JLin and Parsons to the Lakers for Pau and whomever works for me. I'm not usually for trades since JLin has just been with the Rockets for a handful of games, but it makes a lot sense now. The Lakers are losing. Pau is not contributing. Rockets need veteran leadership in the front court. JLin is not flourishing in the Rockets system. D'Antoni has a PG centric system. JLin needs the ball to be effective. The Rockets don't really need the JLin type of PG because they are Harden centric. I can see Douglas, Blake, or Duhon play the point alongside Harden.
These are just rumors but maybe God has a better plan for JLin then we initially thought, and that he'll be with the Lakers and not the Rockets all along. Damn, if this is true imagine what JLin can do with Dwight. I'm a little worried about Kobe though, but at this stage in his career he may not care or complain about getting that many touches, unlike Melo. Kobe probably just wants to win another championship and have a team that can do it. Kobe also accepted the changing role that D'Antoni brought to the table so I think he will work well with JLin, unlike Pau who cant put on his big boy pants.
Kobe is the coach on the Lakers, not D'Antoni. With the Lakers, there are two superstars that must be fed the ball before anyone else Kobe and Dwight. If Jeremy was traded to the Lakers, he might get even less touches than the Rockets.
Also, Kobe definitely wants to win, if you help him win, he'll be happy and/or grateful. But when the losses pile up, he chews out his teammates for not putting in effort. Can Jeremy handle that type of treatment??
Right now, Jeremy is in a giant hole (like Batman in Dark Knight Rises with no gadgets and no help). He needs to get himself out of it.
The PG/SG reversed role and coaches' misuse of Harden and Lin seem to line up for a perfect storm for a trade.
But the biggest question of the trade depends on whether Les and Morey are ready to give up on Lin as the PG too soon (for the 2nd time!). If they're wrong about Lin for the 2nd time and Lin flourishes with Lin, I don't know they're ready for the public embarrassment.
My guess is the GM and owner understood it's too early to judge because they haven't figured out how to play Lin and Harden to together.
But the coaches still experimented with making Harden as the PG while minimizing Lin's role and converting him as SG (which Douglas excelled more but w/ less effective defense).
I believe the coaches will figure it out how to correct their mistakes because they won't be winning with Douglas.
The good thing if they want to trade Lin is they will feature him and run plays for him to increase his market value ala KMart.
I don't think the GM and ownership are ready to give up so soon on Lin. They might give up on the coaching staff first by the end of the season.
i don't understand the love for trading lin to the lakers. dantoni is terrible. he refused to play lin until orders were given to try him out before the cut deadline. not to mention his atrocious defensive schemes and sub patterns. you think dwight would resign with both dantoni and lin running the show? he essentially threw jameer nelson under the bus as well. very high chance dwight doesn't resign this summer.
trade lin to a lottery team where he can showcase his skills/increase his numbers, imo.
@ntt DÁntoni didn't want to play JLin is understandable. Any coach in their supposedly right mind wouldn't play JLin because he's Asian, played in Division I college ball, and undrafted. Regardless of how well JLin might have played in summer league or during practices, there's always a doubt that hangs over. JLin had to prove himself which he did, and right now JLin needs to be prove his doubters once again.
This is really eerily similar to the Knicks situation. DÁntoni, Melo, and the Knicks couldn't get going at the start of the season even with a roster of talent. JLin came in and provided that piece of puzzle that were missing all along and bam the Knicks were on fire. Lets just say JLin was the missing piece to the Lakers.
I can't imagine Morey and Les want to be the laughingstock of the NBA to give up on Lin after 6 months. They will replace the coaches first to shift the blame on the coaches not being able to utilize both Harden and Lin as it should be.
houston gets slaughtered again tonight, this time with no harden to keep it semi-close.
spurs will shut down lin along with everyone else, and lin will get most of the blame (undeservingly so). coaches bench lin for more minutes in future games.
Wait Harden is out??? No way! Thats great news! Who care if Rockets lose. Lin will play more minutes and play his real position now that Harden will be out. I hope he stays out! But why you say Spurs will shut down Lin? ASre you blind? It would take atleast 3 Spurs to shut Lin down tonight, you watch! BELIEVE
After reading many posters' astute analysis on the factors contributing to Lin's lack of scoring, I believe that since basketball is a team game, all of the below factors are causing this problem in no particular order. It's not fair to lay the blame SOLELY on Lin, the Rockets system or other Rockets players. The list is in no particular order:
1. Harden trying to do too much and not playing smartly. Harden should realize that he's no MJ, not even close. He's not even Westwood.
2. Lin not shooting well or lacking a variety of bread and butter offensive moves. I think this goes beyond a mere slump, as I have been saying for some time.
3. Rockets' coaches not able to utilize Lin's strengths, which are facilitating, fast breaks and using PNRs to score, and forcing Lin to play off his weakest points which is a spot up shooter.
4. Other teams focusing their D on Lin more from the last year.
5. At the beginning and preseason, his recovering from the knee surgery.
6. Rockets' big men, Asik in particular, not being able to score after getting easy opportunities. Let's face it, it has turned out true that Asik's catching the ball is not good and he is trying to play like a guard rather than a center. However, to Asik's defense, he was never brought in for his offensive skills.
7. Other Rockets players appear to be looking for their own shots rather than passing to create good shots.
8. No one at Rockets scoring points off alley-oops.
9. Lin not being the primary ball handler.
10. Transition plays not going through Lin. The only Lin-centric transition plays I see are where Lin gets the rebounds and then starts off the transition plays, which usually end up with Rockets scoring.
11. Morey's love for 3 pointers or drive-to the basket game plan.
12. Rockets' coaches not truly supporting Lin.
I realize no team will offer everything for Lin to shine, so Lin definitely should shoulder some of the blame because despite the circumstances, good players should find ways to get the job done. But there are some factors that are beyond Lin's control that present significant problems. One positive factor for Lin in Rockets is that Rockets just do not have a good enough back-up PG who could take away Lin's starting job. If there was any decent back-up PG, I would not be surprised if Lin lost his starting position by now. Even if Lin gets traded to Lakers, I don't see him starting.
@eb5attorney I agree with your points, especially about JLin's shooting and lacking variety as a mere slump. Jlin plays well when he has the ball in his hands and a system that allows him to be the man. JLin needs a big man like Tyson that can do everything. JLin is not a spot up shooter and his shots comes best when he attacks the basket. When he can take the ball to the rim, his shooting picks up. He's a rhythm player when he starts to attack and not the other way around. So making JLin play off the ball to become a spot shooter is not his bread and butter. I like Asik but he's not close to what Tyson or Dwight can do for JLin. Maybe the Rockets and JLin can make it work but it's gonna take some time. If Jlin played for the Lakers, we can probably expect a repeat of Linsanity. He'll have a big man in Dwight, like Tyson, that he can utilize effectively. It's going to be big time for JLin, even more so than when he's with the Knicks.
I have noticed you are very right with some of these numbers.. These others I am not familier with but 1 is true and 4 I believe too.. However what does #9 mean?
Racha yes but Chandler has always been defense only player and at most average 10 a season. It seems like Felton is mnaking Chand;er play better on offense. I wish Lin and Parsons could be like Chandler and Felton. I agree with you both, Lin does not have someone big to throw ball to
" It's not fair to lay the blame SOLELY on Lin, the Rockets system or other Rockets players." I am optimistic about tonight and future nights that Lin will succeed but if what you say is the case, why are other players putting up good numbers and Lin isnt?
Asik needs to set better screens for Lin. Asik rolls to the basket too early so Lin gets double teamed. Lin's manages to pass the ball to Asik who often fumbles the ball out of bounds, gets stripped, or misses the layup. Asik need to hold the pick a second longer to give Lin more options to split the defenders, shoot over the screen or drive around the big man. I want to see Jeremy work the pick and roll with other players like Aldrich and Smith to if that combination works better.
Oh ok thanks, I understand now and YES! I do too! I want him to have a solid big man he can work well with. Even when Lin does run the point, he doesnt have any great selections to go with.
You obviously are not american. Jeremy represents different things to different people. For those who grew up asian-american in the USA, we've had to endure the same type of bias and criticism Jeremy had to deal with to get to the NBA. It's hard for you to understand because you've never experienced it. Asian-american men are generally looked down upon in american society. You don't see them in any major sport or in the entertainment world. We are passed up from promotions in the business world, aren't cast in any leading roles in Hollywood or scouted or drafted into professional sports. It's just the way it is here. When you do see asian-american men in the entertainment world like Ken Jeong, Gedde Watanabe or William Hung, they are cast as someone to laugh at and make fun of. So when Jeremy burst on the scene, many saw it as an opportunity to shine a light on the injustices that many asian-americans have suffered. Trust me, while many people were thrilled with the story of Linsanity, many people wanted him to fail. Just like many wanted Jackie Robinson to fail. This is why you see all the negative articles trying to rewrite history and claim that Linsanity was just a "lucky streak". America was ready to reexamine their prejudices against asian-american men because Jeremy did not fit into their mold of what an asian-american man should look like. But Jeremy's lackluster play is making people think, that maybe it was just a lucky streak and asian-american men can't compete in professional sports. I know Jeremy is a humble guy and is trying to please his coaches by changing his game to fit into their system, but he needs to get with the coaches and get them to adapt the system to his style of play rather than the other way around (more high pick and rolls). He needs to take charge of his destiny!
You simply could have replied to the thread on the other page but no - gotta bring the conversation to this site as well.
Im not american and I made that clear on many occasions so dont talk like Im acting american. You as alleged asian american talk like you had some special ailment that no other asian has.
Can you imagine what its like as an asian to grow up in places like Norway, Germany or Switzerland? Now tell me again that asian americans live such a hard life cause they are minority.
I grew up among white folks and in my town there were only two asian families. I attended a school with one thousand students where I was one of three asian kids. I know what its like to be minority, I know racism and I have even been physically attacked because I look different. What is there that I dont understand?
I admit that I may have a different view on things but my view is not necessarily worse than yours.
I do understand what impact JLin had on the asian american community, I respect what hes done and I hope that he will do even more but I would never ask him to fight my fights like you do and -> thats what Im telling you to stop doing!
Dont talk about "JLins small window" to help your self esteem or whatever. Hes a basketball player - all he needs to do is play well. All you have to worry about is that hes being treated fairly. By being an NBA player and DOING IT ALL JUST FOR HIMSELF he is doing his thing for the asian american community as well. Dont bother or burden him with your personal troubles.
If you dont want JLin to be considered "the one special super asian american" - you cant just support him or complain all the time. You have to join him. I explained it all on the other thread. I dont want to repeat myself.
BTW:
Garett Wang has been voted one of the sexiest man alive. He was probably the first asian guy on TV (I have seen) to have romantic scenes with non asian girls.
Kal Penn was on "House MD" before he went to work in the white house. He also had romantic scenes with caucasian girls.
John Cho played many roles in which he was the romantic lead (having a relation with a latina girl in "Harold and Kumar" and having a relation with a black girl in "Flash-Forward" including bedroom scenes).
Dustin Nguyen was a star on 21. Jump Street way back and later had a role next to Pamela Anderson in some other series.
Tim Kang had a role in John Rambo, now has a role in "The Mentalist" in which he is depicting a playa having relations or flirting with caucasian women.
Cung Le (who you claim has no UFC titles) has a 2-1 record in the UFC. He is a super athlete who is also a movie star. He plays lead roles as well. In "Dragon eyes" he is the star and Jean Claude Van Damme plays a minor role to support Cung Le.
MC Jin made it to the Freestyle Friday hall of fame.
All these folks are decent stars and they did "their thing" for the asian american community. You dont want to acknoledge their contributions... fine. I could now go on talking about asian politicians in non asian countries (I did on the other page), business leaders, scientists, but why should I bother - you are simply too ignorant.
Yes - asians arent always treated fairly but keep in mind - the fact that there havent been too many asian superstars in the USA also gives prove to the shortcoming of asian amercians. If some make it and you dont -> is it always racism? JLin obviously overcame all the obstacles so its possible...
I remember an interview in which Jeremys mom talked about her friend who claimed that Jeremy was only hired as token asian. Well - from your way of complaining I would say that you would have agreed to that. Jeremys mom did not agree to that. She felt insulted. Thats why Mr. and Mrs. Lin made it in the USA. Thats why their son Jeremy made it. Thats why the kid from the lady who insulted Mrs. Lin wont make it.
Can I ask you why do you follow Jeremy? Is it because you grew up in the Bay Area like he did? Is it because you graduated from Harvard like he did? Is it because you are from Houston and love the Rockets? Is it because you share the same faith as him? My guess the primary reason is because he is of asian descent, like yourself, and on one level or the other you can relate to him. My guess is that 90% of the people on this forum are of asian decscent. The sooner we can acknowledged that the primary reason we relate to Jeremy is because he is asian, the sooner we can have an intelligent conversation. You, me and KHuang have been fighting racial sterotypes all of our lives. What is unique about Jeremy's situation is that he has a global stage and can change the perception of asian-american men on a national and global level, to change history. I know he didn't ask for it but that level of responsibility comes with being a trailblazer. Jackie Robinson understood that he wasn't playing for just himself but was represntative of the black-american community, the same with Tiger Woods. Neil Armstrong understood he wasn't just stepping on the moon for himself but all of mankind, special people like that come along once in a lifetime. If Jeremy only wants to cash his check and play for himself, he has the right to do so. But once in a long while there is a special person who can transcend sports and change history. If Jeremy is not that person, I can live with that. But if had the opportunity to do so but was afraid to grasp it, I would be disappointed.
BTW, I'm not saying the other asians you listed aren't talented. They just don't have the influence and global stage that Jeremy has to change history.
Bottom line is that he doesn't need to go knocking on the coach's door to apologize for missing a shot, he needs to knock on the coach's door and demand that they figure out a system that emphasizes his strengths.
Smoovies and willydilly, I think you guys are saying pretty much the same thing. Given that today's world is global, there is not much difference, although there are subtle differences. When you come down to it, these days, some people can choose to live in other parts of the world or choose to live in the USA. Many Americans choose to retire in other parts of the world, i.e., Mexico, Canada, etc. Look, Lin, by being just being the first 100% Asian-American player, carries the burden whether he likes it or not, or whether he admits it or not, because his parents know what we are talking about. Yes, he views himself as a Christian first, but you can't tell who's Christian by looking from outside. There is and has been a media onslaught that pervades the American media that says to be "American", you have to be white, but that has been changing with the American media including Blacks, Hispanics, etc. Asian-Americans will make progress I am sure, but hey, you can't be good at every thing under the sun? Sometimes, it's better to be Jerry Yang than LeBron. Personally, I rather be Ronaldo or Messi than LeBron but . . . hey, different strokes for different folks. One thing I do hope is that Lin has a long, above average productive career in NBA, so that other Asian-American kids can look up to him and see that if they are talented enough, they might consider NBA career.
Not many people thought Asians would be able to win so many Olympic golds in swimming, but look at the recent wins by Chinese and Korean male swimmers. Also, there are many Asian females doing very well in women's figure skating. To be very honest, when I was growing up in the US, although I saw many Asian-American kids playing basketball, Asian-American kids never played as much basketball as black kids, mainly because our parents would whoop our ass if we played basketball too much. I am sure Lin would be even better basketball player had he devoted more time playing basketball instead of spending a lot of time and effort maintaining his excellent grades to get into Harvard. As a comparison, which black athletes who graduated from Harvard or equivalent schools are as good basketball player as Lin? Since now days, even Asian parents are open to their kids going into athletic, artistic or whatever area, I think there should be more Asian-American athletes doing well. I actually was even more impressed (in athletic sense) than Lin's accomplishment by Lu Xiang, the Chinese former World and Olympics 110 meters hurdle champion when he was at the top of his game and also when Chinese and Korean males won World and Olympics in swimming. It's almost equivalent to non-Asian person winning a gold in Olympics.
Some people always say trade lin to lakers , they already got Nash , it's not gonna happen, if he really got trade there . He is going to back up Nash,u wanna see be a back up pg?
A trade is not going to happen anytime soon. Have you guys seen how much Chinese advertising there is in the Toyota Center? That's all because of Lin. By the way anybody know what is written in Chinese on the padding underneath the hoops? Houston may make a trade but it won't be involving Lin. I appreciate that Jeremy is a team first guy, but the NBA is different than college and high school. You can't get traded in college in high school but you could end up on a new team the next day in the NBA. NBA loyalties are fleeting. Jeremy needs to make sure he doesn't change his game too much to fit into a certain system. The system could change tomorrow. He needs to believe Linsanity can happen again and tell his coaches to give him the same opportunity. He's proven he can do it, I don't see why it can't happen again. Did he somehow lose that ability? NBA defenses have adjusted to his tendencies, he now needs to make his own adjustments. Question is does he have the fire and desire to want to do it again or has he reached his ceiling?
Yeah, I don't think JLin is going to be traded. I'm just mouthing off with my previous posts. JLin just needs to improve his shooting and increase his intensity on defense. When guarding opposing PGs, JLin should stay as close as possible to put pressure, especially with someone like Parker, and avoid going under screens if he can help it. In pick and roll situations, the bigs need to hedge and trap harder to disrupt things. Everything else JLin is doing fine. The entire team needs to step up defensively. However, I still think the Rockets need some veteran bigs that can still play on both ends of the court, mostly on defense though.
Jeremy is top 3 point gard in league. Rockets would be stupid to trade him!?!? What he did in linsanity no other pg can do. Its fact. Fact is., there are good point guards who get all the fame and make 16 million a year, then there are spectacular point guards like Jeremy who dont get any attention, always get hate and are looked down upon for his race and only make 8 million a year. Honestly, he might even be number 1 point guard in league. I am new to basketball, start watching for Lin and even I can see this. I dont root for him because he asian, it's because he is asian AND all-star.
@ Elizabeth, Jeremy is not a Top 3 Point guard in the league right now. A top 3 PG doesn't get benched behind Toney Douglas or asked to defer to James Harden when he crosses half-court.
Ryu, this is where you fail to see the bigger picture.
Backup PG to who? Steve Nash, one of the better PGs in the league. He's also near the end of his career and without the Phoenix training staff. If anything, Lin would use the season to play on a contending team with a bunch of veterans who have had a lot more success. James Harden is the only one on that team who has reached major success, and Lin is expected to defer.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for Jeremy, but Jeremy currently is not a top 3 point guard in the NBA. However Jeremy needs to start believing he can be a top 3 point guard. He should not be content with being just a role player in the "system".
Him being a starting PG doesn't mean much, if he isn't allowed to play like one.
There is no guarantee that Nash will remain 100% healthy, while Lin still gets the chance to develop under him and given the same freedom when he's actually in the game while he was in NY.
Let's not run away with the trade talk because it's too early to do so.
The truth is NBA is a scorer's league so although JLin plays the "right way" to not force shots when he's not open and keep feeding Asik when he can't finish, there is a point where Lin needs to be a "shrewd" leader to show that he can score when his teammates are not able to. Otherwise, he gives reasons to coaches to think he's a liability on the floor.
He just needs to keep shooting confidently out of his slump and prove he can score so his teammates will give him due respect and follow. Just look at Felton who in two games score 27 points each but it took him 20 shots and 30 shots (Yikes!) to do so.
Coaches need to see that you can score so you stay on the floor. Sadly, that's the reality in the NBA.
My brother sais there are ALOT of teams in the league which hold a better oppurtunity for Jeremy but most of them are most likely outr of the question for the time being. If he is right than I hope Jeremy does find a way to land on another team where he can be used appropriately and as a starter, unless Rockets get better players to work with Lin. Phoenix Suns would be great for him. Gortat and Scola are great for screens and picks and rolls I read in magazine. Other reasons he would do great thetere which i forget but that is just an example.
Elizabeth, the Rockets doesn't know how to play Harden and Lin yet because Harden got traded 2 days before the season started. They're experimenting with making Harden to be the primary ball-handler because he is a great scorer but this takes away Lin's strength. Houston's system also does not leverage Lin's strength by discouraging midrange (2-PT shooting) and preferring 3-PT shooting or layups. Then there's no reliable big men to do pick-and-roll as others have mentioned. Lin's knee is not 100% yet to stop or change direction. So these are the main reasons that he struggled. And most recently, the coaches did the wrong experiment thinking Douglas will be do a better job next to Harden but it killed the offensive flow by not having a solid PG and good defense.
But Houston Rockets owner has vouched for Jeremy Lin after the GM let lin go to the Knicks last season so it will be hard to see him get traded so soon. The owner has the final say and he made a business investment with Chinese companies advertisement in the Toyota Center.
So I expect the owner to fire the coaching team first if they don't utilize Lin and Harden well (and have a chance to go to the playoff) before trading Lin.
As for Phoenix Suns, I live here in Phoenix and can testify that the owner doesn't want to build a championship team (unlike Houston Rockets) because he sells draft picks to get quick money. I'd rather him not get traded to Phoenix Suns because he will have a mediocre career in a mediocre team. It's so bad here that the Suns offer to refund tickets if fans don't enjoy the experience watching the games.
I posted this in the previous thread "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."
If he can be given the freedom to play and show his talent to the fullest, I don't mind seeing him being a backup PG to Nash. It would be much much better than seeing him camping in the corner, minutes being reduced, benched for no reason, etc.
If Delfino replaces Harden in the starting lineup tonight, I expect great things in the offensive flow because Delfino is in 7 out of the Top 8 of 2 player combination in Unadjusted Plus-Minus.
Delfino and Lin is #7 so it's quite a lethal combination offensively.
I expect Lin to set up Delfino and Parsons to rain 3PTs and be more aggressive trying to "score" to show the coaching team that they can't afford to bench him.
I got a feeling that he knows the coaches don't have full appreciation of his defense and his "pass-first" mentality. Let's hope and pray he will lay it on the floor tonight!
Delfino is JLin's Novak, but that's just one aspect. Both Asik and Patterson must be good as well, especially defending the pick and roll. The biggest problem right now is defense. JLin needs to keep Parker at bay with constant pressure. Parsons needs to live up to his title given to him by Sampson as the best wing defender.
True. Defense is the biggest problem. Houston doesn't have anyone to stop Parker or Duncan. They need to figure out how to stop Parker as a team and make it tough for Duncan to shoot. They're way to open to penetrate and shoot last week. I don't know if Lin can individually stop Parker at bay because he's too fast but he can direct Parker to run to Asik.
I still expect a loss because I don't think they can fix their atrocious defense soon, especially 3-PT defense but if we see any semblance of offensive balance between PnR and good 3PT shooting by Parsons and Delfino, I would say that's progress. Only Lin and Delfino can create plays. And Lin needs to take it personally that coaches didn't trust him in the 4th and be aggressive from the get-go to take 10-15 shots to prove them wrong.
He needs to be like the JLin we knew when he entered the NJ Nets game last season and said, "Fuhgeddaboudit and if I go out as a starter, I'll go out blazing!"
True you can't stop Parker or Duncan but you can make them hesitate. During the first couple minutes of the first game, JLin wasn't staying close enough to Parker allowing him to hit shots one after another. The lead swell to 10-2. There was an instance during that run where Asik also lost Parker for a layup after a pick. Now, I'm just talking about JLin and Asik. But as a whole, the team needs to be better on transition defense and communicate. Sampson called a timeout and JLin came out afterwards with more intensity, staying closer to Parker, and fighting through screens instead of going under screens. As a result, Parker slowed down. This is the type of defense and pressure JLin needs to exert. I know it's a team thing, but from an individual standpoint JLin needs to more assertive defensively.
Good observation, Racha. Let's hope JLin will be assertive and aggressive on both ends of the floor. His team needs him to contain Parker and score a bunch in this game. I really hope he comes out and channel some 'anger' into a lot of points to prove his coaches wrong.
Sometimes I wonder why JLin is not more aggressive. Maybe he's to respectful. Maybe it's just not in his nature. Hope he throws all of that out the window today vs the Spurs.
I believe it is the opposite. He plays his best when being aggressive as evident from last season.
But he wants to play the "right way" as a conservative PG and keep feeding his open teammates (even when Asik is not finishing) in the expense of his game.
He defers so much this season because he wants to be a "true" PG and perhaps with the thought of not reinjuring his knee.
But he is a great scorer first with great court-vision so he needs to make himself the primary/secondary threat and create spacing for his teammates to score.
Unfortunately the combination of this "pass-first" mentality and shooting/knee-or-no-knee-not-100% problem just threw him into a funk "pass-and-layup" passive player and into someone that he's not.
idk .. IMO he needs to find the fire that he found last season. he needs to find ways to be aggressive without jeopardizing his knee. I'm sure it's easier said than done.
I always felt that Lin should flail his arms and move his hands more when he's guarding, just to give an impression to coaches and NBA fans that Lin is working very hard to guard someone. Seriously. :) Most times, he just moves his legs unless he's going for steals. I guess he's been taught not to move his arms too much when he defends.
You have exercise a split second judgment to be aggressive at correct moments. Lin is not one of those guys like Kobe who can get off decent shots at almost any time, no matter how he's being guarded. Most NBA players, like Lin, have to pick and choose good spots and situations to get off their shots. He can't be running around like a crazy Ninja assassin trying to kill someone but be like a Bruce Lee and spring at right moments.
:) I remember a funny comment in CF regarding Coach McHale's comment on Douglas' "energetic" defensive style.
It says "Even a chicken with his head cut-off will run around with energetic style" LOL
And for our light enjoyment, check out "Mike the Headless chicken" who lived for 4 years without the head. He finally died after choking on a kernel of corn :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATz3AdbjyRI
Douglas and Lin play different styles of defense. Both with their strengths and weaknesses. Douglas plays close to his man and Lin tends to play more off his man. Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. If a player is shooting well, you need to get up on him which is why the coaches have been putting Douglas on the hot shooter like Mayo. Jeremy's style is better for players that like to drive the lane, but it gives the offensive player a better outside shot. Jeremy needs to adjust depending on what his opponents strengths and weaknesses are.
With Harden out, Lin needs to step up and assert himself rather than deferring to others like Parsons or even Daquean Cook, who actually took more shots that Lin did in the Utah game where Harden was out during the second half.
With Harden out and the Rockets expected to lose, it would be a great time for Jeremy to light it up. Jeremy plays best in underdog situations. Rockets are definitely the underdog tonight. Hopefully we'll get to see Jeremy work the pick and roll with other players other than Asik.
I have to agree it would be the time for Lin to light it up but the situation is so different from last year . Unless he plays his own game, I am not expecting anything. I am not saying that playing his way would guarantee big numbers and a win, but maybe it would make the game slightly more competitive.
That's not very accurate. Lin has no problem guarding most quick point guards one on one, he did a great job against Russell Westbrook.
What Lin has trouble doing is fighting against screens and also leaving his man to double team the other big because the Rockets bigs 2PAt isn't known for his defense.
Not really. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are one of the best at using the pick and roll. That game last week wasn't the only time that Lin has faced the Spurs either.
With all due respect, Lin has a very hard time guarding RW one on one, as well as Parker. Most PGs with a similar range of quickness have hard time guarding each other.
With all due respect, Lin has done a fair job guarding those players one on one. It's when Russell Westbrook can make that pull up jumper but any PG who can make that looks good. Same with Jose Calderon. He's not unbelievably quick either, but all Toronto was doing was putting him and pick roll positions with Jose getting free space to hit that jumper.
Not saying he's going to stop Tony Parker, but he's not going to get blown by every single time without a screen.
Even if guys like Parker and Westbrook gets a first step on JLin, JLin pressures them from the side. If we had an athletic blocker inside (tjones?) who rotates over for help, more of those layups should be blocked or altered because JLins pressure keeps the opposing guard from elevating fully.
I now getting sick of arguing with anyone. Just show the support that's all. Its painful to see the jlin post game video after Dallas game. I think hes sick and tired and disappointed of answering the question what do you think about coach's decision, what do you think you can do better because it's all useless to say anything if this is the situation.
I'm sure Lin is sick of it too, but that's just the media's way of trying to find a story and spin it so the story can make headlines. That's just part of being in Pro sports.
Got LeaguePass, but not watching the Rockets tonight. I just can't stand bad coaching.
I am from the BayArea and have watched the Warriors when JL was with them.
Keith Smart, the coach at the time, was playing yo-yo substitution with Steph Curry too. Curry would get yank out of the game with every little mistake. Fortunately that Curry already had many games under Nelson and already had shown his skills and potential. However, Curry's confidence was way down too. Thus at the end of the season, although Warriors improved slightly on the win #, they still fired K Smart for his inability to develop Warriors' young players. .
This season Warrior's coach M Jackson has lots of faith with Curry. During the beginning of the season Curry was in a shooting slump, Jackson said that he is not worried because Curry will get his shooting touch back. Well, Curry is shooting the lights out now.
The point I try to make is that a good coach and a coach that believes in his players will do wonders for the players' confidence and eventually improve the players' game.
For all the posters, who don't recognize how a player's "confidence" will significantly attribute to the player's success, never have bad bosses that call out every little mistakes that employees made.
I have posted an interview of Sampson during the preseason and in the interview he clearly stated that Jeremy will not have so much freedom with the ball like before. At the time the statement seem odd that why will you not have the player do what he does best. Now it is very clear as Rockets' coach carry out their plan for Jeremy.
I am a Jeremy Lin supporter and a basketball fan, so badly coached or played games are just too difficult to watch. My time is important, so I rather watch great team ball and not wasting time with the Rockets.
Godspeed Jeremy. I pray that you play your best game, play the game your way, and play to make everyone around you better.
The 3 on 3 competition is going on streaming live right now. I think the winning team gets to meet Jeremy... I can't read Chinese so hopefully someone here can translate!
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ReplyDeleteJLin and Parsons to the Lakers for Pau and whomever works for me. I'm not usually for trades since JLin has just been with the Rockets for a handful of games, but it makes a lot sense now. The Lakers are losing. Pau is not contributing. Rockets need veteran leadership in the front court. JLin is not flourishing in the Rockets system. D'Antoni has a PG centric system. JLin needs the ball to be effective. The Rockets don't really need the JLin type of PG because they are Harden centric. I can see Douglas, Blake, or Duhon play the point alongside Harden.
ReplyDeleteThese are just rumors but maybe God has a better plan for JLin then we initially thought, and that he'll be with the Lakers and not the Rockets all along. Damn, if this is true imagine what JLin can do with Dwight. I'm a little worried about Kobe though, but at this stage in his career he may not care or complain about getting that many touches, unlike Melo. Kobe probably just wants to win another championship and have a team that can do it. Kobe also accepted the changing role that D'Antoni brought to the table so I think he will work well with JLin, unlike Pau who cant put on his big boy pants.
DeleteKobe is the coach on the Lakers, not D'Antoni. With the Lakers, there are two superstars that must be fed the ball before anyone else Kobe and Dwight. If Jeremy was traded to the Lakers, he might get even less touches than the Rockets.
DeleteAlso, Kobe definitely wants to win, if you help him win, he'll be happy and/or grateful. But when the losses pile up, he chews out his teammates for not putting in effort. Can Jeremy handle that type of treatment??
Right now, Jeremy is in a giant hole (like Batman in Dark Knight Rises with no gadgets and no help). He needs to get himself out of it.
dantoni is an idiot and won't last past midseason. at least he shouldn't last. he's one of the many who didn't want to play jlin, btw.
DeleteThe PG/SG reversed role and coaches' misuse of Harden and Lin seem to line up for a perfect storm for a trade.
DeleteBut the biggest question of the trade depends on whether Les and Morey are ready to give up on Lin as the PG too soon (for the 2nd time!). If they're wrong about Lin for the 2nd time and Lin flourishes with Lin, I don't know they're ready for the public embarrassment.
My guess is the GM and owner understood it's too early to judge because they haven't figured out how to play Lin and Harden to together.
But the coaches still experimented with making Harden as the PG while minimizing Lin's role and converting him as SG (which Douglas excelled more but w/ less effective defense).
I believe the coaches will figure it out how to correct their mistakes because they won't be winning with Douglas.
The good thing if they want to trade Lin is they will feature him and run plays for him to increase his market value ala KMart.
I don't think the GM and ownership are ready to give up so soon on Lin. They might give up on the coaching staff first by the end of the season.
i don't understand the love for trading lin to the lakers. dantoni is terrible. he refused to play lin until orders were given to try him out before the cut deadline. not to mention his atrocious defensive schemes and sub patterns. you think dwight would resign with both dantoni and lin running the show? he essentially threw jameer nelson under the bus as well. very high chance dwight doesn't resign this summer.
Deletetrade lin to a lottery team where he can showcase his skills/increase his numbers, imo.
@psalm234 yeah, Morey/Les would really look stupid if they traded JLin and the Lakers won the championship this year.
Delete@ntt DÁntoni didn't want to play JLin is understandable. Any coach in their supposedly right mind wouldn't play JLin because he's Asian, played in Division I college ball, and undrafted. Regardless of how well JLin might have played in summer league or during practices, there's always a doubt that hangs over. JLin had to prove himself which he did, and right now JLin needs to be prove his doubters once again.
DeleteThis is really eerily similar to the Knicks situation. DÁntoni, Melo, and the Knicks couldn't get going at the start of the season even with a roster of talent. JLin came in and provided that piece of puzzle that were missing all along and bam the Knicks were on fire. Lets just say JLin was the missing piece to the Lakers.
yes @Racha.
Deletetypo: "... if the Lakers flourishes with Lin ..."
I can't imagine Morey and Les want to be the laughingstock of the NBA to give up on Lin after 6 months. They will replace the coaches first to shift the blame on the coaches not being able to utilize both Harden and Lin as it should be.
ah the perfect storm.
ReplyDeletehouston gets slaughtered again tonight, this time with no harden to keep it semi-close.
spurs will shut down lin along with everyone else, and lin will get most of the blame (undeservingly so). coaches bench lin for more minutes in future games.
#tradelin.
Wait Harden is out??? No way! Thats great news! Who care if Rockets lose. Lin will play more minutes and play his real position now that Harden will be out. I hope he stays out! But why you say Spurs will shut down Lin? ASre you blind? It would take atleast 3 Spurs to shut Lin down tonight, you watch! BELIEVE
DeleteJlin 38 points! You are a prophet Elizabeth Wu!
DeleteHahah lol!!!!! Thankyou. GO LIN GO!!
DeleteAfter reading many posters' astute analysis on the factors contributing to Lin's lack of scoring, I believe that since basketball is a team game, all of the below factors are causing this problem in no particular order. It's not fair to lay the blame SOLELY on Lin, the Rockets system or other Rockets players. The list is in no particular order:
ReplyDelete1. Harden trying to do too much and not playing smartly. Harden should realize that he's no MJ, not even close. He's not even Westwood.
2. Lin not shooting well or lacking a variety of bread and butter offensive moves. I think this goes beyond a mere slump, as I have been saying for some time.
3. Rockets' coaches not able to utilize Lin's strengths, which are facilitating, fast breaks and using PNRs to score, and forcing Lin to play off his weakest points which is a spot up shooter.
4. Other teams focusing their D on Lin more from the last year.
5. At the beginning and preseason, his recovering from the knee surgery.
6. Rockets' big men, Asik in particular, not being able to score after getting easy opportunities. Let's face it, it has turned out true that Asik's catching the ball is not good and he is trying to play like a guard rather than a center. However, to Asik's defense, he was never brought in for his offensive skills.
7. Other Rockets players appear to be looking for their own shots rather than passing to create good shots.
8. No one at Rockets scoring points off alley-oops.
9. Lin not being the primary ball handler.
10. Transition plays not going through Lin. The only Lin-centric transition plays I see are where Lin gets the rebounds and then starts off the transition plays, which usually end up with Rockets scoring.
11. Morey's love for 3 pointers or drive-to the basket game plan.
12. Rockets' coaches not truly supporting Lin.
I realize no team will offer everything for Lin to shine, so Lin definitely should shoulder some of the blame because despite the circumstances, good players should find ways to get the job done. But there are some factors that are beyond Lin's control that present significant problems. One positive factor for Lin in Rockets is that Rockets just do not have a good enough back-up PG who could take away Lin's starting job. If there was any decent back-up PG, I would not be surprised if Lin lost his starting position by now. Even if Lin gets traded to Lakers, I don't see him starting.
@eb5attorney I agree with your points, especially about JLin's shooting and lacking variety as a mere slump. Jlin plays well when he has the ball in his hands and a system that allows him to be the man. JLin needs a big man like Tyson that can do everything. JLin is not a spot up shooter and his shots comes best when he attacks the basket. When he can take the ball to the rim, his shooting picks up. He's a rhythm player when he starts to attack and not the other way around. So making JLin play off the ball to become a spot shooter is not his bread and butter. I like Asik but he's not close to what Tyson or Dwight can do for JLin. Maybe the Rockets and JLin can make it work but it's gonna take some time. If Jlin played for the Lakers, we can probably expect a repeat of Linsanity. He'll have a big man in Dwight, like Tyson, that he can utilize effectively. It's going to be big time for JLin, even more so than when he's with the Knicks.
DeleteI have noticed you are very right with some of these numbers.. These others I am not familier with but 1 is true and 4 I believe too.. However what does #9 mean?
DeleteRacha yes but Chandler has always been defense only player and at most average 10 a season. It seems like Felton is mnaking Chand;er play better on offense. I wish Lin and Parsons could be like Chandler and Felton. I agree with you both, Lin does not have someone big to throw ball to
Delete" It's not fair to lay the blame SOLELY on Lin, the Rockets system or other Rockets players."
DeleteI am optimistic about tonight and future nights that Lin will succeed but if what you say is the case, why are other players putting up good numbers and Lin isnt?
Asik needs to set better screens for Lin. Asik rolls to the basket too early so Lin gets double teamed. Lin's manages to pass the ball to Asik who often fumbles the ball out of bounds, gets stripped, or misses the layup. Asik need to hold the pick a second longer to give Lin more options to split the defenders, shoot over the screen or drive around the big man. I want to see Jeremy work the pick and roll with other players like Aldrich and Smith to if that combination works better.
DeleteOh ok thanks, I understand now and YES! I do too! I want him to have a solid big man he can work well with. Even when Lin does run the point, he doesnt have any great selections to go with.
DeleteGo JLin, we would like to see you simply enjoy the game, forget all the s**t going around, and just play.
ReplyDeleteYes! Is Jeremy goinga still be a starters point guard?
DeleteI'm predicting JLin is going to have a break out game against the Spurs to shut Mchale and Sampson up.
DeleteJust hope he gets lot of minuts
Delete@WillyDilly
ReplyDeleteYou obviously are not american. Jeremy represents different things to different people. For those who grew up asian-american in the USA, we've had to endure the same type of bias and criticism Jeremy had to deal with to get to the NBA. It's hard for you to understand because you've never experienced it. Asian-american men are generally looked down upon in american society. You don't see them in any major sport or in the entertainment world. We are passed up from promotions in the business world, aren't cast in any leading roles in Hollywood or scouted or drafted into professional sports. It's just the way it is here. When you do see asian-american men in the entertainment world like Ken Jeong, Gedde Watanabe or William Hung, they are cast as someone to laugh at and make fun of. So when Jeremy burst on the scene, many saw it as an opportunity to shine a light on the injustices that many asian-americans have suffered. Trust me, while many people were thrilled with the story of Linsanity, many people wanted him to fail. Just like many wanted Jackie Robinson to fail. This is why you see all the negative articles trying to rewrite history and claim that Linsanity was just a "lucky streak". America was ready to reexamine their prejudices against asian-american men because Jeremy did not fit into their mold of what an asian-american man should look like. But Jeremy's lackluster play is making people think, that maybe it was just a lucky streak and asian-american men can't compete in professional sports. I know Jeremy is a humble guy and is trying to please his coaches by changing his game to fit into their system, but he needs to get with the coaches and get them to adapt the system to his style of play rather than the other way around (more high pick and rolls). He needs to take charge of his destiny!
You simply could have replied to the thread on the other page but no - gotta bring the conversation to this site as well.
DeleteIm not american and I made that clear on many occasions so dont talk like Im acting american. You as alleged asian american talk like you had some special ailment that no other asian has.
Can you imagine what its like as an asian to grow up in places like Norway, Germany or Switzerland? Now tell me again that asian americans live such a hard life cause they are minority.
I grew up among white folks and in my town there were only two asian families. I attended a school with one thousand students where I was one of three asian kids. I know what its like to be minority, I know racism and I have even been physically attacked because I look different. What is there that I dont understand?
I admit that I may have a different view on things but my view is not necessarily worse than yours.
I do understand what impact JLin had on the asian american community, I respect what hes done and I hope that he will do even more but I would never ask him to fight my fights like you do and -> thats what Im telling you to stop doing!
Dont talk about "JLins small window" to help your self esteem or whatever. Hes a basketball player - all he needs to do is play well. All you have to worry about is that hes being treated fairly. By being an NBA player and DOING IT ALL JUST FOR HIMSELF he is doing his thing for the asian american community as well. Dont bother or burden him with your personal troubles.
If you dont want JLin to be considered "the one special super asian american" - you cant just support him or complain all the time. You have to join him. I explained it all on the other thread. I dont want to repeat myself.
BTW:
Garett Wang has been voted one of the sexiest man alive. He was probably the first asian guy on TV (I have seen) to have romantic scenes with non asian girls.
Kal Penn was on "House MD" before he went to work in the white house. He also had romantic scenes with caucasian girls.
John Cho played many roles in which he was the romantic lead (having a relation with a latina girl in "Harold and Kumar" and having a relation with a black girl in "Flash-Forward" including bedroom scenes).
Dustin Nguyen was a star on 21. Jump Street way back and later had a role next to Pamela Anderson in some other series.
Tim Kang had a role in John Rambo, now has a role in "The Mentalist" in which he is depicting a playa having relations or flirting with caucasian women.
Cung Le (who you claim has no UFC titles) has a 2-1 record in the UFC. He is a super athlete who is also a movie star. He plays lead roles as well. In "Dragon eyes" he is the star and Jean Claude Van Damme plays a minor role to support Cung Le.
MC Jin made it to the Freestyle Friday hall of fame.
All these folks are decent stars and they did "their thing" for the asian american community. You dont want to acknoledge their contributions... fine. I could now go on talking about asian politicians in non asian countries (I did on the other page), business leaders, scientists, but why should I bother - you are simply too ignorant.
Yes - asians arent always treated fairly but keep in mind - the fact that there havent been too many asian superstars in the USA also gives prove to the shortcoming of asian amercians. If some make it and you dont -> is it always racism? JLin obviously overcame all the obstacles so its possible...
I remember an interview in which Jeremys mom talked about her friend who claimed that Jeremy was only hired as token asian. Well - from your way of complaining I would say that you would have agreed to that. Jeremys mom did not agree to that. She felt insulted. Thats why Mr. and Mrs. Lin made it in the USA. Thats why their son Jeremy made it. Thats why the kid from the lady who insulted Mrs. Lin wont make it.
@willydilly
DeleteCan I ask you why do you follow Jeremy? Is it because you grew up in the Bay Area like he did? Is it because you graduated from Harvard like he did? Is it because you are from Houston and love the Rockets? Is it because you share the same faith as him? My guess the primary reason is because he is of asian descent, like yourself, and on one level or the other you can relate to him. My guess is that 90% of the people on this forum are of asian decscent. The sooner we can acknowledged that the primary reason we relate to Jeremy is because he is asian, the sooner we can have an intelligent conversation. You, me and KHuang have been fighting racial sterotypes all of our lives. What is unique about Jeremy's situation is that he has a global stage and can change the perception of asian-american men on a national and global level, to change history. I know he didn't ask for it but that level of responsibility comes with being a trailblazer. Jackie Robinson understood that he wasn't playing for just himself but was represntative of the black-american community, the same with Tiger Woods. Neil Armstrong understood he wasn't just stepping on the moon for himself but all of mankind, special people like that come along once in a lifetime. If Jeremy only wants to cash his check and play for himself, he has the right to do so. But once in a long while there is a special person who can transcend sports and change history. If Jeremy is not that person, I can live with that. But if had the opportunity to do so but was afraid to grasp it, I would be disappointed.
BTW, I'm not saying the other asians you listed aren't talented. They just don't have the influence and global stage that Jeremy has to change history.
Bottom line is that he doesn't need to go knocking on the coach's door to apologize for missing a shot, he needs to knock on the coach's door and demand that they figure out a system that emphasizes his strengths.
Smoovies and willydilly, I think you guys are saying pretty much the same thing. Given that today's world is global, there is not much difference, although there are subtle differences. When you come down to it, these days, some people can choose to live in other parts of the world or choose to live in the USA. Many Americans choose to retire in other parts of the world, i.e., Mexico, Canada, etc. Look, Lin, by being just being the first 100% Asian-American player, carries the burden whether he likes it or not, or whether he admits it or not, because his parents know what we are talking about. Yes, he views himself as a Christian first, but you can't tell who's Christian by looking from outside. There is and has been a media onslaught that pervades the American media that says to be "American", you have to be white, but that has been changing with the American media including Blacks, Hispanics, etc. Asian-Americans will make progress I am sure, but hey, you can't be good at every thing under the sun? Sometimes, it's better to be Jerry Yang than LeBron. Personally, I rather be Ronaldo or Messi than LeBron but . . . hey, different strokes for different folks. One thing I do hope is that Lin has a long, above average productive career in NBA, so that other Asian-American kids can look up to him and see that if they are talented enough, they might consider NBA career.
DeleteNot many people thought Asians would be able to win so many Olympic golds in swimming, but look at the recent wins by Chinese and Korean male swimmers. Also, there are many Asian females doing very well in women's figure skating. To be very honest, when I was growing up in the US, although I saw many Asian-American kids playing basketball, Asian-American kids never played as much basketball as black kids, mainly because our parents would whoop our ass if we played basketball too much. I am sure Lin would be even better basketball player had he devoted more time playing basketball instead of spending a lot of time and effort maintaining his excellent grades to get into Harvard. As a comparison, which black athletes who graduated from Harvard or equivalent schools are as good basketball player as Lin? Since now days, even Asian parents are open to their kids going into athletic, artistic or whatever area, I think there should be more Asian-American athletes doing well. I actually was even more impressed (in athletic sense) than Lin's accomplishment by Lu Xiang, the Chinese former World and Olympics 110 meters hurdle champion when he was at the top of his game and also when Chinese and Korean males won World and Olympics in swimming. It's almost equivalent to non-Asian person winning a gold in Olympics.
I meant at the end of the above post that it is equivalent to non-Asian person winning an Olympic gold in table tennis, i.e., ping poing.
DeleteSome people always say trade lin to lakers , they already got Nash , it's not gonna happen, if he really got trade there . He is going to back up Nash,u wanna see be a back up pg?
ReplyDeleteA trade is not going to happen anytime soon. Have you guys seen how much Chinese advertising there is in the Toyota Center? That's all because of Lin. By the way anybody know what is written in Chinese on the padding underneath the hoops? Houston may make a trade but it won't be involving Lin. I appreciate that Jeremy is a team first guy, but the NBA is different than college and high school. You can't get traded in college in high school but you could end up on a new team the next day in the NBA. NBA loyalties are fleeting. Jeremy needs to make sure he doesn't change his game too much to fit into a certain system. The system could change tomorrow. He needs to believe Linsanity can happen again and tell his coaches to give him the same opportunity. He's proven he can do it, I don't see why it can't happen again. Did he somehow lose that ability? NBA defenses have adjusted to his tendencies, he now needs to make his own adjustments. Question is does he have the fire and desire to want to do it again or has he reached his ceiling?
DeleteYeah, I don't think JLin is going to be traded. I'm just mouthing off with my previous posts. JLin just needs to improve his shooting and increase his intensity on defense. When guarding opposing PGs, JLin should stay as close as possible to put pressure, especially with someone like Parker, and avoid going under screens if he can help it. In pick and roll situations, the bigs need to hedge and trap harder to disrupt things. Everything else JLin is doing fine. The entire team needs to step up defensively. However, I still think the Rockets need some veteran bigs that can still play on both ends of the court, mostly on defense though.
DeleteJeremy is top 3 point gard in league. Rockets would be stupid to trade him!?!? What he did in linsanity no other pg can do. Its fact. Fact is., there are good point guards who get all the fame and make 16 million a year, then there are spectacular point guards like Jeremy who dont get any attention, always get hate and are looked down upon for his race and only make 8 million a year. Honestly, he might even be number 1 point guard in league. I am new to basketball, start watching for Lin and even I can see this. I dont root for him because he asian, it's because he is asian AND all-star.
Delete@ Elizabeth, Jeremy is not a Top 3 Point guard in the league right now. A top 3 PG doesn't get benched behind Toney Douglas or asked to defer to James Harden when he crosses half-court.
DeleteRyu, this is where you fail to see the bigger picture.
Backup PG to who? Steve Nash, one of the better PGs in the league. He's also near the end of his career and without the Phoenix training staff. If anything, Lin would use the season to play on a contending team with a bunch of veterans who have had a lot more success. James Harden is the only one on that team who has reached major success, and Lin is expected to defer.
@Elizabeth Wu
DeleteI appreciate your enthusiasm for Jeremy, but Jeremy currently is not a top 3 point guard in the NBA. However Jeremy needs to start believing he can be a top 3 point guard. He should not be content with being just a role player in the "system".
But he is not gonna be the starting pg if trade to laker . Nash still can play and put up good number last season,
DeleteHim being a starting PG doesn't mean much, if he isn't allowed to play like one.
DeleteThere is no guarantee that Nash will remain 100% healthy, while Lin still gets the chance to develop under him and given the same freedom when he's actually in the game while he was in NY.
Let's not run away with the trade talk because it's too early to do so.
DeleteThe truth is NBA is a scorer's league so although JLin plays the "right way" to not force shots when he's not open and keep feeding Asik when he can't finish, there is a point where Lin needs to be a "shrewd" leader to show that he can score when his teammates are not able to. Otherwise, he gives reasons to coaches to think he's a liability on the floor.
He just needs to keep shooting confidently out of his slump and prove he can score so his teammates will give him due respect and follow. Just look at Felton who in two games score 27 points each but it took him 20 shots and 30 shots (Yikes!) to do so.
Coaches need to see that you can score so you stay on the floor. Sadly, that's the reality in the NBA.
I think Elizabeth loves Lin too much. :) I find it touching. Not being facetious.
DeleteWelcome to JeremyLin.net brought to you by JLin#1Fan.
DeletePlenty of people love Lin :)
Oh
DeleteMy brother sais there are ALOT of teams in the league which hold a better oppurtunity for Jeremy but most of them are most likely outr of the question for the time being. If he is right than I hope Jeremy does find a way to land on another team where he can be used appropriately and as a starter, unless Rockets get better players to work with Lin. Phoenix Suns would be great for him. Gortat and Scola are great for screens and picks and rolls I read in magazine. Other reasons he would do great thetere which i forget but that is just an example.
DeleteElizabeth, the Rockets doesn't know how to play Harden and Lin yet because Harden got traded 2 days before the season started. They're experimenting with making Harden to be the primary ball-handler because he is a great scorer but this takes away Lin's strength. Houston's system also does not leverage Lin's strength by discouraging midrange (2-PT shooting) and preferring 3-PT shooting or layups. Then there's no reliable big men to do pick-and-roll as others have mentioned. Lin's knee is not 100% yet to stop or change direction. So these are the main reasons that he struggled. And most recently, the coaches did the wrong experiment thinking Douglas will be do a better job next to Harden but it killed the offensive flow by not having a solid PG and good defense.
DeleteBut Houston Rockets owner has vouched for Jeremy Lin after the GM let lin go to the Knicks last season so it will be hard to see him get traded so soon. The owner has the final say and he made a business investment with Chinese companies advertisement in the Toyota Center.
So I expect the owner to fire the coaching team first if they don't utilize Lin and Harden well (and have a chance to go to the playoff) before trading Lin.
As for Phoenix Suns, I live here in Phoenix and can testify that the owner doesn't want to build a championship team (unlike Houston Rockets) because he sells draft picks to get quick money. I'd rather him not get traded to Phoenix Suns because he will have a mediocre career in a mediocre team. It's so bad here that the Suns offer to refund tickets if fans don't enjoy the experience watching the games.
I posted this in the previous thread "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."
DeleteIf he can be given the freedom to play and show his talent to the fullest, I don't mind seeing him being a backup PG to Nash. It would be much much better than seeing him camping in the corner, minutes being reduced, benched for no reason, etc.
Oh, and who is DMA? Did you mean MDA for Mike D'Antoni?
DeleteIf Delfino replaces Harden in the starting lineup tonight, I expect great things in the offensive flow because Delfino is in 7 out of the Top 8 of 2 player combination in Unadjusted Plus-Minus.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus_sort.jsp?pcomb=2&season=22012&split=9&team=Rockets
Delfino and Lin is #7 so it's quite a lethal combination offensively.
I expect Lin to set up Delfino and Parsons to rain 3PTs and be more aggressive trying to "score" to show the coaching team that they can't afford to bench him.
I got a feeling that he knows the coaches don't have full appreciation of his defense and his "pass-first" mentality. Let's hope and pray he will lay it on the floor tonight!
Delfino is JLin's Novak, but that's just one aspect. Both Asik and Patterson must be good as well, especially defending the pick and roll. The biggest problem right now is defense. JLin needs to keep Parker at bay with constant pressure. Parsons needs to live up to his title given to him by Sampson as the best wing defender.
DeleteTrue. Defense is the biggest problem. Houston doesn't have anyone to stop Parker or Duncan. They need to figure out how to stop Parker as a team and make it tough for Duncan to shoot. They're way to open to penetrate and shoot last week.
DeleteI don't know if Lin can individually stop Parker at bay because he's too fast but he can direct Parker to run to Asik.
I still expect a loss because I don't think they can fix their atrocious defense soon, especially 3-PT defense but if we see any semblance of offensive balance between PnR and good 3PT shooting by Parsons and Delfino, I would say that's progress. Only Lin and Delfino can create plays. And Lin needs to take it personally that coaches didn't trust him in the 4th and be aggressive from the get-go to take 10-15 shots to prove them wrong.
He needs to be like the JLin we knew when he entered the NJ Nets game last season and said, "Fuhgeddaboudit and if I go out as a starter, I'll go out blazing!"
True you can't stop Parker or Duncan but you can make them hesitate. During the first couple minutes of the first game, JLin wasn't staying close enough to Parker allowing him to hit shots one after another. The lead swell to 10-2. There was an instance during that run where Asik also lost Parker for a layup after a pick. Now, I'm just talking about JLin and Asik. But as a whole, the team needs to be better on transition defense and communicate. Sampson called a timeout and JLin came out afterwards with more intensity, staying closer to Parker, and fighting through screens instead of going under screens. As a result, Parker slowed down. This is the type of defense and pressure JLin needs to exert. I know it's a team thing, but from an individual standpoint JLin needs to more assertive defensively.
DeleteGood observation, Racha. Let's hope JLin will be assertive and aggressive on both ends of the floor. His team needs him to contain Parker and score a bunch in this game. I really hope he comes out and channel some 'anger' into a lot of points to prove his coaches wrong.
DeleteSometimes I wonder why JLin is not more aggressive. Maybe he's to respectful. Maybe it's just not in his nature. Hope he throws all of that out the window today vs the Spurs.
DeleteI believe it is the opposite. He plays his best when being aggressive as evident from last season.
DeleteBut he wants to play the "right way" as a conservative PG and keep feeding his open teammates (even when Asik is not finishing) in the expense of his game.
He defers so much this season because he wants to be a "true" PG and perhaps with the thought of not reinjuring his knee.
But he is a great scorer first with great court-vision so he needs to make himself the primary/secondary threat and create spacing for his teammates to score.
Unfortunately the combination of this "pass-first" mentality and shooting/knee-or-no-knee-not-100% problem just threw him into a funk "pass-and-layup" passive player and into someone that he's not.
idk .. IMO he needs to find the fire that he found last season. he needs to find ways to be aggressive without jeopardizing his knee. I'm sure it's easier said than done.
I always felt that Lin should flail his arms and move his hands more when he's guarding, just to give an impression to coaches and NBA fans that Lin is working very hard to guard someone. Seriously. :) Most times, he just moves his legs unless he's going for steals. I guess he's been taught not to move his arms too much when he defends.
DeleteYou have exercise a split second judgment to be aggressive at correct moments. Lin is not one of those guys like Kobe who can get off decent shots at almost any time, no matter how he's being guarded. Most NBA players, like Lin, have to pick and choose good spots and situations to get off their shots. He can't be running around like a crazy Ninja assassin trying to kill someone but be like a Bruce Lee and spring at right moments.
Delete:) I remember a funny comment in CF regarding Coach McHale's comment on Douglas' "energetic" defensive style.
DeleteIt says "Even a chicken with his head cut-off will run around with energetic style" LOL
And for our light enjoyment, check out "Mike the Headless chicken" who lived for 4 years without the head. He finally died after choking on a kernel of corn :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATz3AdbjyRI
Douglas and Lin play different styles of defense. Both with their strengths and weaknesses. Douglas plays close to his man and Lin tends to play more off his man. Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. If a player is shooting well, you need to get up on him which is why the coaches have been putting Douglas on the hot shooter like Mayo. Jeremy's style is better for players that like to drive the lane, but it gives the offensive player a better outside shot. Jeremy needs to adjust depending on what his opponents strengths and weaknesses are.
DeletePLEASE JUST GIVE SHUHOW THE BALL AND MAKE THEM BUUUCKETS Y'ALL!
ReplyDeleteWith Harden out, Lin needs to step up and assert himself rather than deferring to others like Parsons or even Daquean Cook, who actually took more shots that Lin did in the Utah game where Harden was out during the second half.
ReplyDeleteThis is his golden opportunity.
I just hope Jlin doesn't shrink from it.
With Harden out and the Rockets expected to lose, it would be a great time for Jeremy to light it up. Jeremy plays best in underdog situations. Rockets are definitely the underdog tonight. Hopefully we'll get to see Jeremy work the pick and roll with other players other than Asik.
DeleteI have to agree it would be the time for Lin to light it up but the situation is so different from last year . Unless he plays his own game, I am not expecting anything. I am not saying that playing his way would guarantee big numbers and a win, but maybe it would make the game slightly more competitive.
DeleteI don't think lin can guard Parker tonight. He is just too damn fast.
ReplyDeleteThat's not very accurate. Lin has no problem guarding most quick point guards one on one, he did a great job against Russell Westbrook.
DeleteWhat Lin has trouble doing is fighting against screens and also leaving his man to double team the other big because the Rockets bigs 2PAt isn't known for his defense.
That was accurate vs spurs last week .
DeleteNot really. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are one of the best at using the pick and roll. That game last week wasn't the only time that Lin has faced the Spurs either.
DeleteThis is probably a good game for Lin to give help defense to his big men. Duncan is awesome and Tony Parker doesn't have range.
DeleteWith all due respect, Lin has a very hard time guarding RW one on one, as well as Parker. Most PGs with a similar range of quickness have hard time guarding each other.
DeleteWhat I am saying is Parker and RW would also have a hard time guarding Lin one on one.
DeleteWith all due respect, Lin has done a fair job guarding those players one on one. It's when Russell Westbrook can make that pull up jumper but any PG who can make that looks good. Same with Jose Calderon. He's not unbelievably quick either, but all Toronto was doing was putting him and pick roll positions with Jose getting free space to hit that jumper.
DeleteNot saying he's going to stop Tony Parker, but he's not going to get blown by every single time without a screen.
Even if guys like Parker and Westbrook gets a first step on JLin, JLin pressures them from the side. If we had an athletic blocker inside (tjones?) who rotates over for help, more of those layups should be blocked or altered because JLins pressure keeps the opposing guard from elevating fully.
Deletewilc, my point is in NBA any PG will have a hard time guarding any other PG without help. Do I think Lin is quicker than Parker or RW? No.
DeleteI now getting sick of arguing with anyone. Just show the support that's all. Its painful to see the jlin post game video after Dallas game. I think hes sick and tired and disappointed of answering the question what do you think about coach's decision, what do you think you can do better because it's all useless to say anything if this is the situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Lin is sick of it too, but that's just the media's way of trying to find a story and spin it so the story can make headlines. That's just part of being in Pro sports.
DeleteGot LeaguePass, but not watching the Rockets tonight. I just can't stand bad coaching.
ReplyDeleteI am from the BayArea and have watched the Warriors when JL was with them.
Keith Smart, the coach at the time, was playing yo-yo substitution with Steph Curry too. Curry would get yank out of the game with every little mistake. Fortunately that Curry already had many games under Nelson and already had shown his skills and potential. However, Curry's confidence was way down too. Thus at the end of the season, although Warriors improved slightly on the win #, they still fired K Smart for his inability to develop Warriors' young players. .
This season Warrior's coach M Jackson has lots of faith with Curry. During the beginning of the season Curry was in a shooting slump, Jackson said that he is not worried because Curry will get his shooting touch back. Well, Curry is shooting the lights out now.
The point I try to make is that a good coach and a coach that believes in his players will do wonders for the players' confidence and eventually improve the players' game.
For all the posters, who don't recognize how a player's "confidence" will significantly attribute to the player's success, never have bad bosses that call out every little mistakes that employees made.
I have posted an interview of Sampson during the preseason and in the interview he clearly stated that Jeremy will not have so much freedom with the ball like before. At the time the statement seem odd that why will you not have the player do what he does best. Now it is very clear as Rockets' coach carry out their plan for Jeremy.
I am a Jeremy Lin supporter and a basketball fan, so badly coached or played games are just too difficult to watch. My time is important, so I rather watch great team ball and not wasting time with the Rockets.
Godspeed Jeremy. I pray that you play your best game, play the game your way, and play to make everyone around you better.
Spurs' Parker on Jeremy Lin's development
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/12/tony-parker-sees-similarites-with-lin-at-same-stage-of-career/
Good to know Lin has a chance to be as good or better than Parker. This guy is seriously impressive being from France and dominating in NBA.
Deletehttp://kfc3on3.qq.com/
ReplyDeleteLOL check out our hero Jeremy on this QQ and KFC promotion in China!!!
The 3 on 3 competition is going on streaming live right now. I think the winning team gets to meet Jeremy... I can't read Chinese so hopefully someone here can translate!
DeleteJLINFAN#1
ReplyDeleteWe need a second game thread! The other one won't show posts anymore.