No matter how well or great Jeremy has played throughout his career, some things never seem to change.
-Leads team to California Div II State Title over National power, Mater Dei:No college scholarships
-Putting up great numbers in Junior and Senior year at Harvard, best player and playmaker on the team:
Coach doesn't start him at the PG position, never gets drafted
-Plays well in limited minutes for Warriors who need a big defensive guard to go along with small scorers, Monta and Steph:
Relegated to the bench behind Acie Law (now out of the NBA)
-Ready for breakout year with Warriors in 2nd year:
New front office and coaching staff draft Charles Jenkins to replace him (this season he is averaging 2.3 mpg and 1.3 ppg)
-Outplayed Johnny Flynn and played just as well as Lowry and Dragic in camp:
Cut on Christmas Day. Johnny Flynn (now out of the NBA)
-Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas stinking it up for the Knicks game after game:
JLin relegated to the bench. The only reason for Linsanity is that the Knicks were so so bad Dantoni knew he was about to get canned and ended up playing JLin the week before he was gonna get cut
-Jeremy Lin playing probably his best all around game of the season. Playing good solid D on early ROY fav Lillard:
Yes, you guessed it. Relegated to the bench for Toney Douglas who ends up 2-11 and doesn't do much to slow down Lillard
I personally didn't like the decision to sit Lin out for the whole OT. But to be fair, at this point in their career, Douglas is a better defender than Lin. Lillard was getting his way with Lin, and Rockets definitely need a stop so, they have to insert Douglas. Since Rockets intended to go to Harden every play in OT, they would rather play a PG who can at least guard Lillard. But that kind of decision hinders Lin's development tho.
ReplyDeleteTo win games, you need ball movement for open shoots. Watch the game again. Every time Lin was out, everything goes through JH. He suck as a point guard. His hero ball has failed over and over again. Coach needs take risks on defense in trade off of better ball movement which leads to better offense. Bad coaching lost this game.
DeleteI thought Lin did a good job on Lillard. Lillard was a non-factor until near the end of the 4th, which was when Douglas was sharing time with Lin. What was strange is in OT, Douglas didnt even defend Lillard, he switch with Parsons. So, what was the purpose of putting Douglas in? I m sorry but anyone that watched the game would agree that Lin was playing a pretty complete game...He even got 2 BLOCKS!
DeleteSeriously man? Were you watching a different game? "Lillard was getting his way with Lin", dude the only one time that Lillard had his way with Lin was that one move he made with a step back mid range jumper, but that was just good offense from Lillard. Lin did his thing on that play, also. Other time that Lillard got free was due to good screening by Blazers big man. So go back and watch the game again then post or else just shut the hell up.
DeleteAgreed^ Seriously, what game are these guys watching saying things out of context and certainly not in congruent to the facts??
DeleteRe SJman: I agree that Rockets are most effective when they have both Lin and Harden on the floor. In my opinion, coaches need to let Lin play in order for him to develop. It's unfair to compare Lin to Lillard coz Lillard is a legit elite point guard for years to come. He is in Chris Paul and D-Will class. There aren't a lot of players in the league that can stop Lillard one on one. This kind of benching can destroy a player confidence easily. Bad coaching for sure.
DeleteRe Hai and Ihoopalot: Lin didn't do a good job on Lillard. They just didn't go to him coz LaMarcus and Batum were playing well. Lillard also torched Lin in the last game that they played in Houston. Simpson is a legit college coach and he basically played who he thought would give him the best chance to win.
Lastly, I am a supporter of Jlin just like most of you here. But I am also fair and objective. At this point, Lin is struggling to find his shot. He is an intelligent midlevel NBA player. He is no where near an All-Star caliber player that many in this website are claiming him to be. These outrageous claims only hurt Lin's reputation in the mainstream media.
now you telling us that becasue LA and Batum was playing well so they didnt go to Liilard? Stop your BS...just Stop it. You already annointed Lillard as a CP3 like...Just Stop it..he is a ROY candidate and we will leave it at that.
DeleteI dont even think you watched the same game dude.
Ray, I remember you when you were FLAMING PEOPLE here saying outrageous things like "Lin is a 12th man" and "Lin cannot play in the NBA" and "Lin will never be a starting point guard in the NBA".
DeleteStop LYING about being a Lin fan. You're just trying to cover up your haterade stains!
You've been flaming Lin and his supporters for MONTHS. You're the outrageous one here!
by the way Ray, saying you are a Lin supporter is also BS, because not once have you mention any thing good about his game last night. All you have mention is how average he is and how Lillard is an elite pg, how he burned Lin...get the heck out of here dude. You are a Lin Doubter.
DeleteTo Ray:
Delete1)Is there a character issue with Coach Samson, this is in respect to his year 2008 coaching stint in Indiana that warrants a harsh penalty by NCAA?
2)With my limited basketball knowledge would it be a better decision to attack than to defend when it is crunch time?
3)The implication of benching your PG in OT means you have no confidence in his ability and decision making?
Ray, I'm sorry but you're wrong that Douglas is a better defender than Lin. Before you think we're overzealous Lin fans, read this Synergy Stats posted in clutchfans showing Lin fared better than Douglas in guarding Lillard and in other games:
DeleteLillard vs Lin 3/9 0 assists
Lillard vs Douglas 6/9 5 assists
3 pts FG% this season:
Douglas .250
Lin .267
Some statistics
Points Per Possession Allowed
Jeremy Lin – 0.71 (50th in the NBA of ALL positions)
Toney Douglas – 0.87 (151st in the NBA of ALL positions)
Opponent FG%
Jeremy Lin – 34.4%
Toney Douglas – 42.5%
Opponent 3pt%
Jeremy Lin – 33.3%
Toney Douglas – 37.5%
Overall Opponent Score
Jeremy Lin – 32.5
Toney Douglas – 38.2%
Credit Torocan from Clutchfans
I understand if we use the "eye test" Douglas seemed to do a much better job on the on-the-ball defense on Lillard because he came aggressively waving hands while Lin seemed to give more space for Lillard to get by him.
DeleteIn the 1st 3Q, Lin did a good job of throwing Lillard off-balance so he can't get set to shoot well but in the 4th Q, he managed to use get screened so he actually shot many 3PTs against Parsons. So should we bench Parsons then because he can't prevent those 3PTs by Lillard?
Sampson's decision to play Douglas over Lin because he "seemed" to play better defense was short-sighted and foolish. Was he willing to give up better offense, 3 assists by Lin in 4 Quarter (total is 5) resulting in 2 3PTs and one Asik dunk and rely instead on Harden's hero ball (plus Douglas) to create the offense? There was 0 assist in the OT so Sampson should own up to this blunder.
There was a strong reason why Calvin Murphy (one of Houston announcers) got so upset at this decision. I like Toney Douglas to create sparks with 3PTs but he's not a PG and not a better defender than Lin.
I do not get it - if the coach wants Harden to run the offense at the OT like a PG, then why not ask Harden to defense Lillard? If neither Lin, Parson, TD can stop Lillard, why not ask the superstar Harden to do the job? It seems every time Lin was on the bench, Rockies offense is in a chaos and change from lead to loss. I do not know whether the coach is blind or what, as everyone else can see it.
DeleteObvious trolls are obvious.
DeleteBatum was nonfactor until well into 3rd. Lillard had 9 shots and made all of 3 for 3.5 quarters until he had Lamar setting picks AFTER when he blew past lin once in 4th and that idiot coach swapped in TD...Boom 2 3ptrs in his face.
TDs comment? "I kept him in front of me and forced him to take holy Jesus 3pt shots"...idiot lets someone who is a known 3pt shooter take them with low pressure or on a switch...And Sampson supports it.
Aaahhhh so mad.
I think ray is going by the box score and maybe a couple highlights. It started off strangely with lin actually trying to help lillard up during play who fell on his behind more than once tonight but ended up being very solid defensively all night long. Lillard made some tough shots but lin did all he could do and was so productive in general that night. Sending in a scrub now a defensive specialist (roar of laughter) like toney douglas was like a bad joke. I actually don't agree with some people on here who make jlin out as some defensive god to compensate for his offensive struggles but he was without question solid tonight, no where near justifying an entire overtime benching!
DeleteJeremy Lin HAS been performing like "some sort of defensive god", Glenn.
DeleteHis stellar defense HAS prevented his low offense from being a total game drain.
Why shouldn't Lin be given the credit for good play when he's already taken so much blame for bad play?
fan msia: 1)Is there a character issue with Coach Samson, this is in respect to his year 2008 coaching stint in Indiana that warrants a harsh penalty by NCAA?
Delete- Not sure what insight can be gleaned from this incident. Anyhow, here's more info on the matter.
I disagree with coach Sampson benching Jeremy in OT. On a purely psychological standpoint for instance, you don't do that to your starting PG when he's playing a solid game.
ReplyDeleteBut in all fairness, this was an isolated event and done by the assistant (not head coach).
I think Jeremy Lin is getting his fair shot now and big opportunity now. He's getting, on average, 35 minutes a night. And in addition to that... he's been given a HUGE contract that's beyond fair.
This isolated event won't set the tone for all the games to come this season.
I just dont understand...why people couldnt see that when Lin runs the offense, he allows his teammates to get open and able to set them up. He is the pg and he has the best handle and court vision on the team. If they allow him to bring the ball up and set up the team, even without scoring, Lin will make their offense much better.
ReplyDeleteLast night he ran the offense very well with some very creative passing and he hardly turns it over
I am just surprised at how many Asian-Americans and Asians from Asia don't understand America and American culture at all, and act as if they are surprised what is happening to Lin. Asians from Asia I can understand their failure to get it, but the many Asian Americans on here and elsewhere who don't get it probably grew up around Asian dominated areas or grew up around minorities and never had to grow up around whites or other non-Asians.
ReplyDeleteThis is the USA guys, not Asia. Lin is not going to get an equal opportunity here, EVER, not during our lifetimes. Get used to it. He has to clearly outperform his peers to be treated EQUAL. That is why it was so shocking Houston signed him to a 25 mill contract in the first place. I am so glad for Lin that he at least got paid to deal with this BS and that Linsanity happened at all. If not for that, it would be far too easy to hide Lin on the bench in a scenario like yesterday. The fact that there is this type of backlash (although the backlash is probably 99.9% coming from Asians from Asia and a few Asian Americans) means that Lin has at least achieved something.
Keep this in perspective though, the people upset by this are 99.9% Lin fans who are from Asia or Asian American. Nobody else gives a freaking crap. And the 99.9% of Lin fans upset today represent less than 1% of Houston's revenue stream. In essence, your complaints will fall on deaf ears. The USA does not care. The Rockets do not care. Morey and the Front Office (and possibly even Les!) are all in on this. You guys don't seem to get it. You think Sampson is the evil one? You guys are thinking too small. He's just the fall guy you can pick on.
I read these posts here and elsewhere and these Asians and Asian Americans think somebody cares that Lin got benched yesterday. News flash - the 99.9% that matters to the Rockets do not care!
The only way Lin fans can punish the Rockets is by boycotting their games, not watching their teams in person or on TV and by not buying any Lin merchandise. The Asian sponsors will go away. Then, they will just trade him, and hopefully the next place he goes, he will be a valuable 6th man in Detroit or something like that. Cuz nobody is giving him a real shot unless the stars miraculously align. Unless he literally plays at Linsanity levels, he might not even be starting by next year if he is even still with the Rockets.
Houston, right now, clearly is only using Lin as a marketing tool. They think they can con Asians from Asia and Asian Americans into following the team using Lin as the token starting PG who doesn't even touch the ball with less than 6 minutes left in the game.
There is an inadvertent agenda from the TEAM to marginalize Lin and give Harden the ball because nobody there believes Lin is capable and they want Harden to shine. It's probably coming from Morey and probably the owner too. Don't be fools and blame Sampson. A lot of it has to do with Morey's desperation for Harden to be Kobe Jr too. And the team really probably believes Harden ball will result in more wins than Lin Ball.
Truthfully, it doesn't even matter if Lin is on the court or not because he literally does not get to touch the ball in the last 6 minutes to initiate anything. At most, he gets a kick out pass where he has to shoot a 3 with 4 seconds left on the clock and he keeps bricking those which makes him look even worse.
Lin is unlikely to get traded anytime soon, but the Rockets also will not be using him in any relevant capacity anytime soon.
The next time OT comes around, Lin won't be on the bench anymore, but he'll still be hiding in his corner, not touching the ball. It is what is guys. Things may change, but that change will not come soon.
So basically you are saying that Lin is better or as good as Harden but not getting the opportunity to shine?
DeleteIt is amazing what JLin is dealing with. I thought coming to Houston was the beat thing that could happened to him but I see a stark difference in my assumption.
DeleteI thought last nights game was a great game showcasing his elite pg skill which I know he has. In time Lin will start hitting his shoot, that is all needs to happen. I love how Lin was being more aggressive and driving to the rim and dishing it off, and doing no look passes was great to watch. Rockets MUST let Lin PLAY HIS GAME!!!
You know hardships in life, nobody likes them but it is only those things that makes us stronger...Lin will prevail when it is all said and done.
Yes, I agree with many benching a player who is nearing a triple double in OT (finding his confidence etc) and is your starting pg, truly is stupefying that their convention wisdom would think of such things.
Moving along, the coaching staff has got to go PERIOD, Rockets offense is really BAD when Lin is not in control, Harden ISO ball has got to stop (reason he was a bench player on OKC, you think they didn't see the good things Harden can do for their team, and yet he is still a bench player.) As for Lin, he has to press in and play his game no matter what, with no regrets. Basketball is 80-90% percent mental, Lin MUST persevere (God will make it happen) despite the media and Rox fans, the sports world against him.
@ Ray: I think it's pretty clear I'm saying Lin won't get a fair shot unless be plays better than his peers to be treated as being the same. And there's not much anyone can do about it.
DeleteHow did you infer that I believe Lin is better than Harden?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Seriously, how did you infer that?
I think they use Lin fine for 3 quarters. In the 4th Q, they just play Harden Iso PnR for the last 6-7 minutes of the game, and it has yet to work on any real NBA team they've played.
I'm saying Lin is better as the initiator of the offense, getting the initial pick, and deciding who gets to shoot, or they could run a play through Lin to setup Harden for shots. Harden is by far a better scorer and finisher and he should get most of the 4th Quarter shots. I do not agree he should initiate 100% of the plays like he is now. He is far from Lebron. And Lebron is known for passing to open teammates. Harden supposedly was that type of player but he tries to score himself and force it more than pass it in those same situations where Lebron would kick it. That is what I meant by "lin ball".
Harden doing his iso's in the form of a Asik PnR has yet to work. We'll see if that changes this year as I am sure they will do it all year trying to prove the Harden iso PnR works.
If it doesn't work for all of 2012-2013, I wont be surprised if I still see it next season as well. These sports guys are not geniuses.
Don't fall for Ray's hate trap.
DeleteHe's trying to bait Asian Americans into flaming each other.
Ray's been trolling for MONTHS.
Khuang, thanks for the warning on this Ray guy. To accuse me of putting Lin on an unjustified pedestal is ridiculous as I am not that guy especially if Lin isn't producing.
DeleteI was once talking to a guy older than me who believed that Lin's game is boring and the NBA doesn't want boring and effective. And that honestly if Lin was white, he probably wouldn't be an NBA guy because there is little that is exciting or flashy about his game besides his face, if you looked at it honestly. That's why some black NY fans call is "Ivy League Ball." That's probably also part of the reason so few white Americans make it today and part of the reason Lin has to also fight that perception from coaches, fans, etc, everyone.
The NBA wants flashy and effective or flashy and somewhat effective rather than boring and effective. Dunks, athleticism, are at a premium, not heady simple play that beats flash, even if that wins games. Most teams are afraid of being the Spurs even though the Spurs win. And thus, Lin's abilities don't really matter much in the NBA if he's not scoring the heck out of the ball in a dramatic fashion.
I don't think Sampson and Moreys look at race, they just see a boring unflashy guy who jumps in the air too much and makes them cringe at time with his out of control play. It's hard to take a chance on that when Lin was in HS and it's hard for them to put their careers on the line now despite Linsanity happening last year.
If you're Asian American, do like I do:
DeleteSTAND TALL AND STRONG.
Demand fair treatment. Raise a major stink when people mistreat Asian Americans, GO AFTER your enemies and PUNK THEM.
Enjoy your life. Be a normal guy. Don't limit your fun out of fear of ridicule.
Most importantly: If you can't break down the door, BUILD YOUR OWN DOOR AND WALK THROUGH IT.
Lin is building his own door. Soon he'll walk through it. Then nobody can shut him out again!
Lin's game is "boring"??
DeleteEvery Lin game is like an ESPN Top 10 highlight reel. He makes astonishing plays all game long, driving his coaches nuts with his winning ways.
Lin is physically and mentally capable of making plays that even All Stars often cannot do. There is nothing subdued or conservative about his game. As far as I'm concerned, there's not a flashier or more dynamic PG in the entire NBA!
Most NBA players of any color would be lucky to make ONE highlight reel play a game. Lin does it on nearly every possession on both ends of the court. His dumbass coaches are too prejudiced and untalented to realize that Lin's playing like a GREAT PLAYER!!!!
Remember when Magic and Larry were on the same team and benched by Kentucky prude coach Joe B Hall? Hall used to scream at Magic and Larry for taking "crazy" shots and killing his Kentucky team, and Magic and Larry would fire back with "Coach, those shots are going IN!" It's exactly the same thing with Jeremy Lin, and that's why Jeremy Lin is an NBA STAR.
Khuang, I hope you are right. Lin just needs to play well and make it so obvious to anyone watching that something is terribly wrong with the Houston coaching. When season ticket holders and sponsors and people that matter start to complain, when Les Alexander sees flashes of Linsanity in handcuffs, things *might* slowly change.
DeletePeople ARE complaining, swinglinezigzag.
DeleteSay Kelvin Sampson gets in a racial snit fit and benches Lin. Two things will happen:
1) Lin starts POUNDING the regulars in practice until they can't perform consistently in games.
2) When Lin is let loose in games, he EXPLODES like he did yesterday and makes it impossible for the coaches to bench him without incurring the wrath of the crowd, observers, and even teammates and owners.
Owner Les Alexander is not going to accept Lin being benched. He spent an entire season screaming at Daryl Morey about Lin, and Lin wasn't even on the Rockets. If Lin keeps performing like he did yesterday, Les Alexander will do more than just scream at his coaches. He'll FIRE them, ALL of them if need be.
Amen to that, KHuang! JLin holds his destiny in his hands. If he performs and plays well like he did last night, the coaches, players, will all look stupid and idiotic to bench Lin or not let the offense go through him. Currently, JLin's path to greatness lies within his abilities to play. He has the opportunity to showcase his skills 30-35 minutes a game.
DeleteHarden can continue his hero ball at the end of games, coaches can continue to bench Lin during crunch time, but the ones who will look like fools will be the coaches and any player who does not play team ball---the Rockets will collect loss after loss.
As a matter of fact, I dare the coaches to continue to bench Lin. Let them make themselves look like fools, hehe. :)
There is about as much backlash over this as a case of white washing in a hollywood film. Asians are marginalized, aren't considered American, and apparently haven't suffered enough like Black or jewish people and thus don't matter. I agree with everything swinglinezigzag has said but there is just too much for Jeremy to go up against. He deserves a Jackie Robinson award for just being out there and that is a small victory in itself and something they will never be able to take away. But these politics man will never die..
DeleteHave no fear, Glenn and swinglinezigzag.
DeleteJeremy Lin is standing up for himself. Not even Lin's race will prevent him from getting the fair chance that he has long ago earned.
I as an Asian American am not looking to Lin to improve the way people treat me. I just want Lin to play well and get the appropriate on court recognition for his contributions.
As far as Hollywood and all that anti Asian stuff goes, it doesn't stop me from being myself. I make the conscious decision to limit its deleterious effects in my life, nor do I beat myself up over what people think of me. Jeremy Lin has nothing to do with my daily societal living.
To swinglinezigzag.
DeleteWell, from a historical perspective weren't African Americans very marginalized in mainstream American society once upon a time. Yes population-wise, num of AA (Asian Americans) may be low but what America does is always noticed and causes an impact culturally, etc on the world (unless your country is no more a superpower which may happen).
No man is an island. NO COUNTRY IS AN ISLAND. Unless you go back to an earlier century. And in JLin's case: THE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING.
Houston, don't let Racism (hate this word: it's just another descriptor for the darkness in human nature) be the problem. GOD's PEACE. And the LOVE (if you can still receive it) of Jesus Christ. Always.
swinglinezigzag: Houston, right now, clearly is only using Lin as a marketing tool.
Delete- Not sure about it being the ONLY reason. True though that JLin is their most popular player.
The line for JLin bobblehead at Toyota Center at the game after Miami.
Meet-&-Greet with fans after the game [Hornets]
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI thought Sampson was totally a dipshit for benching JLin in OT and taking him in/out in favor of TD's defense down the stretch. The difference between TD and JLin's defense is this. TD plays up close on defense, sometimes smothering Lillard to a point. TD is probably able to do this because he has better lateral quickness than JLin. JLin stays a good 2/3 feet between him and Lillard probably because he doesn't want to get burned and hence gives Lillard more room to operate and shoot. The best way to stop Lillard is to stop him before he shoots, which TD is better at doing than JLin because of his smothering defense which forces Lillard to pass before he can shoot. EVEN SO SAMPSON SHOULD NOT TAKE JLIN OUT--perhaps Sampson can put Harden on Lillard and JLin on Harden's man or have a double-team on Lillard quicker or something but don't take JLin out.
ReplyDeleteI think if JLin had been better and consistent offensively, I think Sampson would have kept JLin in the game despite of his defense against Lillard. I didn't even think JLin was bad against Lillard.
Anyways, there's a reason Sampson is an assistant coach. This fool will never elevate as a head coach in the NBA.
Bottom line, JLin needs to figure out how to improve his offense. JLin made me cringe when he missed 3s after 3s but I'm over it now. He's now making me cringe when he's missing layups after layups, or close shots. Seriously what is up. What is wrong? If JLin's going to take 8/9 shots per game, at least keep it 50% or better.
Not even Michael Jordan could hit 50% or better of his shots. Now you expect Lin to shoot better than Jordan???
DeleteLin had Lilliard handcuffed until the final quarter. Kelvin Sampson let Lilliard get into a rhythm by taking Lin off him. Besides, no defensive player in the history of the game can fight through multiple picks on his own without help from teammates. Lin did JUST FINE on Lillard.
Also, I never will accept that Toney Douglas is a better defensive player than Jeremy Lin. I've been seeing Lin vs Douglas statistics that show Lin to be VASTLY SUPERIOR to Douglas on defense. The statistics totally refute the flawed eye test of Kelvin Sampson and every biased observer who insist that Lin is a worse defender than Douglas.
Lin is taking control of this team, Racha. Have no fear. He just has to play like Lin, not better than Michael Jordan!!!
Not true. Jordan had a FG% of OVER 50% for a few years of his career. That's part of what makes Jordan so amazing.
DeleteOK, I stand corrected about Michael Jordan. He is, after all, the greatest scoring guard in NBA history.
DeleteThe bottom line is that while Lin needs to shoot well, he doesn't have to shoot better or even as good as Michael Jordan did!
No. Stop saying stupid shit. In that game, Lin defended Douglas light years better than Douglas because Lin is a much, much better defender in all facets than Douglas is. This is verified by traditional defensive stats like steals-blocks-charges taken per 40, by defensive +/-, and by Synergy stats. Lin is a much, much better athlete than Douglas, as he's bigger, stronger, and faster. His BAM scores are publicly documented. Again, please stop saying stupid shit. There are people in this forum who will embarrass you.
DeleteIf Lin could get up to 44% this year I'd be extremely thrilled. Though, ideally, at some point in his career I'd like him to exceed even that. I just looked at Steve Nash's field goal percentage and his shooting is absurdly efficient.
DeleteI agree, Lin doesn't need to be hitting 50% of his shots for him to be a good shooter. 50% + is elite... and Jeremy Lin does many things well.
@Khuang. I thought JLin was fine on defense and definitely held his own. So Sampson's justification for benching JLin on defense is STUPID. As for shooting percentage, I'm just frustrated that's he not making them especially when he's not take many attempts anymore. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat every time I watch JLin waiting for him to catch fire. In any case, we got Lakers tomorrow. C'mon JLin!
DeleteRacha, I've been frustrated too. We all have.
DeleteBut the way Lin played yesterday is the Lin we want to see. If he plays like that, that's more than good enough because Lin played like an All Star did in the short time he got to play!
I actually know that you KNOW Lin is a better defender than Douglas. My point wasn't directed at you as much as much as it was aimed at the prevailing myth that good defense can be played only by jittery looking players, preferably BLACK players. In truth, good defense in the NBA doesn't have a skin tone associated with it - and you agree with that.
Lin can only find his shooting touch by playing HIS game and ATTACKING. For one game, he did that. If Lin can continue to attack, I'll know that he's finally cemented himself as an NBA player and will succeed no matter how dumb his coaches are!
@Khuang. Actually for once yesterday, I noticed JLin handling the ball more. He didn't just cross 1/2 court and dump it off to Harden. He was definitely the floor general yesterday. THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE. Yep, JLin is attacking more and good things will come.
Delete@Racha
DeleteI agree that Sampson should have played Jeremy in OT, but disagreed with you that TD was better guarding Lillard. I also noticed as you have that TD is more aggressive on one on one D. I thought perhaps Jeremy could play the same way, doing a full court press, giving Lillard less room earlier in the shot clock, threatening to steal the ball even at the three point line, forcing the ball out of Lillard's hands, or at least making Lillard go into a defensive position with his back to the basket.
I however realised that TD's "smothering" D was actually less effective than Jeremy's controlled defense. As the poster "torocan" in clutchfans explains below, Jeremy's D may look less aggressive, but objectively it is actually more effective than TD's D (I posted this on the previous thread, but in case you didn't catch it here it is again):
The problem with this approach in terms of defense is that it LOOKS good, but it's actually MORE ineffective.
Lin's approach to defense is similar to Battier's... he doesn't try to out jump you, or out speed you, he moves his body to cut off lanes, he stays in front to funnel you to bad shooting spots, and he bodies up or sags back to give you the lowest percentage shots.
It's why Lillard had ZERO assists going into the 4th quarter.
All TD can do is try to deflect a pass. Lin however plays a more cerebral (and statistically more effective) form of defense.
Let's do a basic math exercise.
If you reduce a shooter over 10 shots from 50% to 40%, they score 18 instead of 20 points.
However, a SINGLE steal has the SAME impact as 10% reduction over 10 shots. Lin gets 2.5 steals PER GAME.
Now, to get an idea of how HUGE that is in terms of reducing an opponents ability to score, let's take a look at Lin's defensive plays.
According to Synergy Sports....
Over 9 games, Lin was involved in 117 Defensive plays. This includes direct isolation defense, defense of the PnR ball handler, help defense, and other defense related moves.
Over those 117 Defensive plays, he stole the ball 21 Times. Think about that... about 1/6 times he defends someone he STEALS the ball.
That means 21/117 times the Opponent gets a BIG FAT ZERO on that play.
By virtue of his quick hands, he automatically reduces the shooting percentage of his opponents by approximately 17.9%.
On TOP of that he has 6 BLOCKS. Big fat ZERO's for the opponents.
Toss in his ability to drive players to the right spots, stay in front of his defender, fight over picks, his willingness to take charges, AND his good rotation defense and you have a borderline ELITE defender.
How Good is his Defense?
According to Synergy Sports, Lin allows 0.71 Points per Possession... good enough as of tonight to rank him as 49th in the NBA. That's 49th out of ALL positions, NOT among PG's... in a league with 400+ players, MOST of whom are bigger, Longer AND Stronger than him.
Where does Toney Douglas rank?
0.87 ... good enough for 151st in the League. Or above average.
That said, Toney waves his arms alot.
At first, I thought when the Rockets signed Lin they were going to make him the main playmaker. But when they pick up Harden, I got a feeling they didnt believe in Lin.
ReplyDeleteLin already proved that he could run an offense with just role players and 2nd string(last year knicks). He makes the offense flow and he create opportunities for the rest of his teammates.
I m just shocked and very frustrated from last night.
Les Alexander got Lin to pair with Harden to be the NBA's best backcourt.
DeleteHe's got some straightening out to do of his coaches.
Les is a big time fanboy of Lin who would be posting here were he not the Rockets owner. I personally think it would be cool if he came here and went back and forth with us.
Years ago, I saw ex Warriors owner Chris Cohan battle regular folks over the Internet over his goals for the team. Cohan said that he was NOT aiming for a championship, that his goal was to keep the team playoff competitive without paying excessive salaries to losers. He even openly talked about Yi Jianlian being attractive for marketing purposes.
I can only wonder what Cohan would've done with Jeremy Lin. Certainly it would've been better than Joe Lacob who believed in Lin but wasn't smart enough to get him back for $25 million. Lacob listens too much to his DUMBASS basketball advisers!
Ray, you are not a Lin fan...what are doing here...beside bashing and making outragous comments?
ReplyDeleteHere's some perspective on how Lin ALWAYS gets the last laugh:
ReplyDeleteCoaches who lost their jobs because of Lin:
Trent Johnson, Keith Smart, 1st Harvard coach, Larry Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Kevin McHale (we'll see), Mark Jackson (Lin could've delivered on Jackson's playoff promise), Kelvin Sampson (death wish signed sealed waiting to be delivered), nearly Daryl Morey (subjected to screamathons from Les Alexander and then was forced to kowtow to Lin).
Players on Lin's team who were chewed up and spit out:
Carmelo Anthony (image severely damaged because of Lin), JR Smith ($2.5 million wimpy contract for being a head case against Lin), Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Scott Machado, Dominique Jones, Rodrigue Beaubois, Goran Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Charles Jenkins, Monta Ellis, Acie Law, and OTHERS.
Moral of the story: Lin is a coach and player killer. He's the nicest guy in the NBA, but his karma is like a GUILLOTINE. Don't mess with Jeremy Lin!!!
Acie law now is a bench guy for olimpiakos :D can't even think a coach prefered him to jeremy :D
Deleteoff topic. I know you like basketball not only Lin and not only NBA. Olimpiakos have got a huge talent in their roster: kostas papanicolau. Take a look on him. Portland got rights on him
Don't mess with the Zohan Lin. Somehow my gut feeling tells me that JLin has finally put on his command and conquer cape. Plus last night idiotic coach decision to bench him in OT will fuel Lin's rage. Just sit back and watch how Lin run the show.
DeleteAll I want to say is…DON’T FKIN PAY HIM $25 MIL AND MAKE HIM THE STARTING PG IF YOU DO NOT TRUST HIM TO DO HIS DAMN JOB (HE WAS HOT ALL NITE). Why the hell would you want to bench your starting pg in OT when he was having the best game of the season? If you think TD was the “better option” than pay him $25 mil and quit the bs excuses.
ReplyDeleteEnough said…
"then"
DeleteMarketing tool so idiots like us will watch him play. Even if they use him to stand there, we're still watching his games. Some buy league pass, some show up to Houston games in TExas or one the road. The Rockets sell Asian advertising, and that's good money here and abroad.
DeleteAnd they figure as long as Lin is standing on the court, we will all be fooled. And to be honest, we are still watching. None of us will turn off the TV's, etc. Really people in Asia have the big impact by turning off tvs and not caring and Asian sponsors have to pull out.
None of this will happen. Only way out of this nightmare if for Lin to just be Lin and play ball. He either has it or he doesn't. If he kicks butt and sits in corners or sits on benches, eventually some of that 99.9% that matters to the Rockets will voice concern too and things will change.
Lin is the only one who can force the issue through playing well, so well he cannot be ignored until it becomes so damn obvious to everyone white, black, brown, yellow that there's some BS going on in Houston. He's not playing nearly well enough yet for that...
I totally agreed with you, but I was referring to last night game when he was play well and still get benched.
DeleteAgree! At least play some parts in the ot! Cant believe that dumb coach. If lin is having a bad game I will fine with it but with lin doing a decent job n put him on bench! Ohmotherhell that they loose. So disappointed in the coaching.
DeleteI knew something was up when dallas and toronto didn't even throw an offer jlin's way or did they? NYK and their insulting take it or leave it offer and then here is Houston so eager to make jlin the face of their franchise. Well, a new role for lin and signing 'the real' face of their franchise james hogden later and its becoming more and more of a marketing attempt like swinglinezigzag has mentioned. Benched an entire overtime for toney douglas?? i still can't even believe it. Acie law, woodson and baron davis and his man love for mike bibby, but i think this takes the cake!
DeleteLOLOLOLOL
ReplyDeleteThe Devil has got you all by the balls and Jeremy is in on it!
To those who haven't believed me or have not heard my message.... Jeremy is working for the Devil in an attempt to destroy you all who bought into the "Christian" Linsanity hype.
From seeing all of your responses after the intentional + planned benching of Jeremy last night in Overtime, I can confidently say they have successfully punished all of your souls. Don't believe me? read everyone's responses last night and today..
To all who believed me, please check back with my channel tomorrow to learn how to protect yourselves from this fraud because there will be more tricks coming to destroy the rest of the innocent people who still follow the "Christian" story from last season.
-Nemo
Nemo, your silliness is overboard.
DeleteI am not going to correct you because it's not my place and because I know how much of a Lin fan you really are.
It's just that a lot of people cannot handle humor that invokes Satan. I'm not Christian, so "Satan" means about as much to me as "Hades" or "Amatsu Mikaboshi" or "Hela" do. Even by me saying that, I'm going to bring down a lot of criticism on myself.
Do whatever you want, Nemo. I'm just offering you a friendly suggestion on how religious folks react toward your hyperbolic satirical posts.
@Nemo:
DeleteJust because youre talking about the devil that doesnt mean that you are a saint. Got any mirrors in your house? Please have a look at yourself -> devil! A lot of people here believe you have a mental problem. According to catholic teaching that means you are possessed by evil spirit - maybe by the devil himself :(
Jlinfan:
ReplyDeleteGood summary of events as you usually do have excellent perspective. Bottom line though is that Jeremy is financially secure now and no one can ever take that away from him (not sampson, not douglas, not any prejudice). Lin's 25 Million , his endorsements, his magazine covers, linsanity are all imprinted in history never to be taken. I'd say Jeremy can keep this on his mind so he never loses his confidence and just does best he can with opportunities hes got - worked pretty well so far - wouldnt you agree?
Total agreement from me, Mike Nice.
DeleteYou said it all right there. Good going.
Guys gals plz do not forget to votevotevote for lin on the all star ballot everyday its the only way for US to have an impact on how fans perceive lins value to the powers that may be.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to vote for Jeremy unless he deserves it. Right now, he doesn't. Voting for him would only embarrass J-Lin (as humble as he is).
DeleteHe's proven that he has All-Star potential, but until the Rockets let him be a ball-dominant point guard, his performance doesn't merit All-Star consideration.
One way or another, Houston will come to their senses (they'll keep losing if they don't), and Jeremy will prove all the doubters woefully wrong. As he's done over and over and over again throughout his career.
I disagree with you. I go vote for him. I want people to know N jlin to know no matter what happened he still get a lot supporters. Fans like him. That is for fans to vote. That is the meaning of this vote. Who got the most fans. Fans pick their favorite.
DeleteTHE WHOLE WORLD knows it's just a popularity contest for putting up an NBA show.
DeleteIf everyone loves you, I don't see why you should feel embarrassed.
I vote for JL again, again, and again every day.
I remember someone even brought up "conscience" regarding this voting. Come on, this is not the time for being self-righteous. This is the time for you to show your support (especially after last night's game).
Bottom Line:
ReplyDeleteJeremy Lin is the starting PG. Even if he was stinking it up, he should play during OT.
Jeremy Lin was NOT stinking it up. He was having a very, very good game and was doing no worse on Lilliard (a streaky jump-shooter) than Douglas.
Interim Moron Kelvin Sampson obviously thinks Lin is nothing more than a backup. Luckily, Sampson was proven to be an idiot. And when McHale returns, I highly doubt we'll see this kinda BS again.
Great game, Jeremy! You see how much better you are when attacking the rim? You don't have to shoot 3s to be a great PG. Just ask Tony Parker. Or Rajon Rondo. Keep working on your shooting in practice, but don't take them in games unless you have to (e.g. end of the shot clock).
Just finished re-watching the last 4:10 of the 4th quarter.
ReplyDeleteThe total points Lillard actually scored on Lin was 2 (Lillard drive and pullup jumper from the left side with 0:25 to go), arguably 4 (if you also count the drawn foul on Asik at the 4:10 mark, where Lillard comes off a pick and gets into the paint with Lin trailing, resulting in two made free throws).
So let's say it's 4 points that Lillard scored on Lin. Of the supposed 11 points Lillard scored on Lin in the last 4:05 as claimed by clutchfans Hardisty, that leaves 7 points unaccounted for. Well, we can account for those remaining 7 points as follows:
3 were on Douglas when Lin wasn't even in the game,
2 were on a drive on Parsons after a switch,
and 2 were when Lin fouled Lillard to prevent an easy fastbreak after Harden lost his dribble.
So 2, arguably 4 points were actually Lin's fault, not 11. Hardisty is a clown with an agenda.
I don't have a problem with being critical of Lin when he deserves it. Certainly he has deserved a lot of criticism for his play so far this season. I myself have been critical of his play. But for the "unofficial voice" of the Rockets to pin unwarranted blame on Lin to excuse a mind-numbing coaching decision? Despicable.
He has been called out on clutch by many people already. Hardisty does not have much in the way of credibility.
DeleteGood post achondroplasiaphobia.
DeleteWhile I accept that judgments can get clouded in the heat of a basketball game, the hard truth is that Lin has been playing great defense from the day he set foot in the NBA.
Lin gets beaten off the dribble so infrequently that it's like "Huh" when it happens. Thus there is no excuse for Kelvin Sampson to be pouting that Lin can't defend.
It's simple RACISM on Kelvin Sampson's part.
After all my years of fighting brutal racial wars, I no longer have the patience or social etiquette to play nice on racial issues. "Despicable" is the most unbiased and accurate word to describe this situation.
Did you post this on Clutchfans site yet ? So those blind idiots realize who is the better defender.
DeleteD'Antoni raving about Lin, said Lin reinforced his confidence in his system, style. 'He changed my life, too.'
ReplyDeleteJonathan Feigen
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteD’Antoni and Lin share mutual respect for each other
DeleteMDA is a class act. He not only acknowledges Jeremy's work in making Linsanity happen, but he actually goes as far as crediting Jeremy for helping him restore confidence as a coach.
The Knicks rarely were able to run D’Antoni’s offense while he was in New York, but D’Antoni said those weeks with Lin reinforced his belief in his system and style.
“It gives me more confidence as a coach,” D’Antoni said. “You waver. You take some hits as a coach. You start doubting things. Jeremy put everything back in order.”
Rox vs Lakers will be very interesting.
DeleteNYT: Paths Merge for Two Who Made a Run for It
Delete[Mike D'Antoni and Jeremy Lin will meet for the first time on the court since their days with the Knicks last season.]
Nice article. Jeremy had a coach in MDA who was supportive and trusted Jeremy. Woodson was not supportive, but still trusted Jeremy. McHale seems to have also been supportive, but probably didn't trust Jeremy as much as MDA or even Woodson. Sampson is even less supportive and less trusting.
DeleteHaving the coach's support will be a rarity for a player in Jeremy's position. But as a supporter the least I can hope for is Jeremy to have a coach who trusts in him on the court. In a way that is the ultimate form of support for a basketball player; to let him play through his mistakes and develope as a player.
here's the article.
Deletehttp://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/11/11648/
imo dantoni should only be seen as an ally by lin. dantoni had no problem wearing out lin's knee for the sake of his own career.
Well - he wasnt with Lin from the beginning (I credit other people for that) but when he saw what Lin can do he immediately made Lin starting PG. That was a bold move! Lin owes MDA a lot. Without MDA JLin could be sitting in an office right now - flipping numbers :) no 25 million Dollar contract.
DeleteThe deeper they'll try to sink jeremy the brighter he'll shine: he came out through all of that and he'll come out again.
ReplyDeleteThey tried to embarass him in 1vs1 with lbj and he came out with a block, they try everything but jeremy will work much harder to reach the next stage.
I've heard so many crazy stuffs about him,not only doubters but even haters. I think you're right when you say they're racist cause for them he can't play cause he hasn't got the right body or maybe the right skin ... I wonder if stockton was treated in the same way. But, if i can add something, jeremy is treated like that cause he's christian. Christian people don't have a fair treatment nowadays and media try to turn people against them.... For espn even durant isn't playin good.
But jeremy is finding his own way. I've read a post of a guy from netherland who like Lin... I didn't think there were people who like basketball in netherland dunno if they got a national basketball team and he likes jeremy... That's great :D
jeremy is not in good shape yet and already have crazy numbers, i remember the match against atlanta, all he has to do is keep quiet, play without pression and shoot without thinking. When he'll be fit he'll be unstoppable :D
11 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal is a good game.
DeleteI also agree with you about anti Christian bias. And I also agree with you about the knee. It's 100% healed but the explosive (Sparta explosiveness) is not there yet. They even said at the start of training camp that the knee was not 100% yet and Lin was still needing to get into game condition. Supposedly Lin gained 6 inches to his vertical from Sparta training. It would leave you pressing if you were to go up against guys like batum without that extra 6 inches. Just something to think about.
I don't want to compare lin to tebow, and yes, Lin is better, but it's sort of the same in some ways. Tebow, being white, has less scrutiny because of his race, but his faith always gets attacked. He always takes the humble approach, always proves his doubters wrong, yet they always find a way to find his faults. They are also using him in ways that don't cater to their strenghts hahah! but they will both fight and prove haters wrong!
Deleteyou are so biased...dude lin didn't have that good of a game.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lin fan too, but you can't be biased everytime and only point out lin's good sides of the game. and at times if you occasionally mention lin's negative sides, you just point out to excuses ("recovering still from knee").
Just stop being so biased if you're going to make reports/review on the game. He's not playing his style right now, and he's not doing too well. Quit making excuses for him, which even he doesn't make.
you are so biased...dude lin didn't have that good of a game.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lin fan too, but you can't be biased everytime and only point out lin's good sides of the game. and at times if you occasionally mention lin's negative sides, you just point out to excuses ("recovering still from knee").
Just stop being so biased if you're going to make reports/review on the game. He's not playing his style right now, and he's not doing too well. Quit making excuses for him, which even he doesn't make.
Buddy, do you know where you are?
DeleteThis is a Jeremy Lin fansite where people are going to have outrageous adulation for their hero.
We fanboys can be as biased as we want to be. We can make all the excuses we want. And there is nothing you can do about it.
Welcome to the board, by the way.
You're no Lin fan, Bob. There's no need to make excuses because the team plays so much better when Lin is running the offense. Where's the anger at Asik who couldn't finish a point blank dunk when Lin passed to him? These refs were awful. Lin increases his rebounds and steals and all you can look at are his points. Go back to staring at your Monte Ellis poster.
DeleteSHUT YOUR MOUTH BOB DOYLE. Your an embarrassment to your parents.
DeleteHow are we biased? How? Explain it? How is Douglas performance better than Lin last night? And what the heck Can Douglas provide when coach replace him at the last 0.10 sec of 4 quartet? When actually jlin is doing good at the time and suddenly take him off. Seriously there's some problem with the stupid coach
DeleteDid you even watch the game? hmmmm.. didnt think so. Troll somewhere else please
Delete? Why do people come into a FAN SITE and insist on policing its members?
DeleteYet another idiotic hater whos trying to kill Lins image - tryig to take control of the fanbase. We arent supposed to make excuses for Lin? YOUR MAMA!
DeleteThats the same stupid argument that non militaries use because they are envious of militaries. They always claim that militaries must not mention their service. Otherwise those poeple would have no honor. Get the point? Those who have no honor want to silence those who do...
JLin is coming back from injury. He cant run as fast, cant jump as high as he did last year. Period!
lol you guys are so dumb...first of all i'm a bulls fan from chicago who's still a fan of jLin.. and phil hwang, ok yeah he gets 4-5 defensive rebounds per game woah..-.-;;, his stealing ability is very good, but this dude's listing all of the past..which has past, and there's actually a reason why coach samson took him out..read the article from his interview idiots..
DeleteNemo Network Media <--- we need more information on this wacko. He seems like those lunatics that be shooting up movie theaters. low life scum.
ReplyDeleteDon't take him seriously.
DeleteIs Nemo having some kind of a nervous breakdown?
DeleteHe does not HAVE a nervous breakdown. He IS a nervous breakdown - probably possessed by the devil himself. He should really cleanse himself with holy water before the devil takes over completely. My oh my - I sure hope I havent triggered some OCD that Nemo has.
DeleteBTW:
He has a channel on youtube (same name) and he refers to it as "tech company". That says it all. He lives in a very distorted reality - or he is smoking crack.
Does anybody think Daryl Morey is intentionally trying to ruin Lin so he can prove les alexander that he wasnt wrong about cutting Lin?
ReplyDeleteSo all of this is really the works of Morey who is telling Sampson what to do. Especially when you see Jeremy getting yelled at by Sampson while hes not yelling at any of the other players. Makes you think.
I doubt Morey dared to do that. However, I think people in Houston always regards Linsanity as something belong to New York, while they are trying to create a hero of their own - which Harden is the chosen one by the management. That's why they try to lower Lin in every possible way.
Deletenah, if lin performed poorly his ass will be on the line. And i wont be spending 25 million to prove a point. No way.
DeleteDoesnt matter if thats the case. All Lin needs to do is keep attacking the paint - keep playing solid D - keep sharing the ball. As a consequence - the system will break down the moment he is out of the game (what we have seen many times already).
DeleteHe is already on a good way. I liked the way Lin played last game. He should try to have double double every single game. As long as he does -> nobody can hurt him. People will only hurt themselve when trying to sabotage him.
This coaching team n coaching style of the rockets is so disappointed. No wonder they hardly won n didn't make playoff. Now I don't even think about playoff for the rockets if they continue like this.
ReplyDeleteI love Jeremy Lin...and I'm not Asian, or a man. End of story.
ReplyDelete#GoJeremy #NYfan #Linsanity4Life
I think I've seen your twitter. My gf looks somewhat like you. =) And yes I'm Asian.
DeleteInteresting...shout out to your gf, and GOD bless :)
DeleteI'm furious with the Rockets front office for allowing this clear racists injustice to continue by one of there coaches (maybe more than one). I want to see them do something. Kelvin Sampson needs to be removed, he's said and done to many bad things to jlin for me. I've seen him chewing jlin on the sideline out...I cant stand people like him. Christian or not this behavior will continue if jlin does not step up and tell him to pound sand. I'll be at all next week home games. I'll give you my thoughts...you can bet I will be watching the coaches. I'm in the front row right across from home bench.
ReplyDeleteRight on brother. Tell that Sampson hes a Di*k and Mchale's B**** and to back off Lin. this is Bull****!!! Les Alexander needs to do something or its going get ugly.
DeleteLes doesn't have to do anything at the moment.
DeleteLin will take care of this, just like he did in NY when Woodson wanted to bench him but couldn't because Lin was too dominant in practices.
Let Sampson chew out Lin for being Asian. Go ahead. Lin is an ALPHA MALE who'll put a weak beta like Sampson in his place. And Lin will do it not by confronting, but by playing so well that Sampson is SHAMED into playing Lin.
Of course, Les Alexander very well could pull the plug on Sampson before Lin's through PUNKING him.
Agree! Asians like us needs to take some action to let people know we no longer playing nice n quiet Should have our head up for our own good n dignity!
DeleteWoodson never said he wanted to bench Lin. After all, Woodson witnessed Linsanity up close, too. As shown by the Knicks relative success with their hodge-podge at PG after Lin was lost, Woodson could have benched Lin. It was an option. But Lin was his best PG and Woodson treated him that way from Day 1.
DeleteThe only way to get to Rockets management is through the Asian sponsors of the Rockets. They should be on the phone screaming at them to fire Sampson. Money talks.
DeleteAgree with Eric
DeleteWoodson always used Lin especially in the 4th quarter. He usually uses Lin as the primary option in those closing minutes. Remember the road game against Philly. Woodson could have trusted Melo to shoot FTs but he let Lin finish the game despite shooting 1/11 before the 4th quarter.
Woodson is the BEST coach for Jeremy in my opinion. He maximized Lin's talents without overusing him unlike the INCOMPETENT and IDIOTIC Rockets coaches.
Earlier in the season, there were people here defending Sampson and McFAIL. My hunch was absolutely correct. They are idiotic. People got mad at me for my supposed "negativity" towards the coaches. But now we see at first hand that it is TRUE.
Woodson is not Lin's coach. FAIL.
DeleteNY is ancient history. They didn't want Lin. END.
No do overs or Knick fanboy revisions. Case closed, dismissed, and free agented!
Eric and neph pretend that Lin wasn't benched for 23 games and nearly waived out of the league.
DeleteThe Knicks thought so highly of Lin that they sent him to the D league. Lin made them pay DEARLY for their stupidity.
At least Lin is playing 30+ minutes a game in Houston as opposed to being a DNP-CD like in NY.
It was D'antoni who benched Lin and not Woodson.
DeleteLet us not forget that Morey cut Lin for Flynn
It was Dantoni who wanted to trade Melo for Deron because he didn't believe in Lin.
DeleteDantoni is the one who refused to play Lin because of Douglas. he only became so desperate because of the injuries.
Melo/ Deron trade never happened -> no way to know how things would have gone for JLin.
Delete---
From the fan's standpoint:
D'Antoni -> vouched for JLin when he saw what JLin can do.
Woody -> will not vouch for JLin EVEN AFTER seeing what he can do.
[I'm not pro-D'Antoni, I don't think he's a saint. It was luck that his and JLin's interests dovetail with one another: they were going THE SAME DIRECTION, and no one had to sacrifice, that's all.]
"Woody -> will not vouch for JLin EVEN AFTER seeing what he can do"
Delete- Any evidence?
He made him his starter and he played Lin in the 4th quarter. What Woodson did was to incorporate all the talents into the offense and not just Lin's talent like what Dantoni did.
Woody hemmed and hawed repeatedly when asked if JLin is his starting PG [I'm not going to go through countless MSG interviews, neph. THIS IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE.] He repeatedly went to JLin in the 4th and yet, will not commit to JLin, in interviews. -> This is the reason why people say Woody was only 'forced' by need to play JLin.
DeleteYou know Woody told the media how he knew of athletes who played through meniscal injury, right? At the time when JLin was being torn to shreds for sitting out, his coach says this. ?!?!?!
[Let's not even get into how he would yank a hot-hand Landry out to let JR chuck to his heart's content. -> The source of "Woody is racist." [Tbh, it might be he's classist. Since there were put-downs around the locker room about "those soft Cali boys."]
Actions speak louder than words.
DeleteLin was the starter and was allowed to play his game.
In houston, he was benched for Douglas in OT. He isn't even allowed to play PG.
THIS SEASON, Lin has played ZERO minutes for the Knicks.
DeleteInaction speaks loufer than actuon or words.
neph
Delete1. Woody -> does not like JLin.
2. Perfect storm in NY [forces Woody to use JLin] -> allows JLin to thrive [despite Woody's meh regard towards him.]
These 2 can be true simultaneously.
Fans resent #1. [Can't you see how it looks from the other side?]
As for Sampson, I think we can agree WE ALL HATE HIM.
I was comparing his minutes last season to this season.
DeleteI don't know anything about Woody's personal opinion of Lin. It doesn't matter. The important thing is that he does not allow it to affect their WORK relationship. Woodson never benched Lin in OT for Douglas. Woody allowed Lin to play point guard instead of Melo.
DeleteKNICKS COACHES >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rockets Coaches
come on Khuang, woodson has got nothing to do with that. Blame dolan whose irrational thinking i still cant fathom. D'antoni back then want deron williams but Dolan went for Melo,its his money after all. The coach especially woodson who's new and can also be replaced as easily will not have the final decision of who he wants in his line-up. As a coach why would i want to replace my current young PG whose already adjusted to my system with a not so young PG who underperformed last season and known for his weight issues?
DeleteTeams before the Rockets had an excuse for overlooking Lin: he wasn't always as good as he's become. Lin has improved and earned every step forward he's taken. His breakthrough with the Knicks was a true breakthrough. The key is with the Knicks, Lin played for coaches - D'Antoni and Woodson - who tried to get the most out of him, so that Lin was able to show what he can do. With the benefit of Lin's Knicks record, the Rockets have no excuse for undervaluing Lin now.
ReplyDeleteI was optimistic when the Rockets traded for Harden because of his Manu-like skillset, track record with combo-guard Westbrook, and most of all, statements to the effect he looked forward to meshing with Lin. But since his initial diplomacy, Harden's statements and playing style have been of the 'I'm the Man!' variety.
I first became concerned when, in the 4Q of the 1st (Pistons) game, control of the ball transferred fully to Harden, who switched roles to full-on lead guard. It was the 1st time Lin was Chalmerized by McHale and Harden, or relegated to a defender/shooter off-guard role. Game 1 was the 1st indicator that McHale and Harden did not consider Lin to be an equal backcourt partner.
In addition to Mario Chalmers, other examples of PGs whose roles were reduced to different types of off guard by higher-status ball-handling teammates include Earl Monroe, John Paxson, BJ Armstrong, Derek Fisher, Eric Snow, and even Scottie Pippen (as a point forward).
Since the 1st game, the trend has continued to move towards Harden taking over as lead guard and Lin being Chalmerized when the game is on the line. Replacing Lin with Douglas in OT was the 1st naked admission by the Rockets coaches that Harden is THE game-closing lead guard while the off guard is a defender/shooter (floor spacer) only. IE, the off guard is not a ball handler, playmaker, or creative scorer. Moreover, Harden at lead guard has preferred to work in G/F combinations, meaning he'll pass to wings or bigs before the other guard, thus further marginalizing the off guard. On that basis, Sampson judged Douglas to be a more effective defender/shooter at off guard than Lin.
It begs the question, do the Rockets view Lin as more than a pick-and-roll guard? When the Rockets made the unusual move of a 2nd contract offer to Lin, I wondered why. Most fans thought it was a savvy poker move after the Knicks all but admitted they were more than happy to match the initial 19/3 offer. I speculated the 1st offer was due to the Rockets' general need for a viable PG while the 2nd offer was spurred by the Rockets' pursuit of Dwight Howard, which became hot at the same time. Howard prefers the PnR. The PG market was drying up quickly and the Rockets needed a proven PnR PG to pair with Howard. So, with a new need for a PnR PG, the Rockets made a higher offer for Linsanity.
But the Rockets failed to land Howard, thus leaving them with a hotshot PnR PG without the all-star PnR big.
But is Lin only valuable as a PnR PG? The Rockets seem to think so. I don't agree because we saw Lin perform as more than a PnR PG under Mike Woodson.
(Continued ...)
Linsanity happened with D'Antoni and that's the cornerstone, but I argue playing for Woodson was just as important for Lin. For Lin fans, it's important to tout Lin's record with Woodson for a practical reason: Woodson gave Lin the opportunity to show that he's more than a PnR PG.
DeleteThe Lin fans who put down Woodson like to exalt D'Antoni. However, Linsanity happened in very specific conditions (D'Antoni's particular PnR system, egalitarian line-up) that are not easily repeatable elsewhere. In contrast, Woodson the former PG - in the too short time the two worked together - used Lin in a variety of conventional NBA sets and meshed Lin's game with another playmaker/scorer in Anthony. Unlike D'Antoni, the way that Woodson used Lin is applicable elsewhere. Due to Woodson's thoughtful coaching, Lin was able to show his versatility and that he is more than a D'Antoni-made PnR PG, even if that's how Lin prefers to play. Most importantly, Woodson trusted Lin with the ball with the game on the line, including when Lin resorted to hero ball.
Today, with Lin's role in doubt with the Rockets, Lin's record under Woodson is a better argument for him than Lin's record under D'Antoni. It behooves Lin fans to remind Rockets nation of the variety of ways that Mike Woodson successfully used Lin, besides the PnR, and how Woodson trusted Lin to close games.
The Rockets will keep on losing until they CONTINUE with their ISO-HARDEN.
DeleteOnce the losses are too much, someone will be fired. It could be the entire coaching staff and even MOREY.
As seen last night, the offense was better when Lin was the point guard. He even freed up Harden for that 3 at the 4th quarter.
People unfairly criticized Woodson for not using Lin all the time. But look at what the stupid Rockets coaches did. They marginalized Lin so much to a point that they would take him out at the end of game. They are deliberately LOSING. Pathetic coaching.
Knicks aren't Lin's team anymore.
DeleteWoodson isn't Lin's coach anymore.
The world is still round and the Knicks are not te center of the universe.
You want to talk REAL Lin hate? Just go reaf those despicable NY tabloids flaming Lin every time he takes a dribble. Explain THAT away, Eric.
KHuang,
DeleteLast I checked, the NY Daily News isn't an NBA team.
However, the last I checked, the best of Lin's play in the NBA and the best he was coached in the NBA remains Lin as a Knick. So, Lin's Knicks history - especially playing for Woodson - is still the best available model for the proper way to use Lin.
If you prefer the Rockets model for using Lin to the Knicks model for using Lin, I guess that's your judgement call. I prefer to remind the Rockets that there is an applicable better way to getting more from Lin than the Rockets are now getting. The Rockets need only review how the Knicks, especially Woodson, used Lin.
I actually agree with Eric. and those tabloid writers just like to bash lin because they like controversy. nothing to do with woodson maybe a little about the knicks. But really the knicks are more concerned now with the brooklyn nets. A new neighborhood competition who's actually doing well. Woodson was able to use lin well despite the problem of having amare and carmelo in the line-up. that's two stars with big egos who for some reasons doesnt gel well. If you remember the pacers game, Lin isnt shooting well but woodson still let him play his game. I think his shooting slump during woodson is not because he wasn't being use right. Its because of his injury bothering him. At least as a knicks they let him take as many shot as Melo, control the offense and not force him to play like he is Steve novak.
Delete@romz
DeleteI think you mean the Philly game where Lin was shooting poorly.
romz,
DeleteUntil McHale/Sampson come up with something better, the Woodson-coached Pacers game in Indy remains the best example of how to use Lin. While the hard-fought 76ers game in Philly is the best example of Lin's coach keeping faith in him (1 for 11 start!) to win the game and being rewarded for that faith.
Lin's swagger in the 4Q of the Lin-led Knicks win over the 76ers is oceans apart from the suppressed anger on Lin's face in the OT of the Blazers game.
Lin fans should be sending game film of both those Woodson-coached games to the Rockets front office to remind them of what Lin can do - and has done for another NBA team.
Woodson is not a perfect coach. But he is FAR better than the Rockets coaching staff COMBINED.
DeleteFACT.....
@Eric
DeleteThanks for the thoughtful post and point of view.
re: Lin's 2nd contract,
I'm one of the ones that think that the poison pill was a "savvy poker move" rather than Howard bait. Remember, by the time Lin got the updated contract, Asik had already signed his offer sheet.
Both contracts are absolutely worth their price if you are buying potential; arguably, Asik is getting full value now on defense and rebounding right alone.
The guy works his tail off and his offense is improving every game. If he can become and effective PnR'er (ok, right now big if) then both Lin and Harden are going to look a lot better, as is the offense.
Nom,
DeleteThe Howard thing was opportunistic, and the popular consensus is the Rockets went hard after him.
I don't think Asik would have kept Morey from pulling the trigger on Howard with all those trade assets he piled up to pull in an A-list star. Compare it to the Harden trade. The Harden trade was opportunistic, too. True, we're talking SG:PG, not C:C, but it's evident that Lin and Harden have redundant combo-guard skillsets. The Harden trade proved the Rockets are willing to bring in a bigger star even if the star's role is already filled on the team and they don't have a clear plan of how to use the 2 overlapping players together.
I agree 8/8/8 for Asik and Lin is good value. Asik is an impressive defender/rebounder at C.
It was just an old thought on my part, revived by the present-day observation that the Rockets don't trust Lin's PG game with the game on the line. Which leads me to wonder, in terms of "buying potential", just what sort of PG did the Rockets think they were buying in Lin?
@Eric
DeleteThanks for your thoughts. My intent was not to nitpick, and I think I see where you're coming from now.
I think the Rox thought they were getting exactly what we thought we were getting... Linsanity 2.0, or at least from the Rox point of view Lowry (man is he tearing it up this season)/Dragic 2.0.
The equation changed of course when they got Harden. We've witnessed 8 "games" of training camp. Usually as time goes on, you get a clearer picture of how things are going to be. Not a big fan of the most recent 5 minutes.
i think it was against the pacers. Same story i guess just different game. but the thing is I dont get the flak woodson is getting from Jlin fans. melo i can understand but with woodson.. no. Woodson is an ISO coach way before Lin enters the League. Cant fault him for that. At least he learned something from D'antoni's offense and he's now applying it with the knicks. Does he love melo? Maybe? But it doesn't mean he hates Lin. And yes i'm still crying over Lin not playing for the Knicks. And i officially hate the Rockets coaching staff.
DeleteWoodson is a FAIL too.
DeleteHe talked about matching Lin's contract and then had to eat his words.
On court, get Lin some max contract frontcourters. Then talk big about Lin's role.
By the way, Lin is currently not far off his "career" statistical averages with Woodson.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete"I dont get the flak woodson is getting from Jlin fans."
DeleteReally, how hard was it to say YES when asked: Is Lin your starting PG? Why equivocate and blah blah we'll see...blah blah Lin is still learning...blah blah WHY? SAY YES, that's ONE simple word.
Is it that:
- Woody can't commit bcos he knows something behind the scenes that's preventing him? [bad]
- He's hedging his bets so it'll be easy to dump JLin when the opportunity arise? [bad]
- He doesn't think JLin's contribution is ALL THAT, and is seriously undecided if JLin should indeed be his starting PG? [bad]
- He just doesn't want to give JLin credit, the way other Asian-Americans who are used in grunt work in labs and other fields are being treated? [bad]
- He just dislike JLin THAT MUCH he can't get himself to utter that ONE word? [bad]
Why not simply say YES. YES he is my starting PG. YES.
[He never did, until FA when they were scaring off JLin's bidders.]
As for how JLin was used under Woody, it was not by design -> the circumstances were such Woody had no choice [look at who the alternative to JLin were?]
Woody was not Sampson-stupid. He wasn't going to risk his shot at being coach by indulging whatever emotional
resistance he has towards JLin.
The unintentional consequence of Woody pursuing his own interest -> accidentally benefited JLin as well.
Whether Woody's motives were self-centered or not does not negate the good of that stretch, and true, fans can hold the plays up as exemplar, but not Woody's attitude towards JLin. [Why throw JLin under the bus during play-offs?]
It's undeniable Woody respected JLin's game. But whether he respected JLIN HIMSELF, is up for debate.
---
Perhaps he [and Melo/ JR] found it hard to relate to JLin. We can only see through the prism of our own experience, and it may have been difficult to relate to these [soft] "Cali boys." JLin and Landry -> too white bread.
[Here's Landry cussing out a Celtic. There's an accompanying gif, w/c I can't find, where Melo looks up at him smiling, with surprise and approval.]
Many of us don't realize this is part of the linsanity saga. He went through adversity all through his life and it will continue through his career. This is the reason why all of us is routing for him. I think everyone is getting too riled up and i understand everyone concern but i feel that Jeremy will prove once again like he did in New york no matter what the case may be. It may never be an equal opportunity for Jeremy but so be it. This is who Jeremy lin is. This is just another chapter of Linsanity. Let accept what is happening right now and realize that Lin will overcome another bump on the road. We just have to watch it unfold.
ReplyDeleteA lot of Asian American guys like me are like "Yeah, we been through the hate cycles like Lin has".
DeleteEvery time Lin joins a new team, he has to prove himself all over again. He has less leeway to screw up than any other player, plus he takes more abuse from coaches and teammates. And Lin prevails anyway because he's THAT GOOD.
But when it's all over, Lin can look at himself in the mirror and like what he sees. No matter how much he gets flamed, he knows he's done his best against overwhelming odds. He's living the dream!
I've been through several rounds of ethnic "hate cycles" in different fields. Thus I'm hardly surprised at what I'm seeing. I'm also very confident that Lin will do what other ostracized Asian American males have done: simply go about his business and WIN THE WAR!
It's The Hero's Journey.
DeleteThere will be trials.
He will prevail.
@via
DeleteNow you're quoting Joseph Campbell?
Love it.
Meanwhile, in NY...
ReplyDeleteRocket Man: The Future of Jeremy Lin
Via,
DeleteGood stuff. I watched about the 1st 2.5 minutes. They were veering from basketball analysis into a talk about Lin the social phenom, so I stopped watching. It's a very good commentator panel, though, and I'll probably go back and watch the whole thing. So, thanks.
I disagree with the panel in terms of team/player effect. In my view, neither the Knicks nor Lin are better off with Felton and the Rockets respectively.
In the regular season, the Knicks will win with Felton in Lin's place - no more and no less than they would have won with Lin. The Knicks rest on a good defense, disciplined offense, a solid coach, a motivated star, and capable veterans. (Stoudemire is a wild card.) I liked Felton from his 1st run with the Knicks. He's a tough, skilled PG, and I was surprised he failed in Portland. So when the Knicks decided on Felton over Lin, I thought they'd still have a successful regular season. The Knicks will earn a high enough seed in the regular season to win the 1st round.
However, the Knicks will finally feel the loss of Lin in the 2nd round when they face a true Finals contender (eg, Celtics, Heat) in fully play-off mode for the 1st time. In the 2nd round, Felton will give his all, but he is the wrong type of point guard to take the Knicks over the top. Lin is the right type of point guard. The 2nd round will be a closely fought series where a handful of individual clutch plays - a creative score, improvised pass, race to a loose ball, rebound, or steal - will make all the difference. It will be the kind of rare clutch play that Lin makes intuitively but Felton won't. Still, for Knicks fans, losing a closely fought 2nd round series against a top contender will be considered a success. Felton's season will be celebrated and the long absence of Lin will be attenuated enough so that I will be the only person who will claim the Knicks could have won the 2nd round with Lin over Felton.
For Lin, his Rockets story is still too early to declare anything. But if the Rockets keep misusing him, the withdrawal of the initial 19/3 offer, which cost Lin a spot on the Knicks, may turn out to be a disaster for his career.
The Knicks were the best fit for Lin in the developmental short term of a 3 year deal. I've discussed why on this site already. Suffice to say, Woodson is the right coach for Lin. Lin's role at PG for the Knicks was clear. The Knicks veterans, from Kidd, to Chandler, to Anthony, to Novak, etc, were the right teammates for Lin. (Yeah, some of them said bad things about the 2nd 25/3 offer, but so what? Guess who's controlling the ball.) Lin's game naturally complements both Anthony's and Kidd's games. Lin had built a foundation of experience and relationships with the Knicks coaches and players, and had earned cachet as the team's starting PG. Lin had a strong fan base in NY.
Lin would be thriving right now as a Knick. Felton's current role is tailor-made for Lin's game. As a Knick, Lin would have developed better with a clear role and winning reps during a deep play-off run on a stable veteran team, with the opportunity to win greater glory with clutch post-season winning plays against top contenders.
Then, when the Knicks age caught up to them and the team fell apart, a then mature, play-off tempered Lin would either be preparing for free agency, traded, or ready for the Knicks to rebuild around him.
Lin had a sure thing with the Knicks. But the Rockets, at the time, offered an enticing opportunity to reinvent Linsanity. Then, when the opportunity was removed by the Harden trade, we hoped Harden would enhance Lin's game rather than take over Lin's team-leader role. That hasn't been the case. It's still early, so either positive path may still happen for Lin in Houston. But as matters stand right now, it's obvious Lin would have been better off as a Knick than a Rocket. Morey changed his offer, though, and the rest is history.
NO NO NO NO.
DeleteThere are no "woulds" in the NBA, Eric!!!
NBA is a reality league. Fantasy doesn't apply.
Couldn't have said it better Eric.
DeleteYou're the most logical person in this forum.
Until Harden starts to play teamball, the team will keep on losing to good teams. I expect another loss against the Lakers.
Lin must be given a chance to play like a point guard.
@Eric
DeleteI have a couple of for fun questions for you:
What's better for Lin, to still be with the Knicks, making $900k, or playing with the Rox with his current contract? You can answer in basketball terms, life terms, whatever.
Say he was with the Knicks - is making less than $1M enough for Melo to feel unthreatened (and by extension, willing to participate in the system that the Knicks currently enjoy)?
one does not need to be an ivy league grad to figure it out : $25M > $1M.
Deletebasic maths = common sense.
@janelin7
DeleteThanks for the lesson in basic maths (sic). How about this problem:
A = 25M(3 years of questionable development)+future
B = 0.9M(1 year in a "best fit" "tailor made" system)+future
Which is greater, A or B?
The knicks were willing to match 20 mil
DeleteThe 15 mil poison pill will really prevent the Knicks from making any moves at all.
KHuang,
DeleteThe reality is the Rockets are misusing Lin this season and the Knicks used Lin properly last season (except for D'Antoni riding Lin like Secretariat). That the Knicks would have used Lin properly this season is not a leap, especially watching Felton play in Lin's would-be role.
neph,
Thanks.
I hope there's enough outcry after the messy looking OT that the Rockets coaches will be jarred into using Lin properly.
The game was a big wake-up call for Lin fans because Lin played so well. It was arguably even his best game of the season. Yet Sampson still sat him out for OT. That says a lot about the Rockets coaches' basic view of Lin's role and status. A far cry from how Lin was treated as a Knick.
Nom,
DeleteGo with the guaranteed money. Lin's knees may turn out to be a chronic problem, and if they give out, it won't matter what NBA team is the best fit for him.
It's not Lin's fault he's not a Knick. Lin wanted to be a Knick and did exactly what the Knicks asked him to do. Lin had no choice. He only had 1 offer to consider. Lin already agreed to 19/3, which he expected the Knicks would match, but the Rockets pulled the offer and replaced it with 25/3. Lin expected the Knicks would match the 2nd offer, too. Lin was as shocked as everyone else when he became a Rocket, instead.
As neph said, (Felton July 4 conspiracy claims aside) the more realistic hypo is 25/3 vs 19+/3, not 25/3 vs qualifying offer.
Hypothetically, what if the Knicks weren't restricted by rule from making a big offer and had countered 19+/3 to the Rockets 25/3?
Again, Lin has repeatedly indicated he expected and wanted to be a Knick. That counts for something.
6 mil is still a big difference, but at those figures, I would advise Lin to go Knicks, but try to make up the difference with performance incentives, no-trade clause, etc.. Maybe wrangle an extra 1-2 mil on the base pay, too.
Lin's 1st 'I've arrived' NBA contract is a big deal, but this won't be his last NBA contract. Lin's next NBA contract should be the money-maker, the big long one based both on past performance and expected performance over his prime. So it matters that Lin sets up his next contract while on his current contract. That goal is helped by playing in the best basketball fit for him. Lin believed that was the Knicks and so do I.
@Eric
DeleteThanks for your reply. What you state in your final paragraph is pretty much where I was going. My biased hope is that he finds the kind of performance that will lead to the max contract with the Rockets. It doesn't look like that now, but this is sports, and I'm patient.
Had to chuckle at the thought of Lin asking for a no-trade clause though. First of all, I don't think he's allowed to, but let's say he was... that's ballsy.
Add: Now, if the choice was a qualifying offer (1/1) vs 5/1 or maybe 10/2, 12/3, something like that, from another team, then it gets interesting. Because then we're talking about Lin accepting the qualifying offer to set himself up in 1 season for a much bigger pay-off starting the next season as an UFA.
DeleteI believe JR Smith made a similar choice to stay with the Knicks for a bigger pay-off down the road.
Nom,
DeleteYeah, I dunno if a no-trade would be allowed or not.
"Lin would be thriving right now as a Knick."
Delete- Not sure.
FELTON is thriving right now as a Knick, but he is not Linsanity [with all its baggage.]
It would be different [in all kinds of unforeseen ways] if it were JLin.
@ neph
Delete"The 15 mil poison pill will really prevent the Knicks from making any moves at all."
The Nyk had room to manuever. They knew they can use the Stretch Provision. They chose not to.
@Nom
DeleteA obviously. ;)
On the Nyk offer during FA:
Delete"But instead of making an offer, the Knicks spoke in terms of concepts rather than numbers, a source said. And their concept, according to the source, was for Lin to sign A FRONT-LOADED CONTRACT THAT ACTUALLY DECREASED IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE DEAL, WITH NO MENTION OF A FOURTH. Considering that the most Lin could get in the first year of the deal was $5.3 million, it seemed to Lin's representatives that THE KNICKS WERE ASKING HIM TO SETTLE FOR $4 MILLION OR EVEN LESS IN THE THRID YEAR."
[Their excuse for that front-loaded deal was the lux tax , which they know they could have remedied with the Stretch Provision.]
As everybody knows ~
Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
still reading that matching hou on lin would have subject knicks to repeater tax penalties in year 3. not true, as I read cba.
6:22 AM - 1 Oct 12
Knicks 4th quarter : kidd jr melo stat chandler. Don't see space for jeremy in this roster... The ball is in jr and melo's hands. Felton shoot just because they want him to have bigger numbers than jeremy...
DeleteStop thinking if... !
@janelin7
DeleteI respect your opinion on choosing A. However, I think it is far from obvious. I probably didn't make myself clear, but @Eric got the gist of what I meant here:
"Because then we're talking about Lin accepting the qualifying offer to set himself up in 1 season for a much bigger pay-off starting the next season as an UFA."
This is *exactly* what I was implying.
Someone please correct me if these events are misstated, but my recollection is that Lin got a qualifying offer from NY and was told to "test the market". That market consisted of only one team (so my first aside is, everyone quit hating on Morey). If Lin says to himself, "I<3NY" and decides that's the best system for him and doesn't sign with Houston, he gets a one year contract (remember, NY only said what his presumed new contract terms "would" be; my second aside, given what NY said re: matching contracts, we know what NY's word is worth).
Let's say in NY, he continues to play at an even close to Linsanity level. Without the specter of NY's right of first refusal, I'm pretty sure his market would expand beyond just one team. If he doesn't resign and tests out the free market, who knows what kind of lollapalooza deal he could fetch.
On the other hand, if in NY he performs the way he has this season (woeful shooting percentage outside and in), or God forbid he doesn't pan out this year, then oops.
I think NY could have done a much better job of making him feel wanted. I think he would have signed something like what @via posted above, I have no idea what the actual terms would be but even in the ballpark at least it's not insulting. Melo wouldn't have called a diminishing contract "ridiculous" (actually, who knows, I'm still on the fence re: how he felt about Lin as far as if he wanted him or not). I think he would have been happy, and I know New Yorkers would have been.
Instead he comes to Houston. I was happy for him because A) he got paid, and B) I thought he was respected, Houston did a great job of making him feel wanted. But after the OT fiasco, how wanted can he be feeling?
But I digress. I agree with A as well, but again I don't think it's necessarily obvious.
Ixx Axxx @IxxAxxx
ReplyDelete@JasonCFriedman All this is pointless if @JLin7 sits on the bench in crunch time. When R we going 2hear from @dmorey about handling Sampson?
11:39 AM - 17 Nov 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@IxxAxxx "Handling" Sampson? It's a coaches job to coach and make tough decisions. Not all of them will work or be correct. But what is
11:53 AM - 17 Nov 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@IxxAxxx Daryl going to do? Publicly undermine his coach? I don't think so. At end of the day, it's one game and that was one decision out
11:54 AM - 17 Nov 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
Delete@IxxAxxx of hundreds in a game that was filled with countless momentum swings and turning points. No need to overreact.
11:55 AM - 17 Nov 12
Jeremy Lin's career was destined to be not as smooth as other nba stars since Day 1 because he's Asian. But let's not forget every struggle and obstacle only made him stronger, every time he prevailed and became better than ever. This man got the last laugh every single time. This time is no different!
ReplyDeleteLol this Jeremy Lin story just keeps getting more and more fascinating! Can't wait to see how it unfolds!
man jlin should have chest bumped sampson or told him to kiss his ass. if hes going to bench him for an entire overtime might as well get a couple shots in.
ReplyDeleteThe best place for Lin is the Pacers. They are struggling without Granger. They are about team basketball and not padding stats.
ReplyDeleteLin will have a difficult time in succeeding if his coaches and the so called Harden are preventing him to maximize his potential.
Don't expect the Rockets' offense to change. It will still be about Teen Wolf's isolation. His stats may look good in the boxscore but when you watch the game you could easily see that he has GLUE in his hands.
Best play of the game was the Harden pick and roll where he actually swung the ball, so it eventually reached Lin in the weakside corner for that nice baseline drive, with an and1 if I remember right.
DeleteThe Rockets should be doing that all game. When Harden is running the point, Lin should be killing it from the weakside, but the ball has to swing to Lin so he can work.
benching jlin in ot is like taking strasburg out after 100 pitches in april. the rockets believe that jlin should play no more than 36 min/gm during the early parts of the season. there's still a lot of games left, and the worst thing that can happen is for his knee to breakdown due too many minutes. helping the rockets win in ot would have been great, but the risk is too high this early in the season.
ReplyDeletejlin is steadily improving...28% FG in preseason, 36% FG in november. the key for jlin is to find lanes to attack through pick'n rolls or pump faking & driving like the one play he had against portland. those are the plays that will raise his FG%. his 3pt shots will improve over time. i always thought his off-season training should focus on more shooting and less weight training.
Stop your denial and Rockets ass kissing. If this was a master plan to "protect" Lin and control Lin's minutes to preserve his knees, Sampson would have said so in his post game interviews. But no he didn't say but opted to say how Douglas is a "better" matchup (and not the 1st time he's said this either since his takeover). It's racism/discrimination/prejudice, and you know this so stop defending it and want to deflect it to Lin's "shooting problem".
DeleteHas there been any news saying Lin is on a minutes limit? He's played over 36 min in games earlier in the season, but no games over 40 yet.
DeleteHe played 39 against the Hawks
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor those who missed the last game, here are some longer highlights from the Portland game:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/1JSgKaATXBs
I especially liked the block on the center, the charge on Batum, and the array of no-look passes. Jeremy also drove to the basket a few more times, drawing fouls.
This game was quite entertaining to watch. I hope Jeremy will play a similar or even greater role in the Lakers game.
Jeremy should has a 2nd PG off the bench guarding him tonight. Although Lakers have a couple long guys inside (to understate things), I am optimistic that this is a good chance to break out of his shooting slump against a (presumably) lesser PG.
Long time follower, first time poster. Thank you wilc for the link. Jeremy's no-look passes were delightful. Asik was clearly fouled on the dunk attempt, and a pair of free throws then could have made a huge difference.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is all about confidence. A player will play better, and play to his potential, if he has confidence. D'Antoni gives his players freedom to play and give them confidence. It is clear why Jeremy plays well for D'Antoni. Jeremy is not playing with confidence now. Sampson has no confidence in Jeremy as all Sampson's action demonstrate his lack of confidence in Jeremy.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if Jeremy wants to survive and do well in this league, he has to find a way to gain his confidence without the coach or his teammate's help. During Linsanity Jeremy said his confidence came from God. I hope Jeremy is praying a lot. Godspeed Jeremy!