is more or less what we'll get.
A big difference between me and some Lin fans is that they're against the idea of Lin coming off the bench as a 3rd guard. It's like they think Lin returning to the bench would be a slippery slope to the Shanghai Sharks. Where I think Lin needs to improve his PG tools to become an elite NBA PG, I believe Lin owns the combo-guard tools right now to be a top playmaking and scoring NBA 3rd guard. So, if Lin's PG game has plateaued and he isn't satisfied with being only an above-average NBA PG, I'm confident Lin has a fall-back role to become a special NBA player.
Great points, Eric.
DeleteI remember Jlin had numerous praises on his court vision/awareness and pinpoint passes during transition. And there were indeed some ugly TOs during half-court offense and when he tried to bring up the ball.
IMHO, there is higher ceiling that he can learn half-court offense to be more like Steve Nash because of his intelligence, hard-work and ability to adjust quickly. The comments from his Harvard teammates also indicated that he was much improved from his Harvard days in skills and confidence level. A stronger evidence would be his improvement of Average TO/game as a starter:
Date Ave TO/game Comment
2/6-2/23 6.09 Linsanity Period
2/29-3/12 3.63 After All-Star game until D'Antoni got fired
3/14-3/24 3.71 Coach Woodson regime
It's safe to say that JLin can make improvement to limit his TOs in a short period of time. That's why we didn't hear so much about his TOs after the All-Star game but the stigma sticks.
While I have no doubt of his ceiling to be higher than the current Top 10 PG, I also have reservation about his durability. His famous workout with Sparta gym contributed to his explosiveness and vertical jump but it remains a question if it can protect him against chronic injury. This compressed season is an anomaly but his other knee also got injured last season so it is definitely an area of concern. Hope he finds a good conditioning program.
Eric, thanks for making the helpful distinction between the two quite different evaluations of Lin's current progress and potential. It is true that the games that we have seen do not show that he is an elite PG in the sense that he can win in the playoffs. There are simply no 'samples' of playoff games from which we can make inferences from. If we are allowed to speculate a little, however, I would say that what he has displayed so far, namely that he can adapt quickly to challenges thrown at him (whether it be changing defences or injuries), that he excels at the most critical moments (Linsanity has shown that this man is clutch), that he is not only a great athlete in his own right, but also elevates the play of teammates around him, and that he importantly possesses the leadership skills and vision to win, he will have great success in the playoffs, creating stories and performances worthy of being called an elite point guard.
DeleteI also agree that even if Lin comes off the bench, it is not necessarily the end of the world for his road to becoming an elite PG. Lin himself seems to be surprised by the rate of opportunities that has opened up to him, if not his actual development as a PG. He did note that while his ultimate goal is to be a starting point guard in the NBA, he only expected to break into the rotation at this point into his career. He may still benefit from sitting behind a proven guard, someone like Steve Nash. However, if Lin is benched for someone of Baron Davis caliber or another young PG, I doubt that that will be very helpful for him to develop into an elite PG.
Lin is already an above-average PG and he now needs to improve to become elite, meaning Chris Paul or Tony Parker level. There are definitely many things a college SG now turned essentially rookie NBA PG must improve on. As mentioned by commentators here before, for example, Lin has to pick is spots instead of barreling into the lane. This is to preserve his body and also to keep the defenders thinking. I have already seen the small tear drop move that Lin uses over big defenders instead of trying to draw contact every time. This also has the benefit of drawing defenders further from the basket so that has more space to drop off that easy dime to his bigs. Tony Parker is probably one of the best examples of a PG playing smart in the lane using this type of shot.
As to the question of whether he will improve, my assessment is that it will be unlikely that Lin will plateau as guard who comes off the bench. Even if injury (God forbid) curtails his current tough drives to the basket, he does not need nearly the level of athleticism that he currently has to become an elite PG. Elite PG skills does not require elite (for example Westbrook-like) athleticism. He has the smarts to develop great half-court set decision making and the determination to actually achieve those skills.
On reflection, Niu Baller's assessment was not as unreasonable as his assessment of fans here. On what basis can you make the disparaging suggestion that the fans here are mostly irrational fanboys when most of us here provide reasoned conclusions (albeit admittedly open to refinement and correction, and in their nature (optimistically, but in no way hopelessly) speculative)? Your resort to attacks against the person by suggesting the lack of manhood (using the title such as Ms) shows that you are, amongst other things which I shall for the decency of me not resort to calling you, as KHuang has appropriately coined, a flameboy rather than that we are unsophisticated fanboys here.
Having said all that, yes, I am a fan(nnnn)! Heck, I do not even mind being called a fanboy, if that means being bright eyed and being like a kid again, hoping that Lin scores every basket he attempts (as Nash admittedly felt during Linsanity).
Even though the Spurs are my favorite team, I am just not all that impressed with Tony Parker.
DeleteMaybe what I should say is that Parker is absolutely incredible with Tim Duncan creating shots for him. I just can't see Parker being "Parker" without Tim Duncan on the court with him.
Frankly, I consider Jeremy Lin a far better PG talent than Tony Parker. It's just that Tim Duncan makes Parker look sooooo good.
Parker is a better ball-handler than Lin, he's played in the NBA a long time, is very familiar with his coach and teammates, and protected by a system that's designed for him. Other than the ball-handling, Parker doesn't have any other innate PG abilities better than Lin.
DeleteWhat Parker is asked to do for Popovich is similar to what Lin was asked to do by Woodson.
SI interview with D'Antoni: http://rcpp.me/KFVfG5
ReplyDeleteHe briefly touches on Jeremy Lin.
Quotes here: http://twitter.com/#!/RECAPP
An earlier post complained that the NY media ignored Lin's inclusion on the select team as evidence of lack of support for Lin in NY, when in fact, media reports were only repeating - not confirming - the same initial rumor. The NY Daily News is reporting it today due to USA Basketball's official announcement: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-knicks-jeremy-lin-named-2012-usa-basketball-select-team-train-olympic-squad-article-1.1081920
ReplyDeleteJohn Wall is on the team too. That makes me happy.
DeleteI know that John Wall had a rough season in which he shot one of the worst percentages I've ever seen an NBA player shoot. But I still highly value his dynamic game and consider him on par with Jeremy Lin in raw talent.
The irony is that while Jeremy Lin went from underrated to highly rated, John Wall went from highly rated to underrated. At this point, I favor Lin over Wall but not by much.
Should the Knicks look at hiring Stan Van Gundy. Magic don't need him anymore.
ReplyDeletehttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/magic-fire-coach-stan-van-195108462--nba.html;_ylt=AnNv4bAGhUN2wuj5f3t7doM5nYcB
Mike Woodson v Stan Van Gundy ... it's not a no-brainer. Woodson did enough to warrant a 2nd chance, but Van Gundy has coached a team to the finals.
DeleteNo Stan Van Gundy.
DeleteCarmelo Anthony needs a coach that won't call him out, one like Mike Woodson.
Stan Van Gundy is too brutally media savvy for Carmelo Anthony to play mind games with. We'd end up chanting "Fire Melo" at the Garden!!!
Earlier this year, I posted that SVG set himself for future coaching jobs by calling out Dwight Howard's desire to get him fired.
DeleteIndeed, that is what happened. SVG is now being looked at as a guy who won't put up with superstar sabotage instead of a limp coah who can only watch helplessly as an intransigent superstar like Howard blows up the franchise in an effort to leave.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/05/video-saturday-night-live-has-some-fun-with-stephen-a-smith/1?csp=obinsite
ReplyDeleteHilarious imitation of Stephen A. Smith.
On a different topic ...
ReplyDeleteWhile unlikely, I don't think it's implausible that Lin makes the senior national team, provided he shines during the practices and some roster decisions that are out of his control fall his way.
First, Mike D'Antoni is Team USA's main offensive assistant coach and he's a Lin fan.
Second, Lin's game as a bigger scoring PG fits the international game.
Third, the candidates for senior-team PGs are Paul, Billups, Rose, Westbrook, and Williams. Pencil in Williams and probably Westbrook. After Williams and Westbrook, though, Billups and Rose are out, and Paul was playing hurt in the play-offs. Paul may opt out of the Olympics. If that happens, Lin will have an opening. Westbrook was a very dynamic and effective Barbosa-type for Team USA in the WCs, but he doesn't have a PG mentality. For the 3rd PG, the coaches - especially D'Antoni - may want a more versatile reliable guard, and that would be Lin's opening.
Of course, Lin would have to stand out in the practices by outplaying Irving and Wall with the select team. Irving is stiff competition and Wall may see Team USA as his opportunity to wash off the Wizards losing stench.
Good points as usual, Eric.
DeleteI think that Lin will easily outplay John Wall. That's not because I think Lin is so much more capable than Wall, but because Wall for now is mainly a slashing dribble attacker without the requisite shooting skills needed for international ball.
Kyrie Irving is stiff competition indeed. While I feel that Lin is more athletic than the slower Irving, Irving obviously has All Star potential and knows how to play. Selecting Irving would be far less controversial than selecting Lin.
I expect Lin to play well off the Select Team bench. I figure that it'll basically be reliving Summer League 2010, only with star NBA players and not draftees/journeymen.
I just read that Team USA has to submit its final Olympics roster on July 7, which makes it more unlikely (but still not impossible) for Lin to make the senior team, with only 2 days to impress the coaches. It's also possible that James Harden makes the senior team as the 3rd PG if Team USA decides a smaller frontcourt demands a larger backcourt. Coming off the bench, Harden's experience offsetting the mercurial Westbrook would also be an advantage.
DeleteJeremy Lin has 0% chance of making this summer's Olympic roster. The Team USA select team was not selected to replace anyone immediately this summer. The soonest Jeremy Lin could play would be during the Americas championship, if Team USA doesn't do well in this Olympics. After that it would be in 2014 at the FIBA World Cup in Spain, but that's if Jeremy is considered for future Team USAs. Of course if that doesn't happen, Taiwan will put him back on the preliminary roster again =)
DeleteIt might be the best scenario if Jeremy Lin plays in the Select Team but not actually be in the Olympics team this year.
DeleteBesides having a good excuse to not join China/Taiwanese National team :), he would get the invaluable experience without wearing out his rehabbed knee. Also, Jerry Colangelo is big in players paying their dues so there would be less target on his back from other jealous players.
Jeremy Lin is the least experienced NBA player on the Select team.
DeletePlaying against the other NBA stars will help him fill the experience gap.
Jeremy Lin is not an Olympian, but he made the Select Team. That is a huge honor that will gain him respect around the NBA.
A select team player wouldn't be able to jump to the senior team any normal year and it's unlikely this year, except the senior team has lost so many of its PGs. As the senior roster stands, Deron Williams and Paul are the only conventional PGs.
DeleteIt looks like Team USA is leaning toward going big if Paul doesn't play given that Harden was added to the expanded senior roster. Another option is giving Lebron James back-up PG duties so that another big man or shooting specialist can be added.
Jeremy isn't going to play this summer in the Olympics regardless. Not for Team USA, China, or Taiwan. Taiwan didn't even make the Olympic qualifying tournament, so there was no reason to assume he'd play for them this summer. Also, Jeremy has go to through a whole process of citizenship to even be considered to play for China, which won't happen this soon and China had already selected the number of players they are trying out. He already has his excuses covered.
DeleteEric, you're assuming that Jeremy Lin would outplay all the other select team members, which is is not going to happen especially since he's coming off a knee injury. I'd bet that that Kyrie would make it over Jeremy if they were going to pick members of the select team.
Also they can still add other players that are not part of the select team. Rondo is another strong candidate who participated early on during training camp roster for the World Championships but withdrew last minute. There's also other guards they can look at like Ty Lawson or Eric Gordon. Simply put, Jeremy is not going to play in the Olympics this summer and it's probably better that he doesn't.
Good post.
DeleteHowever, Eric is also right. The injury situation can throw things totally out of whack. All Eric is doing is pointing that out.
USA Basketball is currently set up to avoid the freaky situations that led to America's basketball demise in 2002, 2004, and 2006 (that Greek National Team played their best game ever against Team USA.) Roster depth is key.
I did say Lin would have to outplay the other PGs on the select team (and probably shine in comparison to the senior team PGs) as a condition.
DeleteAs far as coming off an injury, I recall that Wade was coming off of rehab when he shined in the Beijing Olympics. Lin hasn't been in a full-leg cast for the past month. He was working out and practicing during the Heat series. By July, Lin should be working out hard. If his knee's still not ready for basketball by July, then he has bigger career problems than making the Olympic team.
I don't recall Gordon being used as a PG in the WCs. Despite his size, I think he's strictly a SG.
With Lawson and Rondo and other veteran PGs not now on the extended roster, therefore not scheduled to be in training camp, I doubt they'd ask someone to come off the beach or the golf course just to be the 3rd PG on Team USA.
It will depend on injuries to Team USA members and how other players feel about joining the Olympic team.
DeleteSome of them are free agents this year, like Deron Williams, and don't want to risk injuring themselves or their free agent contract.
Some of them already won a gold medal in Beijing, and they have a 'been there, done that' mentality and don't feel it necessary to play on an international stage again.
I'm sure that Jeremy Lin is hungry for every opportunity he gets, whether it's in the NBA or even charity games. He will most likely play if he's invited.
Deron Williams isn't worried about finding his next NBA job. I expect he'll show up for the London Olympics after a frustrating season with the Nets, which also means he's sat out the play-offs, and after his positive experience playing in Turkey during the lock-out. Williams, like Lin, has a game suited to international play. He also can now take his turn as the top PG for Team USA with the older PGs (Kidd, Billups) out.
DeleteWestbrook opens the door for a 3rd PG because he's not a PG even though he plays that position.
Paul is the key. We don't know how beat up he is. He's a veteran with an injury history who was playing hurt against the Spurs. As a smaller PG, his game isn't a great fit with international play, either.
I expect Team USA to go big (Harden or James as back-up PG) before dipping into the select team for a 3rd PG, but if there's an opening and Lin stands out - with D'Antoni pulling for him in the coaches meetings - there's a possibility.
Hi, everyone: I posted this in knicksnow.com, and I'm sure you will be very excited to see this, too. (http://watch.webbyawards.com/webbyawards/?topic_id=30049632&content_id=21633901) - watch the 2nd video in the playlist. it's Spike Lee and Jeremy representing Webby Awards today.
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