Serious question, which game do you guys think Lin is gonna pulled out of the starting lineup? By looking at the schedule I am starting to think if the Rockets lost to a blowout to SA again (almost a lock), the coaches would have the excuses to limit Lin's minutes. And next game against Washington Douglas then got to play big minutes, performed well and the team won (well should be easy against the worst team in the league). The coaches would perfectly justify to promote Douglas to the starting lineup against Boston especially the team needed his "defense" to "slow down" Rondo.
The sooner he gets pulled out the better, sorry guys. I'd like Lin to sit for several games to see what really will happen. Will the team continue to suck or will Lin up his ante when he does get playing time.
I agree, Houston now runs the team almost like the Knicks last year with the bulk of offense running through Harden. Don't 4 players watch Harden on most possessions late in the game remind u of something? This is a recipe for disaster cuz Harden is not even as good as Melo as far as being an one-on-one player.
Dont know how cold it gets in Houston but if I wanted to pull that shit off (see how they do without me) I would simply claim to have influenza or something like that. This way the team wouldnt even have to bench me.
I was really hoping that Lin would find his role respectively Rockets would find the right role for Lin and it would work out but it seems like they are doing the same mistake all over again - seing Lin as someone he isnt and therefor not letting him do what he does best -> being the playmaker and play the way he plays best.
I really dont know what knucklehead is making the decisions in Houston but they are abusing Lin and therefor ruining him.
Tailoring a system to a player is how you make use of his talents. Tailor a player to a system -> always fails. If Lin isnt the right man for the Rockets -> trade him!
Jonathan Feigen @Jonathan_Feigen James Harden sitting out practice with sprained ankle. No word yet about whether he'll play tomorrow. Likely won't know until then. 10:40 AM - 9 Dec 12
AND THE KNICKS WIN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHA ROCKETS STINK HORRIBLY!! LIN IS BENCHED WHERE HE BELONGS!!! 내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행. LETS GO DOUGLAS!!!
구글 번역하느라 애썼다, 머저리. Sorry, your Korean doesn't make sense. Bad Google translation. Sad and pathetic to the point of hilarity. I already contacted the person whose picture you're illegally using. And his name is no billy Chung. Simple Google image search will tell you who that picture belongs to. He is indeed Korean and I sent him a message in Korean, so if this picture is really you as you claim, then you should be able to tell me what I said in that message. You FAKE!
he does what the knicks ask of him. pass the ball. hit the open 3. result: gets benched. he needs to look our for his own and play his gamehe needs to just play not for others, but for God and the love/fun of the game. that is why he succeeded in NY. i remember him saying this about the first game in linsanity when he was about to get cut. "if i go out, i go out playing my way." before that, he was trying to "fit into the system" no. just enjoy jeremy. that's the game we love from you. also, he needs to attack the basket first, then the shots will come. i remember the first meaningful game he had with the knicks, he missed his first 5 or so jumpers but he kept shooting. and once his layups started to go in, and he started getting to the FT line, that's when his jumpers started to fall.
if jeremy wants to keep trying to fit in to the system (like he did with GSW and NY) and be who he's not, even if he does well what they ask of him (like from last night's game), he's going to get benched. oh wait he already has.
jeremy's talent cannot be contained. he has to be set free. and the only person who can do that is himself (i.e. first game of linsanity). in fact he has no choice. either free himself, or go back to GSW status. (even if he does well exactly as you are told).
PS do not worry about your jumpshot. it's fine (made 2 of 3 last game). what do smart players do when their shots do not fall? they go for the easy layup. then everything else will follow.
i remember him saying this about the first game in linsanity when he was about to get cut. "if i go out, i go out playing my way." before that, he was trying to "fit into the system" no."
I remember JLin saying that too.
Unfortunately, it seems that Lin has forgotten that.
Play the game your way.
Don't try to be a player that you are not.
Lin has gotten away from his game and hence lost confidence and belief.
Exactly. Asik is a good defender and rebounder, but can't finish at the rim at this point of his career. Asik is not TChandler in PnR. May passes to Asik this season have ended up as missed layups or blocked shots near the rim that lead to opponents fast break scoring opportunities.
Now that CParson and PPatterson have cooled down in 3pt shooting, Lin's effectiveness as a PG is greatly discounted.
Jeremy can no longer play like the guy who was about to get cut from NY with nothing to lose. He now has a big contract, endorsements, and responsibilities. Just like when you get married and have kids, you can't go back and live like you did when you were a bachelor. Charles Barkley did not want to be a role model, but it comes with the territory. Like it or not he is a torchbearer for asian-americans. He's proven he can play at a high level. He just needs to go out there and do it consistently. No turning back. Charge forward!
Well said Smoovies. Something is bothering him and I'm sure it all comes down to his damn contract. He ripped himself off with that because even though it isn't a huge contract, to him it is. He's too damn nice of a kid and that money makes him nervous that he wont earn it. He just has to forget about it and play with no fear. I know he has pride and confidence so it's not that but he plays like he's intimidated now or something. Just let loose and let it rip!!!
The reason so many of us care and follow Jeremy Lin, is that we thought he could elevate the perception of asian-american men in america like Jackie Robinson did for blacks. In the sports world and in the entertainment world there is no one like him. As the whole country was cheering Jeremy during Linsanity, we felt we finally had a legitimate A-list asian-american superstar. We felt proud being an asian-american. However as the cheers have now turned to jeers and insults, those personal feelings of pride have turned into embarrassment. Each negative article about Jeremy indirectly is directed at all asian-american men and reinforcing the american biases against asian-american men. Asian men are too passive, they are greedy, they can't be leaders. Jackie Robinson was able to shrug off all the racial insults and biases by performing as an all-star on the field. Jeremy needs to do likewise. Jeremy needs to be that agressive, I can take on anyone in the league attitude like he had last year. Otherwise instead of elevating the perception of the asian-american male he could reinforce most american's stereotypical views of asian-americans. As asian-americans though we should unite during this time of adversity as blacks have (calling each other brother), instead of turning against one another. Jeremy's window of opportunity is still open but slowly fading. Come on Jeremy, we know you have it within you. Do it for all of us asian-americans who have been laughed at and looked down upon all our lives. You have the power to change not only basketball world but the views of millions of Americans. This is a once in a generation opportunity, sieze it!
A lot of the people who post here have self-esteem issues and are in denial. A black guy shoves an Asian in front of moving chain in New York and the story is buried by the liberal press. Where's the yelling and screaming?
Some of the people on this board feel the knee jerk reaction to blame Jeremy for everything. If only he did this. If only he did that. Jeremy doesn't work hard enough. He should this. He could of that. Maybe it's the Asian way instead blaming someone else. After this game, I'm convinced something is going on with Sampson and McHale about Lin.
Jeremy is fading into the typical "invisible" asian-american. He is told what to do, doesn't make any waves, he's the model minority. He gets benched and he says he's fine with that. What I and many other asian-americans believed is that he was something more, something special. That he would be a trendsetter for a future generation of asian-american men. Instead he is being looked like as another William Hung, someone who got paid, but is the laughing stock of america. I don't like the fact that in his interviews he keeps emphasizing that Linsanity won't happen again. Why not? Does he no longer believe he can perform at that level? Is he satisfied in his accomplishments because he got paid? Is he already planning his life after basketball? Something seriously changed mentally with him and his approach towards his game. After his knee insury he is no longer attacking big men and drawing fouls. It's like his mom told him it's not worth it. Typical asian wisdom is to say why risk ruining your health. If he doesn't turn it around in the next few games, I'm afraid he may flame out and no NBA team will want him. My son will then be embarrassed to wear his jersey. He still has a shot but he needs to turn it around quick. Linsanity did happen, so I know he can do it again. He just needs to start believing it.
My problem with your response is that I believe Jeremy is doing fine. He is a PG now. He gets the other players involved. Asik has become one of the better centers in the league in large part due Lin's play. Now the team has become give the ball to Harden and that's it.
In fact, I think Asik's free throw shooting has gone done because he has lost confidence in his overall play. Confidence that Jeremy gave him.
Dont make JLin responsible for the "troubles" or "flaws" of an ethnic group. JLin is no civil rights activist - he is an athlete who is out there for himself. If he succeeds - good. If he doesnt - cant blame him but dont ask him to carry your weight as well.
There are racists out there who point their dirty fingers at asians but asians cannot respond by pointing at JLin. If you are asian and you want to do something for your "brothers" -> step up and do something. Dont just support JLin - join him.
Watch the olympic games -> asians allways on top. Watch european soccer -> couple of asians FROM ASIA play for great european teams and nobody hates them. So - when people say that asians are too soft or not athletic and that its to do with genes we all know its a lie. How we deal with it -> decide for yourselves but dont pass on the jar.
One problem with asians and american mainstream sports is that before JLin - there was simply no star for young kids to look up to (Im talking about asians who look asian as well). Whether JLin will be great or just mediocre -> doesnt really matter. Asian kids have already seen what JLin can do and many of them will give pro sports a try. So - asian american athletes will shine - of course it will take time for those little kids to grow up but and we only of JLin in the meantime.
Take breakdancing in Korea. The breakdancing community there was really small and people were laughing at them. Then - a hand full of dancers came out and ruled. They have been ruling for years - beating americans, brits, french, germans, japanese... Now - nobody laugs at them anymore and parents let their children learn breakdance.
Take Cung Le. I never heard him talking about stereotypese exept when he talked about being beaten up and picked on as a child. He since has learned martial arts and won titles all over the world. He broke Frank Shamrocks arm with a series of kicks. He knocked out Rich Franklin with one beautyful punch. A big mouth like Floyd Mayweather may disrespect an asian american bball player but martial artists know he would not dare disrespect an asian american UFC figther - after all - UFC fighters are on top of the food chain and say what you want - any good UFC fighter can crush a Mayweather.
Just so you know -> Cung Le left Vietnam with his mother under gunfire when he was 2 years old and there is NOBODY who would dare say something stupid about him now. Otherwise he would challenge them and they would get their asses kicked - in the octagon. He did it not for the asians - he did it for himself. And - if you watch his fights - even the recent ones - most of his fans arent even asian. He doesnt need asians fans and he isnt even married to an asian wife. God - he doesnt even speak his mothers language (like JLin). For him and his fans - race doesnt matter.
You project way too much. JLin has other problems to deal with - not just help your self esteem. Im not OK with the system in which he plays but you cannot complain - at least no by claiming that he he has become the asian stereotype whatever bla bla.
Its obvious you dont know how its like to be on a pro sports team. Even a Melo didnt go on TV and said that he thinks Dantoni is killing him. We dont know whats happening behind the scenes and as long as we dont know -> dont complain about JLin or insult him. Support him.
Let's face it. The reason many people follow Jeremy is because he is asian-american. Would we care so much if he was Jeremy Smith? He represents something greater than a good basketball player. Although he didn't ask for it he is the face of asian-america. I am a big supporter of Jeremy and believe he could be great, I just don't know if he believes anymore.
He played great when he started Linsanity. Had it been Jeremy Smith - it might not have been that great but NY would still have loved him. The "asian people go nuts thing" in my eyes is simply colateral damage that helps and hurts JLin.
Being asian did not make it easier for Lin. It made it tougher for him. Having asian fans didnt quite balance that out - not until every chinese man or woman each send him a Dollar. In fact - I wonder at times whether people hate Lin not because they hate Lin but because they hate Lin fans. As much as Im a fan - I sometimes read other "fans" posts here and I have to wonder "whats wrong with these people?".
Now - he is a sensation partly because hes asian. Im glad you got that. But how do you explain peoples behavior - acting like they own Jeremy or that Jeremy owes them?
You are talking about Jeremy having a small window of time to make it right for asians in the country... thus proving my point. Believe me - when he goes out there - he doesnt think about your window of time and your self esteem. I sure hope he doesnt read on this site since athletes are advised to not read every magazine or google themself but if he feels the pressure from the asian people cause he does read here I can asume that you are killing what is important to you -> you are killing Linsanity by burdening Lin with your troubles.
Cung Le comparison isn't a good one. He competes in a sport where one of the pioneers was Asian-American, Bruce Lee. Some of those fighting styles that MMA fighters are using like Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, etc already have Asian backgrounds.
Cung Le is also not the token Asian like Jeremy Lin is, since there are plenty of Asians and mixed Asians in MMA as compared to the NBA. Also just like JLin, Cung Le understands and speaks basic Vietnamese but mainly speaks English in public (same like Jeremy). And to think about it, Cung represents his Vietnamese heritage with his gear while Lin plays the politically correct card and acknowledges both his Chinese and Taiwanese heritage.
It is never easy being first. Can you imagine the pressure Jackie Robinson had to deal with getting death threats? It comes with the territory. Robinson didn't shy away from the pressure but it fueled his performance. Jeremy needs to do the same, put his big boy pants on. I know Jeremy did not ask for this role, but it is part of being a trailblazer. People are trying to rewrite history and say that Linsanity was a fluke. I hope he can prove his critics wrong. Consistent high level play will prove that last year wasn't an anomaly.
Bruce Lee NEVER competed in American fighting tournaments (or Asian ones either).
He's strictly an ACTOR, not a professional competitor. Besides, he was ostracized out of America and had to go back to Hong Kong to work for Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest.
Few people realize that Bruce Lee is truly Asian American. He was born in America, not Hong Kong. He suffered all the racism that Asian American actors suffer in the US and CONTINUE to suffer. Things have NOT gotten any better in 50 years.
True, but Bruce Lee was bad ass. He didn't bother to fight in the American karate championships but he would have won. He embarrassed one reigning US Karate champion in an exhibition and coached dominant US Karate champions, I know at least Chuck Norris. I have no idea what you guys are arguing about, but I like Bruce Lee...he wasn't just an actor, he was a force.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's not just cos Lin is Asian that a lot of people like him. Obviously, I don't feel like he's sticking up for my race. I like Lin because he played awesome, his style of play is super fun to watch, and he demonstrates that you can win in basketball by playing an aggressive passing team style, something I've long believed, but is hardly ever represented at the NBA level.
I'm also very interested in the Lin story because he is measured as an incredible athlete, broke records, has a super high basketball IQ and he STILL can't overcome the cognitive bias of being Asian. If you want an better example of how poor humans are at reasoning, it's Lin. There's simply no excuse for how he's being used or treated. Players don't perform at the level did for as long as he did without being great talents. It doesn't happen, statistically. The only way he won't make the most of his talent is if he's squashed by the establishment.
In football, my team is the Seattle Seahawks. Their rookie QB Russell Wilson has a higher QB rating than any quarterback in the NFL since week 5, but still it's all Luck and RG3. If you look back, Wilson dominated college football. He broke the major college NCAA record for passing efficiency, over Luck and RG3, but was considered a reach being drafted in the 3rd round. He led the NFL in passer rating in the preseason. Still no love. I went back and looked at his draft card on ESPN, and the fans of NC State and Wisonconsin (he played at both) were adamant that Wilson would start at QB for Seattle come week one, even though Seattle already had a high priced off season free agent. They were right. Why was Wilson draft stock so low in the eyes of the establishment? Because he was 5' 10".
Can you imagine? Shouldn't production ALWAYS trump the eye test? But it doesn't, in case after case. People are just really dumb.
It takes someone like a Pete Carroll or D'Antoni. They are smart and encouraging and don't punish players for mistakes. They don't judge based on physical characteristics but by production. The build confidence and empower players.
Bruce Lee does NOT impress me athletically, but Jeremy Lin DOES.
I have seen many guys who scare me more than Bruce Lee, most of whom are not famous but have DECADES MORE training and real life fight experience than Bruce Lee ever had. But none of those guys can ACT like Bruce Lee could, as he was truly a great screen personality with tons of training and experience.
I wouldn't hesitate to fight Bruce Lee, but I wouldn't dare play one on one against Jeremy Lin.
Please google Pankration that was introduced somewhat 600 BC and tell me again that asians were pioneers in this field ;)
Bruce talked about his idea of fighting (in a competition) that resembles the MMA but he actually never competed whilst being in the US. He was more known as instructor and movie star.
I hate to mention that but by the time Bruce was hot Chuck Norris held several titles while Bruce had non. If you are talking about the time when Bruce was hot you also have to take Gene Lebell into consideration. He is considered the godfather of MMA/grappling cause he actually competed and he ruled.
You also have to understand that people were practicing asian martial arts in the US way before Bruce and yet asian martial arts was not considered that great. Many westerners kept on claiming that western boxing was far superior.
Then came a time when grappling was hot and everybody said that boxing, kicking and asian martial arts in generall was nice to look at but not really working. Even in one of Cungs fights there was an anouncers who claimed that kicking had no real impact - seconds later Cungs opponent went on his knees after getting kicked by Cung. That was just a few years back.
There also were the BJJ guys. Who got the credit? The japanese? A bit but - its not called brazilian jiu jitsu for no reason :)
Yes - there were asians in the field of martial arts but please name one asian american who made it to Cungs fame... SanShou, Kickboxing, Strikeforce and now UFC?
People have always acknowledged asian martial art history but they have also claimed that asians dont fight as hard or that westerners were built stronger or whatever... it took a vietnamese guy from california to disprove all that.
Also - Jeremy and Cung may understand some basic zhong-wen and viet but not being able to have an interview in their mothers language means not being able to speak those languages... so simple.
Say what you will - these two athletes do cash in on asians but they dont owe them anything. Asians arent the reason Cung Le defeated his opponents and asians didnt make Jeremy Lin a star.
Whenever people come here and claim that JLin or Cung owe them and have to represent them its no different than China or Taiwan claiming that JLin was their product. No - he isnt. He is all american. Had he grown up in China or Taiwan he might be a foot smaller (different food) and he would probably play table tennis (different culture).
Please watch "I am Bruce Lee". From Ed Oneil to Kobe Bryant, from Gene Lebell to Dana White, they all praise Bruce, talk about him and they also argue about the MMA thing. Its not just entertaining, its also bringing up infos that lots of people dont know about (I never knew he was quarter german or a great dancer).
Gina Carano btw. says that Bruce was her kind of men (sexy) :) Others moan exactly what some have mentioned here -> no asian lead actors in the movies and so on.
When did I say Bruce Lee ever competed in MMA? I said Bruce Lee was a pioneer, which can be interpreted in many ways. I've also referring to exactly that, with Dana White giving Bruce Lee credit.
Cung Le may have done all that in his career, but in this modern generation nobody sees Cung Le as the first Asian-American ever to dominate at the best level like Lin did. Cung Le is already too old to compete with the best in the UFC, and STRIKEFORCE wasn't the best. Cung also got knocked out by Wanderlei Silva, nobody cares if he's doing that for the "Asian" community or not.
There's plenty of Asians and mixed Asians in the MMA game already. Period. Japanese, Korean, Filipino, whatever they're there.
Jeremy Lin is the only Asian-American that people relate to in the modern era of the NBA. Very different situation than Cung. Many Asian-Americans and Asians were drawn to Jeremy Lins story, can't say so much about Cung. Matter of fact, I bet the average Asian-American would know about Lin's accomplishments over Cung's.
At least there's been Asian influences in MMA. The only one who has done anything before Lin was Yao Ming, but he was a Chinese National and 7'6".
Also to the comment that you would challenge Bruce Lee one on one and not Jeremy Lin is quite laughable because I bet most basketball players who think they got game would challenge Jeremy Lin any day, which is exactly why they are challenging his contract and hype to begin with.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying that I think Cung Le or Jeremy Lin owe anything to Asians for their fame. I just think their success have different paths. Cung also is of Vietnamese descent, which isn't exactly at the top of the Asian marketing scale. Lin has both the Chinese and Taiwanese fanbase to back him, as well as a much larger scale of Asian-Americans watching him since Day 1 on Youtube trying to prove his worth in the summer league.
Lin came into the game, with almost everyone using the fact that him being Asian-American was why people overlooked him. Cung may have fought bullies, but he's never drawn the type of Asian-American fanbase that Lin currently has. Cung also competed and coached Team USA against even China, but how many Asians actually know or care about that?. He also grew up in a different past time without all the Youtube videos hyping him up.
The NBA is the best of the best. Cung Le never fought and won titles in PRIDE nor did he compete in the UFC and win titles. Most of Lins fans here know way more about Lin's struggles as an Asian-American than they'll ever know about Cung's.
It's that simple and which is why Lin's Asian fan base is much larger than what Cung will ever have.
Like it or not, people view Jeremy Lin as a representation for political or racial reasons. Anyone who disagrees hasn't been reading JeremyLin.net. Just a simple question if Jeremy Lin is Chinese or Taiwanese would start huge debates.
Cung Le? nobody really sees him as a pioneer for Asian-Americans really. He might go down as someone who had huge success in martial arts, but not in the current big promotion that is UFC, which is exactly what the younger generation is watching today.
Most people know about Bruce Lee, regardless if he actually fought in a tournament or not ;). Just like people now know about Jeremy Lin - the underdog and now questionably overrated player.
Jeremy is different than Yao Ming, Ichiro, or Yi Jian Lian. Jeremy is an asian-american and grew up in the USA and faced many of the issues that others like me and others have faced. Cung Le is different in that he excels in a lesser known sport without the media attention that the NBA garners. How many other asian-americans superstars in sports or the entertainment world can you name in the past decade? I can't think of a single one. Opportunities like these to confront asian-american biases are rare. But Jeremy needs to play like the superstar we know he can be. Otherwise he will prove the haters right and instead of breaking racial biases he may end up reinforcing them.
Cung Le came to the states when he was 2. If you wanna make that a huge difference - make it. Im pretty sure JLin never got beaten like Cung but hey - thats life.
Though its true that Cung competes in a lesser known sports it doesnt make it easier for him. UFC is the biggest fight event in the world. Do you think its easy to go out of a fight with a broken rip, nose or arm or even dead?
Of course you can think of only one asian superstar in the world of sports and entertainent. You are obviously american and have a tunnel view. That is not meant to be an insult. Americans consider american people superstars. That is exactly the reason why european watch american movies (cause they dont care) but americans wont watch european movies (cause they care about nationality). That is also why asian stars from australia or europe or even asia dont matter that much to asian americans. Tunnel view thinking. That same tunnel view thinking makes asians bash JLin now that he is struggling.
Though JLin does entertain me alot right now - he is not even my idol or hero. Only people who wave the taiwanese flag during JLins games think so (knowing that he is a abc). I look up to an asian who came to a european country as an orphant, served in the military, became a doctor and is now the vice chancellor of the country. How many americans know about that? How many americans believe europe is a country?
Also - you define superstar your way. I define superstar otherwise. That is why I recognise asian football players (you say soccer) as superstars and you dont though they make millions.
You may think soccer is a lesser sport like the UFC - but - how many countries on earth see bball the same way you do? One? Two?
There are a ton of asian superstars and heroes out there. You simply dont know about them. Get a better view on what asians do on this planet. Get a better view on what you can ask of JLin. He might be your hero but you are not his hero. He carries his weight only. He may be wearing a ring some day (I sure hope so) but dont blame him if he doesnt. His job is tough enough. Shoudlnt have to deal with your troubles as well.
Quit making it a race thing please, that's what makes you guys violent or obsessive. It's just basketball and Jeremy cannot handle that kind of pressure.
No I take that back, you are not wrong for what you just said but it still gives him more pressure. I dont know if he can handle it anymore. I would do anything for him to be dominant again
I am Korean-American willyDilly but im not familiar with Koreans doing UFC. I'm very interested in Thailand Jui Jitsu though. 내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행
The race thing has always been part of Jeremy Lin's story, it be very hypocritical to tell people to stop talking about that.
How am I reversing my arguments? You're just upset because I think Asian-Americans don't recognize Cung Le's accomplishments as much as they do Lin's, which is fact. LIN did it in the NBA, which is a bigger sport than MMA is.
You told me to watch "I am Bruce Lee" and even Dana White himself credited Bruce Lee for influencing the MMA game. Enough said. You think Cung Le didn't have any influence whatsoever ever from Bruce Le? given the fact that he even appears in that video? LOL.
Cung Le is 2-1 in the UFC? and?? how many Asian-Americans are jumping on Cung Le's bandwagon right now? where is LeSanity? Strikeforce is seen as lower than UFC, was it not? That's like trying to glorify a D-League championship. If Lin won a MVP title in the CBA, most people wouldn't really care. JeremyLin.net wouldn't have as close to many people viewing as it does now.
That's the point, Lin's hype was much bigger and grabbed much more attention than Cung Le ever did. Sure Asians should learn more about other Asians, doesn't mean they will or care. Lin's hype was blown up all over the media. Nam Phan fights in the UFC, Ben Henderson fights in the UFC, BJ Penn fights in the UFC, Mark Munoz fights in the UFC. Like I said, there's plenty of Asian-Americans and Asians in the UFC so why would anyone even expect Cung Le to carry the mantle for Asian-Americans?
How many Asian-Americans are in the NBA besides Lin? 0. Bringing up Chinese players and Filipinos players is reversing your arguments since NOBODY cares about them. They play in the CBA and PBA, not the NBA.
Wat Misaka playing in the NBA, what in 1947? how many Asian-Americans who have been watching Lin now can actually remember Wat even playing? did he even dominate or come even close to what Lin? not even. He may be a pioneer but he didn't have the same impact that Jeremy Lin has.
Like it or not, Lin having both Chinese and Taiwanese background helped his case vs Le's Vietnamese community. The majority of Vietnamese don't even care about MMA either, they watch soccer.
You're also getting the wrong idea that I'm "looking down" on Cung Le. You compared Cung Le to Jeremy Lin in that Cung Le doesn't have to worry about carrying Asian-Americans and I've been saying they have two different successful paths, with Lin playing in a MAJOR SPORT.
And actually it is the truth, people have debated whether or not Jeremy Lin is Chinese or Taiwanese. Both on JeremyLin.net and other basketball forums, but that's what Asians do.
If you were to claim Lin is only Chinese, you'll get people who will disagree. Just watch. Jeremy Lin might not be your idol, but he certainly is for a large number of people that are Asian and Asian-American.
Sorry, I can't say the same for Cung Le and that's why he doesn't have to worry about doing it for them because most Asian-Americans don't even recognize Cung Le the way they do Jeremy Lin. That's not my tunnel vision because I obviously know about his accomplishments, but I also know his career didn't get the same hype or attention that Jeremy Lin has. He never will either. Even if I put Cung Le at a higher level than BRUCE LE, that won't change anything for Asian-Americans.
Funny how you bring up Cung Le being used to promote the UFC. People in Vietnam aren't going to change their ways and suddenly start getting into UFC because of him. Where's my Chinese hero? when did I say I need one? You obviously care so much that you're nuthugging Cung Le real hard. He won't even go down as being more well-known than Bruce Lee.
Most people could care less about a "Chinese" hero in the UFC because most people don't care about the UFC to begin with, and that's why they are trying to promote it. Common sense.
Jeremy doesn't have to feel pressure. Pressure is for people who cares about things in life. He said that in that beautiful testimony. So he should be back the old jeremy. If you have faith you don'thave to hesitate to shoot whatever people or coaches say. PR is right. He needs to refind the beauty of playin basketball. Whatever happens is for a reason, so he says. So calm down, relax, and enjoy.
I dont know - right now it seems to me like finding the beauty of basketball in Houston is like looking for your missing sock that youll never find :)
Im glad to see that he regained his strength and most of his speed but watching him getting no screen or a real bad screen is just making my eyes bleed. I was full of hope that it would somehow work out but everybody has a strong and a weak side and right now it seems like he is in a team that does not value his strong side.
What Lin is going through now is new, he is paid with a decent amount of money in the league and he is afraid. he is afraid to break the rules, he is afraid to be himself, he is afraid of the coaching staffs. He follow all their rules and still fails. I am sure he is confused with what is happening too just like us. what is the only way out before he is benched? In NYK, he has nothing to lose, so he is himself but in rockets, his wings are clipped, his desires are controlled, his potentials are looked down upon. Sometimes i wonder if his team mates are really his team mates? Is the chemistry really there, or it just superficial?
"In NYK, he has nothing to lose, so he is himself"
Bigger difference than Lin's attitude: As a Knick, Lin was always sure of one thing - when he was in the game, the ball was in his hands as the PG. Before Lin's breakout game against the Nets, when Lin played, whether badly or well, whether in significant game situations or garbage time, Lin knew the the ball was in his hands. During Linsanity, the ball was in his hands. After D'Antoni quit, Woodson kept the ball in Lin's hands. In Lin's last game for the Knicks, the ball was in his hands.
With the Rockets after the Harden trade? Lin can't trust on having the ball in his hands. Lin can't play his game his way and prove himself if he isn't touching the ball.
With the Knicks, D'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball. With the Rockets, McHale and Sampson have taken the ball from Lin.
I dont get it. Above you claim that JLin has become the asian ameican stereotype (doing what is told to do...). Now you claim hes afraid of everything. Dont act like a shrink when you obviously arent one. I dont know if you intend to do it or whether you are just blind...
... cause JLin is the man (THE ONLY MAN) who has broken that stupid asian american stereotype. He is an NBA player. He has to worry about other things than your self esteem issues. Yes - he doesnt look like Linsanity JLin out there but he was asigned a different role on the current team.
Things might have gone different had JLin been a 100% when the season begann but he wasnt. The Rockets signed Harden and as much as I like Harden I have to say that "unfortunately" the world of Rockets basketball is circling him now. In NY - JLin got to play real PG - Dantoni backed JLin to his last day and even Woodson would back him. In Houston - he is a ball carrier - as it seems right now.
Really well said "With the Knicks, D'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball. With the Rockets, McHale and Sampson have taken the ball from Lin." I think that's the reason why Lin can't play well in Rockets. Look at vs. Jazz game, he did well because he control more of the balls. But not now.
D'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball so that he could pass it to those MAX CONTRACT BIG MEN.
Lin can't even force passes to those Houston Rockets scrubs because opponents are playing the passing lanes and jamming him, plus Lin's big men have no idea what to do with the ball once they catch it.
I guess he did both back in NY KHuang. But now he takes the ball IF HE GETS IT and moments after he crosses the mid court line he would pass the ball and run to the corner. Gotta tell you - whenever I see that move my blood pressure becomes really unhealthy. Sure - he doesnt do it all the time and I was open minded when it started but its starting to hurt JLins efficiency now.
So if Lin gets the ball and the triple teams inevitably come to force it out of his hands, how is that any different from Lin running to the corner?
At least in the corner, Lin can siphon defenses away from Harden so that Harden can brick and turnover those shots from the opposite side of the court playing iso ball!
Lin's teammates CAN'T PLAY. Doesn't matter where Lin is deployed, the traps are going to come because nobody has to guard Lin's teammates!
And that is a dead end - but it doesnt have to be. Lin is a playmaker. Just because he got 3 approaching him does not mean he has to give in or give it up. Dude - how do you play basketball at you best when you dont play basketball at your best but wait for others to fail?
Lin knows how the team has to run in order to deal with the 3 on Lin thing. He can exploit that situation. Like I wrote - its not like there are three guys circling around Lin at all times. He has been playing basketball well for decades. If he was given the liberty to set up the team the way he needs it - if he could tell them how he needs his screens and how the guys should run -> problem could be solved. Yes - his teammates are scrubs but the problem is - I dont see any sign that they are improving for JLin.
I asked some posts down - when was the last time JLin stood outside - didnt bother attacking (cause they are all waiting to trap Lin) and simply threw an alley oop and smugged about it? Dude - right now it seems like JLin has to climb mountains even to get a decent screen - if he gets it at all.
I mean - whats your gameplan if you had a say? I know you have one... let me know...
Even some non-Lin Houston fans were questioning McHale's player usage last night--not only with benching Lin in favor of Douglas but also using Aldrich over Asik.
It's idiocy.
Houston is turning into a Golden State nightmare for Lin.
I posted on Howard Chen's article about Lin respecting the decision and they took all the posts down. Lol.
Lin does not deserve to be treated like this. He is a class guy, supremely talented and deserves more respect. Yesterday he was starting to go off and they stopped him.
I am done with the Rockets...will continue to support Lin.
Lin said in his post game interview that he was NOT disappointed with his effort last night and rightly so. He was getting into rhythm and they pulled him out yet again?? The Rockets are squandering a key asset in their hands by not utilising his strengths. It is rare that Lin plays well and the team loses. Lin is not only a classy guy with great basketball skills; he is unique being the only ethnic Asian in the NBA. If Rockets pull him out of the starting lineup, the financial repercussions to the franchise will be immediate. I trust Les is a good businessman.....
1. Les and Morey expect Houston to make the play-offs this year. They've said so. 2. Morey says most coaches don't help a team and the trick is to find one that doesn't actively hurt the team. If Houston doesn't make the play-offs, who is Morey going to blame? 3. Everyone knows Lin isn't being used to maximize his strengths, Morey more than anyone. 4. Lin has a three year contract which uses enough cap space that he is indispensable to Houston's success. Houston can't go out and get another good point guard and still keep its max contract space to get another star, and there's no way they're giving up their max contract space. 5. Houston does not have the amnesty clause anymore. 6. Lin's position is MUCH stronger than the coaches.
Therefore, Lin should stop playing the role he's playing and start being higher usage and just play his game. Stop deferring. Houston CANNOT make the playoffs this year without Lin playing serious minutes. Use those minutes to play real basketball. If he somehow (unlikely) shoots himself out of minutes altogether, it's not Lin who's going to lose his job.
I totally agree with you - except that I think JLin has already realized all of that.
Some people are nice because they are "simple" and naive and some people are nice because they choose to be. My money - when it comes to JLin - is on the later one.
He was a child who banged his head against the wall when he didnt get what he wanted. He was the kind of man who decided to be a bball player in the NBA when most people would use their Harvard degree to make money, party or start a family. He was the kind of man who would sleep on Fields couch when he could afford a nice hotel. When thinks didnt go right he would get in peoples faces - like when he shoted at his Knicks teammates on national TV. He chose to sleep on Parsons couch when he could buy a hotel in Houston...
Read some of the articles about JLins family. You will read about his mother who would show up hours before JLins game would start. She would sit there and study the boxscores. You will read about a coach who was frightened of and humiliated by JLins mom when she came to him after a game and said "you see - thats JLin - you didnt want him" in-ya-face-sucker kind of style.
Whatever goes on in JLins life - Im pretty sure either he or his attorneys or friends and former coaches or family will back him. Dont know if JLin still is in touch with Dantoni but I remember JLin say "I will ask him for advice for a very long time".
JLin will make things work for him when the time is right. Either that or you will read in the news: "Rockets coach Sampson attacked by asian woman - he lost his genitals in the attack"
Someone from this forum mentioned before : Jeremy is the product of his family. His parents are highly educated and they worked for MNC. Also let's not forget about his Harvard alumni, his agents, they are the cream of the crop. Good advice are abundant for Jeremy. Plus the possibility of his inner circle posting on this forum, some insightful views might have already been taken into consideration by now.
No amount of Lin advice or even coaching is going to pry those opposing forwards and centers from cheating on his SCRUB teammates and trapping him all over the court!
1. Les and Morey expect Houston to make the play-offs this year. They've said so. 2. Morey says most coaches don't help a team and the trick is to find one that doesn't actively hurt the team. If Houston doesn't make the play-offs, who is Morey going to blame? 3. Everyone knows Lin isn't being used to maximize his strengths, Morey more than anyone. 4. Lin has a three year contract which uses enough cap space that he is indispensable to Houston's success. Houston can't go out and get another good point guard and still keep its max contract space to get another star, and there's no way they're giving up their max contract space. 5. Houston does not have the amnesty clause anymore. 6. Lin's position is MUCH stronger than the coaches.
Therefore, Lin should stop playing the role he's playing and start being higher usage and just play his game. Stop deferring. Houston CANNOT make the playoffs this year without Lin playing serious minutes. Use those minutes to play real basketball. If he somehow (unlikely) shoots himself out of minutes altogether, it's not Lin who's going to lose his job.
But the coaches use D not good enough to cut down Lin's min. No matter how hard he tried without the playing time how can he do anything? First they made Lin be a stationary player just stood in 3 point line to waiting for the ball to come. Now, they simply just bench him to let Harden do ISO or PG in his wish. I do wish the coach can go before Lin!
I've stated previously that a trade to the Lakers will be great for Jeremy Lin, since he would not only have his former coach but a bunch of HOFs to take the pressure off him. Lin and Dwight in the pick and roll would be unstoppable. I also think Kobe would respect JLin because of his work ethic and ability to get the ball to his teammates.
But the question still remains and that's if Houston is ready to let him go and for what costs. They currently have a Trevor Ariza 2.0 on their hands. Lakers probably wouldn't trade Pau for Lin straight up, but if Rockets are willing to sell low then a trade of Duhon/Blake/Morris would work in the future. Morris can shoot the 3, and Blake and Duhon are vets with expiring contracts after 2014.
The Lakers would also have to be willing to take on Lin's contract which goes against their 2014 plan of having major cap space. Both teams probably don't do this until either the trade deadline or off-season when they have a clearer view of what they really want.
I like the idea for Lin to Lakers but Kobe isn't that easy to get along with.. Just look at Nash, Kobe don't like him because he don't need or want a PG to give him the ball. I don't think it will happen anytime soon.
Seeing what Rockets coaches did to him - benching him at 4th qty and OT, which is very painful to watch as a JL fan, I would even prefer JL to play off the bench/in the 2nd unit under DMA, because when DMA plays him, JL will be able to perfectly execute DMA's game plan.
Kobe doesn't like Nash? How does that even make sense? Nash is injured and has barely played enough games to prove his worth. This isn't a Melo situation happening, where he wants the offense focused on him. Kobe has stated several times he expects Nash to help him get easier shots and less defenses paying attention solely on him. Kobe also was supporting Mike D'Antoni as a coach.
If Lin is traded to the Lakers, Nash will still be on that team and Lin will probably be expected to lead the bench and be mentored by Nash. He'll have the ball in his hands and expected to get all the other Lakers bench players involved, which is exactly what he did in NY.
He's just one confused dude who has to keep relearning the same lessons. He's said often enough that every time he's veered from his walk with God, he gets taught a humbling lesson. Which is why he keeps proclaiming he now plays only for an audience of One. Clearly, that's not true these days; you don't play with fear the way Lin is doing if you're playing for God.
And for a 24-year-old Harvard grad, he's incredibly naive. Just a few days ago, he was going on ad nauseum about what a caring coach McHale was. Well, his first game back as head coach and Lin sits for all of 30 minutes. After what's been happening since the Portland game, how could he still think McHale and his proxy, Sampson, had his best interests at heart? I've thought for quite a while now that the coaches might be sticking it to Les Alexander for forcing Lin down their throats in the off-season. Especially after the talk about how McHale finally had a guard that he liked when Harden was signed.
More evidence of Lin's naivete: still claiming a couple of days ago that the Rockets weren't expecting Linsanity from him and that they were letting him play through his mistakes. Does he seriously believe that they're paying him $25 million to put up 4-7 points per game? He's got a degree in economics; how could he possibly not understand that you simply don't get a 10-fold increase in pay to produce one-fifth your previous output? And this letting-me-play-through-my-mistakes notion is so detached from reality that honestly, what planet is Lin on?
He really needs to plant his feet back on earth. That he actually appeared to believe that Dolan would match any offer "up to a billion" and was thus shocked that he wasn't going to be a Knick again just shows how removed he is from the real world.
If nothing else, in the midst of all this ugliness, I hope he's at least growing up fast.
Funny how a "fan for life" would make such accusations.
People say a lot of bla bla when they try to get rid of the media people but only a "fan for life" would take JLins reply and put it on a scale, saying JLin was naive, dumb, childish and not worth a Harvard degree.
Dude - you talk like you been to the "How do I survive in the NBA school" and graduated with lots of praise and I bet you believe you are a shrink as well ha?
I do recognise your style of writing from somewhere or someone...
none of us really know exactly what's going on at this point. maybe it's better to let this play out and see how things turn out at the end of the season. as a fan, it was frustrating to see JLin sit most of the game when i was sacrificing my studying time to watch the game. But at the same time i realize that there maybe a good reason why the starting point guard of a mediocre team is sitting most of the game. maybe JLin isn't as good as people thought he was?
I can understand some of the frustrations from some of you, but we have to realize this is about Jeremy Lin and basketball not about “Lin needs to stand up for Asian American in America”. He should not have to deal with that type of pressure, but just to play ball. I’m just as mad as everyone else for Lin not running the game and get treated like shit by Sampson and McFail. I’m not blaming Lin for anything other than Lin needs to take open shots and not just looking to pass because he can’t be himself when the coaching staff is not letting him. They are choosing a more expensive player (Harden) over Lin. Which is stupid because Harden can score, but can’t run the team as good as Lin. Simple as that….so just be patient.
You're right but it's been like that for Lin since Day 1 for entering. It was the Asian-American fans who showed support for him, and even cheered for him at Oracle Arena for just even touching the ball. Gotta live with the good and the bad.
I don't necessarily agree that Lin is being mistreated by Sampson and McHale.
With opponents leaving Lin's scrub big men unguarded, how is ANY coach supposed to pry those help defenders from ganging up on Lin every time he takes a dribble?
Every game Lin plays is like the Miami game now with constant triple teams. The difference is that in Miami, Lin's teammates ABANDONED HIM while Lin's Houston teammates HAVE NO GAME.
Either way, Lin is facing too much defensive pressure for any single player in the NBA to overcome.
Me too. I vote for him twice per day one from PC and the other from cell. This is popularity vote. Like one of my friend said " I just want to see my favorites player in all star so what's wrong with that?" Keep voting for him.
it seems to me that the rockets game plan/play is really not focus on jlin.diff coach diff style.he still stay positive about it.life's up and down he'll be okay:)
Right but it's more than that now. That $25 million contract and hype of Linsanity brought a lot of haters and doubters who want to watch him fail. The pressure and expectations are now even more than just trying shut down Asian-American stereotypes but to prove he wasn't just all hype.
People thought him going to Houston was going to be better because of the media, but in this social media generation, the media will always be there.
LOL...I enjoy reading these posts because they are interesting to me. For Ken's comment, I just laughed out loud. Dude, JLin is living his dream. You know what that is? By playing basketball and getting pay really well doing it. He's doing it for himself, his family, and maybe his friends, but don't go telling JLin to play or live his dream for the sake of Asians like you or me. I, myself, is very frustrated because JLin wasn't allowed to play his style of basketball this year. I was waiting for 6 months anticipating more fun basketball during the NBA season, but so far it's a complete failure. Stop making you sound like you have any impact on JLin's career. Just Stop It!
Totally agree man! Yes - asians can be proud of JLin and he would do the asian community a favor if he succeeds big time but fans have no right to act like they have an impact on their star or like he owes them. JLin plays for himself, he worked hard to get were he is and appart from his family or coaches he doesnt owe anybody anything.
Its not like all the keyboard warriors were there for him when he was crying himself to sleep. Now they asume they can burden him with their troubles and kick him when he is sturggling? When you dont give but you act like somebody still owes you something for nothing - isnt that mafia talk?
I bet those keyboard warriors would be there for him if they knew he was crying himself to sleep! lol. Just like the keyboard warriors are here now defending Lin every change they get and blame the Rockets. It's happening right now on Clutchfans.
It's easy to tell those fans to chill out, but the message won't change as it was the same fans bring in "Taiwan" flags to the Raptors games as if it was the Olympics. Whether we like it or not, when the pride of not only a race, but a country is involved, there's always going to be extremes out there.
See - I mentioned that viet dude who was adopted as baby by germans in the other post. He grew up not knowing who his parents were in a country where asians are rare. He went to the military, served the country, became a doctor, went into politics and became vice chancellor (dunno if he still is) - anyway - all of a sudden the vietnamese were proud of their long lost son. People were trying to find his parents and they all claimed that bright successful man is the product of vietnam. But hey - last time I checked they dumped him like he was trash. Now they are proud of him? Viet people in Germany - if they were operating by the same logic as those taiwanese fans - should stand in front of the government building where he works and wave vietnamese flags all day. Would that make sense? I dunno... only if you are racist I guess - proud not of what you have contributed or achieved or done for sombebody - just proud of the genetic connection.
WillyDilly, you're being delusional and arguing about something nobody cares about.
That's great that your friend did all that, just like so many people have overcame hardships in their life regardless of race. But this is JEREMYLIN.net - a major fan blog dedicated to him by JLIN#1 fan. Why should we blame the OWNER of JeremyLin.net? lol
There are tons of people who connect with Lin for being Chinese,Taiwanese,Asian-American whatever. Are they all racist too? lol. Matter of fact, that's also one of the major reasons why he got hype in the first place.
It's obvious why Lin APPEARS to be struggling even though he's actually NOT struggling AT ALL.
Here's the simple reason: The Rockets big men have NO GAME.
NONE of the forwards, including Parsons and Delfino, are capable of creating their own shots. ALL of the Rockets centers and forwards rely mainly on Lin and secondarily Harden to create shots for them.
So with these utterly INEPT Rockets big men, opponents recognize that the only way they get points is to stop Lin. Stop Lin and the Rockets are stopped. As Lin goes, so do the Rockets.
Every time Lin takes a dribble, he's got a small guard rammed up against him on the perimeter and a big man doubling him in the midrange to stop him from shooting those deadly midrange floaters and layups. There's a 3rd opposing defender roaming the weakside to pick off Lin's pass to the 3 point small forward. Lin is SURROUNDED on all sides by defenders fixated on stopping his scoring and his passing!
What about Harden? Well, EVERYBODY knows that Harden is a selfish scorer and turnover machine who doesn't look to create shots for his teammates. Opponents are HAPPY to let Harden shoot, brick, and turn the ball over while Harden ignores his teammates in his mania to put up shots. Not coincidentally, Harden looks primarily to LIN for pressure relief but that only brings down more double/triple teams on Lin.
The Rockets staff sees all this, though they likely see different solutions. McHale and Sampson's policy has been to take whatever the opposition gives them. So if it means a loosely guarded Harden, plow the ball through Harden. But that simply plays into the opponents' wishes for Harden to handle more and Lin/teammates to score less!
No matter what the Rockets coaches think, I feel that Lin must play major minutes for the Rockets to have a chance at winning. Too many players need Lin to facilitate them, and taking the ball away from Lin means taking the ball away from those players (Asik is the first casualty, Parsons and Patterson are NEXT). Yet plowing the ball through Lin isn't necessarily the answer because there's no onus on Lin's teammates to improve their game.
Lin has handled this all beautifully. Against those double and triple teams, he's picked his spots and beat the traps. He needs to improve his shooting somewhat, but otherwise he's making the right reads and is playing solid defense despite getting picked off by big men constantly.
MAJOR SOLUTION: There comes a point where Lin's weakass big men have to catch the ball on the perimeter and put the ball on the floor to score. Until those SCRUBS can actually attack and score to the point where they actually have to be guarded, Lin will constantly be trapped. Omer Asik bricking those layups and Chandler Parsons shooting 5-15 is NOT going to cut it!
The reason Deron Williams and Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo refuse to play on any team that doesn't have a BATTALION of quality forwards and centers is because they don't want to be triple trapped the way Lin is. Usually an "elite" PG has several athletic veteran quality big men playing alongside him that cannot be cheated off of. Lin doesn't have that, but Lin would roar right back to Linsanity levels or BETTER if he had those teammates that could actually catch passes and finish plays!
No matter what anybody says, I LOVE Jeremy Lin's game and believe he cannot be playing any better.
I agree that Jeremy Lin is better than Harden. I'd say he's INCOMPARABLY BETTER, which is why he is the SOLE focus of opposing defenses. Even though Harden scores more on more shots and turnovers, Lin actually gets his teammates involved and is a TERROR on defense that requires opponents to run him through pick after pick.
Jeremy Lin is playing at an incredibly high level, as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't look that way to people because of the constant traps, but I adore his decisionmaking and toughness. It amazes me that he got a scrub like Asik to score double figures, though Asik's own incompetence and not even defensive pressure is finally catching up to him.
So confident am I in Lin's incredible ability that I don't CARE whether the team benches him or not. When he plays, he'll PRODUCE and FACILITATE whether he's playing 40 minutes or 4 minutes.
If the Rockets coaches are LAZY enough to basically admit defeat by benching Lin so that they don't have to coach against the relentless traps Lin attracts, they better be ready for the "domino" effect that will happen when they bench Lin. Asik has already gone down and Parsons is next!
Good piece KHuang. I think Jeremy has improved a ton. He is really the same player and if given the opportunity he can shine.
I continue to say that in NYC he came close to his potential. No one plays above their potential or that is not their true potential. If it can be done once, it can be done again. Honestly, we have not seen Lin's ceiling, not even during his amazing Linsanity stretch.
That is why I think it would be a good idea for Lin to call in sick for several games, so Rockets will see how they play without Lin. I agree that without Lin, Asik (especially Asik), Patterson and Parsons will have a very hard time scoring. I also think another key to Rockets winning is if Harden really passes more.
@wildathrill, you're not funny. I know you're trying really hard to sound like the rational adult in this conversation, but you're not. Why not add something to the discussion instead of FAIL one liners?
There's gonna be a DOMINO EFFECT of Rockets big men not scoring if Lin's minutes are curtailed.
First Asik because he's the primary inside passing target. Then Parsons and Patterson because they're camping out on the perimeter. Finally Delfino because Delfino can OCCASIONALLY dribble around unlike any of the other Rockets forwards.
Harden passing more simply puts him in Lin's shoes as the willing passer with clueless teammates who cannot score unless the ball is delivered on a silver platter. Let him BE Lin for a change.
I know that wildathrill hates me and is flaming me because he thinks Lin is "struggling".
Of course, he myopically sees Lin only and refuses to acknowledge that Lin's teammates are TERRIBLE.
When I think of Lin playing, I think of the late 1970s game in which Larry Bird was triple teamed in college in a game from start to finish.
Bird scored what Jeremy Lin scores against those triple teams: 4 points. Mind you Bird was the 2nd leading scorer in the NCAA at over 35 PPG!
The difference is Bird's teammates WENT OFF that game. So triple teaming Bird resulted in Bird's team winning an easy victory because his teammates won the game.
Lin's Houston teammates outside Harden CAN'T SCORE. Doesn't matter if they get the ball or not.
EVERY game for Lin is like that Bird 4 point game with constant triple teams. But there's nobody on the roster who can make teams pay!
@KHuang Asik has the worst butter fingers, it's disgusting. Ppat is soft and Parsons has been playing bad with his bum shoulder.
Don't you have to admit that Lin's J is a reason why he hasn't been playing well though? If he was hitting his shots, the opposing D wouldn't pack the paint as much or take away his driving lanes right?!
Actually, opponents cannot play any more defense against Lin than they're already playing.
In NY, opponents trapped Lin. But he kept beating the traps by passing off to Carmelo and Chandler and Novak and Smith and other players who feasted on the trapping. Not so in Houston where those inept teammates of Lin can't get the job done.
I agree that Asik has "butter fingers", that Ppat is "soft", and Parsons has that "bum shoulder". I'd go so far to say that even a healthy Parsons cannot put the ball on the floor and create a shot for himself. He needs JEREMY LIN to score!
You are right but here is why I say he is "struggling":
He doesnt get to play the way he plays best. He doesnt even get the playing time he deserves anymore. That in no means indicates that JLin himself is the problem but when he doesnt shine and his team loses -> thats struggling.
We repeatedly saw JLin getting the ball (if not Harden, Parsons or bigs bring it over the mid court line) and JLin would pass to Harden and run to the corner. That play we all saw fail some billion times but Rockets would keep it though opponents wouldnt even bother guarding Lin. That play hurts the Rockets and makes JLin look bad.
When attacking, JLin would get no screen or get really bad screens. If Rockets were really Lin-dedicated they would work on that but I see no progress. Instead - they would let Harden make the play and attack his way. Whenever Harden shoots fts I cant help but think -> dude thats part of Lins game.
Lets say he draws too many defenders like Harden occasionally does when he is attacking - Rockets dont switch fast enough for Lin to pass out or they dont set PR when the defenders still move in. Its not like JLin has three guys circling him at all times. I dont see Rockets attempt to improve or benefit from these situations. I mean - when was the last time JLin attempted an alley oop?
Yes - JLin is not bad even in his current role but he doesnt get to shine...
Whether or not Jeremy is actually "struggling" or not, perception is reality. And in the media and around the league, the perception is that he is struggling mightily. If he loses his starting position, I don't see another team wanting to trade for him. He will be a Rocket for the three years at least to appease the Chinese companies that have paid to advertise in the Toyota Center. I agree that Asik is not a good offensive pairing with Lin. He does not set good picks and he fumbles the ball too often. Aldrich sets better screens than Asik. I was hoping to see how well Lin does with Greg Smith. Greg Smith is a better finisher and can shoot free throws.
It just proved that idiot Mchale does not have much trust on him. It's time for Lin to kick some chairs and show some emotion. He need come out of his shell and be himself for good or for bad before let those idiot coach destroy his confidence completely. I would like to see him throw the ball on the floor in front of a referee after a bad call. He is too tamed to the coach and referee now.
Besides for Lin, he need to ask his PR team to stop playing that retarded Volvo commercial. He need a more grown up image on tv and also to remember it is time to move on from the past. He is not nobody anymore, but a celebrity with global impact. While on the court, he has to retain the underdog mentality. It's not being tame and nice earning the respect, but the toughness, rebellion and resilince. Time to break the shell and do some kill bro
If you can't handle the heat, then this forum is not for you.
How do you expect Lin to force those passes to those inept teammates when those opponents are standing directly in the path of Lin's passes waiting to intercept them?
And how do you expect Lin to get a guy like Asik to stop fumbling the ball and bricking those point blank layups?
KHuang, So you think the only way for Lin to succeed in the current Rockets system is to make long jumpers? I do agree that Lin should sometimes shoot instead of passing to Asik.
I DON'T have an answer for Lin to succeed in the current Rockets system (if "succeed" means scoring).
Do you think making long jumpers is the answer?
Lin's got two scenarios to shoot jump shots: an opposing point guard bodying him up on the perimeter or an "open" kickout shot with a midrange helping opposing big man roaming inside the 3 point line.
It's an NBA trend nowadays to shoot OVER the trap as opposed to try to beat it. However, that only works if you have max contract scorers inside that can prevent opponents from jamming the perimeter (i.e. Knicks with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler).
KHuang, I would be happy (and so should Rockets) if Lin gets 10 to 12 points (at 45% shooting %) and 8 plus assists. But for him to do this, Lin needs to be on court. You saw how Rockets fall apart during 4th quarter without Lin. I really want Rockets to play several games without Lin, because they should have the right to test out things. But they should also be willing to experiment by allowing Lin to be a primary ball handler and Harden play more as a true SG. I really don't know why they don't experiment and see.
KHuang, to be fair, Lin has been missing lots of open jumpers, without opponents jamming the perimeter. Of course, I don't expect Lin to make shots over Dwight or Ibaka, etc. but many jumpers he missed were "wide open".
Lin needs to hit those more. They don't come often, but they do come.
Lin is not a perfect player and has to work on his J. But even a hot shooting Lin wouldn't make that much of a difference as far as changing defenses against him goes.
You can crow that you've "defeated me" if you want, eb5attorney, that Lin may or may not average the 15 ppg that I know he could get if he had quality big man teammates. But that doesn't change my opinion that Lin is a WONDERFUL point guard who would excel if his teammates would start PLAYING as opposed to CHERRYPICKING.
And I'll ALWAYS contest your notion that Lin is a below average NBA talent. I see too much positive in Lin's game despite really tough circumstances caused by inept teammates.
No offense khuang. I guess the frustration on rockets coach growing in me too. But where the heck I blamed him for his team's failure? I am here just to show my support for jlin. Back to the Triple team question, it is a point guard's responsibility to identify double or triple team early and respond accordingly. The last thing you want to do is probably taking a shot against a double or triple team. I watched part of San Antonio game but not the Dallas game. Still remember the last preseason game Lin played for rockets at San antonio a season ago. He slashed to the basket three times relentlessly. However, I saw hesitations now even at taking open shots. That is the only thing I do not like to see. Maybe he is still bothered by his knee. I do not know. He need to be himself and playing the game he is best at and show some ego at the right time. The last thing he need to worry is his teammate. That is the coach and gm job. You don't remember what a coach would say when you complaining playing in a bad team: just play to be the best player on the court. NBA is tough. He has to show more toughness and resilience to quite the doubters just like what he did against deron Williams in their first game.
KHuang, you keep on misquoting me. I never said I thought Lin was "below average NBA talent". I said I believe Lin needs to develop a more variety in his offense and a better jumper. I always said I believe Lin is CURRENTLY an average starting NBA PG, but that his ceiling may not be at an all-star level. I also said I believe his D is "decent" or "passable" and his passing skills are very good. I have been very consistent in my statements from the preseason in what I thought were Lin's weaknesses. I also reiterated often that I rather see my prediction of 12 points or below per game average for Lin this season be proven wrong. I have been wrong on various points, but to my defense, I have been consistent in my postings.
If I thought Lin really "sucks", I would not have gotten mad or shocked at the fact that Rockets' coaches played Lin only 18 minutes in yesterday's game against Dallas. I truly believe Rockets would have won against Dallas had Lin been the PG and allowed to facilitate because Rockets were leading by around 7 going into 4th quarter.
David Tung, Lin has SUCCESSFULLY identified those passing targets and has dramatically cut down on his turnovers.
However, those Rockets big men cannot do anything with the ball. That's why Lin's assists are down.
As far as hitting open shots, Lin does need to improve them. Everybody here knows that I don't like his shooting form, but that's the only aspect of his game I don't like. Everything else I am completely satisfied with, including his ballhandling under pressure.
Lin's no scrub and he's no bust. He is handling the situation as well as he possibly can.
As a matter of fact, I do not worry about his game. He will only get better. I am worrying about his playing time and the way he was treated. I saw a dwindling confidence on him from the coaching staff. That will eat his confidence. There is just too much talent there and few people are irreplaceable in nba. If you are telling me today that jlin is not affected, you are being blind.
As we see now, TOs was just a way to start a backlash against Lin. Harden, with less production than Lin during Linsanity, never has jack said about his TOs in the media. Lin's TOs are mainly down this year due to the ball being taken out of his hands. That means less winning. Lin's TO rate last year was just fine because his production per TO was top 40 in the NBA. I would love to see Lin's TO rate up near the top of the league again, because that would mean he was putting up points and assists and the team was winning lots of games.
I think for a lot of us frustration has now become anger. They keep blaming him for defense for lack of pt n that just angers me the most. Granted he might not be an all-pro defender, but to step in front of Kobe in an effort to draw a charge repeatedly, people called that bad D? Heck, who was supposed to cover Kobe? And not just against Kobe, I have seen Jeremy this year repeatedly sacrificing his body to try to draw a charger n his recognition for that from coaches is the BENCH, because they just thought "toney Douglas is a better matchup"? Really? Mayo dropped 40 on the "better matchup" yesterday. I guess the logic could be if jlin had been playing iso Douglas then Mayo might have had 60. I tell u what this kid is special, and don't ever confuse humility and caring nature that he has with cowardice, I will take this kid to a war anytime.. Jlin fans, please keep faith, keep encouraging him. He is a tough kid n this current setback will not deter him.
bummer, I deleted the wrong comment. I agree though. It's a lame excuse by the coaching staff. They should just be honest and tell us that they think TD playing SG compliments Harden more than Lin does.
If HOU truly is a young, rebuilding team, they wouldn't be benching Lin. You don't develop players or their confidence by benching them, especially when he wasn't playing bad. If your'e going to develop someone and see what you have with them, you have to let them play, especially during crucial minutes/4th quarter. How else would you be able to determine if they're a good fit for your team or not?!
I think the problem is Jeremy Lin is too passive and really needs an ego.
Look at the current situation. Coaches want to run the offense through Harden and turn JL into a spot up shooter. He says fine. When he stinks up the game because he's playing out of position, he blames it on himself. After all he has done, taking the crap from everyone, he gets benched for following the coaches' order while taking the blame for their mistakes.
He needs to stick up for himself. Plain and simple. Stop being so nice. At the end of the day, everyone is out for themselves.
He passes the ball and makes his teammates look good. While making his own stats suffer, then people gonna crap on him for having like 4 points a game.
Really ironic, guy takes one for the team, and then gets blamed for everything and discarded.
Look at guys like Carmelo and Kobe, they don't care about the team. They just want it for themselves. At the end of the day, people will kiss their @$$ because of how good they are. Melo flat out refused to play for his coach. The media and fans bash him to kingdom come. But he didn't care. Then he got the coach fired and everything he wanted. Now people are praising him for getting the coach fired.
I have mixed feelings about Lin jacking up those shots against the double and triple teams.
Obviously, Lin shoots a low percentage when he does that. Plus, it's not as if Lin's teammates have enough game to help him out if he does get trapped (the whole reason why Lin's struggling to begin with).
Even Carmelo Anthony struggled MIGHTILY in NY until Jeremy Lin came around and presented himself as a BAILOUT PASS TARGET. Lin doesn't even have himself to pass the ball to!
Melo's playing well because he's not injured like he was last season(although, he just stitches a couple days ago) and he has a new coach not named D'antoni, that he trusts now. He's taking the same kinds of shots as he did last season.
Not really sure what this has to do with the conversation though.
Before Lin showed up, Melo's perimeter "shooters" were Landry Fields, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and Iman Shumpert - none of whom could hit consistently from outside.
This season Melo has Jason Kidd (a serviceable outside shooter), Raymond Felton (a RED HOT shooter), and JR Smith (a streaky shooter).
Don't discount the weakness of the East either. The Knicks can save their efforts for the quality opponents.
Jeremy really needs to change his mentality. Don't depend on other people to give him confidence. When others don't believe in him, he should like "they don't believe in me, screw them. I only answer to myself."
He needs to be a guy sees the team as a means to help himself. Not sacrificing himself to help the team. Even bench players like TD, who plays like crap like 4 out of 5 games, but he radiates confidence and he doesn't care and just keeps shooting. While Jeremy gets down on himself after one miss. He needs to toughen up.
Also, for the people wanting a trade to the Lakers. I just want to say, if Jeremy is able to handle Kobe chewing out him after a loss. Then go for it. As bad as Melo is, I would say Kobe is a lot worse.
It's really up to Jeremy himself to bring himself out of this one. Since no one believes in him, he needs to believe in himself.
This has been building for a while and was blown up 10 folds against the Spurs on Friday. JLin's low offensive efficiency and a somewhat lacking defensive intensity against opposing PGs have made him a scapegoat and getting benched. Against the Spurs, JLin allowed Parker to run all over him and the team defense has partial blame. He couldn't make a wide open mid/long range shot and had consecutive turnovers. Against the Mavericks, the JLin led offense early in the game attributed to a big hole. JLin was setting up his teammates but they weren't making shots. However, he kept going back to them, especially Asik, when he was missing and fumbling the ball all over the place. JLin didn't appear to look to Harden to get him involved. He probably should have given the ball up to Harden earlier and let him run the offense and see if things changed and play off the ball. They finally took Jlin out and Harden became the primary playmaker. As weird as it seems, the dynamic of the team changed although not immediately. The Rockets fought back behind Harden's 30 points and took the lead going into the half. We can also agrue that things may turnaround as well if JLin was put back in the game.
I don't blame JLin for the early problems because he was simply doing his job. He's the PG, ran the offense, and found open guys his way. Asik, Patterson, and Parson wasn't making shots. Harden didn't appear to be doing much either cause JLin was running the point and playmaking. One thing led to another and the Rockets defense broke down. As a result, the coaching staff probably wanted to change things up a bit and allow Harden to become the primary playmaker and run everything through him.
The Rockets were down big in the Lakers, Spurs, and Maverick games. If this continued and it did, something had to give. Although I didn't see it coming that JLin would be benched like this, I knew something was bound to happen.
I saw the post game interview and JLin look dejected and betrayed. Benching JLin could potentially result in two outcomes. Either it becomes a turning point where JLin takes off and plays at a high level from here on out, or his confidence becomes severly rattled affecting his play for the rest of the season. I hope it's the former.
And what point guard has EVER stopped Tim Duncan from freeing Tony Parker for open shots, Racha?
Believe it or not, I'm NOT worried about Lin's confidence. He's played under extreme racist stress all his life, so this is NOTHING by comparison.
Never forget that teams WANT Harden to shoot. The more he shoots, the less he involves his teammates. Opponents are happy with Harden playing hero ball. Harden is not like Lin who's going to light multiple guys on fire!
We live and die by the 3. We came back at the end of the 1st/2nd qtr because guys were jacking up shots at the 3pt line and making them. When Lin came back in the third, we maintained the lead and made fewer 3 pt attempts. Then in the 4th, guys were jacking up 3's again, there was no ball movement and we lost. Maybe we shot less 3's with Lin in because he helps with the ball movement?!
The Rockets actually might do better with Lin out. Think of it this way, TD becomes the "defensive" SG to Harden the combo guard playmaker and everyone else sticks to their role. To compliment Harden, they really only need someone like TD...someone who shoots 3's and occasionally takes the ball to the basket. HOU doesn't want a PG that distributes the ball/has court vision, they want someone who isn't afraid to chuck the ball, i.e. TD, which will ultimately open the floor for Harden.
Some of the things I read on HOU forums disgust me. The general consensus is, "all Lin needs to do is become consistent at shooting the 3 ball and everything else will work out". Really? That's all we want from our PG? For him to be like TD and become a spot up 3 pt shooter? I don't even know what to think anymore.
I'm more dismayed by the Rockets coaches essentially waving the white flag to opponent challenges. I am not worried about Lin AT ALL, even if he gets benched out of the NBA.
On the other hand, I can't figure out how to get those lame Rockets big men to actually initiate offense. Kevin McHale is a great big man coach, but the raw talent simply ISN'T THERE for him to work with. That's why he's been moaning about how bad his team is ever since preseason.
I actually wish Luis Scola had not been amnestied. Just Scola being here would mean that Lin could actually run a real pick and roll with a big man who actually knows how to play one!
@KHhuang LOL I was just thinking the same thing. They should have kept Scola for the reason you mentioned. Scola is a solid power forward and can play on both ends of the floor. He will definitely provide veteran leadership. Morey screwed this one up for sure. Now they need to find a quality big men.
i'm not a basketball expert, so I don't really know. Lin's the scapegoat of this team, HOU fans make it seem like he's the max guy that should shoulder the blame.
I don't give opposition credit because Lin is doing fine. I see it as the opponents are using trapping to contain his teammates effectively. JLin is reading the traps fine and gets the ball to open PPat for open jump shots and to Asik for... the fumble or blocked scoop layup.
Similarly, when JLin penetrates I also see teammates stagnant on the perimeter instead of off ball movement collapsing and cutting to the basket when JLin's penetrations disrupt the inside defense. Last year, guys like Landry, Smith, Carmelo, and Tyson all recognize such situations and we see them cutting and receiving the pass from JLin for the easy two. There is too much camping at the three point line.
As for big guys like PPat, he is ok hitting jumpers but needs to learn to roll to the basket effectively or catch and attack the basket (like Greg Smith). Asik rolls to the basket properly only on set plays but fumbles too much. He does not come to the ball effectively otherwise such as when the ball swings around to JLin, JLin drives past his man, and there is no one crashing the basket!
It is hard watching teammates not playing team offense. It is tough watching teammates effectively stifling JLins efforts.
JLin is handling the trap well. I blame JLins teammates for the trap effectively working against the Rockets.
I have more faith in Lin improving/adjusting to his role in HOU than I do PPat/Asik improving...so, we really can't count on Asik/ppat getting that much better.
That's the big difference when ur playing with all stars caliber of players and experienced veterans as opposed to rookies. And plus This isn't the first time a player was so great in his previous team and then got traded and suddenly he's struggling. That's why he needs to adjust but i just hope the fans wont be calling for trade every time this happens. I don't think changing team every season is good for anyone's career.
So the dilemma is two folds. You have JLin a playmaker who seeks to pass first and score second. You have Harden another playmaker who seeks to score first and pass second, unless he's doubled team. When JLin is running the offense, he gets Asik, Patterson, and Parson involved. When they're making shots, Rockets are super. When they're missing shots, Rockets go in a tailspin. Moreover, JLin can't always attack the basket when they're missing shots because he's limited to his right hand and has only above average athleticism--constantly missing jumpers doesn't make things better either. He can only attack when they're making shots which opens up the driving lanes. When Harden is running the offense, he can take it up for a three, dribble penetrate either direction, shoot basically from anywhere, and have the knack to make high quality passes when trapped. Harden is not as quick as JLin or can't jump as high as other teammates but he has an effective offensive game.
So in the Dallas game, a JLin led offense was ineffective because his teammates wasn't making shots and subsequently he couldn't attack. As a result, Harden is rendered ineffective as a bystander by allowing JLin to be the primary playmaker. When Harden became the primary playmaker with JLin benched, obviously things picked up a bit. I can't say either JLin or Harden is more effective because it really depends on who's making shots. If Harden is hot and making shots, the Rockets will flow. If everyone is making their shots, JLin and the Rockets will flow. So it's really a balancing act. JLin needs to recognize if his teammates are not making shots let Harden run the point until it stops working and then he can take control again. So JLin really needs to improve working off the ball.
Lost in all of this is the defense. Right now they need to figure out which player should focus less on offense and work more on defense. I would say Asik and Patterson should anchor the defense. Let the offense go through Harden but that doesn't always work because he's always doubled. But letting the offense run through JLin means Asik and Patterson will be more involved. So the coaches really need to figure this shit out and not just bench JLin.
I don't know if ANY coach can figure this situation out.
The Rockets have only two legitimate NBA starters: Lin and Harden. Everybody else is a proven bench player incapable of making the shots that you correctly point out are bein missed.
If I could keep Lin and Harden while jettissoning the entire roster including Asik and Parsons, I'd happily do it.
I think stats tells you when harden makes a lot more points does not mean Rockets would shine. Remember the game that Rocket beat NYK? How about the game Rocket vs Lakers lately? They were all great game of Rocket without much points by Harden.
Basketball is a team play game. More often than not, team with one single focal point to score would lose in long run...look at Lakers. and in case you don't notice already, harden isn't a much better PG material than Jlin at all, he slows things down a lot.
Linsanity convoluted logic: JLin's teammates are SCRUBS who can't make a shot or take a pass so teams just TRIPLE TEAM Lin to stop the Rockets. (btw, things on the Internet are always TRUE if you use ALL CAPS)
Sanity: The Rockets are the #4 offense in the entire league. If we were to apply Linsanity convoluted logic and JLin's teammates were studs and Lin had only single coverage, then obviously the Rockets would average about 180 points per game.
Linsanity Jeremy Lin is so fast! Just look at his accelerometer measurements!
Sanity Pity the poor who are not engineers or physicists. Acceleration and velocity are two very different concepts. The people who don't know the difference are the same ones who you hear saying: 'Hey, how come that horse beat that guy on the race, the guy started so much faster!? or 'Wow, that Usain Bolt guy won easily, how can that be, his acceleration is so much lower than the other runners!" Fun exercise for the reader: Lin's acceleration makes him a 'good jerk'. Check it out for yourself....
Some posters at CF thinks that opponent are clogging the paint and letting Lin shoot With minimal defense since he is struggling with his shot at the moment. This also limits harden's lanes to the rim. Thus TD is being used to space the floor for harden.
That is unfortunately what is happening. If you watch the Mavericks game, watch how deeply Fisher, Collison, or Carter were sagging into the paint. Most of the time, they had a foot on the border of the key. Lin did the make them pay by hitting 2 threes. But he needs to do that more consistently in order for his defender to start respecting his shot and not sag off him too much when he doesn't have the ball.
But should only slow them down. Harden can still get the FT line in traffic, and so can Jeremy if he attacks the rim like last year. Jeremy is also a much better passer than Harden or his Linsanity-self, so that should stop him from creating open shots for his teammates.
The problem is that McHale/Sampson won't let him play the position he was signed to play. He's the goddamn point guard. He needs to handle the ball and run pick-and-rolls. This isn't rocket science.
"He's kind of settling into what he really is. On an average team, he can be a starter. On a good team, he's going to have to be a backup.
"He's still not a great shooter and I don't know if that will ever change. He'll absolutely work at it, but he's got a flawed jump shot that's ingrained in him. And he's still a right-hand dominant player who has a tough time going left and finishing to his left and makes questionable decisions going left.
"My other concern would be (James) Harden. There's no question Harden takes the (burden of the) spotlight off Jeremy, but that means Jeremy has to play off the ball when they're out there together. That's not his strength."
LOL, what happened to not an NBA player.
Now he is only a starter on a good, not great team.
Back-handed compliment from scout that probably said he wasn't an NBA player just months ago...
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx @JasonCFriedman I'm sure you're inundated with Lin-vs-TD tweets but hopefully you wouldn't mind humoring me. I re-watched parts of last 2 8:54 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx @JasonCFriedman games & am guessing it was cuz TD currently creates more spacing and thus complements Harden better offensively? Until 8:55 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx @JasonCFriedman opp respects Lin's perimeter shots, they'll simply ignore him (Spurs) or pack the paint (Mav's zone). Am I close or off? 8:55 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx That is the fundamental issue at present. Which is why I think HOU likely needs to stagger PT of Harden and Lin so they can each 8:58 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx get time playing with shooters who spread floor. When played together, Rox are regularly getting burned. Now big picture, this 8:59 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx might just be part of growing pains. Lin will surely improve as shooter and Rox will figure out better ways to incorporate each. 9:00 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx And this team IS about big picture. But at least at present, no question that combo is struggling to succeed. 9:01 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx That, however, does not mean they are doomed. Just going through growing pains right now. 9:01 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx @JasonCFriedman *Nods* They're both unselfish & w/ Lin's work ethics there's no doubt his shooting will improve. Thanx (again) for answering 9:07 AM - 9 Dec 12
pxxxxxxxxx @pxxxxxxxxx @JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx They did stagger the PT of Lin and Harden, except they forgot to put Lin back in 12:31 PM - 9 Dec 12
That's just BS from the coaches and Friedman is too dumb or too scared to question it (remember: his paycheck depends on access to the team).
It's really quite simple. Jeremy Lin is the starting POINT GUARD. He should be the primary ball-handler. James Harden is the starting SHOOTING GUARD. He should be the primary shooter/scorer. Jeremy runs pick-and-rolls, gets penetration and collapses the defense, allowing Harden and others to get open looks and driving lanes.
If teams like the Heat successfully blitz Jeremy off the PnR, THEN Harden can become the lead ball-handler. But 90% of the time, it has to be YOUR POINT GUARD.
But no. The coaches seems to think Harden is the next MJ and Jeremy is a poor man's Derek Fisher. So no matter how many games they lose or how much Jeremy improves his shot, they won't change a single thing about their approach. Sheer ineptitude.
Since Jeremy is too gentlemanly to complain publicly, I welcome all JL fans to "protest" in places the Rockets will notice -- cancel your League Pass, stop buying tickets to Rockets games, stop ordering JL Rockets jerseys, and criticize intelligently on the Ultimate Rockets site, which I presume the Rockets and their beat reporters check out.
Friedman is simply relaying Rox excuse. [I assume he's apprised the Rox of the deluge of complaintweets since the benching.] Anyhow, people not buying [note the snark on the last tweet.]
"Since Jeremy is too gentlemanly to complain publicly, I welcome all JL fans to "protest" in places the Rockets will notice...and criticize intelligently on the Ultimate Rockets site, which I presume the Rockets and their beat reporters check out." - They must be aware of the fans' outrage by now. People have been on @dmorey since the OT benching. They have been emailing the Rox. You hit a wall -> no change in trajectory as far as coaches' plans for JLin is concerned... - Should fans be patient a bit more? - Try get to Les? [Assuming he's hands-off with the Rox unless there's financial loss at stake?] - Point out the "ineptitude" with some publicity from Jeff Yang? Pablo Torre? Robin Lundberg? Howard Beck? Jay Caspian Kang? [I wonder if making a big thing out of this will hurt JLin. But to not to -> JLin's getting more and more marginalized.]
The Rockets are in dire need of veteran leadership, especially on the defensive end. JLin was great last season because he had solid bigs who can pick and roll, alley-oop and plays defense--Tyson, J.Jefferies. I like Asik and Patterson but they're still in the development stages. It's really hard to get a quality big men. I think if the Rockets can get a quality center and power forward is all JLin needs. Heck I think having Jared Jefferies as a starter replacing Patterson would be good for JLin.
Milsap is basically Patrick Patterson with slightly better defense and rebounding instincts. Al Jefferson is a good post player, but plays the same Center spot that Asik is in right now.
The first 2 games was very good ! Lin and harden combo back court. And then I purchased NBA league pass, I thought the rockets team are very fun and excited to watch. I don't know it end up like that .
RAPM, like all +/- type stats has more potential than ratings that use simple box scores. First of all, in any sport, we know that point differential is a better indicator of a team's quality than wins and losses. It follows then that a player's effect on point differential is the best indicator of how good a player is. Point differential subsumes all aspects of winning play, not just the obvious. There are several handicaps to using +/- to its fullest potential, as discussed in the link above, but RAPM is the best yet at handling these.
Those of us whose "eye tests" suggest that Lin is having a bigger effect on Houston's wins and losses than average fans, dumb "scouts", and casual analysts think should be heartened. RAPM has Lin as having been the third most important player on Houston so far this year.
Name MP Off. On Def. On Off. xRAPM Def. xRAPM James Harden 659.08 1.073 1.059 4.66 -0.70 Chandler Parsons 607.08 1.075 1.064 -0.26 -0.25 Jeremy Lin 569.70 1.057 1.072 1.15 -0.13 Omer Asik 548.88 1.059 1.055 -1.82 3.90 Patrick Patterson 479.23 1.061 1.062 -1.77 -0.63 Marcus Morris 344.93 1.103 1.065 -0.40 -0.92 Toney Douglas 260.88 1.110 1.063 -0.56 -1.77 Carlos Delfino 236.77 1.149 0.982 0.24 0.77 Greg Smith 158.70 1.153 1.035 -0.29 -0.50 Daequan Cook 111.47 1.107 1.176 -0.89 -1.39 Terrence Jones 72.72 0.965 1.089 -1.67 -1.27 Cole Aldrich 69.05 0.919 1.113 -1.69 -1.22 Donatas Motiejunas 8.93 0.993 1.644 -1.32 -1.69 Scott Machado 2.57 0.850 1.816 -1.37 -1.43
If you click through, the table is easier to read and colorized. Note that although Lin is listed in third place, that's just a coincidence because he's played the third most minutes and that's how the table is sorted. You have to calculate in your head to verify that Lin's net RAPM is third on the team.
Is it net RAPM Off xRAPM plus Def xRAPM? If it is, then the rankings are:
Name Net xRAPM James Harden 3.96 Omer Asik 2.08 Jeremy Lin 1.02 Carlos Delfino 1.01 Chandler Parsons -0.51 Greg Smith -0.79 Marcus Morris -1.32 Daequan Cook -2.28 Toney Douglas -2.33 Patrick Patterson -2.4 Scott Machado -2.8 Cole Aldrich -2.91 Terrence Jones -2.94 Donatas Motiejunas -3.01
@falseinbasketball...no idea what your posts are about or what your angle is...unlike tvn the hater who has ridiculously funny posts, I cant understand your posts. Perhaps you should lay off the anti-depressents. Your statements might be more coherent .
Let me post this question again here:
ReplyDeleteSerious question, which game do you guys think Lin is gonna pulled out of the starting lineup? By looking at the schedule I am starting to think if the Rockets lost to a blowout to SA again (almost a lock), the coaches would have the excuses to limit Lin's minutes. And next game against Washington Douglas then got to play big minutes, performed well and the team won (well should be easy against the worst team in the league). The coaches would perfectly justify to promote Douglas to the starting lineup against Boston especially the team needed his "defense" to "slow down" Rondo.
It should be the prefect storm, ugh.
The sooner he gets pulled out the better, sorry guys. I'd like Lin to sit for several games to see what really will happen. Will the team continue to suck or will Lin up his ante when he does get playing time.
DeleteI agree, Houston now runs the team almost like the Knicks last year with the bulk of offense running through Harden. Don't 4 players watch Harden on most possessions late in the game remind u of something? This is a recipe for disaster cuz Harden is not even as good as Melo as far as being an one-on-one player.
DeleteDont know how cold it gets in Houston but if I wanted to pull that shit off (see how they do without me) I would simply claim to have influenza or something like that. This way the team wouldnt even have to bench me.
DeleteI was really hoping that Lin would find his role respectively Rockets would find the right role for Lin and it would work out but it seems like they are doing the same mistake all over again - seing Lin as someone he isnt and therefor not letting him do what he does best -> being the playmaker and play the way he plays best.
I really dont know what knucklehead is making the decisions in Houston but they are abusing Lin and therefor ruining him.
Tailoring a system to a player is how you make use of his talents. Tailor a player to a system -> always fails. If Lin isnt the right man for the Rockets -> trade him!
Well said Willydilly. We need to keep tweeting @dmorey
DeleteJonathan Feigen @Jonathan_Feigen
DeleteJames Harden sitting out practice with sprained ankle. No word yet about whether he'll play tomorrow. Likely won't know until then.
10:40 AM - 9 Dec 12
AND THE KNICKS WIN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHA ROCKETS STINK HORRIBLY!! LIN IS BENCHED WHERE HE BELONGS!!! 내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행. LETS GO DOUGLAS!!!
Delete구글 번역하느라 애썼다, 머저리.
DeleteSorry, your Korean doesn't make sense. Bad Google translation. Sad and pathetic to the point of hilarity.
I already contacted the person whose picture you're illegally using. And his name is no billy Chung. Simple Google image search will tell you who that picture belongs to. He is indeed Korean and I sent him a message in Korean, so if this picture is really you as you claim, then you should be able to tell me what I said in that message. You FAKE!
he does what the knicks ask of him. pass the ball. hit the open 3. result: gets benched. he needs to look our for his own and play his gamehe needs to just play not for others, but for God and the love/fun of the game. that is why he succeeded in NY. i remember him saying this about the first game in linsanity when he was about to get cut. "if i go out, i go out playing my way." before that, he was trying to "fit into the system" no. just enjoy jeremy. that's the game we love from you. also, he needs to attack the basket first, then the shots will come. i remember the first meaningful game he had with the knicks, he missed his first 5 or so jumpers but he kept shooting. and once his layups started to go in, and he started getting to the FT line, that's when his jumpers started to fall.
ReplyDeleteif jeremy wants to keep trying to fit in to the system (like he did with GSW and NY) and be who he's not, even if he does well what they ask of him (like from last night's game), he's going to get benched. oh wait he already has.
Deletejeremy's talent cannot be contained. he has to be set free. and the only person who can do that is himself (i.e. first game of linsanity). in fact he has no choice. either free himself, or go back to GSW status. (even if he does well exactly as you are told).
DeletePS do not worry about your jumpshot. it's fine (made 2 of 3 last game). what do smart players do when their shots do not fall? they go for the easy layup. then everything else will follow.
Exactly, get some confidence layup a and the shots will follow
Deletei remember him saying this about the first game in linsanity when he was about to get cut. "if i go out, i go out playing my way." before that, he was trying to "fit into the system" no."
DeleteI remember JLin saying that too.
Unfortunately, it seems that Lin has forgotten that.
Play the game your way.
Don't try to be a player that you are not.
Lin has gotten away from his game and hence lost confidence and belief.
I see no problem with Lin HESITATING to fire away against those relentless triple teams.
DeleteLin needs a power forward that can set a pick and catch a perimeter pass and a center that can actually dunk, not a pep talk or a coaching change!
@kHuang
DeleteExactly. Asik is a good defender and rebounder, but can't finish at the rim at this point of his career. Asik is not TChandler in PnR. May passes to Asik this season have ended up as missed layups or blocked shots near the rim that lead to opponents fast break scoring opportunities.
Now that CParson and PPatterson have cooled down in 3pt shooting, Lin's effectiveness as a PG is greatly discounted.
Jeremy can no longer play like the guy who was about to get cut from NY with nothing to lose. He now has a big contract, endorsements, and responsibilities. Just like when you get married and have kids, you can't go back and live like you did when you were a bachelor. Charles Barkley did not want to be a role model, but it comes with the territory. Like it or not he is a torchbearer for asian-americans. He's proven he can play at a high level. He just needs to go out there and do it consistently. No turning back. Charge forward!
DeleteWell said Smoovies. Something is bothering him and I'm sure it all comes down to his damn contract. He ripped himself off with that because even though it isn't a huge contract, to him it is. He's too damn nice of a kid and that money makes him nervous that he wont earn it. He just has to forget about it and play with no fear. I know he has pride and confidence so it's not that but he plays like he's intimidated now or something. Just let loose and let it rip!!!
DeleteThe reason so many of us care and follow Jeremy Lin, is that we thought he could elevate the perception of asian-american men in america like Jackie Robinson did for blacks. In the sports world and in the entertainment world there is no one like him. As the whole country was cheering Jeremy during Linsanity, we felt we finally had a legitimate A-list asian-american superstar. We felt proud being an asian-american. However as the cheers have now turned to jeers and insults, those personal feelings of pride have turned into embarrassment. Each negative article about Jeremy indirectly is directed at all asian-american men and reinforcing the american biases against asian-american men. Asian men are too passive, they are greedy, they can't be leaders. Jackie Robinson was able to shrug off all the racial insults and biases by performing as an all-star on the field. Jeremy needs to do likewise. Jeremy needs to be that agressive, I can take on anyone in the league attitude like he had last year. Otherwise instead of elevating the perception of the asian-american male he could reinforce most american's stereotypical views of asian-americans. As asian-americans though we should unite during this time of adversity as blacks have (calling each other brother), instead of turning against one another. Jeremy's window of opportunity is still open but slowly fading. Come on Jeremy, we know you have it within you. Do it for all of us asian-americans who have been laughed at and looked down upon all our lives. You have the power to change not only basketball world but the views of millions of Americans. This is a once in a generation opportunity, sieze it!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the people who post here have self-esteem issues and are in denial. A black guy shoves an Asian in front of moving chain in New York and the story is buried by the liberal press. Where's the yelling and screaming?
DeleteSome of the people on this board feel the knee jerk reaction to blame Jeremy for everything. If only he did this. If only he did that. Jeremy doesn't work hard enough. He should this. He could of that. Maybe it's the Asian way instead blaming someone else. After this game, I'm convinced something is going on with Sampson and McHale about Lin.
Jeremy is fading into the typical "invisible" asian-american. He is told what to do, doesn't make any waves, he's the model minority. He gets benched and he says he's fine with that. What I and many other asian-americans believed is that he was something more, something special. That he would be a trendsetter for a future generation of asian-american men. Instead he is being looked like as another William Hung, someone who got paid, but is the laughing stock of america. I don't like the fact that in his interviews he keeps emphasizing that Linsanity won't happen again. Why not? Does he no longer believe he can perform at that level? Is he satisfied in his accomplishments because he got paid? Is he already planning his life after basketball? Something seriously changed mentally with him and his approach towards his game. After his knee insury he is no longer attacking big men and drawing fouls. It's like his mom told him it's not worth it. Typical asian wisdom is to say why risk ruining your health. If he doesn't turn it around in the next few games, I'm afraid he may flame out and no NBA team will want him. My son will then be embarrassed to wear his jersey. He still has a shot but he needs to turn it around quick. Linsanity did happen, so I know he can do it again. He just needs to start believing it.
DeleteMy problem with your response is that I believe Jeremy is doing fine. He is a PG now. He gets the other players involved. Asik has become one of the better centers in the league in large part due Lin's play. Now the team has become give the ball to Harden and that's it.
DeleteIn fact, I think Asik's free throw shooting has gone done because he has lost confidence in his overall play. Confidence that Jeremy gave him.
Dont make JLin responsible for the "troubles" or "flaws" of an ethnic group. JLin is no civil rights activist - he is an athlete who is out there for himself. If he succeeds - good. If he doesnt - cant blame him but dont ask him to carry your weight as well.
DeleteThere are racists out there who point their dirty fingers at asians but asians cannot respond by pointing at JLin. If you are asian and you want to do something for your "brothers" -> step up and do something. Dont just support JLin - join him.
Watch the olympic games -> asians allways on top. Watch european soccer -> couple of asians FROM ASIA play for great european teams and nobody hates them. So - when people say that asians are too soft or not athletic and that its to do with genes we all know its a lie. How we deal with it -> decide for yourselves but dont pass on the jar.
One problem with asians and american mainstream sports is that before JLin - there was simply no star for young kids to look up to (Im talking about asians who look asian as well). Whether JLin will be great or just mediocre -> doesnt really matter. Asian kids have already seen what JLin can do and many of them will give pro sports a try. So - asian american athletes will shine - of course it will take time for those little kids to grow up but and we only of JLin in the meantime.
Take breakdancing in Korea. The breakdancing community there was really small and people were laughing at them. Then - a hand full of dancers came out and ruled. They have been ruling for years - beating americans, brits, french, germans, japanese... Now - nobody laugs at them anymore and parents let their children learn breakdance.
Take Cung Le. I never heard him talking about stereotypese exept when he talked about being beaten up and picked on as a child. He since has learned martial arts and won titles all over the world. He broke Frank Shamrocks arm with a series of kicks. He knocked out Rich Franklin with one beautyful punch. A big mouth like Floyd Mayweather may disrespect an asian american bball player but martial artists know he would not dare disrespect an asian american UFC figther - after all - UFC fighters are on top of the food chain and say what you want - any good UFC fighter can crush a Mayweather.
Just so you know -> Cung Le left Vietnam with his mother under gunfire when he was 2 years old and there is NOBODY who would dare say something stupid about him now. Otherwise he would challenge them and they would get their asses kicked - in the octagon. He did it not for the asians - he did it for himself. And - if you watch his fights - even the recent ones - most of his fans arent even asian. He doesnt need asians fans and he isnt even married to an asian wife. God - he doesnt even speak his mothers language (like JLin). For him and his fans - race doesnt matter.
@Smoovies:
DeleteYou project way too much. JLin has other problems to deal with - not just help your self esteem. Im not OK with the system in which he plays but you cannot complain - at least no by claiming that he he has become the asian stereotype whatever bla bla.
Its obvious you dont know how its like to be on a pro sports team. Even a Melo didnt go on TV and said that he thinks Dantoni is killing him. We dont know whats happening behind the scenes and as long as we dont know -> dont complain about JLin or insult him. Support him.
Let's face it. The reason many people follow Jeremy is because he is asian-american. Would we care so much if he was Jeremy Smith? He represents something greater than a good basketball player. Although he didn't ask for it he is the face of asian-america. I am a big supporter of Jeremy and believe he could be great, I just don't know if he believes anymore.
DeleteHe played great when he started Linsanity. Had it been Jeremy Smith - it might not have been that great but NY would still have loved him. The "asian people go nuts thing" in my eyes is simply colateral damage that helps and hurts JLin.
DeleteBeing asian did not make it easier for Lin. It made it tougher for him. Having asian fans didnt quite balance that out - not until every chinese man or woman each send him a Dollar. In fact - I wonder at times whether people hate Lin not because they hate Lin but because they hate Lin fans. As much as Im a fan - I sometimes read other "fans" posts here and I have to wonder "whats wrong with these people?".
Now - he is a sensation partly because hes asian. Im glad you got that. But how do you explain peoples behavior - acting like they own Jeremy or that Jeremy owes them?
You are talking about Jeremy having a small window of time to make it right for asians in the country... thus proving my point. Believe me - when he goes out there - he doesnt think about your window of time and your self esteem. I sure hope he doesnt read on this site since athletes are advised to not read every magazine or google themself but if he feels the pressure from the asian people cause he does read here I can asume that you are killing what is important to you -> you are killing Linsanity by burdening Lin with your troubles.
Cung Le comparison isn't a good one. He competes in a sport where one of the pioneers was Asian-American, Bruce Lee. Some of those fighting styles that MMA fighters are using like Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, etc already have Asian backgrounds.
DeleteCung Le is also not the token Asian like Jeremy Lin is, since there are plenty of Asians and mixed Asians in MMA as compared to the NBA. Also just like JLin, Cung Le understands and speaks basic Vietnamese but mainly speaks English in public (same like Jeremy). And to think about it, Cung represents his Vietnamese heritage with his gear while Lin plays the politically correct card and acknowledges both his Chinese and Taiwanese heritage.
It is never easy being first. Can you imagine the pressure Jackie Robinson had to deal with getting death threats? It comes with the territory. Robinson didn't shy away from the pressure but it fueled his performance. Jeremy needs to do the same, put his big boy pants on. I know Jeremy did not ask for this role, but it is part of being a trailblazer. People are trying to rewrite history and say that Linsanity was a fluke. I hope he can prove his critics wrong. Consistent high level play will prove that last year wasn't an anomaly.
DeleteBruce Lee NEVER competed in American fighting tournaments (or Asian ones either).
DeleteHe's strictly an ACTOR, not a professional competitor. Besides, he was ostracized out of America and had to go back to Hong Kong to work for Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest.
Few people realize that Bruce Lee is truly Asian American. He was born in America, not Hong Kong. He suffered all the racism that Asian American actors suffer in the US and CONTINUE to suffer. Things have NOT gotten any better in 50 years.
True, but Bruce Lee was bad ass. He didn't bother to fight in the American karate championships but he would have won. He embarrassed one reigning US Karate champion in an exhibition and coached dominant US Karate champions, I know at least Chuck Norris. I have no idea what you guys are arguing about, but I like Bruce Lee...he wasn't just an actor, he was a force.
DeleteAnyway, I'm pretty sure it's not just cos Lin is Asian that a lot of people like him. Obviously, I don't feel like he's sticking up for my race. I like Lin because he played awesome, his style of play is super fun to watch, and he demonstrates that you can win in basketball by playing an aggressive passing team style, something I've long believed, but is hardly ever represented at the NBA level.
I'm also very interested in the Lin story because he is measured as an incredible athlete, broke records, has a super high basketball IQ and he STILL can't overcome the cognitive bias of being Asian. If you want an better example of how poor humans are at reasoning, it's Lin. There's simply no excuse for how he's being used or treated. Players don't perform at the level did for as long as he did without being great talents. It doesn't happen, statistically. The only way he won't make the most of his talent is if he's squashed by the establishment.
In football, my team is the Seattle Seahawks. Their rookie QB Russell Wilson has a higher QB rating than any quarterback in the NFL since week 5, but still it's all Luck and RG3. If you look back, Wilson dominated college football. He broke the major college NCAA record for passing efficiency, over Luck and RG3, but was considered a reach being drafted in the 3rd round. He led the NFL in passer rating in the preseason. Still no love. I went back and looked at his draft card on ESPN, and the fans of NC State and Wisonconsin (he played at both) were adamant that Wilson would start at QB for Seattle come week one, even though Seattle already had a high priced off season free agent. They were right. Why was Wilson draft stock so low in the eyes of the establishment? Because he was 5' 10".
Can you imagine? Shouldn't production ALWAYS trump the eye test? But it doesn't, in case after case. People are just really dumb.
It takes someone like a Pete Carroll or D'Antoni. They are smart and encouraging and don't punish players for mistakes. They don't judge based on physical characteristics but by production. The build confidence and empower players.
I don't care what people say:
DeleteBruce Lee does NOT impress me athletically, but Jeremy Lin DOES.
I have seen many guys who scare me more than Bruce Lee, most of whom are not famous but have DECADES MORE training and real life fight experience than Bruce Lee ever had. But none of those guys can ACT like Bruce Lee could, as he was truly a great screen personality with tons of training and experience.
I wouldn't hesitate to fight Bruce Lee, but I wouldn't dare play one on one against Jeremy Lin.
@TaiwaneseStyle17:
DeletePlease google Pankration that was introduced somewhat 600 BC and tell me again that asians were pioneers in this field ;)
Bruce talked about his idea of fighting (in a competition) that resembles the MMA but he actually never competed whilst being in the US. He was more known as instructor and movie star.
I hate to mention that but by the time Bruce was hot Chuck Norris held several titles while Bruce had non.
If you are talking about the time when Bruce was hot you also have to take Gene Lebell into consideration. He is considered the godfather of MMA/grappling cause he actually competed and he ruled.
You also have to understand that people were practicing asian martial arts in the US way before Bruce and yet asian martial arts was not considered that great. Many westerners kept on claiming that western boxing was far superior.
Then came a time when grappling was hot and everybody said that boxing, kicking and asian martial arts in generall was nice to look at but not really working. Even in one of Cungs fights there was an anouncers who claimed that kicking had no real impact - seconds later Cungs opponent went on his knees after getting kicked by Cung. That was just a few years back.
There also were the BJJ guys. Who got the credit? The japanese? A bit but - its not called brazilian jiu jitsu for no reason :)
Yes - there were asians in the field of martial arts but please name one asian american who made it to Cungs fame... SanShou, Kickboxing, Strikeforce and now UFC?
People have always acknowledged asian martial art history but they have also claimed that asians dont fight as hard or that westerners were built stronger or whatever... it took a vietnamese guy from california to disprove all that.
Also - Jeremy and Cung may understand some basic zhong-wen and viet but not being able to have an interview in their mothers language means not being able to speak those languages... so simple.
Say what you will - these two athletes do cash in on asians but they dont owe them anything. Asians arent the reason Cung Le defeated his opponents and asians didnt make Jeremy Lin a star.
Whenever people come here and claim that JLin or Cung owe them and have to represent them its no different than China or Taiwan claiming that JLin was their product. No - he isnt. He is all american. Had he grown up in China or Taiwan he might be a foot smaller (different food) and he would probably play table tennis (different culture).
BTW:
DeletePlease watch "I am Bruce Lee". From Ed Oneil to Kobe Bryant, from Gene Lebell to Dana White, they all praise Bruce, talk about him and they also argue about the MMA thing. Its not just entertaining, its also bringing up infos that lots of people dont know about (I never knew he was quarter german or a great dancer).
Gina Carano btw. says that Bruce was her kind of men (sexy) :) Others moan exactly what some have mentioned here -> no asian lead actors in the movies and so on.
When did I say Bruce Lee ever competed in MMA? I said Bruce Lee was a pioneer, which can be interpreted in many ways. I've also referring to exactly that, with Dana White giving Bruce Lee credit.
DeleteCung Le may have done all that in his career, but in this modern generation nobody sees Cung Le as the first Asian-American ever to dominate at the best level like Lin did. Cung Le is already too old to compete with the best in the UFC, and STRIKEFORCE wasn't the best. Cung also got knocked out by Wanderlei Silva, nobody cares if he's doing that for the "Asian" community or not.
There's plenty of Asians and mixed Asians in the MMA game already. Period. Japanese, Korean, Filipino, whatever they're there.
Jeremy Lin is the only Asian-American that people relate to in the modern era of the NBA. Very different situation than Cung. Many Asian-Americans and Asians were drawn to Jeremy Lins story, can't say so much about Cung. Matter of fact, I bet the average Asian-American would know about Lin's accomplishments over Cung's.
At least there's been Asian influences in MMA. The only one who has done anything before Lin was Yao Ming, but he was a Chinese National and 7'6".
Also to the comment that you would challenge Bruce Lee one on one and not Jeremy Lin is quite laughable because I bet most basketball players who think they got game would challenge Jeremy Lin any day, which is exactly why they are challenging his contract and hype to begin with.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying that I think Cung Le or Jeremy Lin owe anything to Asians for their fame. I just think their success have different paths. Cung also is of Vietnamese descent, which isn't exactly at the top of the Asian marketing scale. Lin has both the Chinese and Taiwanese fanbase to back him, as well as a much larger scale of Asian-Americans watching him since Day 1 on Youtube trying to prove his worth in the summer league.
DeleteLin came into the game, with almost everyone using the fact that him being Asian-American was why people overlooked him. Cung may have fought bullies, but he's never drawn the type of Asian-American fanbase that Lin currently has. Cung also competed and coached Team USA against even China, but how many Asians actually know or care about that?. He also grew up in a different past time without all the Youtube videos hyping him up.
The NBA is the best of the best. Cung Le never fought and won titles in PRIDE nor did he compete in the UFC and win titles. Most of Lins fans here know way more about Lin's struggles as an Asian-American than they'll ever know about Cung's.
It's that simple and which is why Lin's Asian fan base is much larger than what Cung will ever have.
Like it or not, people view Jeremy Lin as a representation for political or racial reasons. Anyone who disagrees hasn't been reading JeremyLin.net. Just a simple question if Jeremy Lin is Chinese or Taiwanese would start huge debates.
DeleteCung Le? nobody really sees him as a pioneer for Asian-Americans really. He might go down as someone who had huge success in martial arts, but not in the current big promotion that is UFC, which is exactly what the younger generation is watching today.
Most people know about Bruce Lee, regardless if he actually fought in a tournament or not ;). Just like people now know about Jeremy Lin - the underdog and now questionably overrated player.
Jeremy is different than Yao Ming, Ichiro, or Yi Jian Lian. Jeremy is an asian-american and grew up in the USA and faced many of the issues that others like me and others have faced. Cung Le is different in that he excels in a lesser known sport without the media attention that the NBA garners. How many other asian-americans superstars in sports or the entertainment world can you name in the past decade? I can't think of a single one. Opportunities like these to confront asian-american biases are rare. But Jeremy needs to play like the superstar we know he can be. Otherwise he will prove the haters right and instead of breaking racial biases he may end up reinforcing them.
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Delete@Smoovies:
DeleteCung Le came to the states when he was 2. If you wanna make that a huge difference - make it. Im pretty sure JLin never got beaten like Cung but hey - thats life.
Though its true that Cung competes in a lesser known sports it doesnt make it easier for him. UFC is the biggest fight event in the world. Do you think its easy to go out of a fight with a broken rip, nose or arm or even dead?
Of course you can think of only one asian superstar in the world of sports and entertainent. You are obviously american and have a tunnel view. That is not meant to be an insult. Americans consider american people superstars. That is exactly the reason why european watch american movies (cause they dont care) but americans wont watch european movies (cause they care about nationality). That is also why asian stars from australia or europe or even asia dont matter that much to asian americans. Tunnel view thinking. That same tunnel view thinking makes asians bash JLin now that he is struggling.
Though JLin does entertain me alot right now - he is not even my idol or hero. Only people who wave the taiwanese flag during JLins games think so (knowing that he is a abc). I look up to an asian who came to a european country as an orphant, served in the military, became a doctor and is now the vice chancellor of the country. How many americans know about that? How many americans believe europe is a country?
Also - you define superstar your way. I define superstar otherwise. That is why I recognise asian football players (you say soccer) as superstars and you dont though they make millions.
DeleteYou may think soccer is a lesser sport like the UFC - but - how many countries on earth see bball the same way you do? One? Two?
There are a ton of asian superstars and heroes out there. You simply dont know about them. Get a better view on what asians do on this planet. Get a better view on what you can ask of JLin. He might be your hero but you are not his hero. He carries his weight only. He may be wearing a ring some day (I sure hope so) but dont blame him if he doesnt. His job is tough enough. Shoudlnt have to deal with your troubles as well.
Quit making it a race thing please, that's what makes you guys violent or obsessive. It's just basketball and Jeremy cannot handle that kind of pressure.
DeleteNo I take that back, you are not wrong for what you just said but it still gives him more pressure. I dont know if he can handle it anymore. I would do anything for him to be dominant again
DeleteI am Korean-American willyDilly but im not familiar with Koreans doing UFC. I'm very interested in Thailand Jui Jitsu though. 내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행
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DeleteThe race thing has always been part of Jeremy Lin's story, it be very hypocritical to tell people to stop talking about that.
DeleteHow am I reversing my arguments? You're just upset because I think Asian-Americans don't recognize Cung Le's accomplishments as much as they do Lin's, which is fact. LIN did it in the NBA, which is a bigger sport than MMA is.
You told me to watch "I am Bruce Lee" and even Dana White himself credited Bruce Lee for influencing the MMA game. Enough said. You think Cung Le didn't have any influence whatsoever ever from Bruce Le? given the fact that he even appears in that video? LOL.
Cung Le is 2-1 in the UFC? and?? how many Asian-Americans are jumping on Cung Le's bandwagon right now? where is LeSanity? Strikeforce is seen as lower than UFC, was it not? That's like trying to glorify a D-League championship. If Lin won a MVP title in the CBA, most people wouldn't really care. JeremyLin.net wouldn't have as close to many people viewing as it does now.
That's the point, Lin's hype was much bigger and grabbed much more attention than Cung Le ever did. Sure Asians should learn more about other Asians, doesn't mean they will or care. Lin's hype was blown up all over the media. Nam Phan fights in the UFC, Ben Henderson fights in the UFC, BJ Penn fights in the UFC, Mark Munoz fights in the UFC. Like I said, there's plenty of Asian-Americans and Asians in the UFC so why would anyone even expect Cung Le to carry the mantle for Asian-Americans?
How many Asian-Americans are in the NBA besides Lin? 0. Bringing up Chinese players and Filipinos players is reversing your arguments since NOBODY cares about them. They play in the CBA and PBA, not the NBA.
Wat Misaka playing in the NBA, what in 1947? how many Asian-Americans who have been watching Lin now can actually remember Wat even playing? did he even dominate or come even close to what Lin? not even. He may be a pioneer but he didn't have the same impact that Jeremy Lin has.
Like it or not, Lin having both Chinese and Taiwanese background helped his case vs Le's Vietnamese community. The majority of Vietnamese don't even care about MMA either, they watch soccer.
You're also getting the wrong idea that I'm "looking down" on Cung Le. You compared Cung Le to Jeremy Lin in that Cung Le doesn't have to worry about carrying Asian-Americans and I've been saying they have two different successful paths, with Lin playing in a MAJOR SPORT.
And actually it is the truth, people have debated whether or not Jeremy Lin is Chinese or Taiwanese. Both on JeremyLin.net and other basketball forums, but that's what Asians do.
If you were to claim Lin is only Chinese, you'll get people who will disagree. Just watch. Jeremy Lin might not be your idol, but he certainly is for a large number of people that are Asian and Asian-American.
Sorry, I can't say the same for Cung Le and that's why he doesn't have to worry about doing it for them because most Asian-Americans don't even recognize Cung Le the way they do Jeremy Lin. That's not my tunnel vision because I obviously know about his accomplishments, but I also know his career didn't get the same hype or attention that Jeremy Lin has. He never will either. Even if I put Cung Le at a higher level than BRUCE LE, that won't change anything for Asian-Americans.
@WillyDilly
DeleteFunny how you bring up Cung Le being used to promote the UFC. People in Vietnam aren't going to change their ways and suddenly start getting into UFC because of him. Where's my Chinese hero? when did I say I need one? You obviously care so much that you're nuthugging Cung Le real hard. He won't even go down as being more well-known than Bruce Lee.
Most people could care less about a "Chinese" hero in the UFC because most people don't care about the UFC to begin with, and that's why they are trying to promote it. Common sense.
Jeremy doesn't have to feel pressure. Pressure is for people who cares about things in life. He said that in that beautiful testimony. So he should be back the old jeremy. If you have faith you don'thave to hesitate to shoot whatever people or coaches say. PR is right. He needs to refind the beauty of playin basketball. Whatever happens is for a reason, so he says. So calm down, relax, and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI dont know - right now it seems to me like finding the beauty of basketball in Houston is like looking for your missing sock that youll never find :)
DeleteIm glad to see that he regained his strength and most of his speed but watching him getting no screen or a real bad screen is just making my eyes bleed. I was full of hope that it would somehow work out but everybody has a strong and a weak side and right now it seems like he is in a team that does not value his strong side.
What Lin is going through now is new, he is paid with a decent amount of money in the league and he is afraid. he is afraid to break the rules, he is afraid to be himself, he is afraid of the coaching staffs. He follow all their rules and still fails. I am sure he is confused with what is happening too just like us. what is the only way out before he is benched? In NYK, he has nothing to lose, so he is himself but in rockets, his wings are clipped, his desires are controlled, his potentials are looked down upon. Sometimes i wonder if his team mates are really his team mates? Is the chemistry really there, or it just superficial?
ReplyDelete"In NYK, he has nothing to lose, so he is himself"
DeleteBigger difference than Lin's attitude: As a Knick, Lin was always sure of one thing - when he was in the game, the ball was in his hands as the PG. Before Lin's breakout game against the Nets, when Lin played, whether badly or well, whether in significant game situations or garbage time, Lin knew the the ball was in his hands. During Linsanity, the ball was in his hands. After D'Antoni quit, Woodson kept the ball in Lin's hands. In Lin's last game for the Knicks, the ball was in his hands.
With the Rockets after the Harden trade? Lin can't trust on having the ball in his hands. Lin can't play his game his way and prove himself if he isn't touching the ball.
With the Knicks, D'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball. With the Rockets, McHale and Sampson have taken the ball from Lin.
I dont get it. Above you claim that JLin has become the asian ameican stereotype (doing what is told to do...). Now you claim hes afraid of everything. Dont act like a shrink when you obviously arent one. I dont know if you intend to do it or whether you are just blind...
Delete... cause JLin is the man (THE ONLY MAN) who has broken that stupid asian american stereotype. He is an NBA player. He has to worry about other things than your self esteem issues. Yes - he doesnt look like Linsanity JLin out there but he was asigned a different role on the current team.
Things might have gone different had JLin been a 100% when the season begann but he wasnt. The Rockets signed Harden and as much as I like Harden I have to say that "unfortunately" the world of Rockets basketball is circling him now. In NY - JLin got to play real PG - Dantoni backed JLin to his last day and even Woodson would back him. In Houston - he is a ball carrier - as it seems right now.
Really well said "With the Knicks, D'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball. With the Rockets, McHale and Sampson have taken the ball from Lin." I think that's the reason why Lin can't play well in Rockets. Look at vs. Jazz game, he did well because he control more of the balls. But not now.
DeleteD'Antoni and Woodson gave Lin the ball so that he could pass it to those MAX CONTRACT BIG MEN.
DeleteLin can't even force passes to those Houston Rockets scrubs because opponents are playing the passing lanes and jamming him, plus Lin's big men have no idea what to do with the ball once they catch it.
I guess he did both back in NY KHuang. But now he takes the ball IF HE GETS IT and moments after he crosses the mid court line he would pass the ball and run to the corner. Gotta tell you - whenever I see that move my blood pressure becomes really unhealthy. Sure - he doesnt do it all the time and I was open minded when it started but its starting to hurt JLins efficiency now.
DeleteSo if Lin gets the ball and the triple teams inevitably come to force it out of his hands, how is that any different from Lin running to the corner?
DeleteAt least in the corner, Lin can siphon defenses away from Harden so that Harden can brick and turnover those shots from the opposite side of the court playing iso ball!
Lin's teammates CAN'T PLAY. Doesn't matter where Lin is deployed, the traps are going to come because nobody has to guard Lin's teammates!
And that is a dead end - but it doesnt have to be. Lin is a playmaker. Just because he got 3 approaching him does not mean he has to give in or give it up. Dude - how do you play basketball at you best when you dont play basketball at your best but wait for others to fail?
DeleteLin knows how the team has to run in order to deal with the 3 on Lin thing. He can exploit that situation. Like I wrote - its not like there are three guys circling around Lin at all times. He has been playing basketball well for decades. If he was given the liberty to set up the team the way he needs it - if he could tell them how he needs his screens and how the guys should run -> problem could be solved. Yes - his teammates are scrubs but the problem is - I dont see any sign that they are improving for JLin.
I asked some posts down - when was the last time JLin stood outside - didnt bother attacking (cause they are all waiting to trap Lin) and simply threw an alley oop and smugged about it? Dude - right now it seems like JLin has to climb mountains even to get a decent screen - if he gets it at all.
I mean - whats your gameplan if you had a say? I know you have one... let me know...
Khuang you truly do hate the Knicks, huh? 내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행
DeleteEven some non-Lin Houston fans were questioning McHale's player usage last night--not only with benching Lin in favor of Douglas but also using Aldrich over Asik.
ReplyDeleteIt's idiocy.
Houston is turning into a Golden State nightmare for Lin.
If Mchale keeps on making bad coaching decisions then I doubt he'll stay as Head coach.
DeleteThey need a coach that MAXIMIZES all the talents.
I posted on Howard Chen's article about Lin respecting the decision and they took all the posts down. Lol.
ReplyDeleteLin does not deserve to be treated like this. He is a class guy, supremely talented and deserves more respect. Yesterday he was starting to go off and they stopped him.
I am done with the Rockets...will continue to support Lin.
Lin said in his post game interview that he was NOT disappointed with his effort last night and rightly so. He was getting into rhythm and they pulled him out yet again?? The Rockets are squandering a key asset in their hands by not utilising his strengths. It is rare that Lin plays well and the team loses. Lin is not only a classy guy with great basketball skills; he is unique being the only ethnic Asian in the NBA. If Rockets pull him out of the starting lineup, the financial repercussions to the franchise will be immediate. I trust Les is a good businessman.....
DeleteLin should realize a few things:
ReplyDelete1. Les and Morey expect Houston to make the play-offs this year. They've said so.
2. Morey says most coaches don't help a team and the trick is to find one that doesn't actively hurt the team. If Houston doesn't make the play-offs, who is Morey going to blame?
3. Everyone knows Lin isn't being used to maximize his strengths, Morey more than anyone.
4. Lin has a three year contract which uses enough cap space that he is indispensable to Houston's success. Houston can't go out and get another good point guard and still keep its max contract space to get another star, and there's no way they're giving up their max contract space.
5. Houston does not have the amnesty clause anymore.
6. Lin's position is MUCH stronger than the coaches.
Therefore, Lin should stop playing the role he's playing and start being higher usage and just play his game. Stop deferring. Houston CANNOT make the playoffs this year without Lin playing serious minutes. Use those minutes to play real basketball. If he somehow (unlikely) shoots himself out of minutes altogether, it's not Lin who's going to lose his job.
Unless that max player is Chris Paul I suppose! (But I'll eat my hat* if that happens)
Delete*Note I reserve the right to buy a sugary cookie hat
I totally agree with you - except that I think JLin has already realized all of that.
DeleteSome people are nice because they are "simple" and naive and some people are nice because they choose to be. My money - when it comes to JLin - is on the later one.
He was a child who banged his head against the wall when he didnt get what he wanted. He was the kind of man who decided to be a bball player in the NBA when most people would use their Harvard degree to make money, party or start a family. He was the kind of man who would sleep on Fields couch when he could afford a nice hotel. When thinks didnt go right he would get in peoples faces - like when he shoted at his Knicks teammates on national TV. He chose to sleep on Parsons couch when he could buy a hotel in Houston...
Read some of the articles about JLins family. You will read about his mother who would show up hours before JLins game would start. She would sit there and study the boxscores. You will read about a coach who was frightened of and humiliated by JLins mom when she came to him after a game and said "you see - thats JLin - you didnt want him" in-ya-face-sucker kind of style.
Whatever goes on in JLins life - Im pretty sure either he or his attorneys or friends and former coaches or family will back him. Dont know if JLin still is in touch with Dantoni but I remember JLin say "I will ask him for advice for a very long time".
JLin will make things work for him when the time is right. Either that or you will read in the news: "Rockets coach Sampson attacked by asian woman - he lost his genitals in the attack"
Someone from this forum mentioned before : Jeremy is the product of his family. His parents are highly educated and they worked for MNC. Also let's not forget about his Harvard alumni, his agents, they are the cream of the crop. Good advice are abundant for Jeremy. Plus the possibility of his inner circle posting on this forum, some insightful views might have already been taken into consideration by now.
DeleteNo amount of Lin advice or even coaching is going to pry those opposing forwards and centers from cheating on his SCRUB teammates and trapping him all over the court!
DeleteLin should realize a few things:
ReplyDelete1. Les and Morey expect Houston to make the play-offs this year. They've said so.
2. Morey says most coaches don't help a team and the trick is to find one that doesn't actively hurt the team. If Houston doesn't make the play-offs, who is Morey going to blame?
3. Everyone knows Lin isn't being used to maximize his strengths, Morey more than anyone.
4. Lin has a three year contract which uses enough cap space that he is indispensable to Houston's success. Houston can't go out and get another good point guard and still keep its max contract space to get another star, and there's no way they're giving up their max contract space.
5. Houston does not have the amnesty clause anymore.
6. Lin's position is MUCH stronger than the coaches.
Therefore, Lin should stop playing the role he's playing and start being higher usage and just play his game. Stop deferring. Houston CANNOT make the playoffs this year without Lin playing serious minutes. Use those minutes to play real basketball. If he somehow (unlikely) shoots himself out of minutes altogether, it's not Lin who's going to lose his job.
But the coaches use D not good enough to cut down Lin's min. No matter how hard he tried without the playing time how can he do anything? First they made Lin be a stationary player just stood in 3 point line to waiting for the ball to come. Now, they simply just bench him to let Harden do ISO or PG in his wish. I do wish the coach can go before Lin!
DeleteOthers have suggested a trade to LA (and liked or not liked it), but...
ReplyDeletehttp://sports.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981805954
I'm starting to like the idea myself. Remember an Asian owns part of the Lakers. Patrick Soon-Shiong. He also wants an NFL franchise. Worth 7 billion.
DeleteI've stated previously that a trade to the Lakers will be great for Jeremy Lin, since he would not only have his former coach but a bunch of HOFs to take the pressure off him. Lin and Dwight in the pick and roll would be unstoppable. I also think Kobe would respect JLin because of his work ethic and ability to get the ball to his teammates.
DeleteBut the question still remains and that's if Houston is ready to let him go and for what costs. They currently have a Trevor Ariza 2.0 on their hands. Lakers probably wouldn't trade Pau for Lin straight up, but if Rockets are willing to sell low then a trade of Duhon/Blake/Morris would work in the future. Morris can shoot the 3, and Blake and Duhon are vets with expiring contracts after 2014.
The Lakers would also have to be willing to take on Lin's contract which goes against their 2014 plan of having major cap space. Both teams probably don't do this until either the trade deadline or off-season when they have a clearer view of what they really want.
I like the idea for Lin to Lakers but Kobe isn't that easy to get along with.. Just look at Nash, Kobe don't like him because he don't need or want a PG to give him the ball. I don't think it will happen anytime soon.
DeleteSeeing what Rockets coaches did to him - benching him at 4th qty and OT, which is very painful to watch as a JL fan, I would even prefer JL to play off the bench/in the 2nd unit under DMA, because when DMA plays him, JL will be able to perfectly execute DMA's game plan.
Delete@ CJCA
DeleteKobe doesn't like Nash? How does that even make sense? Nash is injured and has barely played enough games to prove his worth. This isn't a Melo situation happening, where he wants the offense focused on him. Kobe has stated several times he expects Nash to help him get easier shots and less defenses paying attention solely on him. Kobe also was supporting Mike D'Antoni as a coach.
If Lin is traded to the Lakers, Nash will still be on that team and Lin will probably be expected to lead the bench and be mentored by Nash. He'll have the ball in his hands and expected to get all the other Lakers bench players involved, which is exactly what he did in NY.
He's just one confused dude who has to keep relearning the same lessons. He's said often enough that every time he's veered from his walk with God, he gets taught a humbling lesson. Which is why he keeps proclaiming he now plays only for an audience of One. Clearly, that's not true these days; you don't play with fear the way Lin is doing if you're playing for God.
ReplyDeleteAnd for a 24-year-old Harvard grad, he's incredibly naive. Just a few days ago, he was going on ad nauseum about what a caring coach McHale was. Well, his first game back as head coach and Lin sits for all of 30 minutes. After what's been happening since the Portland game, how could he still think McHale and his proxy, Sampson, had his best interests at heart? I've thought for quite a while now that the coaches might be sticking it to Les Alexander for forcing Lin down their throats in the off-season. Especially after the talk about how McHale finally had a guard that he liked when Harden was signed.
More evidence of Lin's naivete: still claiming a couple of days ago that the Rockets weren't expecting Linsanity from him and that they were letting him play through his mistakes. Does he seriously believe that they're paying him $25 million to put up 4-7 points per game? He's got a degree in economics; how could he possibly not understand that you simply don't get a 10-fold increase in pay to produce one-fifth your previous output? And this letting-me-play-through-my-mistakes notion is so detached from reality that honestly, what planet is Lin on?
He really needs to plant his feet back on earth. That he actually appeared to believe that Dolan would match any offer "up to a billion" and was thus shocked that he wasn't going to be a Knick again just shows how removed he is from the real world.
If nothing else, in the midst of all this ugliness, I hope he's at least growing up fast.
Funny how a "fan for life" would make such accusations.
DeletePeople say a lot of bla bla when they try to get rid of the media people but only a "fan for life" would take JLins reply and put it on a scale, saying JLin was naive, dumb, childish and not worth a Harvard degree.
Dude - you talk like you been to the "How do I survive in the NBA school" and graduated with lots of praise and I bet you believe you are a shrink as well ha?
I do recognise your style of writing from somewhere or someone...
none of us really know exactly what's going on at this point. maybe it's better to let this play out and see how things turn out at the end of the season. as a fan, it was frustrating to see JLin sit most of the game when i was sacrificing my studying time to watch the game. But at the same time i realize that there maybe a good reason why the starting point guard of a mediocre team is sitting most of the game. maybe JLin isn't as good as people thought he was?
Delete@Addict_to_it,
Deleteif you have doubt about Jeremy's talent, you don't have to be his fan anymore but I'm afraid you may regret later.
*you may regret it later.
DeleteSome of us know EXACTLY what's going on at this point.
Delete내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행
DeleteI can understand some of the frustrations from some of you, but we have to realize this is about Jeremy Lin and basketball not about “Lin needs to stand up for Asian American in America”. He should not have to deal with that type of pressure, but just to play ball. I’m just as mad as everyone else for Lin not running the game and get treated like shit by Sampson and McFail. I’m not blaming Lin for anything other than Lin needs to take open shots and not just looking to pass because he can’t be himself when the coaching staff is not letting him. They are choosing a more expensive player (Harden) over Lin. Which is stupid because Harden can score, but can’t run the team as good as Lin. Simple as that….so just be patient.
ReplyDeleteYou're right but it's been like that for Lin since Day 1 for entering. It was the Asian-American fans who showed support for him, and even cheered for him at Oracle Arena for just even touching the ball. Gotta live with the good and the bad.
DeleteI don't necessarily agree that Lin is being mistreated by Sampson and McHale.
DeleteWith opponents leaving Lin's scrub big men unguarded, how is ANY coach supposed to pry those help defenders from ganging up on Lin every time he takes a dribble?
Every game Lin plays is like the Miami game now with constant triple teams. The difference is that in Miami, Lin's teammates ABANDONED HIM while Lin's Houston teammates HAVE NO GAME.
Either way, Lin is facing too much defensive pressure for any single player in the NBA to overcome.
내가 이동하고, 그것을 이동합니다. 얼굴에 파티 및 실행
DeleteRooting for him,support all the way.True fan here:)
ReplyDeleteYes, we all support Lin all the way. I really think he needs the fans more than ever now.
Deleteditto.
DeleteI also vote for him to all-star game (i.e. popularity contest) every day.
What JL will do with it if he gets voted in, that's his choice, but I will continue vote for him every day no matter he performs good or bad.
Me too. I vote for him twice per day one from PC and the other from cell. This is popularity vote. Like one of my friend said " I just want to see my favorites player in all star so what's wrong with that?" Keep voting for him.
Delete@CJCA: if you don't think it's too much trouble, actually you can delete Browsing History after each vote, then you can vote again and again.
Deleteit seems to me that the rockets game plan/play is really not focus on jlin.diff coach diff style.he still stay positive about it.life's up and down he'll be okay:)
ReplyDeletetoo much expectation makes you feel bad/sad.
Deletenotable quotes:
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
You can fall as fast as you rise.
mj hall of fame speech:
There's no I in the word team.
Pfft.
DeleteWhen Jordan was battling with Phil Jackson and Tex Winter about shots, Tex Winter told Jordan that there was "no I in team".
Jordan shot back "But there's an I in WIN"!!!
That's from the "Jordan Rules" book written by Sam Smith.
There is two "i"s in "Lin wins".
DeleteComparing lin to jordan again....wow just wow. Lin is no jordan with a broken jumper dudes get realistic.
DeleteYao Ming excelled while shouldered the pressure of China and Asians around the world. Like it or not, Jeremy Lin has to do the same.
ReplyDeleteRight but it's more than that now. That $25 million contract and hype of Linsanity brought a lot of haters and doubters who want to watch him fail. The pressure and expectations are now even more than just trying shut down Asian-American stereotypes but to prove he wasn't just all hype.
DeletePeople thought him going to Houston was going to be better because of the media, but in this social media generation, the media will always be there.
Excuse me,but they are also human.Too much expectation.
DeleteLOF and LOH in clucthfans makes me think.What's the meaning of those?As I read the thread I've got it fans and haters.
DeleteSure they're human, but they are in the spotlight. That's just how it is, regardless if you're in sports or in politics. Fans will be fans.
DeleteLOF = Lin only Fan
LOH = Lin only Hater
which means they are only their because of Lin and not actual fans of the Houston Rockets.
LOL...I enjoy reading these posts because they are interesting to me. For Ken's comment, I just laughed out loud. Dude, JLin is living his dream. You know what that is? By playing basketball and getting pay really well doing it. He's doing it for himself, his family, and maybe his friends, but don't go telling JLin to play or live his dream for the sake of Asians like you or me. I, myself, is very frustrated because JLin wasn't allowed to play his style of basketball this year. I was waiting for 6 months anticipating more fun basketball during the NBA season, but so far it's a complete failure. Stop making you sound like you have any impact on JLin's career. Just Stop It!
DeleteiHoopsAlot:
DeleteTotally agree man! Yes - asians can be proud of JLin and he would do the asian community a favor if he succeeds big time but fans have no right to act like they have an impact on their star or like he owes them. JLin plays for himself, he worked hard to get were he is and appart from his family or coaches he doesnt owe anybody anything.
Its not like all the keyboard warriors were there for him when he was crying himself to sleep. Now they asume they can burden him with their troubles and kick him when he is sturggling? When you dont give but you act like somebody still owes you something for nothing - isnt that mafia talk?
I bet those keyboard warriors would be there for him if they knew he was crying himself to sleep! lol. Just like the keyboard warriors are here now defending Lin every change they get and blame the Rockets. It's happening right now on Clutchfans.
DeleteIt's easy to tell those fans to chill out, but the message won't change as it was the same fans bring in "Taiwan" flags to the Raptors games as if it was the Olympics. Whether we like it or not, when the pride of not only a race, but a country is involved, there's always going to be extremes out there.
Great. Blame the fans - not Lin. Truth is truth.
DeleteSee - I mentioned that viet dude who was adopted as baby by germans in the other post. He grew up not knowing who his parents were in a country where asians are rare. He went to the military, served the country, became a doctor, went into politics and became vice chancellor (dunno if he still is) - anyway - all of a sudden the vietnamese were proud of their long lost son. People were trying to find his parents and they all claimed that bright successful man is the product of vietnam. But hey - last time I checked they dumped him like he was trash. Now they are proud of him? Viet people in Germany - if they were operating by the same logic as those taiwanese fans - should stand in front of the government building where he works and wave vietnamese flags all day. Would that make sense? I dunno... only if you are racist I guess - proud not of what you have contributed or achieved or done for sombebody - just proud of the genetic connection.
WillyDilly, you're being delusional and arguing about something nobody cares about.
DeleteThat's great that your friend did all that, just like so many people have overcame hardships in their life regardless of race. But this is JEREMYLIN.net - a major fan blog dedicated to him by JLIN#1 fan. Why should we blame the OWNER of JeremyLin.net? lol
There are tons of people who connect with Lin for being Chinese,Taiwanese,Asian-American whatever. Are they all racist too? lol. Matter of fact, that's also one of the major reasons why he got hype in the first place.
Truth is truth and that's what fans do.
Lin's lucky he's still starting
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious why Lin APPEARS to be struggling even though he's actually NOT struggling AT ALL.
ReplyDeleteHere's the simple reason: The Rockets big men have NO GAME.
NONE of the forwards, including Parsons and Delfino, are capable of creating their own shots. ALL of the Rockets centers and forwards rely mainly on Lin and secondarily Harden to create shots for them.
So with these utterly INEPT Rockets big men, opponents recognize that the only way they get points is to stop Lin. Stop Lin and the Rockets are stopped. As Lin goes, so do the Rockets.
Every time Lin takes a dribble, he's got a small guard rammed up against him on the perimeter and a big man doubling him in the midrange to stop him from shooting those deadly midrange floaters and layups. There's a 3rd opposing defender roaming the weakside to pick off Lin's pass to the 3 point small forward. Lin is SURROUNDED on all sides by defenders fixated on stopping his scoring and his passing!
What about Harden? Well, EVERYBODY knows that Harden is a selfish scorer and turnover machine who doesn't look to create shots for his teammates. Opponents are HAPPY to let Harden shoot, brick, and turn the ball over while Harden ignores his teammates in his mania to put up shots. Not coincidentally, Harden looks primarily to LIN for pressure relief but that only brings down more double/triple teams on Lin.
The Rockets staff sees all this, though they likely see different solutions. McHale and Sampson's policy has been to take whatever the opposition gives them. So if it means a loosely guarded Harden, plow the ball through Harden. But that simply plays into the opponents' wishes for Harden to handle more and Lin/teammates to score less!
No matter what the Rockets coaches think, I feel that Lin must play major minutes for the Rockets to have a chance at winning. Too many players need Lin to facilitate them, and taking the ball away from Lin means taking the ball away from those players (Asik is the first casualty, Parsons and Patterson are NEXT). Yet plowing the ball through Lin isn't necessarily the answer because there's no onus on Lin's teammates to improve their game.
Lin has handled this all beautifully. Against those double and triple teams, he's picked his spots and beat the traps. He needs to improve his shooting somewhat, but otherwise he's making the right reads and is playing solid defense despite getting picked off by big men constantly.
MAJOR SOLUTION: There comes a point where Lin's weakass big men have to catch the ball on the perimeter and put the ball on the floor to score. Until those SCRUBS can actually attack and score to the point where they actually have to be guarded, Lin will constantly be trapped. Omer Asik bricking those layups and Chandler Parsons shooting 5-15 is NOT going to cut it!
The reason Deron Williams and Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo refuse to play on any team that doesn't have a BATTALION of quality forwards and centers is because they don't want to be triple trapped the way Lin is. Usually an "elite" PG has several athletic veteran quality big men playing alongside him that cannot be cheated off of. Lin doesn't have that, but Lin would roar right back to Linsanity levels or BETTER if he had those teammates that could actually catch passes and finish plays!
Awesome post. He's not struggling at all. He's doing great. It's his teammates. He is better than harden.
DeleteNo matter what anybody says, I LOVE Jeremy Lin's game and believe he cannot be playing any better.
DeleteI agree that Jeremy Lin is better than Harden. I'd say he's INCOMPARABLY BETTER, which is why he is the SOLE focus of opposing defenses. Even though Harden scores more on more shots and turnovers, Lin actually gets his teammates involved and is a TERROR on defense that requires opponents to run him through pick after pick.
Jeremy Lin is playing at an incredibly high level, as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't look that way to people because of the constant traps, but I adore his decisionmaking and toughness. It amazes me that he got a scrub like Asik to score double figures, though Asik's own incompetence and not even defensive pressure is finally catching up to him.
So confident am I in Lin's incredible ability that I don't CARE whether the team benches him or not. When he plays, he'll PRODUCE and FACILITATE whether he's playing 40 minutes or 4 minutes.
If the Rockets coaches are LAZY enough to basically admit defeat by benching Lin so that they don't have to coach against the relentless traps Lin attracts, they better be ready for the "domino" effect that will happen when they bench Lin. Asik has already gone down and Parsons is next!
Good piece KHuang. I think Jeremy has improved a ton. He is really the same player and if given the opportunity he can shine.
DeleteI continue to say that in NYC he came close to his potential. No one plays above their potential or that is not their true potential. If it can be done once, it can be done again. Honestly, we have not seen Lin's ceiling, not even during his amazing Linsanity stretch.
Cocaine is a helluva drug
DeleteThat is why I think it would be a good idea for Lin to call in sick for several games, so Rockets will see how they play without Lin. I agree that without Lin, Asik (especially Asik), Patterson and Parsons will have a very hard time scoring. I also think another key to Rockets winning is if Harden really passes more.
Delete@wildathrill, you're not funny. I know you're trying really hard to sound like the rational adult in this conversation, but you're not. Why not add something to the discussion instead of FAIL one liners?
DeleteThere's gonna be a DOMINO EFFECT of Rockets big men not scoring if Lin's minutes are curtailed.
DeleteFirst Asik because he's the primary inside passing target. Then Parsons and Patterson because they're camping out on the perimeter. Finally Delfino because Delfino can OCCASIONALLY dribble around unlike any of the other Rockets forwards.
Harden passing more simply puts him in Lin's shoes as the willing passer with clueless teammates who cannot score unless the ball is delivered on a silver platter. Let him BE Lin for a change.
I know that wildathrill hates me and is flaming me because he thinks Lin is "struggling".
DeleteOf course, he myopically sees Lin only and refuses to acknowledge that Lin's teammates are TERRIBLE.
When I think of Lin playing, I think of the late 1970s game in which Larry Bird was triple teamed in college in a game from start to finish.
Bird scored what Jeremy Lin scores against those triple teams: 4 points. Mind you Bird was the 2nd leading scorer in the NCAA at over 35 PPG!
The difference is Bird's teammates WENT OFF that game. So triple teaming Bird resulted in Bird's team winning an easy victory because his teammates won the game.
Lin's Houston teammates outside Harden CAN'T SCORE. Doesn't matter if they get the ball or not.
EVERY game for Lin is like that Bird 4 point game with constant triple teams. But there's nobody on the roster who can make teams pay!
@KHuang Asik has the worst butter fingers, it's disgusting. Ppat is soft and Parsons has been playing bad with his bum shoulder.
DeleteDon't you have to admit that Lin's J is a reason why he hasn't been playing well though? If he was hitting his shots, the opposing D wouldn't pack the paint as much or take away his driving lanes right?!
@wildathrill. Get lost. Why do u bother posting here? KHuang has been posting good basketball analysis here since JLin first played at GS.
Deletewildathrill, u contribute nothing! Get a life.
k.smith, Lin scoring results in MORE defense!
DeleteActually, opponents cannot play any more defense against Lin than they're already playing.
In NY, opponents trapped Lin. But he kept beating the traps by passing off to Carmelo and Chandler and Novak and Smith and other players who feasted on the trapping. Not so in Houston where those inept teammates of Lin can't get the job done.
I agree that Asik has "butter fingers", that Ppat is "soft", and Parsons has that "bum shoulder". I'd go so far to say that even a healthy Parsons cannot put the ball on the floor and create a shot for himself. He needs JEREMY LIN to score!
You are right but here is why I say he is "struggling":
DeleteHe doesnt get to play the way he plays best. He doesnt even get the playing time he deserves anymore. That in no means indicates that JLin himself is the problem but when he doesnt shine and his team loses -> thats struggling.
We repeatedly saw JLin getting the ball (if not Harden, Parsons or bigs bring it over the mid court line) and JLin would pass to Harden and run to the corner. That play we all saw fail some billion times but Rockets would keep it though opponents wouldnt even bother guarding Lin. That play hurts the Rockets and makes JLin look bad.
When attacking, JLin would get no screen or get really bad screens. If Rockets were really Lin-dedicated they would work on that but I see no progress. Instead - they would let Harden make the play and attack his way. Whenever Harden shoots fts I cant help but think -> dude thats part of Lins game.
Lets say he draws too many defenders like Harden occasionally does when he is attacking - Rockets dont switch fast enough for Lin to pass out or they dont set PR when the defenders still move in. Its not like JLin has three guys circling him at all times. I dont see Rockets attempt to improve or benefit from these situations. I mean - when was the last time JLin attempted an alley oop?
Yes - JLin is not bad even in his current role but he doesnt get to shine...
Whether or not Jeremy is actually "struggling" or not, perception is reality. And in the media and around the league, the perception is that he is struggling mightily. If he loses his starting position, I don't see another team wanting to trade for him. He will be a Rocket for the three years at least to appease the Chinese companies that have paid to advertise in the Toyota Center. I agree that Asik is not a good offensive pairing with Lin. He does not set good picks and he fumbles the ball too often. Aldrich sets better screens than Asik. I was hoping to see how well Lin does with Greg Smith. Greg Smith is a better finisher and can shoot free throws.
DeleteIt just proved that idiot Mchale does not have much trust on him. It's time for Lin to kick some chairs and show some emotion. He need come out of his shell and be himself for good or for bad before let those idiot coach destroy his confidence completely. I would like to see him throw the ball on the floor in front of a referee after a bad call. He is too tamed to the coach and referee now.
ReplyDeleteBesides for Lin, he need to ask his PR team to stop playing that retarded Volvo commercial. He need a more grown up image on tv and also to remember it is time to move on from the past. He is not nobody anymore, but a celebrity with global impact. While on the court, he has to retain the underdog mentality. It's not being tame and nice earning the respect, but the toughness, rebellion and resilince. Time to break the shell and do some kill bro
How is Lin going to "kill" when he's being TRIPLE TEAMED?
DeleteIf he gets triple teamd that means somebody is wide open... I am not here to argue with you. If you do not like my post, stay away
DeleteIf you can't handle the heat, then this forum is not for you.
DeleteHow do you expect Lin to force those passes to those inept teammates when those opponents are standing directly in the path of Lin's passes waiting to intercept them?
And how do you expect Lin to get a guy like Asik to stop fumbling the ball and bricking those point blank layups?
Come on, I don't like your attitude to put all the blames on other people. Think yourself before speak
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DeleteKHuang, So you think the only way for Lin to succeed in the current Rockets system is to make long jumpers? I do agree that Lin should sometimes shoot instead of passing to Asik.
DeleteC'mon David.
DeleteDo you really think that Lin is to blame for opposing big men JAMMING THE MIDRANGE to stop his attacks?
Do you really think Lin is to blame for the Rockets forwards being UTTERLY INCAPABLE of putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket?
Why do you blame Lin for the failures of his teammates?
Good question, eb5attorney.
DeleteI DON'T have an answer for Lin to succeed in the current Rockets system (if "succeed" means scoring).
Do you think making long jumpers is the answer?
Lin's got two scenarios to shoot jump shots: an opposing point guard bodying him up on the perimeter or an "open" kickout shot with a midrange helping opposing big man roaming inside the 3 point line.
It's an NBA trend nowadays to shoot OVER the trap as opposed to try to beat it. However, that only works if you have max contract scorers inside that can prevent opponents from jamming the perimeter (i.e. Knicks with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler).
KHuang, I would be happy (and so should Rockets) if Lin gets 10 to 12 points (at 45% shooting %) and 8 plus assists. But for him to do this, Lin needs to be on court. You saw how Rockets fall apart during 4th quarter without Lin. I really want Rockets to play several games without Lin, because they should have the right to test out things. But they should also be willing to experiment by allowing Lin to be a primary ball handler and Harden play more as a true SG. I really don't know why they don't experiment and see.
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DeleteKHuang, to be fair, Lin has been missing lots of open jumpers, without opponents jamming the perimeter. Of course, I don't expect Lin to make shots over Dwight or Ibaka, etc. but many jumpers he missed were "wide open".
DeleteAgreed, eb5attorney.
DeleteLin needs to hit those more. They don't come often, but they do come.
Lin is not a perfect player and has to work on his J. But even a hot shooting Lin wouldn't make that much of a difference as far as changing defenses against him goes.
You can crow that you've "defeated me" if you want, eb5attorney, that Lin may or may not average the 15 ppg that I know he could get if he had quality big man teammates. But that doesn't change my opinion that Lin is a WONDERFUL point guard who would excel if his teammates would start PLAYING as opposed to CHERRYPICKING.
And I'll ALWAYS contest your notion that Lin is a below average NBA talent. I see too much positive in Lin's game despite really tough circumstances caused by inept teammates.
No offense khuang. I guess the frustration on rockets coach growing in me too. But where the heck I blamed him for his team's failure? I am here just to show my support for jlin. Back to the Triple team question, it is a point guard's responsibility to identify double or triple team early and respond accordingly. The last thing you want to do is probably taking a shot against a double or triple team. I watched part of San Antonio game but not the Dallas game. Still remember the last preseason game Lin played for rockets at San antonio a season ago. He slashed to the basket three times relentlessly. However, I saw hesitations now even at taking open shots. That is the only thing I do not like to see. Maybe he is still bothered by his knee. I do not know. He need to be himself and playing the game he is best at and show some ego at the right time. The last thing he need to worry is his teammate. That is the coach and gm job. You don't remember what a coach would say when you complaining playing in a bad team: just play to be the best player on the court. NBA is tough. He has to show more toughness and resilience to quite the doubters just like what he did against deron Williams in their first game.
DeleteKHuang, you keep on misquoting me. I never said I thought Lin was "below average NBA talent". I said I believe Lin needs to develop a more variety in his offense and a better jumper. I always said I believe Lin is CURRENTLY an average starting NBA PG, but that his ceiling may not be at an all-star level. I also said I believe his D is "decent" or "passable" and his passing skills are very good. I have been very consistent in my statements from the preseason in what I thought were Lin's weaknesses. I also reiterated often that I rather see my prediction of 12 points or below per game average for Lin this season be proven wrong. I have been wrong on various points, but to my defense, I have been consistent in my postings.
DeleteIf I thought Lin really "sucks", I would not have gotten mad or shocked at the fact that Rockets' coaches played Lin only 18 minutes in yesterday's game against Dallas. I truly believe Rockets would have won against Dallas had Lin been the PG and allowed to facilitate because Rockets were leading by around 7 going into 4th quarter.
DeleteDavid Tung, Lin has SUCCESSFULLY identified those passing targets and has dramatically cut down on his turnovers.
DeleteHowever, those Rockets big men cannot do anything with the ball. That's why Lin's assists are down.
As far as hitting open shots, Lin does need to improve them. Everybody here knows that I don't like his shooting form, but that's the only aspect of his game I don't like. Everything else I am completely satisfied with, including his ballhandling under pressure.
Lin's no scrub and he's no bust. He is handling the situation as well as he possibly can.
As a matter of fact, I do not worry about his game. He will only get better. I am worrying about his playing time and the way he was treated. I saw a dwindling confidence on him from the coaching staff. That will eat his confidence. There is just too much talent there and few people are irreplaceable in nba. If you are telling me today that jlin is not affected, you are being blind.
DeleteHe's "cut down" on his turnovers because he's not playing as many minutes or even handling the ball half as much as he was in New York. Duh.
DeleteUnlike many a starting PG, he's never had a turnover-free game. Ever.
He even managed to squeeze in a pair of TOs within just 18 minutes yesterday.
I love Lin to bits but let's get real about his abilities here, K?
As we see now, TOs was just a way to start a backlash against Lin. Harden, with less production than Lin during Linsanity, never has jack said about his TOs in the media. Lin's TOs are mainly down this year due to the ball being taken out of his hands. That means less winning. Lin's TO rate last year was just fine because his production per TO was top 40 in the NBA. I would love to see Lin's TO rate up near the top of the league again, because that would mean he was putting up points and assists and the team was winning lots of games.
DeleteI think for a lot of us frustration has now become anger. They keep blaming him for defense for lack of pt n that just angers me the most. Granted he might not be an all-pro defender, but to step in front of Kobe in an effort to draw a charge repeatedly, people called that bad D? Heck, who was supposed to cover Kobe? And not just against Kobe, I have seen Jeremy this year repeatedly sacrificing his body to try to draw a charger n his recognition for that from coaches is the BENCH, because they just thought "toney Douglas is a better matchup"? Really? Mayo dropped 40 on the "better matchup" yesterday. I guess the logic could be if jlin had been playing iso Douglas then Mayo might have had 60. I tell u what this kid is special, and don't ever confuse humility and caring nature that he has with cowardice, I will take this kid to a war anytime.. Jlin fans, please keep faith, keep encouraging him. He is a tough kid n this current setback will not deter him.
ReplyDeletewell said!
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Deletebummer, I deleted the wrong comment. I agree though. It's a lame excuse by the coaching staff. They should just be honest and tell us that they think TD playing SG compliments Harden more than Lin does.
DeleteIf HOU truly is a young, rebuilding team, they wouldn't be benching Lin. You don't develop players or their confidence by benching them, especially when he wasn't playing bad. If your'e going to develop someone and see what you have with them, you have to let them play, especially during crucial minutes/4th quarter. How else would you be able to determine if they're a good fit for your team or not?!
Yes, when everyone was playing weak defense, Jlin went hard and tried to motivate his guys to play D.
DeleteI think the problem is Jeremy Lin is too passive and really needs an ego.
ReplyDeleteLook at the current situation. Coaches want to run the offense through Harden and turn JL into a spot up shooter. He says fine. When he stinks up the game because he's playing out of position, he blames it on himself.
After all he has done, taking the crap from everyone, he gets benched for following the coaches' order while taking the blame for their mistakes.
He needs to stick up for himself. Plain and simple.
Stop being so nice. At the end of the day, everyone is out for themselves.
He passes the ball and makes his teammates look good. While making his own stats suffer, then people gonna crap on him for having like 4 points a game.
Really ironic, guy takes one for the team, and then gets blamed for everything and discarded.
Look at guys like Carmelo and Kobe, they don't care about the team. They just want it for themselves. At the end of the day, people will kiss their @$$ because of how good they are.
Melo flat out refused to play for his coach. The media and fans bash him to kingdom come. But he didn't care. Then he got the coach fired and everything he wanted. Now people are praising him for getting the coach fired.
I keep saying this:
DeleteOK, give Lin an ego.
What about the DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAMS????
Jeremy should tell the coaches to draw up plays for him.
DeleteIf they don't listen, tell his teammates to come around for the ball.
If no one listens, he should be like Melo, when doubled or tripled, just jack up a shot.
If the coaches or team don't care, then why should him. Every man for himself.
Hmm....
DeleteI have mixed feelings about Lin jacking up those shots against the double and triple teams.
Obviously, Lin shoots a low percentage when he does that. Plus, it's not as if Lin's teammates have enough game to help him out if he does get trapped (the whole reason why Lin's struggling to begin with).
Even Carmelo Anthony struggled MIGHTILY in NY until Jeremy Lin came around and presented himself as a BAILOUT PASS TARGET. Lin doesn't even have himself to pass the ball to!
Why then is Melo doing well this season without Lin? Curious.
DeleteMelo's playing well because he's not injured like he was last season(although, he just stitches a couple days ago) and he has a new coach not named D'antoni, that he trusts now. He's taking the same kinds of shots as he did last season.
DeleteNot really sure what this has to do with the conversation though.
Before Lin showed up, Melo's perimeter "shooters" were Landry Fields, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and Iman Shumpert - none of whom could hit consistently from outside.
DeleteThis season Melo has Jason Kidd (a serviceable outside shooter), Raymond Felton (a RED HOT shooter), and JR Smith (a streaky shooter).
Don't discount the weakness of the East either. The Knicks can save their efforts for the quality opponents.
Jeremy really needs to change his mentality. Don't depend on other people to give him confidence. When others don't believe in him, he should like "they don't believe in me, screw them. I only answer to myself."
ReplyDeleteHe needs to be a guy sees the team as a means to help himself. Not sacrificing himself to help the team. Even bench players like TD, who plays like crap like 4 out of 5 games, but he radiates confidence and he doesn't care and just keeps shooting. While Jeremy gets down on himself after one miss. He needs to toughen up.
Also, for the people wanting a trade to the Lakers. I just want to say, if Jeremy is able to handle Kobe chewing out him after a loss. Then go for it. As bad as Melo is, I would say Kobe is a lot worse.
It's really up to Jeremy himself to bring himself out of this one. Since no one believes in him, he needs to believe in himself.
This has been building for a while and was blown up 10 folds against the Spurs on Friday. JLin's low offensive efficiency and a somewhat lacking defensive intensity against opposing PGs have made him a scapegoat and getting benched. Against the Spurs, JLin allowed Parker to run all over him and the team defense has partial blame. He couldn't make a wide open mid/long range shot and had consecutive turnovers. Against the Mavericks, the JLin led offense early in the game attributed to a big hole. JLin was setting up his teammates but they weren't making shots. However, he kept going back to them, especially Asik, when he was missing and fumbling the ball all over the place. JLin didn't appear to look to Harden to get him involved. He probably should have given the ball up to Harden earlier and let him run the offense and see if things changed and play off the ball. They finally took Jlin out and Harden became the primary playmaker. As weird as it seems, the dynamic of the team changed although not immediately. The Rockets fought back behind Harden's 30 points and took the lead going into the half. We can also agrue that things may turnaround as well if JLin was put back in the game.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame JLin for the early problems because he was simply doing his job. He's the PG, ran the offense, and found open guys his way. Asik, Patterson, and Parson wasn't making shots. Harden didn't appear to be doing much either cause JLin was running the point and playmaking. One thing led to another and the Rockets defense broke down. As a result, the coaching staff probably wanted to change things up a bit and allow Harden to become the primary playmaker and run everything through him.
The Rockets were down big in the Lakers, Spurs, and Maverick games. If this continued and it did, something had to give. Although I didn't see it coming that JLin would be benched like this, I knew something was bound to happen.
I saw the post game interview and JLin look dejected and betrayed. Benching JLin could potentially result in two outcomes. Either it becomes a turning point where JLin takes off and plays at a high level from here on out, or his confidence becomes severly rattled affecting his play for the rest of the season. I hope it's the former.
And what point guard has EVER stopped Tim Duncan from freeing Tony Parker for open shots, Racha?
DeleteBelieve it or not, I'm NOT worried about Lin's confidence. He's played under extreme racist stress all his life, so this is NOTHING by comparison.
Never forget that teams WANT Harden to shoot. The more he shoots, the less he involves his teammates. Opponents are happy with Harden playing hero ball. Harden is not like Lin who's going to light multiple guys on fire!
We live and die by the 3. We came back at the end of the 1st/2nd qtr because guys were jacking up shots at the 3pt line and making them. When Lin came back in the third, we maintained the lead and made fewer 3 pt attempts. Then in the 4th, guys were jacking up 3's again, there was no ball movement and we lost. Maybe we shot less 3's with Lin in because he helps with the ball movement?!
DeleteThis team isn't very hard to defend.
Only way Rockets' coaches might value Lin more is if Rockets play without Lin for let's say 5 games. I wouldn't mind that at all.
DeleteThe Rockets actually might do better with Lin out. Think of it this way, TD becomes the "defensive" SG to Harden the combo guard playmaker and everyone else sticks to their role. To compliment Harden, they really only need someone like TD...someone who shoots 3's and occasionally takes the ball to the basket. HOU doesn't want a PG that distributes the ball/has court vision, they want someone who isn't afraid to chuck the ball, i.e. TD, which will ultimately open the floor for Harden.
DeleteSome of the things I read on HOU forums disgust me. The general consensus is, "all Lin needs to do is become consistent at shooting the 3 ball and everything else will work out". Really? That's all we want from our PG? For him to be like TD and become a spot up 3 pt shooter? I don't even know what to think anymore.
The Rockets WILL NOT do better with Lin out.
DeleteLin is the only facilitator on the team. He feeds several guys. Two of them, Morris and Asik, have already gone down due to Lin being benched.
Plus, Lin is still the best defender on the team. Teams can go at Douglas with no fear. Lin holds the Rockets defense together.
Let Douglas play with Harden. Let the losses MOUNT.
@Khuang, i'm not disagreeing with you but I can see idiot Rockets fans/coaching staff keeping TD in for the specific reasons I mentioned.
DeleteTotally agree, k.smith.
DeleteI'm more dismayed by the Rockets coaches essentially waving the white flag to opponent challenges. I am not worried about Lin AT ALL, even if he gets benched out of the NBA.
On the other hand, I can't figure out how to get those lame Rockets big men to actually initiate offense. Kevin McHale is a great big man coach, but the raw talent simply ISN'T THERE for him to work with. That's why he's been moaning about how bad his team is ever since preseason.
I actually wish Luis Scola had not been amnestied. Just Scola being here would mean that Lin could actually run a real pick and roll with a big man who actually knows how to play one!
@KHhuang LOL I was just thinking the same thing. They should have kept Scola for the reason you mentioned. Scola is a solid power forward and can play on both ends of the floor. He will definitely provide veteran leadership. Morey screwed this one up for sure. Now they need to find a quality big men.
DeleteHere's a question that's sort of a flame but not really a flame:
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't anybody giving any credit to the OPPOSITION for trapping Lin effectively?
Why is it always exclusively Lin's fault that he can't beat those triple teams?
i'm not a basketball expert, so I don't really know. Lin's the scapegoat of this team, HOU fans make it seem like he's the max guy that should shoulder the blame.
DeleteI don't give opposition credit because Lin is doing fine. I see it as the opponents are using trapping to contain his teammates effectively. JLin is reading the traps fine and gets the ball to open PPat for open jump shots and to Asik for... the fumble or blocked scoop layup.
DeleteSimilarly, when JLin penetrates I also see teammates stagnant on the perimeter instead of off ball movement collapsing and cutting to the basket when JLin's penetrations disrupt the inside defense. Last year, guys like Landry, Smith, Carmelo, and Tyson all recognize such situations and we see them cutting and receiving the pass from JLin for the easy two. There is too much camping at the three point line.
As for big guys like PPat, he is ok hitting jumpers but needs to learn to roll to the basket effectively or catch and attack the basket (like Greg Smith). Asik rolls to the basket properly only on set plays but fumbles too much. He does not come to the ball effectively otherwise such as when the ball swings around to JLin, JLin drives past his man, and there is no one crashing the basket!
It is hard watching teammates not playing team offense. It is tough watching teammates effectively stifling JLins efforts.
JLin is handling the trap well. I blame JLins teammates for the trap effectively working against the Rockets.
I have more faith in Lin improving/adjusting to his role in HOU than I do PPat/Asik improving...so, we really can't count on Asik/ppat getting that much better.
DeleteBut if you look at the trend now, ToneyD is playing almost double the min of Lin, I don think we will see Jlin playing often anymore
DeleteThat's the big difference when ur playing with all stars caliber of players and experienced veterans as opposed to rookies. And plus This isn't the first time a player was so great in his previous team and then got traded and suddenly he's struggling. That's why he needs to adjust but i just hope the fans wont be calling for trade every time this happens. I don't think changing team every season is good for anyone's career.
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ReplyDeleteSo the dilemma is two folds. You have JLin a playmaker who seeks to pass first and score second. You have Harden another playmaker who seeks to score first and pass second, unless he's doubled team. When JLin is running the offense, he gets Asik, Patterson, and Parson involved. When they're making shots, Rockets are super. When they're missing shots, Rockets go in a tailspin. Moreover, JLin can't always attack the basket when they're missing shots because he's limited to his right hand and has only above average athleticism--constantly missing jumpers doesn't make things better either. He can only attack when they're making shots which opens up the driving lanes. When Harden is running the offense, he can take it up for a three, dribble penetrate either direction, shoot basically from anywhere, and have the knack to make high quality passes when trapped. Harden is not as quick as JLin or can't jump as high as other teammates but he has an effective offensive game.
ReplyDeleteSo in the Dallas game, a JLin led offense was ineffective because his teammates wasn't making shots and subsequently he couldn't attack. As a result, Harden is rendered ineffective as a bystander by allowing JLin to be the primary playmaker. When Harden became the primary playmaker with JLin benched, obviously things picked up a bit. I can't say either JLin or Harden is more effective because it really depends on who's making shots. If Harden is hot and making shots, the Rockets will flow. If everyone is making their shots, JLin and the Rockets will flow. So it's really a balancing act. JLin needs to recognize if his teammates are not making shots let Harden run the point until it stops working and then he can take control again. So JLin really needs to improve working off the ball.
Lost in all of this is the defense. Right now they need to figure out which player should focus less on offense and work more on defense. I would say Asik and Patterson should anchor the defense. Let the offense go through Harden but that doesn't always work because he's always doubled. But letting the offense run through JLin means Asik and Patterson will be more involved. So the coaches really need to figure this shit out and not just bench JLin.
See, that's the thing Racha.
DeleteI don't know if ANY coach can figure this situation out.
The Rockets have only two legitimate NBA starters: Lin and Harden. Everybody else is a proven bench player incapable of making the shots that you correctly point out are bein missed.
If I could keep Lin and Harden while jettissoning the entire roster including Asik and Parsons, I'd happily do it.
@Khuang - Yeah, they need someone like Tyson Chandler and another worthy power/small forward, or as you like to say it max contract players.
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DeleteI think stats tells you when harden makes a lot more points does not mean Rockets would shine. Remember the game that Rocket beat NYK? How about the game Rocket vs Lakers lately? They were all great game of Rocket without much points by Harden.
DeleteBasketball is a team play game. More often than not, team with one single focal point to score would lose in long run...look at Lakers. and in case you don't notice already, harden isn't a much better PG material than Jlin at all, he slows things down a lot.
Today's dose of Linsanity
ReplyDeleteLinsanity convoluted logic: JLin's teammates are SCRUBS who can't make a shot or take a pass so teams just TRIPLE TEAM Lin to stop the Rockets. (btw, things on the Internet are always TRUE if you use ALL CAPS)
Sanity:
The Rockets are the #4 offense in the entire league. If we were to apply Linsanity convoluted logic and JLin's teammates were studs and Lin had only single coverage, then obviously the Rockets would average about 180 points per game.
truthinbasketball's INSANITY:
Deletehates everyone here
hates Lin
Rockets are #2 in pace but have trouble WINNING against good teams
Today's extra dose of Linsanity
ReplyDeleteLinsanity
Jeremy Lin is so fast! Just look at his accelerometer measurements!
Sanity
Pity the poor who are not engineers or physicists. Acceleration and velocity are two very different concepts. The people who don't know the difference are the same ones who you hear saying: 'Hey, how come that horse beat that guy on the race, the guy started so much faster!? or 'Wow, that Usain Bolt guy won easily, how can that be, his acceleration is so much lower than the other runners!"
Fun exercise for the reader: Lin's acceleration makes him a 'good jerk'. Check it out for yourself....
Please don't overdose!
Jeremy is fast as well as being quick. He has elite quickness and high end top speed.
Deletehttp://thebamboxscore.com/2012/02/29/more-linsights/
@truthin[ess]
DeletePeople remark on JLin's quick FIRST STEP.
---
@t, wouldn't you rather endow your insights and unparalleled acumen on more deserving mortals [instead of slumming here?] :)
* on more deserving mortals ELSEWHERE
DeleteJLin + Team Highlights 12/08/12)
ReplyDeleteSome posters at CF thinks that opponent are clogging the paint and letting Lin shoot With minimal defense since he is struggling with his shot at the moment. This also limits harden's lanes to the rim. Thus TD is being used to space the floor for harden.
ReplyDeleteThat is unfortunately what is happening. If you watch the Mavericks game, watch how deeply Fisher, Collison, or Carter were sagging into the paint. Most of the time, they had a foot on the border of the key. Lin did the make them pay by hitting 2 threes. But he needs to do that more consistently in order for his defender to start respecting his shot and not sag off him too much when he doesn't have the ball.
DeleteBut should only slow them down. Harden can still get the FT line in traffic, and so can Jeremy if he attacks the rim like last year. Jeremy is also a much better passer than Harden or his Linsanity-self, so that should stop him from creating open shots for his teammates.
DeleteThe problem is that McHale/Sampson won't let him play the position he was signed to play. He's the goddamn point guard. He needs to handle the ball and run pick-and-rolls. This isn't rocket science.
Marc Stein: What The Scouts Are Saying
ReplyDelete"He's kind of settling into what he really is. On an average team, he can be a starter. On a good team, he's going to have to be a backup.
Delete"He's still not a great shooter and I don't know if that will ever change. He'll absolutely work at it, but he's got a flawed jump shot that's ingrained in him. And he's still a right-hand dominant player who has a tough time going left and finishing to his left and makes questionable decisions going left.
"My other concern would be (James) Harden. There's no question Harden takes the (burden of the) spotlight off Jeremy, but that means Jeremy has to play off the ball when they're out there together. That's not his strength."
LOL, what happened to not an NBA player.
Now he is only a starter on a good, not great team.
Back-handed compliment from scout that probably said he wasn't an NBA player just months ago...
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx
ReplyDelete@JasonCFriedman I'm sure you're inundated with Lin-vs-TD tweets but hopefully you wouldn't mind humoring me. I re-watched parts of last 2
8:54 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx
@JasonCFriedman games & am guessing it was cuz TD currently creates more spacing and thus complements Harden better offensively? Until
8:55 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx
@JasonCFriedman opp respects Lin's perimeter shots, they'll simply ignore him (Spurs) or pack the paint (Mav's zone). Am I close or off?
8:55 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@KxxxxTxxx That is the fundamental issue at present. Which is why I think HOU likely needs to stagger PT of Harden and Lin so they can each
8:58 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@KxxxxTxxx get time playing with shooters who spread floor. When played together, Rox are regularly getting burned. Now big picture, this
8:59 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@KxxxxTxxx might just be part of growing pains. Lin will surely improve as shooter and Rox will figure out better ways to incorporate each.
9:00 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@KxxxxTxxx And this team IS about big picture. But at least at present, no question that combo is struggling to succeed.
9:01 AM - 9 Dec 12
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman
@KxxxxTxxx That, however, does not mean they are doomed. Just going through growing pains right now.
9:01 AM - 9 Dec 12
Kxxxx @KxxxxTxxx
@JasonCFriedman *Nods* They're both unselfish & w/ Lin's work ethics there's no doubt his shooting will improve. Thanx (again) for answering
9:07 AM - 9 Dec 12
pxxxxxxxxx @pxxxxxxxxx
@JasonCFriedman @KxxxxTxxx They did stagger the PT of Lin and Harden, except they forgot to put Lin back in
12:31 PM - 9 Dec 12
forgot? how conveniently? smh
DeleteThat's just BS from the coaches and Friedman is too dumb or too scared to question it (remember: his paycheck depends on access to the team).
DeleteIt's really quite simple. Jeremy Lin is the starting POINT GUARD. He should be the primary ball-handler. James Harden is the starting SHOOTING GUARD. He should be the primary shooter/scorer. Jeremy runs pick-and-rolls, gets penetration and collapses the defense, allowing Harden and others to get open looks and driving lanes.
If teams like the Heat successfully blitz Jeremy off the PnR, THEN Harden can become the lead ball-handler. But 90% of the time, it has to be YOUR POINT GUARD.
But no. The coaches seems to think Harden is the next MJ and Jeremy is a poor man's Derek Fisher. So no matter how many games they lose or how much Jeremy improves his shot, they won't change a single thing about their approach. Sheer ineptitude.
Since Jeremy is too gentlemanly to complain publicly, I welcome all JL fans to "protest" in places the Rockets will notice -- cancel your League Pass, stop buying tickets to Rockets games, stop ordering JL Rockets jerseys, and criticize intelligently on the Ultimate Rockets site, which I presume the Rockets and their beat reporters check out.
@zxcvb
DeleteFriedman is simply relaying Rox excuse. [I assume he's apprised the Rox of the deluge of complaintweets since the benching.]
Anyhow, people not buying [note the snark on the last tweet.]
"Since Jeremy is too gentlemanly to complain publicly, I welcome all JL fans to "protest" in places the Rockets will notice...and criticize intelligently on the Ultimate Rockets site, which I presume the Rockets and their beat reporters check out."
- They must be aware of the fans' outrage by now. People have been on @dmorey since the OT benching. They have been emailing the Rox. You hit a wall -> no change in trajectory as far as coaches' plans for JLin is concerned...
- Should fans be patient a bit more?
- Try get to Les? [Assuming he's hands-off with the Rox unless there's financial loss at stake?]
- Point out the "ineptitude" with some publicity from Jeff Yang? Pablo Torre? Robin Lundberg? Howard Beck? Jay Caspian Kang?
[I wonder if making a big thing out of this will hurt JLin. But to not to -> JLin's getting more and more marginalized.]
The Rockets are in dire need of veteran leadership, especially on the defensive end. JLin was great last season because he had solid bigs who can pick and roll, alley-oop and plays defense--Tyson, J.Jefferies. I like Asik and Patterson but they're still in the development stages. It's really hard to get a quality big men. I think if the Rockets can get a quality center and power forward is all JLin needs. Heck I think having Jared Jefferies as a starter replacing Patterson would be good for JLin.
ReplyDeleteTalking about quality bigs. The rockets really NEED to steal Milsap or Jefferson from the Jazz.
DeleteMilsap is basically Patrick Patterson with slightly better defense and rebounding instincts. Al Jefferson is a good post player, but plays the same Center spot that Asik is in right now.
DeleteTalk Karl Malone out of retirement so he can play with JLin.
DeleteThe first 2 games was very good ! Lin and harden combo back court. And then I purchased NBA league pass, I thought the rockets team are very fun and excited to watch. I don't know it end up like that .
ReplyDeleteHi guys,
ReplyDeleteI've known for awhile that RAPM is at the cutting edge of advanced stats:
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2011/12/6/2602153/advanced-stats-primer
...but I didn't realize that someone was actually compiling them for the current season:
http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/teams/HOU.html
RAPM, like all +/- type stats has more potential than ratings that use simple box scores. First of all, in any sport, we know that point differential is a better indicator of a team's quality than wins and losses. It follows then that a player's effect on point differential is the best indicator of how good a player is. Point differential subsumes all aspects of winning play, not just the obvious. There are several handicaps to using +/- to its fullest potential, as discussed in the link above, but RAPM is the best yet at handling these.
Those of us whose "eye tests" suggest that Lin is having a bigger effect on Houston's wins and losses than average fans, dumb "scouts", and casual analysts think should be heartened. RAPM has Lin as having been the third most important player on Houston so far this year.
Name MP Off. On Def. On Off. xRAPM Def. xRAPM
James Harden 659.08 1.073 1.059 4.66 -0.70
Chandler Parsons 607.08 1.075 1.064 -0.26 -0.25
Jeremy Lin 569.70 1.057 1.072 1.15 -0.13
Omer Asik 548.88 1.059 1.055 -1.82 3.90
Patrick Patterson 479.23 1.061 1.062 -1.77 -0.63
Marcus Morris 344.93 1.103 1.065 -0.40 -0.92
Toney Douglas 260.88 1.110 1.063 -0.56 -1.77
Carlos Delfino 236.77 1.149 0.982 0.24 0.77
Greg Smith 158.70 1.153 1.035 -0.29 -0.50
Daequan Cook 111.47 1.107 1.176 -0.89 -1.39
Terrence Jones 72.72 0.965 1.089 -1.67 -1.27
Cole Aldrich 69.05 0.919 1.113 -1.69 -1.22
Donatas Motiejunas 8.93 0.993 1.644 -1.32 -1.69
Scott Machado 2.57 0.850 1.816 -1.37 -1.43
If you click through, the table is easier to read and colorized. Note that although Lin is listed in third place, that's just a coincidence because he's played the third most minutes and that's how the table is sorted. You have to calculate in your head to verify that Lin's net RAPM is third on the team.
Is it net RAPM Off xRAPM plus Def xRAPM? If it is, then the rankings are:
DeleteName Net xRAPM
James Harden 3.96
Omer Asik 2.08
Jeremy Lin 1.02
Carlos Delfino 1.01
Chandler Parsons -0.51
Greg Smith -0.79
Marcus Morris -1.32
Daequan Cook -2.28
Toney Douglas -2.33
Patrick Patterson -2.4
Scott Machado -2.8
Cole Aldrich -2.91
Terrence Jones -2.94
Donatas Motiejunas -3.01
Yes.
DeleteThanks!
Delete@falseinbasketball...no idea what your posts are about or what your angle is...unlike tvn the hater who has ridiculously funny posts, I cant understand your posts. Perhaps you should lay off the anti-depressents. Your statements might be more coherent .
ReplyDelete