Wednesday, October 17, 2012

JLin Rounding Into Shape

I really like what I saw from Jeremy tonight. He controlled the tempo of the game offensively and defensively as well. It looks like he is working off the rust and is getting his explosiveness back. As his legs come back, so will his shot.

Tonight:
31 minutes
12 assists (13.9 assist per 36 min)
4 steals (4.65 steals per 36 min)
2 TO
+5

With Kevin Love out for a few months, Dirk's bad knee, the door is wide open for the Rockets to challenge for the 7th and 8th seed! This season is gonna be fun!

Post Game JLin Interview:
http://www.nba.com/rockets/video/2012/10/17/LinMOV-2251947

227 comments:

  1. Replies

    1. Anybody please read this article about melo forced linand coach out of NY : http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1375878-carmelo-anthony-reportedly-jealous-of-linsanity-ran-jeremy-lin-out-of-new-york

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    2. this is common knowledge, especially among Lin's fans. Only that dysfunctional organization, their comrades/puppets in NY media, and those brain-washed fans are in denial.

      I don't even want to waste my time/energy to visit such article any more.

      I'd prefer reading everyone's comments here :-)

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  2. 5 Things We've Learned Through 5 Games
    [Sizing up the Rockets following their first 5 games of the preseason]

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  3. Wohooo! JLin rocks...
    Thank you Wong for sharing this link.!

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  4. As Lin goes, so do the Rockets.

    Lin is essentially a one man team here. There is no way an inexperienced team like the Rockets should be beating hardened playoff teams like OKC and MEM, even in preseason!

    This Rockets team is so inexperienced that Kevin McHale has resorted to setting up CHAIRS in practice to simulate other teams' offenses since the players including Lin have not faced them! And yet the Rockets are winning because Lin is leading them.

    I think that this Rockets team is going to be beaten into the ground on several occasions. I also don't think that Lin can carry the Rockets for all 82 games because NO player can singlehandedly carry a team in today's NBA game that long. But Lin is the unquestioned leader of this young Rockets team and is already facing the stiffest defensive coverage I've ever seen a single player face in the NBA's zone defense era!

    I've started to say this about Lin, and it won't change: I think Lin is the BEST defensive point guard of the modern era. Though All Star point guards can shoot threes over him and pick Lin off their big men, NOBODY can beat Lin off the dribble. If they get by him, he's so quick that he steals the ball from behind. The two best defensive guards I've ever seen are Michael Jordan and Sugar Ray Richardson, and I rank Lin as being every bit equal on defense to those two stars.

    What's frightening about Lin is that the double and triple teams are already being applied and STILL he's shredding defenses. A typical Lin team has all these scrubby players playing hero ball in the gaps, and that's the Rockets. Yet if teams don't double Lin, he'll destroy people in isolation because he can score on anybody. Thus Lin has become UNGUARDABLE!

    I don't think Jeremy Lin knows how GREAT a player he has become. But his opponents are all too aware and so are we! To me, the waves of defenders sent at Lin and the inability to evade Lin on defense are the ultimate recognition of Lin's gargantuan impact on the game, even if Lin doesn't receive an All Star bid.

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    1. I agree with you but Lin has to find ways of dealing with this quick PGs. I think Rockets should ask other player to defend PG for Lin because they all want to beat him. And I don't understand why his shooting is suddenly gone. He was o ood in linsanity era. Is that because of new place, new environment or he lost confidense. Maybe because he hasn't done thus competitive play for a long time. How come he could do that last year. Maybe it's mental.

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    2. I don't think Lin has to change anything he's doing on defense.

      There is a real human limit to how much defense Lin can play. I feel that he's already at that ceiling on defense.

      As far as shooting goes, it's still preseason. Wait until the regular season is well underway to see if Lin can shoot or not.

      One more observation. A lot of people compare Lin's game to that of "All Stars" and find Lin lacking. What those people often don't realize is that NBA refs do not officiate Lin as favorably as they officiate "All Stars". If a guy like Deron Williams was refereed the same way as Lin, there is a strong likelihood Williams would not produce as much as Lin has.

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  5. Slow down, KHuang. Lin's D is not as bad as his critics say but he's far from "never beaten off the dribble", he especially has difficulty with small, quick guards. Also he currently doesn't get doubled as much due to his shooting woes, in fact he's been wide open quite a lot of times.

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    1. In the NBA, EVERYBODY gets beaten off the dribble including the Hall of Famers.

      I'm not expecting Lin to be a lockdown point guard defender because that's not humanly possible for any player. No All Star point guard can truly stop any other All Star point guard because offensive schemes today are too sophisticated.

      All I expect to see from top NBA defensive point guards is that they keep their man in front of them SOME of the time in isolation, that they fight their way around picks, that they play angles properly on drives to the hoop, and that they actually contest shots. Lin does those things BETTER than any All Star point guard jn the NBA does.

      It's easy to see small quick guards running around with Lin often unsuccessfully being able to keep up with them. That simply makes Lin no different from a guy like Michael Jordan who couldn't catch the small quick point guards either.

      Also, point guards are so hellbent on beating Lin in head to head matchups that it usually takes shots away from more dangerous teammates. Expect to see lots of games where opposing point guards shoot high percentages against a hotly contesting Lin but the Rockets win anyway.

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    2. I should've said that it's "very difficult" to beat Lin off the dribble, not that he can "never" be beaten off the dribble.

      I'd love to see the #1 isolation scorer in the NBA, Chris Paul, try to beat Jeremy Lin off the dribble in isolation. Paul would probably score anyway, but Lin would contest Paul effectively.

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    3. jlin is a great defender. Like you said everyone gets beat off the dribble in the nba just not necessarly consistently. Anyway its preseason but I think jlin is playing even better defense than last year, he was good last year I just think he's playing even better. I like everything Kevin Mchale is doing with the team. If they continue to keep the spacing like they did last nite on the floor I say good luck double/triple teaming jlin. You see what's going to happen when they do assists > 10 easy. Its going to be a up and down season but what I'm looking for is are they getting better as a team as the season progresses. I'm looking forward to the season start.

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    4. Not only is Lin's defense "not as bad as people say", he has elite effect on team defense. It's sad that defensive understanding is so poor that people don't realize this. Every team that Lin has ever played on improved in DRtg when Lin was on the floor. Last year, the Tyson Chandler/Jeremy Lin two man combination had the number 1 two man DRtg of any combination on the Knicks.

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    5. NBA players are too good going 1on1. You cannot completely stop ANY ONE player from with no help defense.

      He definitely look a bit more explosive yesterday.

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    6. No, even Lebron can't stop everyone. Lebron guarded Westbrook a bunch during the Finals last year in the game where Westbrook scored 43 on mostly layups.

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    7. With the help of some screens. I'm talking about isolations

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    8. Forget JLin or Lebron not being able to make stops, MJ couldn't stop everyone. That's just how basketball works. If you play, you know. Unless you're playing a 5 year old kid, there will be times when you will be crossed by a faster player no matter how good of a defensive player you are.

      AI is remembered for crossing MJ twice in one play. Does that make MJ a bad defensive player? why aren't people critisizing this defense? How did he win defensive player of the year?

      One play will not define a player.

      JLin will get lots of crap from non-basketball minded people since he's not flamboyant but his overall game, his vision and his ability to read players, make him much more effective well beyond his stats.

      Also, i still feel like much of his critisizim comes from the fact that he's asian and asian stereotypes. Why are they all talking about his speed when clearly, he's one of the fastest player on the court on almost every single game? Mike Connely Jr. had a hard time containing him but no one mentions about MC Jr. being slow? If JLin is slow and MC Jr. had a hard time guarding him, then doesn't that make MC Jr. even slower than JLin?!

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    9. Uh uh, Westbrook went right around Lebron without screens. But beyond that, if you think screens matter, imagine how much MORE help defense matters. Lebron would have no chance against a skilled player in one on one basketball.

      Every year Mike Krzyzewski takes his fastest and cockiest new recruit and tells him to defend Coach. And then old slow Coach proceeds to blow by him on the dribble. This works because, by the rules of basketball, the offensive player has too much initiative in a one on one situation. There's literally no legal way to stop a skilled dribbler one on one.

      That's why Lin said, about his Raptors shot last year, that he's pretty sure any player in the NBA can get off a good shot in a one on one situation. While that's an exaggeration, it's largely true.

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    10. you take any "bum" player in the NBA against any All-star and they can score on them more than half the time in isolation, especially with guards.

      Just keep in mind the that vast majority were division I players in college or pros overseas and in the league for a reason.

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  6. So far the only flaw i saw in Lin's game is his terrible shooting. Everything else is all-star level performance. If JLin picks up his shooting touch, then tell me who in the NBA can stop Lin? Go JLin!

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    1. His shooting will be there. I'll make a prediction that one of these games he will have a "break-out" scoring performance and that will solidify his scoring from there on out. I'm not saying he will score 20 a nite but I can easly see him getting lots of double doubles. If they can fix the pnr situation with jlin his ppg will be higher.

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    2. I think they're saving the pick n' roll game for regular season.

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    3. I don't think Lebron could stop Lin from assisting his teammates.

      Lin hurts opponents on offense whether he scores or not.

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    4. I'm talking about guarding Lin in isolations

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    5. "Lebron"

      LOL. Have you seen him lately. He's nearing 30. Looks like he 40. Been playing pro ball since since high school. That's a lot of mileage. He's been pushing that 260 frame through a lot of starts and stops. It takes its toll. Also at that weight it's a lot harder shifting back and forth to stay in front of someone. Simple physics. He'll have problems with a strong penetrator/attacker.

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    6. "He's nearing 30. Looks like he 40"

      -What are you saying? Lebron guarded Derrick Rose in the 2011 playoffs and really made D. Rose struggle.

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    7. He's nearing 30. Playing since high school will take its toll. Fast forward to today, if we had a healthy Rose and another rematch I'm not so sure you would get the same result.

      Also, basketball is a team sport. First of all you after soften the guy up with some picks. Also you may beat one guy but there's always a couple of other tall guys. It's best to kick the ball to open man.

      If Lebron has to guard Lin. That's a very positive sign for the Rockets. I would then run Lebron ragged through a bunch of picks. Defence is hard. It takes a lot out of you. I wish Lin still had Shumpert for his other wing.

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    8. Lin is #3 in the ENTIRE NBA in isolations.

      I seriously doubt Lebron could stop Lin every time. Many players with more vaunted defensive reputations than Lebron have been easily scored on by Lin (Ron Artest, Shawn Marion, etc.)

      If Lin had Lebron on him, it would free the other Rockets to run wild under the rim. Lebron is Miami's best help defender and guarding the irrepressible Lin would take Lebron out of his helping positions.

      Were I Miami, I'd keep guarding Lin with Chalmers and Cole. I'd have Shane Battier and Lebron as my defensive forwards. Not even Jeremy Lin could dribble by Chalmers, escape Lebron on the wing, and shoot over Bosh at the basket!

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    9. Iman Shumpert is TOTALLY OVERRATED on defense.

      He has the body for defense, but not the reflexes or awareness. People LOOK at Shumpert's physique and think he can defend, but he's nowhere the defensive superstar that people say he is.

      The guard with the best instincts for defense to play alongside Lin is already a Rocket. That's Jeremy Lamb who's vastly superior to Shumpert in defensive reflexes and raw ability. What Jeremy Lamb doesn't have yet is the body maturity to fend off rugged veteran shooting guards when they drive to the rim, but Lamb will have that physical maturity next season.

      The Rockets have the "anti Shumpert" in Carlos Delfino. Delfino is slow and unexplosive, but he's rugged and competitive and extremely intelligent. Against the veteran SGs when the game is on the line, Delfino will be on the court for defense over both Lamb and especially Martin who's strictly a 1st quarter superstar.

      The Rockets could also swing Jeremy Lin overto defend the shooting guard, but they're better off with Lin playing help defense from the PG position.

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    10. I disagree KHuang about Lamb. Lamb seems to be a poor defender and maybe a very LAZY Defender. So, I don't know where did you get that idea.

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    11. That's cool, neph.

      When I watch Lamb play, he knows where is is and what he should be doing, But at 19, he's a boy among men and cannot physically keep up on either end yet.

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    12. Yay for Neph for providing KNOWLEDGEABLE basketball insight, regardless of his intentions.

      He's corrected me a few times. I LIKE that!

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    13. Lamb actually might be quite good as a defender someday. According to the DraftExpress video, he had a good college record of playing the passing lanes to get a lot of steals with his 7.0 wingspan. Hopefully he figures out how to play in the NBA sooner than later because he'll be in the 9-10 player rotation that Coach McHale talked about. When his 3-PT shooting is on, he's deadly.

      It's interesting that on the offensive side, his upside is to be like KMart and his downside is Rashad McCants.

      http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeremy-Lamb-6380/

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    14. Lamb is incomparably better than Kevin Martin as an offensive player as far as raw talent goes, though Lamb's lack of physical strength obscures that.

      Kevin Martin is a head-down one-on-five player who scores only for himself. He's like Kobe Bryant without Bryant's battalions of All Star big men carrying him through games.

      Jeremy Lamb, on the other hand, is a complete two way talent who has a total skill set. He can fit into any kind of offense and play any kind of defense.

      The problem with Jeremy Lamb is that his body is not mature because he's only 19. His game is way ahead of his body, so Lamb can't physically overwhelm opponents the way he eventually will once he matures.

      I've followed the Knicks for decades, though I'm definitely not a Knick fan. If you took Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell of the Knicks and fused them into one guy, you'd have a mature Jeremy Lamb!

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  7. Where's all the haters and JLIN critics now? Geeze, they all seem to come out when he has bad games. Where's all the praise and good job comments?

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    1. NONE of those guys are Lin haters.

      They are actually Lin SUPERFANS who are easily misunderstood.

      I respect them.

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    2. I second KHuang's opinion.

      They are not haters and Lin's fans but like many older Chinese generations, many believe negative reinforcement is better to achieve excellence so we will never be satisfied with ourselves.

      I believe positive reinforcement works better, especially in JLin's case because he just didn't perform well in Golden State trying to hard to live up to the expectations of his fans and the whole Asia continent


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    3. Just to clarify, "they are Lin's fans".

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    4. Neither negative nor positive reinforcement is relevant on a fan site. They have no effect on his results.

      When doing performance analysis, Folks here should be offering approximately accurate assessments of Lin's performances, possibly with a bias toward overoptimism. Other than that, celebration of his performances and curiosity about his personal life are OK. Overly critical or negative comments should be met with irritation and strong rebuttals.

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    5. Michael, you said it well on the importance of mostly positive overall tone of our discussions in a fan site.

      We have excellent sharing of performance analysis on basketball and fun personal aspects related to JLin so it would be a shame to let name-calling, overtly negative criticism distract us from having positive interchange of ideas and thoughts.

      Everyone should be able to agree to disagree but still respect others.

      And I disagree to an extent that positive or negative reinforcement has no influence on his actual performance. While JLin might not be reading his fan site everyday, he was fully aware of some expectations from his fans that added to his pressure to perform well during his Golden State days.

      It was detrimental to his performance at the time only because he allowed it to be but he's human after all. I have a hard time believing that he never goes to this fan site to check out any update.

      If we as true fans want to see him do well, I would think it's everyone's responsibility to see what would help him do well on-court and off-court. Even if it's just well wishes from the fans or keeping trolls out, I believe it should have indirectly positive influence on court. Again, it's only IMHO.

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  8. This was just one preseason game. In the same way making judgments after one or a handful of preseason games is silly, it's also silly to assume Lin's game has rounded into shape after one game. Lin is going to be consistently very, very good, but we won't begin to know anything until we're playing games that count with the actual rotation and normal minutes. If you look around at the performances of Kyrie Irving, Dragic, Rondo, and Steve Nash in the preseason, you should see that preseason games are utterly utterly meaningless.

    Lin's game is about putting his team in position to win in 4th quarters and then him making plays in 4th quarters of competitive games. We haven't seen any of that this season. We know nothing.

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    1. Youre absolutely right - but tell that to those people who predicted a big castastophic season after preseason game numero uno :) Those people dont care. They come - they bash - they stay away and dont show up again until Lin has another bad game :)

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    2. I put more stock in preseason games. Yes, they are not on the same level as the regular season, but to think that the players on the court aren't giving it their all is a bit silly. It's still highly competitive and a good performance in the preseason is significant.

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  9. @KHuang,

    http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/224038/Source_William_Wesley_Went_To_Dolan_About_Firing_DAntoni

    I thought this was interesting in light of your alpha dog model of analyzing NBA players. :)

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    1. Someone had posted a link to the article where the quotes came from: espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8509424/new-york-knicks-star-carmelo-anthony-master-getting-way-espn-magazine

      It's a fascinating read.

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    2. Yeah Michael Terry, I enjoyed that link. It corroborated my theory that Carmelo Anthony was a beta who follows guys, and it also demonstrated how Lin eventually wrested full control of the Knicks from Anthony.

      The other thing that I found interesting is that Worldwide Wes is the sweet talking back stabbing mover and shaker BETA male that I figured CAA used to appeal to beta (gamma) males like James Dolan. Even though WWW Is the kind of snake oil beta salesman that alphas like me scoff at because he has no power of his own, WWW still has to be taken seriously because he can move masses of betas by the power of his tongue.

      The Knicks now have Jason Kidd who's an alpha male, but he can no longer produce. Thus his impact on the Knicks record will be limited. Right now I don't see an alpha male capable of leading the Knicks, and that is a real problem. Lin would have singlehandedly turned the Knicks into a CONTENDER.

      On the Rockets, alpha males abound. The owner Les Alexander is an alpha male, though Daryl Morey definitely is not. Kevin McHale is one of the biggest alpha males in NBA history, and of course so is Lin. Jeremy Lamb and Royce White are alphas, but I can't speak for the rest of the roster yet.

      Last season, McHale had an entire team of betas. They drove him nuts and he drove them nuts. The Rockets tried to alpha themselves, but it didn't work. That's why McHale was TRANSFIXED watching Lin whenever he had the chance, because Lin is an alpha who's McHale's kind of player!

      The player on the Rockets I find most interesting is Chandler Parsons. He talks the talk and walks the walk of an alpha, but he's actually a beta who looks to alphas like Lin for leadership when the going gets rough. To me, Parsons is the shining example of American society's "golden boy" and has been molded into a societal alpha, However, Parsons cannot be a true alpha any more than society cannot mold Jeremy Lin into a zeta!

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    3. "McHale was TRANSFIXED watching Lin"

      What do you mean by this?

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    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    5. Excellent question.

      At the start of Linsanity, Mchale was in his first season as Rockets coach. He had also cut Lin because he said that there was a guaranteed contract logjam at PG with Lowry, Dragic, and Flynn. McHale LOVED Lin in training camp.

      When Linsanity broke out, McHale followed Lin's progress as closely as we did. Every time he got a chance to watch Lin play, he did so. On the road, McHale would go to sports bars just to watch Lin dominate.

      What I find fascinating is that McHale and Rockets owner Les Alexander were FANBOYS who followed Lin just as hard as we do here. Unlike us, however, McHale and Alexander had their own NBA team that they were supposed to be following instead of a player from a different conference that they cut from their own training camp!

      It's obvious to me that Jeremy Lin was THE GUY that McHale and Alexander targeted in free agency. For all the media talk about Dwight Howard (a player McHale would've CLASHED with because Howard is a beta unable to handle an alpha role, like Carmelo Anthony), Lin was the main guy McHale and Alexander wanted for their Houston Rockets!

      Lin and McHale have gotten along great as two alphas willing to work together. McHale is the ultimate Lin FANBOY!

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    6. KHuang, this should be the new Rockets theme :D Loved the alpha and beta analogy!

      "New Age: McHale is the ultimate Lin FANBOY!"

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  10. Off topic: Major props to Comcast Houston for putting an Asian American face on their TV broadcasts - Howard Chen. He doesn't have what you would normally describe as having an appearance made for TV so it's refreshing to see them taking a chance on him.

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  11. I found this to be a fair and balanced assessment of JLin's performance last night with good and bad.

    Jeremy Lin & Houston Rockets Defeat Memphis Grizzlies 109-102

    The NBA expert is quite a fan of our very own JLin and he shared both the good and bad:

    BAD to improve:
    1. Need to work more on individual&team defense caused by non-100% conditioning yet
    2. Don't jump-to-pass
    3. Tired in 4th quarter causing missed shots

    GOOD:
    1. Looked very good especially on an incredible AST/TOV ratio 6/1. If he can keep it up in regular seasons, he will dominate.
    2. Jeremy (PER 17) played stand-still with Mike Conley (PER 19)
    3. Amazing crossover against Conley at end of half or early 3rd quarter indicating his explosiveness is coming back.
    4. Good command of offense.

    Overall Lin's scouting report:
    - extremely fast from FT line to FT line. BAM score proved that.
    - good in Pick&Roll, especially to the right. The way teams stop him now (or end of last year) is to double team in P&R and force him to go left. When he is able to beat P&R and go left, he'll be lethal on half-court offense.
    - almost unstoppable in full-court offense
    - much better going to left.

    Others:
    - Asik will be really good. Asik was 6' until 17 so he maintains good coordination now.
    - Delfino will be key member of the bench
    - Houston will scare a lot of teams because they're quick and athletic similar to OKC scared Lakers in playoff 2 years ago
    - Kmart is impressive as an efficient shooter like 2-3 years ago, vs. just volume shooter
    - Memphis is a good 2nd-tier team but lost. This was not a concession.

    Prediction for this season
    - More likely to have 12 pts/12 assists than Linsanity numbers (25 pts/5 assists) because Houston has great scorers

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    1. 12 assists ? That may be too much

      14 pts and 9 assists

      By the way, only martin is the great scorer in Houston.

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    2. I agree, neph.

      12 assists is the high ceiling if Houston has deadly shooters and veterans. Delfino and Parsons shot well yesterday but this is just preseason.

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    3. Funny before the Rockets played any games, people all said Houston had next to no scorer and a lot of people predicted that Lin would be the no 1 scoring option. But now people said that Houston "had great scorers", so Lin didn't need to score much. I don't think people fully realize that it's Lin having a "Steve Nash effect" here that he now is making his teammates from mediocre scorers to great scorers, like he always does on his team!

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    4. Neph, if you watch Martin closely, Martin is a great scorer simply b/c he shoots ALOT. But then again that's how all great scorers are. 45% shooting, scoring 20+ 25+ points, which means that they, on avg, take about 20+ shots a game. What you need is an efficient scorer such as Dirk or BRoy. I believe Parsons is that type of player. Scoring when needed. Martin on the other than will shoot regardless of team's needs, which is why even with 20+ pts career avg his teams never won. With JLin running the floor, I'm not sure how much of mindless shots Martin will be able to take this season.

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    5. Martin took 11 shots and scored 22 if I'm not mistaken. He used to be very efficient 3 seasons ago. He's automatic from the perimeter.

      Parsons is definitely not a scorer. He's a versatile player maybe a semi point-forward. He can shoot from outside but not the way Martin can. He's similar to Marion except that MArion was a better rebounder and Parsons is a better ball-handler and passer.

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    6. Cara, Jeremy does have the "Steve Nash" effect to make others better scorers by great timing of his passes.

      It's funny how someone in Clutchfans tried to discredit the 12 assists yesterday because great scorers making JLin look good. By the same token, Memphis has bad scorers since he only had 1 assist. What a ridiculous argument! The law of averages clearly disproved it.

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  12. More analysis of a critical variety from a Houston fansite:

    "I thought Jeremy Lin looked awful. Then I looked at the scoreboard and saw he had 11 assists. He airballed a few shot attempts, lending weight to the theory that what has hindered him is the recovering leg."

    "One thing that jumped out at me from last night's game is that Lin is REALLY uncomfortable leading the break. It's a sea-change from how assured Lowry and especially Dragic were last year. Lin shows a good eye for putting a long pass forward to someone who's been leaking out. But if he is running the break himself, he looks hesitant and unsure. Often he tries too hard to draw contact and ends up missing the shot, or passing at the wrong time to a trailing teammate. This is in part why his shooting has looked so awful in preseason - there have been a number of buckets that have looked like gimmes that he has fluffed. Perhaps something to keep an eye on as the season develops and see if he can get better at it.

    Lin had a pretty good game statistically if you take out his poor shooting. Plenty of assists (several of the aforementioned pass ahead on the break variety) and he was active on defence with some decent steals. The overall impression I got of his play was still that it was a bit shaky though. There were several times where he looked to penetrate and found he couldn't get by his man, having to dish back out again. Sometimes this still led to an open shot, so I guess I can't complain too much. But I suspect that he is still feeling the effects of the surgery and some of the explosiveness he had last year is still a bit lacking. Hopefully that will improve as the season goes on."

    http://www.red94.net/memphis-grizzlies-houston-rockets-postgame-recap/10155/#comments

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    1. I never found those so called long term Rockets fans' Lin analysis "fair". They had to bring out the names of Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic every single time. Basically they are acting like Lin's someone who stole their girlfriend and thus watching him through some "rose glasses" due to their agenda. The worst part is that they had to blame the Rockets not signing Dragic because of Lin's presumed greater marketing potential. They are not objective at all. So really no need to take their words seriously.

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    2. Agree - those are fair assessments and it shows that people out there are not all Lin haters. Like I mentioned many times before. You will always find Lin haters no matter where you go (forums) - but these haters are a minority. Most people are not exactly on fire yet but they are quite fair!

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    3. Not really. The things he pointed out are what you can observe from all NBA point guards. I see CP3 get confused or lose the ball on penetrations when there is BG or DJ wide opened down low. Again, assessments like these cannot be taken seriously based on one pre-season game.

      He used the word "aweful" to describe JLin's game yet he points out that JLin had good numbers and Houston ended up winning...
      If he can put up numbers like that and win the game on his AWEFUL days, just imagine how AWESOME he will be in his REGULAR days... lol
      what a douche... haha

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    4. LOL. Not really fair, obviously, if you've followed the preseason for the Rockets. The Rockets are supposed to be horrible, but instead have beaten or been competitive with several playoff teams...as long as Lin is playing. The difference in both the offense and defense when Lin is managing his team is just as obvious today as it was when he was on and off the court as it was when he was with NY.

      Last year, the same things were said about Lin. His handle is shaky, he can't go left, blah, blah. There's only one thing that matters, production and winning. When people talk about things that can't be objectively refuted, like how "hesitant" Lin looked on his way to 12 assists in 30 minutes, I will continue to have one response. Scoreboard.

      Small minds will continue to criticize the aesthetics of his cuts and prettiness of his jumper like it's a figure skating competition.

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    5. @Cara:

      There are Rockets fans who moan over the loss of their players just like many Knicks fans moan over the loss of JLin. Cant blame them. They are loyal fans.

      Anyway - they need time to get to know, like, value and embrace JLin. As long as they review his games with an open mind and judge them halfway fairly -> Im good. Thats a good start.

      We as JLin fans dont do JLin a favor if we bicker about every single comparism Rockets fans make. We can only ask them to calm down and wait for Linsanity 2.0 to kick in...

      Delete
    6. @Addict
      @Terry

      It really depends on your point of view. Since youre here you are JLin fans and see things more positive than others do. Also you know JLins style of play and you can tell immediately whats great about JLins yesterdays perforamnce.

      The fact that the dude looked at the socreboard and figured that JLin had great assists numbers is basicly an admission that he had missed something...

      Also - compared to how Im used to see JLin play (last season) I would also say he seems to be hesitant and unconfident AT TIMES. I attribute that all to his knee and that obsevation is consistent with what the coach says.

      Imagine the above quoted statement in a forum of Rockets fans - not JLin fans and it seems quite fair...

      Delete
    7. Yes, long-term Rocket fans looked at JLin with skeptical eyes. They did not watch all JLin games with the Knicks like we did so they can only compare his performance with Lowry and Dragic.

      Just give them time to see how JLin's playmaking ability win them games in the 4th quarters and they will embrace him and forget Lowry/Dragic.

      Delete
    8. ClutchFans (or CrotchFans, as I call them) is one of the most idiotic Houston fan forum sites in terms of JLin.

      Some of the posters on there have a definite hostility to Lin and make me want to root against Houston.

      Hell, they make New York fans seem fair and balanced in comparison!


      Delete
    9. So what? Some of the posters here definitely hate JLin as well :) It was the same when Lin was still in NY. People were bashing him on a regular basis. Even on Knicks.com

      I am sure some haters on clutchfans post here on a regular basis, too. What does it tell us? -> fulltime hater -> mental problem -> crazy people. I have been follwing some threads on clutchfans. The haters are in the minority. They are often being ignored as well.

      Delete
    10. On this forum, the Lin criticisms have been VERY TAME.

      Most of the vitriol (which is still tame compared to most other places) is directed not at Lin but at other members here. It's Lin fan vs. Lin fan, not Lin fan vs. hater or hater vs. hater.

      The Asian American presence is very strong here, so we collectively don't endorse or even permit racism the way all other forums do. Consequently we have people of all colors discussing Lin intelligently instead of trying to flame others based strictly on their skin color.

      The best way for opposing teams to scout Lin is to log onto this website and read for 5 minutes!

      Delete
  13. Tuesday night Nash was the starting pg and had a 12 min, 1 AST, 4 TO game. Very un-Nash like.
    Just to show that preseason is exact what it is... preseason. Players use this time to figure out themselves and also their new teammates. PGs, especially, have a difficult task with coaches trying to figure out the best rotation and the players to keep or send to D league.

    Check out the excellent article on Rockets' site. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/five-things-weve-learned-through-five-games

    Godspeed to Jeremy and his teammates.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was curious to see how the Rox managed to start slow trailing 9-16 in the 1st quarter but started a 13-2 run to make it 22-18 by the time JLin was subbed by Douglas with 2 min left in the 1st quarter.

    The key was an impressive block by Patterson on Zack Randolph at 4:24 that triggered multiple fast-breaks, easy passes by JLin, great defense with 2 steals resulting in 2 threes (KMart, Delfino), 3 free-throws, 2 layups, 4 assists in just over 2 min. Easy points, easy passes and great ball movement!

    This is the Rox's team identity this season. It has to start with a strong defense that triggers multiple fast breaks with easy scoring opportunities (layups, free-throws, 3 pointers). Coach McHale preached this a lot that they have to outrun the other teams to win games this season.

    Very exciting to watch! It's similar to Phoenix Suns Run N' Gun offense but with some rebounding from Asik and Patterson. I hope Coach will drill the importance of strong defense over and over again in the next week!

    The Rox might be young and too inexperienced to run half-court offense but they're quick and athletic enough to score a barrage of points in a hurry. JLin's full-court vision will make them almost unstoppable!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is very exciting. The Rockets so far seems to be a very good place for Jeremy to thrive and to grow in. He has teammates that believe in him (at least in Parsons, perhaps others too), a head coach that believes in him, and an owner that believes in him. Especially considering all the doubt that Jeremy has had to battle against all his life, this is a very positive environment for him.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Analyzing preseason games are much like eating appetizers.

    You don't want to overdo it but sometimes you're so hungry for the main course (regular games) so you can't get enough of it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think we need to make one thing clear. Jeremy Lin is not great, not yet anyway. He has the potential but that goes for any NBA player with an upside. In order to be great, one needs a body of work. Michael Jordan is great, Kobe Bryant is great, Tim Duncan is great... So please don't say he's a great player when he's not. We can believe that he will but can't flat out say that he is... This is not aimed at everyone but those that are a little delusional...just a little. Reading this board, I notice that there are 3 kinds of fan 1. He's the best and I don't care what everyone thinks, 2. He's good but still needs to see because no one knows what happens in the future, and 3. Flat out hater aide. Which one do you fall into?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. None of the abaove.

      MJ, KB, TD are not great players, they are Hall of Famers.

      Jeremy Lin stats say that he's a great player. No matter how you look at it he is. He's just not as flashy as most PG's like CP3 or throw flashy dimes like Steve Nash, he's a great fundamental player. He's like a Tim Duncan fundamental player but once in a while will do a CP3 type move. That's why his skill is very deceiving. To the naked eye he looks avg, but stats & intangibles and W's speak for a players game. That's why Rockets payed this guy alot of money to get him.

      Delete
    2. He's a unique player to me

      Delete
    3. Guess its a difference of degree on what we call great. No matter, to me great has to factor in time. For example, grant hill had the potential to be great and could've been great had he not have gotten injured.

      Delete
    4. Hi JLi. Good to see another JLi

      Delete
    5. Hi there, did you think your account got hacked? I did...

      Delete
    6. Kb and td are future hall of famers... And hall of famers were great players.

      Delete
    7. Really? Who are all the people here saying Lin is great? As far as I know, I'm one of just two or three on here making the strongest claims about Lin, and I justify my claims with stats and specific evidence that can be affirmed or refuted. And I don't say he's "great", particularly because that has no falsifiable definition in this context.

      I claim Lin was one of the best 40 players in the NBA last year, since he was top 40 in both PER and adjusted +/-. I claim his upside is Nash level, so MVP potential. His output would look different from Nash as he has different strengths, but he has the potential to have at least the same impact on winning and losing as Nash. I make this claim based on comparing his output in his first few starts to other players making their first few starts plus his combine tests for athleticism plus his use of deliberate practice in the off season plus his demonstrated improvement plus descriptions of his psychological makeup by those who know him best plus his youth and inexperience.

      Delete
    8. The person that responded pretty much say he is. Not arguing that he doesn't have the potential cause he does. Maybe I'm confusing posting from clutchfan but it doesn't negate the fact that there are people thinks that way, just like ones that think the opposite. That's why there's so much heated discussions. I remain in the middle as a fan.

      Delete
    9. I have repeatedly called Lin a "great" player, but my definition of "great" is different from JLi's.

      For me, "great" is about being able to positively influence a game toward winning. Jeremy Lin, by that definition, is a "great" player in today's NBA.

      There are a lot of All Stars that I don't consider "great" because they don't help their teams win. Lin's former teammate Carmelo Anthony is one of those players. Anthony scores a lot of points, but he's toxic in all other aspects of the game and contributes mightily to the Knicks malaise. This season Anthony won't have Lin to save the season.

      By the way, my definition of "great" results in me valuing players COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY from most other basketball fans. For example, Shane Battier is a "great" player to me because he drastically improves every team he goes to. And then there are guys like Tyler Hansbrough who everybody considers a scrub but who has performed like a "great player" when he got the rare chance to start for the Pacers.

      Delete
    10. @JLi:

      Your definition of "great" is flawed. For you "great" needs a body of work. Why make things so complicated and change definition of words? Other people would define "great" and "body of work" as success...

      This is a fan site. "Fan" comes from "fanatic". If youre not fanatic youre not a real fan. So - your three categories of "fan" are flawed as well :)

      We see JLins potential. We thinks JLin is great and we hope hes going to be a successful NBA player.

      Delete
    11. I am just a supporter of Jeremy. I pray that he can play the best that he can play, and that God enables him to have a good career in the NBA.

      Delete
    12. When you put together a list of "great" players, Jeremy lin is not on that list. My definition is not flawed, just a difference in opinion.

      Delete
    13. The OP has a point. We (everyone on this thread so far) are JLin fans...... Cheers everyone.

      Enjoy the following fascinating footage of the Antarctic killer leopard seal pampering the photographer like a mother-hen.

      http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/10/18/National-Geographic-Photographer-Paul-Nicklen-surprise-encounter-with-Leopard-Seal-Antarctica

      Delete
    14. When you put together a list of "great" players, Jeremy lin is not on that list. My definition is not flawed, just a difference in opinion.

      Delete
    15. You're calling "historic" players "great" players, JLi.

      Jeremy Lin is not a "historic" player yet, though his accomplishments thus far are definitely pointed toward the Hall of Fame. That time will come after many long successful NBA seasons.

      However, the game is played NOW. Many "great" players like Jason Kidd are no longer producing on the court the way they used to. Jeremy Lin doesn't have the length of time spent in the league, but nobody can dispute his DOMINATION at the NBA level. That's how people here are defining "great" with Lin - he's able to dominate NOW.

      So there's no need to call people here "delusional" when they're talking about Lin being "great" in terms of his game to game dominance while you're talking about "great" being "historical". And all signs are that Jeremy Lin WILL make your historic list of players!

      Nor is there a need to categorize people here. Basketball is not high school where only certain people hang out with certain people. Nor is it like the college admission process in which a committee decides who's worthy and who's not.

      Delete
    16. My apologies if I came off offensive but my views remain the same. A song writer who writes 1 hit song does not make him a great song writer. It makes him a one hit wonder. If Jeremy Lin was to end his career today, i wouldn't call him a geat player. To you and many others maybe but not by my standards. Don't get me wrong, he has the characteristics of one but cant be labeled as one. Just ask yourself this question, if you ask jeremy Lin today if he can be consider a great player? I think everyone knows what his answers going to be. KB and TD are still present players. My opinion, one can't ask for other people to give him more time when he's being criticized and at the same time put him on a pedestal.

      Delete
    17. If I'm going to use the word great, I will say he's got great potential.

      Delete
  18. Deron Williams 31 minutes, 6 TOs, 2-8 FG, Brooklyn loses by 30. If Jlin did that, there would be calls to deport him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I noticed that as well, and almost posted all three players' stats. In their last 2 games, Rajon and Deron had more TOs than JLin.

      Pro basketball is an extremely physical sport, and PGs on average should have more TO than players at any other position on the team (I don't mean it's good; just that it's normal and to be expected). As long as the team wins it doesn't matter - that's what happened during the Linsanity winning streak.

      Delete
  19. He played better,when his parents dropped out of sight.
    Remember hometown pressure during rookie year?
    Pleasantly glowed during NYC days.
    His parents followed him on asian trip during this summer, even competed for tv interview spotlight. He is still recovering from parents' shadow. .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LIKE Lin's parents.

      Without them, Lin wouldn't be Lin.

      Lin has his parents looking over his shoulder. That's why he's been so successful all his life. I want to see that continue.

      In fact, I would love for Lin to RELEARN that side shooting jump shot from his dad (who learned it by watching Stockton and Jordan and Bird shoot like that.) I am dead serious when I say that I think that Gie Ming Lin was the best shooting coach Jeremy Lin ever had!

      Delete
    2. @ming:

      His parents didnt compete to get spotlight - they were avoiding the spotlight. His parents were asked for interviews since day one. Did you see any interviews from his parents before Taiwan? The Lins are actually so shy - they dont even dare to kiss when on kisscam. JLins mom is not an ice-skate mom. She wanted JLin to end his NBA career. That makes her the opposite of an ice skate mom.

      JLin himself said that he plays better when his mom is around... so much for your theories :)

      Delete
    3. @ming, the hometown pressure during GS year was due to an overly enthusiastic fans that start clapping when he just enters the game or dribbles the ball. So it was adding unnecessary pressure. This was very well documented with an article (Kawakami?) calling the fans to stop doing it to help Jeremy play well.

      And that's right, @willy. I remember reading about him saying he plays better when his mom is watching.

      His success wouldn't happen without the unrelenting support from his parents. Remember that he looked forward to go on a fishing trip with his family after the bad Miami game then played well after the All-Star break. That's one proof that his family support helps him to play well.

      Delete
    4. his parent are very low key indeed and tried to avoid the spotlight on numerous occasions. the problem is his mom being the one that make decision over his son career. from business to personal. as i said before i wouldn't be surprise if he did not have any say over his own money instead only getting an allowances. the way he acts, the way he carries himself, that's why a lot of people say he is a big kid not yet a man. even his GQ appearance lacks masculinity. i mean come on is GQ!!

      Delete
    5. imagine if he is dating some models or whatever. don't u think his mom will interfere??... exactly!! his parent have too much control of him and always expect him to be that good, reserved Asian boy.
      Don't expect him to break Asian male stereotype like Bruce Lee does. Just hope he become an all-star player.

      Delete
    6. This ma_ma boy is not going to wean,unchristian manners,as long as Tiger mom casting control spells.
      Overdose of parental LOVE will cause more troubles.Parents!,step aside,let GOD guides him.

      Delete
    7. @ 777am

      [About the GQ cover]

      To be fair, that Bieber-esque monstrosity was ALL GQ [JLin had MINIMUM INPUT in the decision-making.] Toy ball, toy clothes, a boy.
      Drose GQ
      CP3 GQ
      From the same photog, Kudacki.
      [The 1st pic alludes to Newton as a rookie.]

      Delete
    8. @ Psalm

      "This was very well documented with an article (Kawakami?) calling the fans to stop doing it to help Jeremy play well."
      - Stop cheering for Jeremy Lin

      Delete
    9. I don't blame either Jeremy Lin or the Golden State fans for the pressure Jeremy Lin felt.

      I blame Golden State's idiotic coaching staff that couldn't have handled Lin more stupidly than they did.

      The Warriors were completely unprepared for the media barrage and fan love, but they were even more unprepared for the fact that Jeremy Lin was the BEST GUARD they had!

      Keith Smart and the Warriors coaches tried to bench Lin off the team, but it failed because Jeremy Lin tore up the D league and dominated in his time on the NBA court. I'll bet he KILLED people in practice too, just like he did at NY and Houston.

      Because Smart and the Warriors were jealous of Lin's game and attention, the Warriors put extra negative pressure on Lin. If anything, the Warriors fans HELPED Lin get through the season!

      Delete
    10. Thanks @via for the link,

      I agree there was a certain jealousy factor and animosity from players (Monta Ellis?) because of fans' adoration to JLin.

      As far as Coach Keith Smart, he clearly did not take time to develop Jeremy and gave him more playing time. At first, it sounded good when Coach Smart let people foul him during practice to toughen him up and be ready for games but why not play him more after good games (vs. Lakers?) and continued to stick with his guy (Acie Law).

      Coach Smart did not choose JLin as everyone thought Jeremy was the owner's (Mr. Lacob) pet project or even a marketing ploy. I believe it would have been better for Jeremy to go to Dallas since the coaches believed in him but he also learned from the adversity of being sent to D-League 3 times and got better each time.

      Adversity builds character but only the strong like Jeremy will survive. His coach didn't believe in him, he didn't believe in himself but he prayed and persevered in the end!

      Delete
    11. And it was unjustified to think his parents have bad influence or too controlling as we have no proof. As much as we want him to fit into our personal mold of what he should be, his family sacrificed much for their children's success so if Jeremy chooses to be close to his parents, who are we to say otherwise?

      Until we hear stories on how controlling his mom might be on how to spend his money or choose girlfriends, it's just speculation, hearsay or jealousy.

      "Tight-Knit Family Shares Lin’s Achievement" article talked about how much the Lin family sacrificed for him through bankruptcy and all and they shared his achievement
      "...
      As devout Christians, Shirley and Gie-Ming preached humility to their children, and they spoke from experience. After being widowed, Gie-Ming’s mother raised five children on her husband’s savings, she said.

      For Shirley and Gie-Ming, money became tighter as their family grew. Not long after they bought their home here, their debts forced Gie-Ming to file for bankruptcy in 1995, according to court records. After a reorganization of finances, the case was dismissed 11 months later.
      .."

      Delete
    12. No Dallas for Jeremy Lin in his rookie year.

      GM Donn Nelson wanted Lin to play the WHOLE YEAR without a chance for a NBA callup.

      The following year (last season), Lin would have spent ANOTHER YEAR in the D league because of the lockout shortened season and no training camp.

      So had Jeremy Lin signed with Dallas instead of Golden State, he'd be in an NBA training camp trying to win a spot as a clueless rookie! No Linsanity, no multimillion dollar contract, no NBA experience!!!

      Delete
    13. edit: Donn Nelson wanted Lin to play his entire rookie season in the D League with zero chance of an NBA callup.

      Lin correctly said NO WAY!!!

      Delete
    14. @ming:

      If "mama_boy" means you get a 25 mil contract I wanna be a mamma boy, too. You seem to know things better than Jeremy Lin - what sort of contract do you have? Stop insulting the man and go find help about your oedipus complex. Dont project it on JLin.

      Delete
    15. you are correct, KHuang. Dallas told him he was one year away to be ready to plan in the NBA so they wanted him to develop in D-league for a year. Jeremy pointed out to a Dallas roster stacked with PGs (Kidd, Barea, Beaubois) so that played into his consideration to choose GS.

      The funny thing is had Jeremy not experienced the adversity of excessive cheering and being benched in GS, he wouldn't be ready for a meteoric rise in the bright light of NY rising from the end of the bench to perform at the highest level. We can say God aligned the stars so he was prepared to overcome adversity to create Linsanity in Feb 2012. Man, to think that we only wanted 10-15 playing time back in GS days :D

      It makes me not mind so much of my adversity now since it'll make me strong!

      Delete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jeremy Lin - FULL HIGHLIGHTS Houston Rockets vs Memphis Grizzlies 10/17/2012

    The commentators were impressed that JLin had total control of the floor as a floor general.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Will Leitch: I wrote the cover story for this month’s issue of GQ on Jeremy Lin. He is the first person I’ve ever interviewed who fell asleep on me in the middle of the interview. It’s honestly surprising that doesn’t happen all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Daryl Morey ‏@dmorey
    More preseason info: @_ScottMachado is leading all players in NBA preseason in assists per teammate FGM & assists per touch
    12:42 PM - 18 Oct 12

    Daryl Morey ‏@dmorey
    Preseason info: @cabezadelfino leading the NBA in percentage of good shots taken at 83%, just ahead of our old friend @shanebattier
    12:53 PM - 18 Oct 12

    Daryl Morey ‏@dmorey
    Final preseason info nugget: @JLin7 is leading the NBA in steals per opportunity
    12:58 PM - 18 Oct 12

    ReplyDelete
  24. NBA.com/Stats ‏@nbastats
    Jeremy Lin led all players in assists Wednesday, dropping 12 dimes in the @HoustonRockets 109-102 win over the #Grizzlies
    8:02 AM - 18 Oct 12

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lxxx ‏@LxxxHxxxx
    @RocketsJCF who do you think will have the best chance to represent the rox at the all star game this year?
    11:29 AM - 18 Oct 12

    Jason Friedman ‏@RocketsJCF
    @LxxxHxxxx Lin for sure the best bet because he is a lock to receive a significant number of votes from fans in Asia.
    11:50 AM - 18 Oct 12

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Mag makes predictions for all 30 NBA teams


    15. Houston Rockets | Southwest: 5th

    Conventional wisdom: What a mess! No Howard. No go-to guys. No chance.

    Actual wisdom: It only seemed as if Houston acquired, traded or released every player in the NBA in an effort to land Howard. In fact, some young talent survived. There is rookie trio Jeremy Lamb, Royce White and Terrence Jones. There is out-of-nowhere young guns Chandler Parsons and Lin. There is hope. What there's not is a frontcourt that can score, or a shot at competing in the West this season. The upside: GM Daryl Morey gets one more chance at the lottery. -- T.L.

    Basketball Prospectus predictions
    Projected record: 18.2-63.8
    If Lin averages 20/8/4: 22-60 (15th in West)
    If Kyle Lowry were still PG: 19-63 (15th in West)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will be better than the Hornets for sure. So, they will finish 4th in the southwest.

      22 wins is too low

      I expect 33-35 wins

      The Rockets will be better than the Suns, Kings and Hornets

      Delete
    2. I predict 40ish wins.

      The Rockets are going to be as good as any team on defense, even without the superstar ref help that makes guys like Dwight Howard way better than they really are.

      Offensively, the Rockets are going to be just fine too. Lin's Rockets are a POWER TEAM that plays above the rim and shoots open threes with accuracy. My sole concern is inside scoring, but the young Rockets big men are getting the ball in great spots due to Lin's superb floor game.

      Believe it or not, I see the Rockets vaulting past Portland. I see the Rockets in a hotly contested battle royale against the Nuggets, Mavericks, and Clippers.

      On paper, this Rockets team should be at the BOTTOM of the entire West. But Jeremy Lin is there, and that's why they'll surprise a lot of people and play like a TEAM.

      I don't care what accolades Lin gets or doesn't gets. If he leads the Rockets to the playoffs, he deserves the 2013 MVP award.

      Delete
  27. [laugh to keep from crying]

    Jay Caspian Kang ‏@jaycaspiankang
    I like thinking up racist things announcers can yell. Like if Jeremy Lin dunks on Rony Turiaf... "RICE A RONY FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO KID!"
    3:47 PM - 18 Oct 12

    Alan Cho ‏@choaffable
    @jaycaspiankang "Jeremy Lin is getting getting beat out there like every trash can he's ever parallel parked into."
    3:57 PM - 18 Oct 12

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Rice a Rony" is funny to me and not racist in the least.

      I've been been called things like "Pork Fried Rice" by racists, but I just can't get angry about it. I LOVE Pork Fried Rice.

      Nobody ever taunted me on the basketball court with the "Go back to orchestra" taunt that Lin endured, and I WISH I DID. I LOVE orchestra just as much as I love Pork Fried Rice!

      When I lived in New York decades ago, people used to pull up alongside me in cars and scream racial epithets at me. I'd turn right at them and scream far worse things at them. Their shock at hearing me curse vile horrible things at them in perfect English was registered as an "O" on their mouths!

      Delete
    2. Jay Caspian Kang is a wannabe Bill Simmons douchebag--only less talented as a writer.

      The boy thinks he's being oh-so-cute. /Roll eyes.

      Delete
  28. so who is this jaren yang kid? sick handles.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbKrV4Ymk5o
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsss8wUNbtc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. This kid probably is better skilled than JLin was at his age. He almost seems like he's ready for college hoops in that he can drive to both sides, has a good court vision and jumpers. And he plays solid basketball. If he can grow to 6.2 plus, he already has all the skills. If he can grow, he's bona fide. Wow, impressed.

      Delete
    3. If this is a JV video he has a long way to go. I played all 4 years Varsity Division 2 League high school in Los Angeles. Most of the people I played against were black and my all my teammates were black. We played other school like Mater Dei. I had a couple All American teammates who were heavily recruited by big name Universities. I was only asian guy and I was only 5'5 and now I'm 5'7". In my personal experience height definitely helps unless you have god given given gifts like Nate Robinson.

      If Jeremy Lin who's an amazing player had trouble getting scouted, I definitely didn't have any hope of doing so. Even the time when I did get scouted by an All American Scout to try out for the 15-16 year old All American Team, my coaches sabotaged my chances of trying out.

      This kid has potential. He has a good left hand already, but he'll need more explosiveness to play in Varsity and have a quicker shooting release since he's under-sized. I remember when I was playing against 6ft and up point guards and I was only 5'5" when I would shoot over them I didn't see the basket until the peak of my jump. One thing that Jeremy Lin does great is to finish with contact. That's something this kid needs to practice.

      I like his court vision though and he has a mean cross over. He also has some nice feint moves to fake out his opponents.

      He should work on strength, explosiveness, jumping, quick release, running floaters. Definitely running floaters to get a shot off over 7ft centers.

      Delete
    4. I think they should have another NBA league for shorter people; it's not fair that you have to be so tall to be good in basketball. This is one reason why I like soccer better than basketball.

      Delete
    5. Yeah soccer you have a better opportunity to make in soccer as a short person than any other sport. Of course there's always those exceptions, but in general, soccer gives short people a chance to play professional.

      Delete
    6. Impressive indeed, but judging from his last name, I assume he's Mong American. I have a few friends who are of Mong Americans. These fellas can really play bball, but they are just too dam short. Perhaps Jaren Yang is not of Mong descendant, then that's a different story.

      Delete
    7. yeah seen this clips before. he got to grow to at least 6ft to make it to divison I. how old is he and how tall is he? anyone with any info?

      Delete
    8. comments on youtube video say he's 5'8" sophmore in JV.

      Delete
    9. I hope JLin inspires many "tall" Asian-American kids to play basketball. I also see many great "short" Asian-American tennis players. JLin was very lucky to reach 6 feet 3 in height.

      Delete
    10. He said it was a miracle he can reach 6'3" while both his parents are only 5'6".
      Healthy nutrition and insatiable appetite for In-N-Burger sure helped him to be tall :)

      Maybe this Jaren Yang kid can copy Jeremy's recipe and grow to 6'2'' or 6'3".
      The short NBA players like Nate Robinson, Muggsy Bowes had incredible athleticism so he would need to combine speed with strength to even play in college. He's really good though but I didn't see him score on physical contacts.

      Delete
    11. Yeah, if they were competing for the same spot, I would make Trevor guy the starting player. He seems to me a little bit quicker. Both players seem like they will not be too tall given their stocky builds. Yeah, Trevor kid is pretty awesome, dribbles better than some NBA guards.

      Delete
    12. What's Trevor Dunbar's nationality?

      Reminds me of CP3 in high school. Someone taught him some good fundamental dribbling skills and then he put his own (I like to call it hippity-hop mix) into it.

      Has a nice cross-over step back jumper and quick release. Very nice spin move.

      Looking forward to his development.

      Delete
    13. I almost thought Trevor Dunbar was Filipino, or at least mixed with a little Asian descent but I think I'm wrong...anyone know?

      Delete
    14. After reviewing their videos again, I have to say Trevor Dunbar is one level above Jaren Yang in all aspects. I hope he grows taller so he can star in college and NBA. If it can be said Jaren Yang beats his defenders, this kid Trevor leaves them dazed, and he creates such a space before releasing quick jump shots that I think he can star in NBA even at 5 feet 8.

      Delete
    15. @ 777am

      Jaren Yang
      age: 17
      height: 5'9
      ---

      @ JeffreyBBallFan

      Trevor Dunbar, 50% asian.
      [info from comments on an article]

      Delete
  29. Makes me laugh when people come to this forum and tell us JLin fans how to be a JLin fan. JLin is not just great, he's awesome. At least to me he is. I love his style of ballin. So don't cone in here and tell me that my admiration for Lin's basketball talent 'GREAT' is not valid. Peace!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. I am just a big supporter of Jeremy. If he does well or not well on the court, I support him either way. It is just wonderful to see an American Born Chinese excel in a field that few Asian excel in. Jeremy enables Asian parents to encourage their kids to excel in all fields. I pray that he has a long and productive NBA career, and help many people through his actions on/off the court and through his foundation.

      Delete
    2. Same crazy people as always :) They have been doing it since day one. They have different screennames but its always the same bla bla. Im quite sick of it. However - it doesnt seem like the admin of this site is willing to start a real forum...

      Delete
    3. This IS a real forum!

      Administration is doing a great job.

      I want nothing changed and no one banned.

      Delete
    4. @KHuang:

      Im talking about a classical forum with its own forum software. This way you can exchange messages directly with forum members, easily contact the admin or insert pictures and videos in the post and so on. Forum software can also be tweaked to check for double members (ip, network adress).

      Delete
    5. ...it would be easier to quote, you can search for old posts...

      Delete
    6. Oh, my bad willydilly.

      I still like things the way they are. It's simple enough for me to understand.

      Delete
    7. Thanks guys. Maybe the host is already working on something.

      @KHuang:
      I also like the simplicity of this site. Forum software can be integrated to make it just appear like this - but - it would give us some extra functions.

      Delete
  30. Lol, people on the clutch fans site want the Rockets to tank this season and lose as many games as possible to get the #1 pick. Tanking is for losers, you lose respect from your players and the league. No free agent will take your team seriously.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For real? Can you please give a link to the post?

      Delete
    2. those people are being foolish. Some teams never came out from the losing mentality and it builds losing culture that is hard to change. I remember there was a good article discussing the pro and cons.

      And for the Rox owner and GM Morey, why would they want to tank? Businesses are booming with more Chinese companies knocking at the door. If they're losing, they won't be as popular in China. If they're winning, more free agents will want to join.

      Delete
    3. Indeed, there are a lot of pro-tankers in Clutchfans. I think they want a top 5 pick. They actually want Wiggins (I think). Anyways, they say that because they feel JLin is not an all-star caliber point guard. However, if they think otherwise then I doubt they would be thinking of tanking.

      By the way, there were rockets fans in thedreamshake.com that really have very low expectations for Lin.

      With that being said, it is still too early to tell.

      Delete
    4. Who cares what they think? There are Clutchfan-ers who think that Jeremy Lin = a 6'-3" Yao Ming. That he's just a 100% PR gimmick who doesn't make the team any better. When was the last time Yao Ming ran an offense and got 12 assists ?

      People don't think with their heads, they would rather listen to ESPN reporters about a game ... than watching the actual game!!

      Delete
    5. They've been on this tanking crusade for some time. Don't think Les will allow it.
      ---

      Great Hype Hope
      The Houston Rockets think Jeremy Lin is their savior. They are mistaken.

      Delete
    6. To be fair, Clutchfan-ers respect Yao Ming a lot and there are numerous people (not all) there that believes JLin is a good point guard (not great). Obviously, there are some trolls there but majority give great insights about the game.

      -There were a lot of fans who gave credit to Lin after his games versus the Griz. However, they were just cautious of not being too excited or having expectations that are too high.

      Moreover, some fans there are irritated to fans that keep posting about New York Knicks. Another thing they want is to keep the team first and the players 2nd. That is usually the start of every argument.

      Anyways, there are great analysis you can find in that site.

      Delete
    7. "I got Comcast but I don't care never felt like this before but I'm still upset about the entire Dragic / Lin saga. I'm sure I'll get over it eventually but that's how I'm feeling now. I do like that we've decided to rebuild. I like asik & the young players a lot. Just butt hurt about the farce that is linsanity.

      This seems to be the general sentiment towards Lin among those "long term Rockets fans". Anyway fans usually get attached with players who their team drafted or developed. That could explain why they seem to love Asik and those rookies more than Lin now. You could see those fans love Yao way more than say McGrady as well although McGrady was the more accomplished player. Also I remember they used to say horrible things about Yao before he started to break out as well. So let's not care what they are saying now. I suspect they will love Lin when he dominates for many years for them.

      Delete
    8. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    9. @Via Wong:
      THX!

      @ABC Baller:
      "...people on the clutch fans site want the Rockets to tank this season and lose..."

      You make it sound like the whole forum wants the Rockets to tank this season -> not true. There are just a hand full of people who really want that to happen.

      Delete
    10. "Who cares what they think? There are Clutchfan-ers who think that Jeremy Lin = a 6'-3" Yao Ming. That he's just a 100% PR gimmick who doesn't make the team any better. When was the last time Yao Ming ran an offense and got 12 assists?"

      Lol. When's the last time Lin averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds over the course of an entire season, which Yao Ming did?

      The Rockets should be so lucky to have Lin be a 6'3" Yao Ming. Yao averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds over 8 seasons with multiple playoff appearances and a career *average* PER of 23.

      Anybody who thinks Yao Ming was a PR gimmick doesn't know jack squat in terms of basketball.

      Delete
  31. "Jeremy Lin's Knicks Departure: Source"

    Just saw another link regarding the Knicks and Lin. :) I don't know about you, I'm starting to laugh when I see more headlines with Lin's name on it related to the Knicks, hehe.

    I haven't bothered to read any of their news...but would like to say, hello NY, please go away, we are busy reading about Lin shredding defenses and playing team ball for the Rockets.:) No time for your old news. Perhaps you guys can sign up Stephen A to talk about how great the Knicks are this coming season. What a bunch of clowns. :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Training Camp 2.0
    Rockets look to refocus and make most of extended break between games

    ReplyDelete
  33. Chandler Parsons ‏@ChandlerParsons
    Hey @espn @CollegeGameDay, we only rep one football team on this couch. #GoGators @GatorZoneFB @JLin7 pic.twitter.com/QdsGtwKh

    12:29 PM - 19 Oct 12

    ReplyDelete
  34. Here are some of those pro-tankers:

    RAVEN
    - The poll should be:

    45 wins, no playoffs, and the 14th pick

    25 wins, no playoffs, and a top five pick.

    In other words are you willing to see your "non playoff" team lose an extra 20 games for a top five pick and a decent chance of that pick being number one overall?

    The answer is yes. Regular season victories are meaningless unless your team is a legitimate contender to win a Championship.

    Mr Clutch:
    -Tank!

    I hope our rookies are busts!

    Ricksmith:
    -The best way to get young talents is to lose!

    Da_Spark
    -In life, you always roll with the odds. No one will remember winning no bearing games but possibly getting a star in the draft by losing games that don't matter is a franchise changing situation.

    Trying to win games late in the season when you're already out of playoff cotention is like winning pre season games. They don't mean anything. Plus you risk having to pick higher in the draft which could haunt you for years.

    Its this simple..

    You tank games to draft higher.
    You want to draft higher to get good players.
    You get good players to win.

    For small market teams/cities like us, you almost have to tank and try to grab the chance to draft higher since most of the superstars are all joining the big market cities.

    Who are the so called superstars in the league today? Yes, they're all in big market cities now (LA, NY,MIA,CHI). Yes OKC is one small market team that has superstars.. How did they acquire those players again? Yup, from the DRAFT.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These rockets fans are way too impatient and cynical.

      They should allow the team to gel and allow the young players to develop. Trade those players that do not seem to be that good for your team.

      Delete
    2. The issue here with these fans are they want to stop mediocrity (14th pick) and find a superstar to win a championship.

      Like I said, they do not believe any of the current rockets players have superstar potential. If they do believe, they won't be pro-tankers.

      Delete
    3. Wrong. They seem to believe that everyone except Lin on their roster has some kind of superstar potential. Read their posts re Royce White, Terence Jones and Marcus Morris. It's worth a few good laugh lol.

      Also, the tank for a superstar idea is horrible imo. A top 5 pick actually more often than not is not equal to future superstar and also not equal to future championship contention. Teams who draft top 5 every year, well usually do draft top 5 every year and have no superstar and no playoffs hope. The trick is smart drafting, trading and signing, not tanking.

      Delete
    4. Morris? I never read a post about his potential

      What they say about White and Jones is that they are talented; they never claimed that they are going to be superstars. If there are people saying that, then they are simply trolling or ignorant.

      There was someone there that said that Terrence Jones is the next Dwight Howard. Obviously trolling. So ignore those kind of posts

      Delete
  35. Look at teams like Charlotte, Sacramento, Portland what have they produced with their top draft picks: Greg Oden, Adam Morrison, Jimmer Fredette? Promising talents, maybe .... But they took the risk of drafting a superstar and lost.
    If they drafted lower, they could have gotten a good role player to fill a need. And that's what makes great teams. They can also make a trade (Kevin Martin) or sign a free agent (Asik, Lin).

    #1 picks don't always become superstars. And losing season after season will hurt the fanbase, and make it impossible to re-sign the good players that you have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I firmly believe Jimmer is just in a bad situation on a team full of me-first players and the same idiot coach who marginalized Lin back at Golden State. He had a good stretch last season as a starter but was immediately given DNPs or benched afterwards for no real reason. Also there were reports of him being iced out by the other players jealous of his hype. He's definitely lost confidence, I honestly hope he gets traded and given another fair shot.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, plus he wasn't a top draft pick like John Wall, Andrea Bargnagni, Andrew Bogut, I think those guys are real busts. Thats what you get for drafting based on raw talent rather than team needs.

      Delete
    3. John Wall is not a bust... I actually like his PG game more than Kyrie Irving.

      Delete
    4. John Wall is another guy like Tyreke Evans...elite athleticism and tools but still lacking the basketball IQ to get to the next level.

      Delete
    5. I LIKE Jimmer Fredette.

      Jimmer Fredette reminds me so much of Nick Galis, a small Greek American point guard who went overseas in the late 1970s and became the greatest non NBA player ever to play the game.

      Like Galis, Fredette has a certain kind of explosiveness that he uses to his advantage on the offensive end. Fredette won't outquick guys, but he'll bull right through them off the dribble, bump them when they get close, and shoot that leaning jumper. Also, Fredette has a lot of physical upper body strength and thus can finish inside in the NBA paint.

      There's only one thing that Nick Galis had that Fredette could use. Galis would bull his way inside just like Fredette would, but then Galis would turn his butt into opponents. From there, Galis would power his way through defenders for his leaning jump shots. If Fredette turned that butt at the end of his drives, he'd become very difficult to stop because of his frightening accuracy with that leaning jumper off the bump. Even putting a big mobile shotblocker on Fredette wouldn't work because Fredette would get the guy in the air and draw tons of fouls on people.

      Like Nick Galis, Jimmer Fredette will never be a great defensive player or floor general. But he wouldn't need to be if he could score like Galis who I feel would've been a big time NBA scorer.

      Delete
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      Delete
    7. @ABC Baller

      Wall, Bargnani, and Bogut are not really busts.

      Wall is just in a bad situation. His greatest flaw is his shooting which is atrocious. However, his game is similar to Lin actually. He average 16 and 8 last season so that is far from a bust.

      Bargnani took a long time to really develop but last season was clearly his best season. However, it was stopped due to his injuries.

      Bogut was also impressive when healthy. He had a very productive year two seasons ago. He has a decent post game and he's also a double-double machine.

      If you want busts:
      Beasley, Flynn, Kwame, Wesley Johnson, Thabeet, and the like.

      Delete
    8. It is too early to tell if Jimmer is a bust. He hasn't been used a lot.

      The problem with him is his shot selection. Also, he's with he Kings. So it is really very hard to succeed in that organization. Let us not forget the head coach (LOL).

      There was a rumor in the summer that the Thunder would want him. Maybe true or not.

      Delete
  36. Why is it that Deron Williams just seems so underwhelming?

    I mean he puts up elite numbers but somehow it doesn't seem to make his teammates around him better.

    He seems to have strength but lacks real quickness and because he can't get to the rack much of his offense is jump shooting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've been watching too many Jeremy Lin games, Dystopia1980!

      Deron Williams is a good but not great player who is a shoot first point guard with little natural feel for making teammates better. His main strength is that he can get HOT if he gets into rhythm on his jump shot. He lacks Lin's athleticism, so he gets around people by palming the ball illegally more than any other player I've ever seen in the NBA. Defensively he's nowhere near Lin's class, not that any point guard in the NBA is.

      When you watch as much Jeremy Lin as you do, Dystopia 1980, a lot of vaunted point guards start looking a lot less athletic. Aside from the utterly elite physical talents like Derrick Rose and John Wall and Russell Westbrook, there just aren't a lot of guys that can match Lin athletically. It shows in the overall production Lin brings to games.

      Deron Williams is a solid point guard who I actually consider a borderline All Star in terms of raw ability. He's no Jeremy Lin across the board, though.

      Delete
    2. I think you might be right! lol I guess I'm just used to seeing Jeremy's speed and quick feet on defense as well as his net positive effect on those around him. Deron seemed slow as molasses in comparison!

      Delete
    3. On another note, New York looked like the same old New York tonight. Melo 0-7 from 3, Amare with terrible D...Felton with 6TOs.

      I'm happy for Lin that he got out of that mess over there!

      The Rockets are going to be fun to watch and McHale seems like the perfect coach for Jeremy compared to ISO Woodson.

      Delete
    4. Even though Mike Woodson doesn't like Jeremy Lin, he'd have been a TERRIFIC coach for Lin.

      I'll bet that if you asked Lin, he'd say that Mike Woodson was an easier and less demanding coach. Woodson's schemes are far simpler than McHale's, plus McHale is much more demanding in mental effort and physical conditioning!

      Had Lin strolled into NY's training camp in his current physical condition, the Knicks would've been giddy with happiness. But Lin is playing for Kevin McHale who has championship expectations for his players, and so Lin has a lot more to work on !

      Delete
    5. lol i'm going to add NY as one of my 5 teams to watch on League Pass Broadband choice, just so i can enjoy teams beating up on them. especially after all the hype NY and their fans have been doing this off season. lol they think they're contenders, they're hardly even contenders for the last playoffs spot.

      Delete