Monday, August 20, 2012

How Long Will K Mart Be Around?

Kevin Martin has been a near top 10 PER ranked shooting guard for the last 6 seasons:

Shooting Guard PER

2011-2012 8th
2010-2011 4th
2009-2010 11th
2008-2009  8th
2007-2008 5th
2006-2007 8th

If K Mart starts the season as a Rocket, I see him putting up monster numbers playing along side JLin. I don't see 25ppg like his career best in SAC, but more like his first 2 years in Houston (21-23ppg).

Remember, he is also a very valuable trade chip with his $12.4 mil. expiring contract. Any move for a big name player will involve moving Martin along with one or more of their PF prospects. He has stated he doesn't want to resign with Houston. Also, with his suspect defense and Jeremy Lamb waiting in the wings, I look for him to be moved sometime before the trade deadline, February 21, 2013. The acquisition of Delfino is insurance if Lamb is not quite ready to start.

Possible big names to trade K Mart for include Rudy Gay, Josh Smith, and Al Jefferson. Any others you can think of?

121 comments:

  1. One of the two expiring bigs on the Jazz could get moved. You mentioned Jefferson already, and the other is Paul Millsap. Utah may be trying to clear a spot for Derrick Favors, so a deal with Houston might make sense.

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  2. People getting ready for this

    Patterson already starting Lamb over him:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaRkQBLDPgY

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    1. He said it without much hesitation although last year's starter was Martin and Martin is NBA starter level player. Patterson may know something is in the works!

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  3. Despite his impressive PER over the last few seasons, Martin has been injury-prone. Also, I don't trust his limited defense. He will be moved as manifested by the signing of Delfino , another shooting guard. I predict that Martin will be traded before the season starts. The most likely to occur will be with the Utah Jazz. It could either be Jefferson or Millsap. The Rockets need some inside scoring. D-Mo may have some ability scoring in the post but I really doubt he'll be a consistent post scorer.

    But when either Jefferson or Millsap is traded in houston, I wonder who will be included with Martin. I also like Raja Bell to be included due to his defense and toughness. Personally, I prefer Jefferson since he's quite a solid post scorer compared to Millsap who is more of a SF/PF and is a versatile player but not really a post threat.

    Jefferson could help the frontcourt of the rockets. In totality, Jefferson, Asik , White and D-Mo will comprise the PF-C positions. This will give the rockets another option other than the pick and roll. Jefferson is a legitimate 20 and 10 guy but I expect him to give you 17 and 9. Adding Jefferson would relieve some pressure off Jeremy. One thing the rockets would want to avoid is to rely too much on one guy to carry them every single game. The rockets need more proven scorers to play with Jeremy so that teams cannot overload their defense on Jeremy forcing him to turn the ball over a lot of times.

    After the addition of Jefferson, I would like the rockets to add another veteran piece.

    I like josh smith but there is no way Atlanta will trade him. That's also the same for Rudy Gay.

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    1. Good points that Al Jefferson is better than Millsap and can definitely add instant offense so defense can't solely focus on Jeremy.

      Jefferson is a beast on offense but can be a bit inconsistent in defense. He's also good in pick-and-roll so he might be a bit of an upgrade from Tyson Chandler on offense. Also, he had one if not his best season when McHale was his coach in Minnesota so it would make sense if McHale wants to be reunited with him. Morey needs to pull the trigger here.

      Hopefully Jared Jeffries would be included to add some needed veteran presence among many youth. Besides, who doesn't want to see Jeremy Lin and Jared Jeffries repeat Linsanity ball in NY around Christmas? MSG will be rocking all night long!

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    2. Not a fan of Josh Smith. I'd rather have his teammate Horford.

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  4. Hyphen Mag: The Fuzzy Economics of Jeremy Lin
    http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/08/k-pop-fuzzy-economics-jeremy-lin


    http://www.sinaimg.cn/dy/slidenews/2_img/2012_33/786_784317_750670.jpg

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    1. Very nice article. It shows people still care. One thing though -> many believe that money was never the real issue.

      IMHO Dolan believed that JLin was easy to pick on, easy to double cross. But there is something people call karma.

      Yeah - some extremist Knicks fans dont care and dont want us to talk about it cause it can hurt Knicks reputation. But the real JLin fans wont forget it. After all - nobody hates the Knicks - people hate Dolan - Knicks fans hate Dolan...

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    2. I especially like the "Sink or Swim" section: "What if two of the people on the life raft were hoarding gold in their pockets? And one was a little overweight? Or what if one had a bad leg and back and lost his explosiveness and another held the ball too long and took too many shots?"

      I couldn't help but LOL.

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    3. :) @ # 1 j

      Steve Aschburner @AschNBA
      Blaming Jeremy Lin for lux.tax issues in NY = 6 fat guys in elevator ripping skinny 7th guy who boards last, trips buzzer.

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  5. Send Kevin Martin over to my PHX Suns.

    Even though the Suns don't have the assets to trade for Martin, he would be reunited with Goran Dragic in the Sums backcourt. He would start over Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley. Martin would be the prime time self creative scoring shooting guard the Suns have not had since Joe Johnson left for Atlanta.

    Maybe Houston could throw in Marcus Morris. Then the brothers Marcus and Markieff can play together.

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    1. Well, who would the Rockets get back in return?

      Phoenix has nobody the Rockets would want in exchange for Martin.

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    2. What kind of player will the rockets get? A bigman , forward or a guard?

      The Utah trade is the most logical and safest trade option for the rockets.

      The Rockets do not need another SG since they got delfino and lamb to play at those positions. The PG position is also filled. The SF comprises parsons and White/Jones. At PF, Patterson and D-Mo. At Center, you got asik. So, I really think they should get another center that can score.

      They should get Jefferson from Utah in my opinion. However, the down side of this is Jefferson is going to start over Asik. But this doesn't look good since you paid Asik as a starter. So this trade is confusing.

      Another option for them is to trade Martin for a top 5 draft pick if any team succumbs.

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    3. Like I said above, TVN, PHX cannot trade for Martin because they don't have the assets. I simply would like to see him as a Sun, that's all.

      Al Jefferson once carried the Wolves for Coach McHale. However, he's a ball stopping pivot player that teams keep getting rid of despite his ample ability to score in the post. I have also seen Jefferson have trouble scoring against defenders with length like Pau Gasol.

      In my opinion, the Rockets could use veteran defenders who are low usage on offense. One interior defender for the bigs and one perimeter defender to make guys like Kobe work for points. Lin had 3 former Knick teammates that could do those things.

      My favorite guy is the unsigned Renaldo Balkman. He has guarded all 5 positions in the NBA and plays above the rim on offense. I'd stand him in the corner with a 3 pt shot or let him float aimlessly around the rim the way Cedric Ceballos used to. Lin would find him for easy scores.

      The other two players are the unsigned Bill Walker and Portland's Jared Jeffries.

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    4. :) Lin to Polish Hammer, BANG! I'd love the sound of that.

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  6. I hope Daryl Morey don't do any more stupid trades. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that Morey in fact is not a smart talent evaluator in bball. The guy cut Lin and gave Lin a cheap offer and didn't really want him back. Only Les Alexander is the smart man here and wanted Lin back badly and forced Morey to up the offer.

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    1. FWIW...

      The Elephant On The Court - Daryl Morey
      http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2012/04/predicting-performance-basketball

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    2. He might have written this after getting repeatedly screamed at by Les...

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    3. This was a smoke-and-mirror article that Daryl Morey wrote some bad statistical analysis to hide his cards before he acquired Jeremy 3 months later.

      See the editor's note: "EDITOR’S NOTE: Three months after this article was published, the author’s Houston Rockets signed Mr Lin to a three-year contract." LOL

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    4. What I don't exactly buy into Morey is that he never admitted he's wrong letting Lin go. I remember that when Lin blew up in Feb, Morey tweeted something like "no one saw it coming" and "we have 2 starting level PGs". He had some ego no doubt and never wanted to admit that his talent evaluation is flawed. I really believe that it's Les who forced Morey to get rid of Dragic and Lowry and sign Lin.

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    5. And it was a bad statistical analysis that he used to throw off people.

      Anyone with basic statistic background knows that you can’t just compare 1 big game against big conference to compare 2 players.

      If only he used 3 big games against major conferences that they had in their final year, he would show Josh Slater had much lower FG% (33% vs 63%) and lower PTS/game (14.6 vs 23.3) than Jeremy Lin. So Jeremy was clearly better than Josh Slater in 3 big games. That’s why Morey did not use the right statistics to draw the right conclusion, just to throw off people that noone can see it coming.

      His advanced stats brought Jeremy into his radar so that's why Jeremy was in Houston camp before being released on Christmas 2011 because there was no roster space. But I guess it was not advanced enough to keep him :)

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  7. If Jared Jeffries is available, I will definitely sign him. He is a solid back-up, a strong team player, and someone that always brings lots of energy on and off the court.

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    1. I just think we need people like Jeffries, who in both D' Antoni and Jeremy's words "does all the dirty work". He does a lot of stuff like set up screens, defense, hustle etc, which are not glamorous but SO essential to winning as a team. He's always standing up for Jeremy too...both on the court and in interviews. I remember when some reporter was asking in the locker room about Jeremy's turnovers or something and Jeffries immediately sprang to his defence and looked extremely irritated, like, why are you picking on such things?

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    2. ya, I hope the young uns don't mind doing dirty work too. I remember Tyson Chandler setting up a lot of screens for Jeremy to get past the defence and score. While I don't doubt Jeremy can beat people double and triple teaming him, especially as he improves with time, it helps to have team mates helping you rather than just standing around when that happens(eg Melo) :p

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    3. never underestimate the impact of strong leadership from veterans in the locker room.

      If Derek Fisher was not in the locker room of OKC Thunder this past season, Russel Westbrook wouldn't play within the system as much (by his standard) and they wouldn't get past the Spurs being down 0-2. Westbrook definitely respects Fisher as a senior more than Durant as his peer.

      Without any veteran leadership, the young players would naturally fight for the pecking order and I expect to challenge Lin's leadership (he's had only 1 year experience). Imagine if Al Jefferson with more NBA experience joins the team and demands to be the man, things can get hairy quickly.

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  8. Off topic: Here is a link with some great pics of Jeremy during his second day of bball camp in China. As expected he appeared 100% focused and hands-on, including placing cones on the floor himself. I think he is a good teacher and enjoys teaching. Those kids are so lucky to have such a great role model to learn from.

    Note also Jeremy has been wearing an arm brace on his right arm for a couple of days now. I hope it is not serious.

    http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1806618185

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    1. nice pictures and stories. Thanks. Serving others and investing into the betterment of others such is the Christian way.
      Godspeed Jeremy.

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    2. From the pictures, it seems like JLin's marketing team and the camp organizers have picked his nickname in China. "JLin Basketball Camp"

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    3. @ wilsc

      He maintained a weibo [Chinese twitter] account under JLin7, they might have gone with this...

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    4. oops, maintainS

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    5. @ tabloid-sauce
      yes, his arm band gets more and more obvious in recent pictures as well. At first I was a bit concerned like you, wondering if he's been doing too much and over-exerting his arm...then I realised, hey, even if his right arm is strained it might not be so bad cos it'll give him the opportunity to train his left had really well! That's how Bob Cousy became ambidextrous playing bball as well right? so it could be a blessing in disguise! :)

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    6. He's looking good.

      http://p.twimg.com/A05yBKDCUAAsND2.jpg

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  9. JLin says he is aiming to lose weight in order to put less strain on his knees.

    He looks quite bulky as it is. Losing a bit of weight should not only help his knees, but also add even more speed. I remember Kobe similarly putting on weight, but electing to lose it again to improve his agility.

    JLin is also working, among other things, on left hand dribble penetration, handling fast break situations, and a faster catch and shoot.

    (I think that was the gist of what he is saying, from my limited Chinese skills!)

    http://news.sina.com.hk/news/52/1/1/2749084/1.html

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    1. Losing weight is important.

      I remember NBA talent "guru" David Thorpe talking about the importance of losing weight in order to promote durability and to have strength without being bulky.

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    2. Google translate is great.

      http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.sina.com.hk%2Fnews%2F52%2F1%2F1%2F2749084%2F1.html

      " This is Jeremy Lin 3rd visit to Dongguan, accompanied by physical trainers and shooting trainer and one each, has not abandoned the training, he revealed: "I am currently being strengthened breakthrough of the left hand, dribbling, passing, shooting, there are looking for opportunities to counterattack them, reduce errors, and the train shot after the ball quickly. "

      The knee bear the pressure of less

      Lin crazy "because of a knee injury last year only for New Yorkers battle absent all playoffs 35 games, in order to avoid making the same mistakes, and Jeremy Lin are slimming down:" I now maintain a healthy weight in reducing the knee bear the pressure smaller, I also become stronger, which guarantee that I will not hurt. "

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    3. JLin talks about his training goals [Dongguan]

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4d8Ojq4STw

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    4. Yeah, I thought that his training last year was making him gain too much weight. He went from about 200 to 215. He was stronger from it and able to absorb more contact, but it was taking away his speed on defense. Being too heavy is never good for the knees.
      He should go down to about 190 lbs, but with lot of lean muscle, like Chris Paul.

      Also, instead of jumping high for layups, he should just scoop it in like Steve Nash does without leaving his feet.

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  10. I just watched the Knicks vs Cavaliers again and am amazed that they actually came back from 15 down (37-52) to win by 17 points (120-103). Lin, Melo, Amare, Shump, Tyson, JR Smith were all firing at all cylinders with beautiful ball movement. Even JR and Melo passed the ball to Jeremy and it was not necessary in JR's part. It ended with Melo wrapped his arm around Jeremy's shoulder. Oh man, what could have been a great championship run in NY.

    I don't want to rehash what went wrong or right but I just want to say it was a beautiful game to watch when everyone was passing the ball. Can't wait for next season to start :D
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7yzswjUmNk

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  11. Yeah, the offense chemistry was actually pretty good when Lin was on the floor with JR, and Melo. They were sharing the ball and cutting to the basket. Which calls into question all the criticism that Melo and Lin can't play together. Because they were playing very well in sync before Lin was injured.

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    1. Only when Melo is willing.

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    2. Melo came out a couple of weeks ago and claimed that the talk about him being a selfish ball hog started with Linsanity. That is not true. He had that "reputation" way before Linsanity. He even had it before he was with the Knicks. The talk about him running his coaches off...

      Like Ive said a couple of times already -> Melo had games where he was extremely good - showing why he is considered one of the best in business. But that doesnt negate the fact that Melos performance was very erratic last season. And its not just his performance - people also question his commitment...

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  12. More on Dongguan training camp

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0h1Lo0j-4c

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    1. thanks once again via wong!
      I didn't know Jeremy and his mom's birthday are so close together. First time I'm seeing the sister-in-law too. Can't help but wonder if his family gets bored just watching him though...

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    2. @ anon

      :) His fam seems a bit more involved behind-the-scenes.

      Some people worry about JLin taking on too much though [looking tired?]:
      http://p.twimg.com/A0q4C5YCAAIkm-h.jpg:large
      http://p.twimg.com/A0orQIhCMAALNJO.jpg:large

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    3. http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/402820_408616699203192_1759153601_n.jpg

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    4. http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/376799_408960542502141_1193182535_n.jpg

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  13. i think martin is more likely to stay w/ the rockets in his final year, and hopefully he signs an extension because i think he and jlin would make the best scoring backcourt, better than monta and jennings. here's how i see the first and second team: 1) jlin, martin, parsons, patterson, asik. 2) lamb, delfino, white, jones, donatas. notice they don't have a true pg in the 2nd team. i just don't see who to leave out within this 10-man rotation. chances are mchale will always keep at least some of his starters on the floor throughout the game.

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  14. Interview With The Agent: Jim Tanner
    [Talks briefly about JLin, Ray Allen]

    http://www.sportsagentblog.com/2012/08/21/interview-with-the-agent-jim-tanner/

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    1. some nice stuff about jeremy in there :) although I generally distrust lawyers, this law firm seems nice. Was looking at their website, they were voted no #1 Best law firm to work for. That to me, says a lot more about them than how much business/clientale they have. I like it that they are representing Tim Duncan as well, another very down-to-earth player :)
      Just re-read the below article...am glad Jeremy had the sense not to sign with a dubious agency like CAA...i bet failing to sign him was fuel for not retaining him with the Knicks lol
      http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/linsanity_defense_m7nwmE6DHdJAbwGUfBCAbJ

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    2. @ anon

      This was a positive spin on things, but yeah...

      Chapter 1: The Family
      http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8180308/nba-jeremy-lin-six-degrees-separation-family

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    3. :) I can't really judge CAA but just don't quite like how some of their clients are acting in public. Maybe it's a far stretch to say this but you know how they say "like client like agency"? And I guess Jeremy also felt that they don't quite represent who he is as a person and was more comfortable with his present law firm.
      The CAA kind of reminds me of the Mafia....even the title of the article "The Family" sounds very mafia-ish :P You know, the kind of "we look after our own kind whatever the cost, don't mess with us" kind of organisation :P Sorry, it's just how I feel, I may be wrong...

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    4. Lin's current agent also represents Duncan, Battier, Grant Hill and Ray Allen. Lol. Probably the 5 nicest and most intelligent guys in the nba. I feel comfortable that Lin's in good hands.

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    5. CAA's notorious reputation in NBA is caused by the you-know -who bad apples. However, there are many respectable sportsmen/sportswomen, artists are clients of CAA.

      IMO, we can't generalize that CAA advocates Mafia culture. But really sad to see how one small section can tarnish its image and may implicate its clients.

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    6. CAA takes a fairly significant percentage of their clients' paycheck. JLin's current agent, Tanner and Associates, gets paid by the hourly, which saves Lin a lot of money.

      I wouldn't be surprised if his parents are the ones who wanted him to sign with Tanner over CAA, it would save money for the family. Because you know how Chinese/Taiwanese parents are when it comes to their son spending money.

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    7. Jim Tanner's Clients/ Salaries:

      http://hoopshype.com/agents/jim_tanner.htm

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    8. JLin & taxes

      http://www.krhoffman.com/blog/2012/8/22/linsanity.html

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    1. [Better audio version]
      Parents hoping their only son[s] follow JLin's footsteps: Harvard, NBA.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgvzJfoDxxQ

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    2. JLin in action [Dongguan training camp]

      http://v.sports.163.com/video/2012/8/0/1/V88HJDR01.html

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    3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aK9cPsSQlk

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    4. JLin dunks, right arm looking good

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp5BqnN22BY

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    6. Last day at Dongguan [interview]

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgopPaxUzU

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    7. Some lessons
      http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDQxMzU3MjI0.html

      Dribbling & handling the rock
      http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/bmiddle/a22fe02djw1dw3lm4wbtgj.jpg

      Penetration & jump-shooting
      http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/bmiddle/a22fe02djw1dw3o1hfdiqj.jpg

      Kids' practice & scrimmage
      http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/bmiddle/a22fe02djw1dw3n0yp1k4j.jpg

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    8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAsCtne4QpI

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    9. JLin on last game in Dongguan

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRsbninoOlE

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    10. JLin wants fun, creative, unselfish play for his trainees

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du7lh0vLLpw

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    11. 2 kids awarded "Most Responsible Players" & received JLin's signature sneaks [Dongguan]

      http://p.twimg.com/A06YUdCCEAAr3_M.jpg

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    12. JLin talks about his NBA competition

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3iB1Alw5AY

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    13. JLin China trip recap
      1:13 Doc Scheppler cameo

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFxKVNmhhTM

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  16. I think the Rockets should consider a small ball lineup starring Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, and Omer Asik.

    Such a lineup would work at the end of games, I think. It would be hard to double anybody because every player can score (maybe even Asik).

    The other thing Houston could do is go big. A backup lineup of Livingston, Delfino, Royce White, Terrence Jones, and Donatas Motiejeunas would be a big imposing rebounding and shotblocking force that may have trouble keeping up with people defensively.

    I also wouldn't be surprised to see Lin, Lamb, Martin, Delfino, and Parsons in an ultralight small ball lineup that runs and runs.

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    1. I actually like that idea but you can exchange Asik with D-Mo or white depending on the matchups.

      But your last statement is probably not gonna happen. They'll be abused inside.

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    2. i think a lineup like jlin, martin, parsons, white, jones would allow the rockets to play uptempo, and still maintain adequate size upfront. if the rockets can trade patterson and morris for draft pick(s), then that would help give more playing time for jones, white, and donatas to develop.

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    3. Hopefully, they can tempt any team to give the rockets a 1st round pick. If they get lucky, the pick will be a top 5 or even top 3. LOL!

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  17. JLin to HK for church event, no to media
    http://www.isportstimes.com/articles/3096/20120821/jeremy-lin-nba-hong-kong.htm

    http://v.ifeng.com/news/society/201208/4734e4a6-c599-4655-bbc9-31ddd61cdc6e.shtml

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    1. thanks again @via wong for all the links.

      you gotta love it that Jeremy just declined interviews and focused on helping to revitalize a struggling BB program in HK. I think his family helps him tremendously to stay grounded to serve God and others and focused on his goals in basketball. Kudos to all of them!

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    2. :) Mama Lin the bulwark.

      [I hope he's getting enough rest, esp that right arm.]

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    3. There you see the difference between Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow. Lin is humble, doesn't date women, tries to set a good example to serve God. Tebow is arrogant, dates famous celebrity women, takes off his shirt frequently to show off his fat, flabby body.

      Lin gives thanks to his faith and dedicated his time to being a better player. Tebow uses his religion to make himself more popular, keep his Christian fans loyal to him, and make more money.
      Lin will be the leader of the Houston Rockets next seasin, while Tebow is happy to be the bench quarterback for the New York Jets, because its New York. He could have been the main quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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    4. JLin & HK's New World Basketball League [for underprivileged kids]

      http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=4a19254137449310VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=hong%20kong&s=news

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    5. [Link above now requires a login, bah]

      More on the New World Springboard Program [for underprivileged kids]

      http://www.nwd.com.hk/html/eng/press_release_news.aspx?b0GDvPqyRabFV9IBJi2MvQ%3D%3D=DvPqy

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  18. Forecast: 2012-13 West standings

    http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8273800/2012-nba-summer-forecast-west-standings

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    2. I think the rockets can do better than 33 wins, but they will struggle on the road. i saw an espn forecast that jlin will average around 16 pts/game. i really think he will be near 20 pts/game: averaging 7 for 15 FG, 5 for 6 FT, 1 3pt/game.

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    3. He's gonna be a scorer if the rookies are inconsistent.
      More like 18 ppg; Its more realistic

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    4. I would like Lin to be a 20 ppt scorer, even if it hurts his average and even winning a bit.

      The basketball purist in me wants Jeremy Lin to play the ultimate team game without worrying about stats. The basketball REALIST in me knows that Jeremy Lin will have a better career if he keeps his scoring average at just over 20 ppg.

      With a 20 ppg average, Lin will get more league wide respect from opponents and referees. That will help reduce the number of uncalled flagrant fouls and prevent the Rockets from being referee cheated in the 4th quarter. Also, Lin cannot lead his team if he's not the biggest scorer. Besides, Lin is the best scorer on the Rockets even with Kevin Martin still on the team.

      If Jeremy Lin can avg 20, he'll be a lock for the Western Conference All Star team either as a starter or as a commissioner's pick. I can't see NBA coaches voting Lin into the game, no matter how well Lin plays.

      Ordinarily, I frown on guys trying to average 20 ppg. But Lin is different because he has so much going against him on an NBA court because Asian American men are not respected as equal to other men in the US. So though I don't like it, I think Lin should gun for his 20 and let the rest of his team keep up with him if they can!

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    5. I absolutely agree. Whether it's 15pts/10asts or 20pts/8asts, I get the feeling Jeremy will do whatever it takes to play the team game to win many games. He has said it's important for him to play basketball the right way.

      His teammates would love him since he'll put them in position to succeed and get easy baskets. Here's to seeing many chest bumps after White finishing the alley-oop and Parsons/Martin/Lamb raining down threes.

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    4. oops, Can't post entire Insider article [copyright infringement]

      Projecting where every Western Conference team will finish in the standings

      http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8288218/projecting-win-totals-every-western-conference-team-nba

      13. Portland Trail Blazers: 33.1 wins, 6.1 games worse

      14. Houston Rockets: 29.4 wins, 12.2 games worse

      The Rockets cleared the decks for a run at Howard, and once that didn't work out, they were left with the next-best thing for a team trying to escape the middle: flexibility. Houston projects as the league's worst offensive team, one that will get an inordinate amount of its scoring from a starting backcourt of Jeremy Lin and Kevin Martin. In that sense, this Rockets squad harkens to some of the lesser Rudy Tomjanovich teams that were led by the duo of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.

      15. Phoenix Suns: 27.8 wins, 12.5 games worse

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  21. JLin arrives in HK
    http://p.twimg.com/A05tRCMCYAAXGop.jpg

    Events:
    http://p.twimg.com/A05RoKGCAAAuYP5.jpg
    http://jeremylin.hchannel.tv/index_e.htm

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    1. http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/cfs-ak-prn1/v/609559/965/10151227575791874_57196.mp4?oh=8651cd70787490313c2665dc025fa514&oe=5034EAAC&__gda__=1345645405_238b733ef22fabc896d5ede92fee269f

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    2. @ willydilly

      They took it down. It was from a fan, upon JLin's arrival at the Hyatt in TST.


      -
      http://i3.sinaimg.cn/ty/k/p/2012-08-22/1345640957_JJ4mxx.jpg
      http://i1.sinaimg.cn/ty/k/p/2012-08-22/U5692P6T12D6198860F44DT20120822212732.jpg
      http://p.twimg.com/A06miCDCcAAAP6n.jpg

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    3. oops, more info

      http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=125685&sid=37438422&con_type=1&d_str=20120823&isSearch=1&sear_year=2012

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    4. JLin arrival at hotel [Trip fr Dongguan delayed 3 hrs, tired]

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ledi3FNr4kw

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    6. http://hk.finance.yahoo.com/video/channel-22794899/title-30353895.html

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  22. Great story about Royce White and his battle with anxiety disorder.

    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8096247/on-road-nba-draft-prospect-royce-white

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    1. Good read, Thanks @ Psalm234.

      People exaggerate his fear of flying. He'll get on a plane if he have to, but he'll drive if he can.

      I think JLin can be a calming presence for him [JLin gave Tyson a bit of stability while he was on the Nyk.]

      They can perhaps play Monopoly through the plane rides. [No Christian comfort though, since White is allegedly Nietszche-leaning, but who knows.]

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    2. Oh, & his anxiety does not affect his game at all.

      I admire how he's taken control of this thing. He's been meditating & practising mindfulness to manage the racing thoughts [wants to go to Tibet one day] & basically just putting his life in order after a couple of glitches in the past. Instead of hiding it, he's using this affliction to bring more attention to the disorder & help others. [I can see how he & JLin can be simpatico, being both compassionate people.]

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    3. I admire how he opened up about his disorder knowing it could affect his career. For someone with anxiety, that alone could have added a lot of anxiety to the process. Maybe JLin can pray for him...the other party doesn't have to be Christian, as long as he is open to being prayed for. You never know what could happen :)

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  23. # 1 j

    He got some plasters on there, & was icing the arm. But it looks okay.

    http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/bmiddle/a22fe02djw1dw5lzm5ms5j.jpg

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  24. Happy birthday to the one and only one Jeremy Lin! :-)

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    1. forward the following link provided by "ic" from another Lin fan site (http://confessionsofajeremylinaddict.com/):

      A fan-made birthday video for Jeremy:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Tg9JuSj5caU

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    2. Happy 24th, JLin! :)

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    3. Many Happy Returns for the Day, Jeremy! :)

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    4. thanks HY! haha...the Lin fan site you posted is SO funny :) one thing though, for the benefit of those who don't understand Mandarin...what really transpired in the Volvo Mall event was that the kid said that he likes Jeremy Lin because he's tall and handsome, and that he thinks he's like Jeremy because they are both good looking and have single eyelids. But Jeremy has double eyelids!! haha..the reporters even circled Jeremy's double eyelids on the video. It was hilarious! But Jeremy being the sweetheart that he is, tried to make the kid feel less embarassed by saying that he developed double eyelids so he can switch between the two, lol :)

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    5. That birthday video is simply awesome and must take a lot of hard work. And Jeremy apparently watched it as well!

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    6. Edit...typo:

      Many Happy Returns Of The Day, Jeremy! :-)

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  25. Jeremy Lin says he joined Houston Rockets to prove himself

    http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSPT&ID=201208230011

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    1. Thanks for this link! I love JLin's self-awareness and drive - he's going to school alot of people this coming season, especially those who are arrogant enough to believe the inaccurate and bad press about him:

      "He said he has a long road ahead of him and that he will continue to tap his potential, adding that the doubts of the naysayers will turn into a driving force propelling him onward."

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    2. @ Rocketeer

      :) They'll be eating their words soon enough.


      At the height of the FA crapstorm:

      "A source close to Lin said that, despite the diplomatic tweets, he will use the Knicks' decision as motivation in his next stop.

      "Any slight or disrespect he will milk for all it's worth," the source told ESPNNewYork.com. "He's going to be motivated."

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  26. Jared Jeffries interview on ESPN, talking about Jeremy, D'Antoni, Carmelo and the rest of the Knicks.
    What a class act...very gracious, intelligent answers, just love this guy!
    http://espn.go.com/espnradio/newyork/play?id=8167908&s=nyc

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    1. This was just after he got traded, before JLin went to Houston. Once again, Jeffries said such nice things about Jlin :)He also credited D'Antoni for helping JLin, him, Landry and Novak get the deals that they got.

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  27. Is it true Rockets going to send Parsons to Spurs? What are the deal here between Rockets, Spurs and Raptors?

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