Nice to see Jeremy really step up in the fourth. If Harden doesn't have an off night, I don't think that happens. I'm also glad he didn't get voted in. He needs to earn it and he will soon.
Jeremy is not posting All Star stats but in my mind he is already All Star caliber. Name another non All Star who gets double teamed as frequently as Lin. For me, the defensive pressure by opposing teams and how much teams gameplan for you speak more what caliber of player you are rather than straight up stats. Sooner than later Lin is going to break through those defensive pressure and start to post All Star stats too!
totally agree!! sooner than later!! Lin himself knows it as well, but this time, he is very patience, and humble. If all of us understand that, we will have less nonsense posts here.
so when can he earn all his fans' supports for this fan voting event? the stats? if so, what they should be? 20pt/g? or when his team has certain number of wins? which posts about this fan voting all-star festival are nonsense?
the fact is each fan's decision of whether a player deserves or has earned a vote is based on different principles taking into account different factors. i respect those fans who make their decisions using principles which reflect mainly basketball factors. i personally vote based mainly on basketball, but also take into account non-basketball factors.
my decision making is obviously open to criticism when judged from the pov of voters who prefer to base their decision solely on basketball-centric principles. what i don't think my decision making is open to criticism to is that it is unreasonable. it is reasonable as other opinions because there are no set guidelines in the nba voting system saying that voting for a combination of reasons invalidates my vote and that i must vote for basketball reasons only.
in a way, all-star voting is what the fans make of it. actually, isn't any voting system what the voters make of it? i cannot understand how schwarzenegger was voted as a governor. i guess i would say he hadn't earned it by my standard (based on my limited understanding of his actual credentials)
i suppose there may have been a day when the popular opinion was that voting should be based on only basketball reasons.
"as a result of the ebb and flow of the tide of fan opinion, the all-star game voting system is left with slack waters of principles based on taste and disgust" (lol, changed some words from phrase i just read)
i'm talking about what can Jeremy do to earn votes from his FANS. there is abs no consequence for my person life if Lin in the all-star or not (save some $$$ maybe, now he is out), it must be true to most of his fans too. totally different than any political campaign, results could affect you/your family big time. IF, that is a big IF, he is on the ballot next year, I'll vote too, but his stats won't get much better(avg 20 plus pts?) and won't be good enough for fans or non-fans when nba put out the ballot in Nov, so forget about next year too. oh well, thanks for reading, at least no one here said you have to have enough BB knowledge in order to vote. lol.
@wilc, based on BB reasons? I take back the last paragraph in my last post now. that day will never come - voting should be based on only basketball reasons - unless your voting mechanism can read mind.
yeah perhaps that's a poor comparison if only because the type of impact and degree of impact on voters 'real life' are different.
i want to make the point that people do vote because they feel compelled to for some reason. maybe those reasons may not be as serious as promoting, maintaining, or protecting family, property, bodily integrity, reputation, etc etc, but you'd be amazed how it can affect people in some way. for example, for some jlin stands for an ideal in playing basketball, in work ethic, in Americanism, in faith etc etc, and supporting him is a way expressing support for that ideal.
i do get your point that based on stats, it would always be possible to justify not voting jlin. be encouraged that guys like kg who don't have best stats still do get voted in. increased stats will help his case with fans who vote based purely on basketball season and i am confident jlin will improve by next year.
thanks for indulging me with the discussion as well. :)
ah, might i add one last thought i had about effect on people in real life and that being a reason why people express their support through voting. i think annother motivation for voting jlin for some fans is for the sake of their families, actually. reasoning goes like this: they want good role model for kids, they promote athlete who serves as good role model (e.g. JLin), they promote by voting. so a person who reasons like this may actually feel an importance for their kids. i'm sure many dads would feel like this (of course they may still not vote because of some other offsetting factor e.g. they want to tell their kids that you have earn a position based purely on performance and do not expect to depend on likeability/looks taking you to high places...i guess unless you are a move star, lol, i digress...)
@snowybyl i don't quite understand. so you are saying that voting should or should not be based on only basketball reasons? essentially what i am saying is that given the way the system is set up e.g. a fan voting, voting is based on whatever fans want it to be based on and that there is really no way telling what 'should' and 'should' not be the correct standard.
Heck yeah he's an allstar. He's a smart guy. He doesn't want the NBA to be a Lindrama. He knows it so well that if he get voted in, he will be the talk of the world in negative ways imaginable. I think this year, he just wants to lay low and let it play out. If he stays healthy and complete the season, then next year he will make more noise than Linsanity. Hey at least I voted for him until the end. He's on my allstar team.
Apparently in order to become an all star, you have to had:
1. Walked to school backwards in snow uphill 2. Walked on hot coal barefooted
In order to "deserve" to be an all star, even though its based on fan voting, it just happened people pick decent players.
But then again, Jeremy is a greaat player, but hey he doesn't deserve to be an all star because:
1. he's a rookie 2. he is a flash in the pan 3. its ridiculous for him to be an all star because of some unknown reason 4. his fans bring shame and disgust to "hardcore" basketball fans (like us, even though I know A LOT MORE BASKETBALL than 90% of NBA fans now)
Did I miss anything?
Watch once he posts 20ppg/10apg people will still say he isn't elite so he should not be an all star because he hasn't earned it somehow...Maybe he needs to be like Wilt Chamberlain and kill a mountain lion bare handed or something.
Cara, I cannot think of any recent All Star PG that could produce like Lin against that kind of swarming Jordan Rules defense without multiple screens and top level big men to draw attention away.
But I can think of one player during the 80s who could shred double and triple teams the way Lin can: Sugar!
I know that readers of this forum ought to be disgusted with me constantly conparing Lin to Sugar, but I can't help myself.
Lin really is the modern day Sugar to me. I'll bet their numbers are similar too.
jeremy will earn it when he becomes a consistent performer over several years.
rookies or second year players usually don't make it unless they make the highlight reels daily, like griffin. even everyone's favorite future all star kyrie irving isn't in it.
the ballots come out in november, which means that most voters are voting based on last year's performance and mainly, name recognition. it may actually work against lin that linsanity happened, since that's the ceiling people will be measuring him against, which is very, very tough to meet. i think when jeremy starts to perform consistently in the 16-8 to 18-8 range over a year or two, and the rockets make a lot of noise by going far into the playoffs, he will get voted in.
The key word here is earned. I think many fans voted more than once which I completely disagree with, but like you said he'll get some needed rest and hopefully he'll come out with more thrust in the 2nd half of his first full nba season.
Does the system allow people vote more than once? Do you think Kobe's, Lebron James' or C.Paul's fans only vote once only? Again please, you disagree on what?
Fans are allowed to vote more than once though. Actually, you can vote up to four times through the four voting channels.
I would consider it cheating if fans voted more than they are entitled using tricks such as where you clear the browser browsing data so that you can vote more than once using any given voting channel (in this case using the all-star balloting web page).
I'd like to point out that fans of all players are imo equally likely to use these tactics. Every player's final count will be skewed and inflated.
And actually, the gap should be even narrower if no fans of any player cheated. (C has 10 supporters, J has 9 supporters, each person gets one vote, the gap is by one vote; with for example 10% inflation for both player C and player J, C gets 11 votes and J gets 9.9, vote gap is 1.1 instead of 1, a wider gap of 0.1 vote)
Racha, you don't think fans didn't vote more than once for Chris Paul or Kobe or Lebron, etc.? I am with Lin on this one, he didn't play like an All Star and shouldn't be in the All Star game unless the fans spoke for him. Unfortunately the fans didn't come through. I remembered when Yao got voted in that one year when they had the All Star game in Houston he looked lost out there and really didn't seem to enjoy the spot light.
I think Paul, Kobe, and Lebron are overwhelmingly favorites that receiving multiple votes is really indifferent on whether or not they make it on the all-star team. They will make it regardless. As for JLin, I feel there are a lot of fans who voted for him also realizes he needed an extra push to get over the hump. I don't think you can say the same for Paul, Kobe, and Lebron. I actually voted for JLin but only once. I was tempted to vote twice but I didn't. So if votes are skewed, which they are, it would favor JLin more than it would Paul, Kobe, and Lebron.
I also agree with wilc that every players final count is skewed and inflated somewhat, the only difference I think is that JLin might be skewed a bit more.
I don't know about that. Paul's voters may be as much pressured to vote using illegitimate means as a response to JLin was close on his heals and also as a response to the perception that JLin's fans would be cheating. I agree to disagree on this point, since there is no way of really verifying.
What I do remember is reading tweets (courtesy of @via's posts) that people vote for CP3 just because they did not want to see JLin. Imo I'd say that's improper use of a vote, but then again I guess there are no guidelines saying you can't use strategic voting to offset the votes of supporters of a player you do not like.
"So if votes are skewed, which they are, it would favor JLin more than it would Paul, Kobe, and Lebron."
"I also agree with wilc that every players final count is skewed and inflated somewhat, the only difference I think is that JLin might be skewed a bit more."
Racha's so brilliant that he can think out the skewness of all-star voting for the sake of Lin.
Yeah, well at the end of the day the results are what they are. Accept them for what they are, but at the same time try to be positive about it. Makes life easier.
So let's hope a well rested JLin will explode on to the scene a second time and make February Jeremuary. lol nvm that's horrible attempt at a pun.
Racha, seriously man, aren't you tired of hating Lin? Even this All-Star voting event, you still have something negative to jab at JLin. Dude, why the fuck Kobe, Lebron, and Paul got a pass on illegitimate voting and not Lin? Not that I support illegal means to get Lin to All-Star. If you're a Lin's fan, you would vote for him period. That's what fans do. If you're not a fan, then just fuck off. I'm sick of your fucking hatred.
I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Again, if you don't like what I posted just ignore it. Lets keep the forum clean for everyone else that wants it clean. I for one have a tendency to be more critical than not and I wont change one iota for anyone here. I'm gonna say it one last time. JLin is my boy and that's reason I'm watching bball now. I stopped watching bball when Yao left, now I'm back all because of JLin. Please have some restraint. We all had enough BS yesterday.
racha, calling you out for your trolling hatred is great fun. i commend these posters for continuously calling you out and making you look foolish. does the body good ;)
similar to how i continue pummeling you for how you continuously duck the fact the rockets offense is centered around harden and sticking their main playmaking pg in the corner. note you've continuously ducked statistical facts from kenoshi, and have ducked acknowledging the fact lin even stands in the corner at all. keep ducking, pussy.
Lin is the whole package. The sheer number of votes he received speaks for itself. He has showed resilience in the face of adversity and his all round game is improving as he gains experience. I have no doubt that he will be an all star soon.
Lin is the whole package. The sheer number of votes he received speaks for itself. He has showed resilience in the face of adversity and his all round game is improving as he gains experience. I have no doubt that he will be an all star soon.
I was thinking that right now Chris Paul is injured. He has already missed 3 games. So that makes me wander if he will be ready for the All Star game. If he can't play, does Jlin get to play, because he was in 3rd place behind Paul?
CP can always start the 'GAME', then rest. no one look at the stats from any all-star games. read the bio, it only has the years one made it to the all-star, not how many minutes nor points. it is for one's resume and future marketing purpose.
it's evident most coaches and players still don't think highly of lin. as many have stated correctly before, he'll have to put up HOF numbers consistently to even sniff a sliver of respect. these are the same morons who passed on him the first and second go arounds. don't count on them choosing him for the all star bench either.
We all know Stearn is about trying to promote NBA overseas. he has stated that they are trying to establish an NBA team overseas. We all know that Lin has fans all around the world. Wha better way than to have Lin play in the All Star game to get the media attention overseas to cover the All star. All Star game received much international media attention last year because of Lin.just sayin
Something else that i noticed is that Lin is launching his charity project, the weekend of the All star game. Notice how known of the Houston rocket organization has said nothing about this. Also Lin was named #11 eligible bachelor by Town and Country magazine. Also the Vatican has invited him to come and be a part of a discussion about the scandals in sports. Linsanity the movie makes it's premiere debut at the Sundance film festival which is a huge honor. Yet the rockets organization hasn't reported any of this. That is why Houston Rockets organization will remain a hick town organization, because they don't understand on how to promote their barnd around the world.
Vatican can use all the PR help they can get. They are losing the demographics war as younger generations are less devout. Tying themselves to pop culture icon is their solution instead of ridding themselves of arcane mindset and priests' misconducts.
i really don't think lin could be promoted any more than he is now...
after all, if you look at any rockets promo, whether it's Fan Night on NBA TV or whatever, every time there's a Rockets vs. xxxx promo on tv, it's always Jeremy's picture that's being used as the face of the Rockets, and "kobe vs. lin" or whatnot.
to be honest, i'd be offended and may even carry a chip on my shoulder if i were harden. he's been promised the franchise, and been given the max contract, and been told he's the franchise player, but yet everywhere we look - jeremy is still the marketing face of the rockets.
i'd be careful about this if i were morey or les. on the one hand, yeah jeremy is the more popular player. on the other hand, you risk alienating your franchise player and it could become an issue in the locker room and on the court.
B-ball is a business. It is because Houston Rockets do a lot business with China & Taiwan. That was one of he reasons they signed lin because of his international appeal. Have you seen when they play in Houston, lin has an organized fan club with a thousand members.so les know s exactly what he is doing
The All Star game means so little to me that I didn't even attend it while it was held in Phoenix.
It used to be my favorite game of the season back when Isiah and Magic were in it and made a spectacle out of it. In the 80s, the All Star Game was the best game of the year because players would really play defense and go at each other and run incredible plays. It was like the Dream Team vs the Dream Team.
Now, there's disjointed disinterested play. I don't blame the players, I blame the overhyping of the All Star game that likely prevents players from giving their all on the court.
I did end up having to put up with All Star hubbub anyway. I was performing with the Phoenix Symphony that evening. I saw Darryl Dawkins go by on the street, Oscar Robertson walk down the street past the restaurant I was dining, and Keanu Reeves stopped me and my girlfriend and asked me for directions to the game. None of this is made up - it's REAL.
Anyway, this game will have two of my favorite players: Jeremy Lin and Roy Hibbert.
I waxed poetic about Hibbert on the previous thread.
Two summers ago, Pacers president Larry Bird gave Hibbert a choice of three Hall of Fame centers to tutor with: Bill Russell, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale.
Hibbert chose Walton, and they worked out HARD all summer. Walton did a great job and Hibbert made his first All Star team.
At the time, I was actually hoping Hibbert would get to train with Kevin McHale, but then McHale was hired by the Rockets. Hibbert is naturally gifted in the low post with quick spin moves and excellent hands, but he doesn't have much in terms of scoring post moves.
Roy Hibbert trains with my favorite player (not Lin) in the entire NBA, Tim Duncan. It seems that between Walton and Duncan, Hibbert is really getting the defense and rebounding down. Next summer, I hope Duncan tutors Hibbert on offensive moves.
@KHuang, Last season, Knicks won both b2b matches against IND in which Jeremy scored 13pts and 19pts. Do you think Jeremy can repeat victory against IND this season with the Rockets?
I think Lin is more than capable of having big games against the Pacers, but I cannot predict wins.
If the Pacers did the unthinkable: bring David West off the bench as a 6th man and start Tyler Hansbrough, then NO WAY for Lin. Psycho T is too fleet footed, high jumping, hoop savvy, and motor driven to let Jeremy Lin waltz into the lane like he did last season. I stopped following the Pacers after Tyler Hansbrough (another one of my favorite winning players) was benched.
When I think of teams stopping Jeremy Lin, I never look at the point guard matchup because no individual point guard can stop Lin from scoring at will in isolation. I think strictly of the wing help and particularly the big man rotation. I don't even worry about opponents guarding Lin with a small forward because if Lin can shred Shawn Marion and Grant Hill and the Spurs crack defenders at will, no wing in the entire NBA can stop Lin.
Indiana does have an athletic wing in Paul George, but he's absolutely incapable of stopping Lin due to the lack of footspeed and basketball instincts.
As much as I like Hibbert, he's not a rangy midrange threat like Psycho T. Jeremy Lin should have no problems either getting past Hibbert of feeding Asik for the blown layup.
And now that Larry Bird is gone, maybe Daryl Morey can convince Kevin Pritchard that Hansbrough is a BUST and trade for any Rockets forward including Chandler Parsons who's not half the player that Psycho T is.
KHuang, i agree with you... used to be my favorite game as well back in the late 80's and 90's (when i was old enough to follow NBA) especially with my favorite player of all time Magic. back then, players cared about this game and actually wanted to prove to each other who's better. made for great theater. even the dunk contest back then was about competing and winning.
now? not so much. no one cares who wins this thing and no one cares who's better anymore. well, except if jeremy had made it, the eastern guards would actually try to play defense just so they don't get showed up by an asian dude.
i think they need to think of ways to get the competitive juices flowing. players disliking players will bring that out (wade breaking kobe's nose).. and since all the players care about is money, maybe the NBA should pull money together and the winning team gets to split the pot.
Jonathan Feigen - "Jeremy Lin was 45,000 votes behind CP3 for a starting Western Conference All Star guard spot. I think I speak for him when I say, "whew.""
The Indiana Pacers are riding their longest home win streak in 10 years as their NBA-leading defense gets ready for a test. The Pacers look for their 11th straight home win as they try to hand the high-scoring Houston Rockets a sixth straight defeat Friday night. Indiana (24-16) is enjoying its longest run at home since a 14-game streak Nov. 28, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003. The Pacers are allowing a league-low 89.1 points per game overall, and that figure is at 82.6 during this home streak. Houston (21-19) enters on its longest slide since a six-game skid in April, but James Harden and company could pose problems. Harden is averaging 26.3 points for a Rockets club that is second in the league with 105.4 points per game. Both teams had the day off Thursday after some difficult back-to-back sets of games. Indiana split two sets in the past week, losing both of the second contests by 97-86 scores at Brooklyn on Sunday and at Orlando on Wednesday. The Pacers did not want to blame the schedule after allowing the Magic to shoot 46.5 percent and hit 12 3-pointers - a season high for an Indiana opponent. "I believe it is our fourth game in five nights so fatigue can play a factor," guard George Hill said. "There is no time for excuses and everybody in the NBA goes through them. You still have to come to battle every day. We will take this loss as a team and hold our heads high and get back to work on Friday." Houston will begin its fifth straight set of back-to-back games after failing to pick up a win in the last two. The Rockets fell 105-100 at Dallas on Wednesday as Harden went 5 for 23 from the floor, although he scored 20 points. "James played hard," coach Kevin McHale said. "He got to the line 12 times. He had some looks that he normally makes and missed some, but you're going to have nights like that." The Pacers yield an average of 20.6 foul shots, among the lowest in the league, but Harden presents a challenge as he is among the league leaders with 9.9 attempts per game. Houston got some sloppy play from its key perimeter players Wednesday as Harden, Jeremy Lin and Carlos Delfino combined for 13 of its 16 turnovers that led to 24 points. "You've just got to make the easy play," Harden said. "We were trying to do a little too much, one extra dribble too much." While Indiana excels defensively, it's the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA with 91.1 points per game. No Pacers player has scored 30 in any of the last 27 games. The only team with a longer such drought is Washington, which has not had a player exceed 27 all season. Indiana is the top rebounding team in the league at 46.4 per game and will faces Houston center Omer Asik, averaging 11.2 boards. The 7-footer has never started against the Pacers as he goes up against 7-2 center Roy Hibbert, who averages 2.7 blocks and 8.4 rebounds.
The Houston Rockets make their only appearance at the Fieldhouse in two years on Friday during a four-game trip. For the Pacers, the game splits up a stretch of seven games away from Indy.
The Rockets look much different than they did last season, with only four players returning because of an active free agency and a trade that shipped a handful of players away. They signed free agents, most notably Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, and made the sudden deal with Oklahoma City for James Harden just before the regular season opener. Now, they are both the youngest (average age under 24) and the least experienced team in the NBA.
Houston got off to a slow start (4-11), which is to be expected with a new core and so many late changes. Head coach Kevin McHale took a leave of absence for 13 games as he dealt with a family issue. During that stretch, former IU coach Kelvin Sampson stepped in and the team went 7-6.
They were recently seven games over .500 after winning five in a row but they’ve since lost three straight. The Rockets’ up-tempo play has them leading the league in points per game (105), but they’re also giving up the third-most (103). Their identity capitalizes on their opponents’ mistakes, as they are third in the league in steals with almost nine per contest.
With a new team and greater opportunity, center Omer Asik has been putting up dramatically better numbers than his first two seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, who decided not to match the Rockets’ offseason offer. He’s averaging 10.3 points per game (up nearly seven) and 11.1 rebounds per game (up nearly six) while shooting 54 percent. Asik and Roy Hibbert were two of the more compelling centers that other teams took a look at. Asik left but Hibbert stayed.
James Harden has also thrived in his new environment and is Houston's go-to option. He’s accounting for more than 35 percent of their offense – averaging 26 points and five assists per game.
The Pacers will play their defensive, grind-it-out type of style and pressure the Rockets. They are the only team in the league holding their opponents, on average, under 90 points per game and they’ve only given up more than 100 points at home once this season. Indiana’s 10-game home winning streak will be on the line.
Hibbert protects his basket well. I hope the team won't get intimidated and stay on the perimeter. I say drive the ball in and get him into early foul trouble. I'm guessing our big men won't do the job (Asik with his size should be able to draw more fouls), but our guards should try to get Hibbert a few quick fouls.
Beforw Lin's rookie season, I was hoping that Larry Bord would advise Herb Simon to bring Jeremy Lin to the Pacers.
At the time, the Pacers were a bubble playoff team. Bird had promised that the Pacers would make the playoffs during his tenure, and they DID. Tyler Hansbrough was inserted into the starting lineup in midesason and instantly started having 20 point 10 rebound games.
What the Pacers did not have was consistent guard play. They were getting by with Darren Collison and AJ Price. Plus Danny Granger is a worse shooting and less defensive Carmelo Anthony.
Lin would have been the perfect guy to put on this Pacers team. In my fantasy world, they would've had:
PG: Lin SG: Paul George SF: Danny Granger PF: Psycho T C: Roy Hibbert
bench: David West as a high scoring 6th man, George Hill at both guard positions, and Lance Stephenson as a defensive swingman.
That would've been a top NBA team, a contender in the East that would put a scare into Miami and a healthy Chicago.
The all star voting stuff is bogus. Lets make it simple. The all stars team selection should be stat driven. The best guys should play period.
Top assists/scoring guys, east or west, will be selected as PG/SG/SF based on that. If you lead in scoring/assists per game then you're the starter followed by the 2nd highest player in the league as the backup, so on and so forth.
As for PF/C, the selection will be based on rebounding and shot blocking prowess.
This is fair for players and should be fair for the fans as well. The cream will always rise to the top anyways, so there should be no grumblings about popularity and just strictly good bball play and that's it. So fans who feel that Kobe and Lebron are all stars would be playing anyways because they have the stats to back it up.
The NBA then should come up with another team or a group of players, the standby team. The selection of this team can be based on other stats, perhaps steals. This group of players or player is called upon when they need a steal or two to trim the lead down or frustrate the opposing team. This group of player(s) can be called upon only once to do what they do best and that's it.
I think All Star game is a chance for fans to see stars from different teams play together. It's the synergy, the answers to "what if" this point guard is matched up with that big man. Stats correlates to stars' status or what the fans want to see but is only an indicator. Stats, by itself, has no feel, no soul.
If it's just about stats, why bother having a game at all. Just give out awards.
sounds simple but it's really not as simple as taking stats straight up. unless it's fairly obvious, "who's the best pg/sg/sf/pf/c" could be all very subjective. sometimes that player with best stats isn't really the best player. A LOT of this has to do with the system the player plays in. jeremy lin is a perfect example of this.
i think the best way to do this is to have a panel of media members select the players that will be on the ballot (4 players per position), and fans can vote for whoever they want on the ballot. in other words, if you're on the ballot you're a legitimate all-star, and after that it's based on who the fans want to see.
Etane, yeah, although I get tired of seeing the usual suspects sometimes. Players like Ty Lawson and Greivis Vasquez to name a few should be all-stars.
Uhm, there's this thing called the all nba team, mvp and dpoy. It's all stats oriented.
The all star game is for the FANS TO VOTE FOR WHO THEY WANT TO SEE ON THE COURT. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STATS AND NEVER WILL. FANS AREN'T STATISTICIANS.
Jeremy is all star to me. No Jeremy, no all star to watch. Linsanity makes NBA excited and fun to watch. Bring back many fans and new fans. That, is the power of a "star". No body does it like Jeremy Lin. Good luck on this game. Will see a win.
Gentry I think was D'Antoni's assistant with the Suns. He restored D'Antoni's offensive system when he took over after Porter took over for D'Antoni.
If coach doesn't stay around next year, Gentry may be a candidate. JLin should be able to run it with similar experience. Unfortunately, the system seems to still require good rolling big men.
Since I'm from Phoenix, I know about Alvin Gentry.
Generally I like him. He's a good coach. I don't see him as being an improvement over McHale, though.
Alvin Gentry had Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, and Luis Scola as his bigs in Phoenix. He also had Goran Dragic who most people outside of this forum regard as being vastly superior to Lin. Those guys are all better paid than Lin and his minimum wage frontcourters, yet they could not get the job done.
Also, I predicted before the season that the Suns drafted an utter bust in Kendall Marshall in the lottery. I said that Marshall was too slow and too untalented to play in the D league, let alone the actual NBA. Indeed, Marshall has been the kind of superbust that has set the Suns back every time they draft in the lottery.
I live in Phoenix, but I'm not a Suns fan. I just cannot agree with their basketball philosophy of overpaying below average players, letting stars walk, and drafting bust after bust.
Ready to comment on the game tonight. I thought I wasn't going to be home tonight and have already set my DVR to record it, but I am home and ready to watch the game. Go Rockets!
My match up to watch 2nite is McHale vs Vogel. I don't see any threat from the Pacers other than they will grind you down. It's gonna be a test of stamina and conditioning more than anything. Just need to play smart and take care of the ball. The Pacers are not gonna blow you out.
I'm kind of being sarcastic with the McHale vs Vogel matchup, but I don't have any specific matchups that really stands out for me. Pacers is a throw back team. They play hard nose defense. Maybe this a good lesson the Roxs can learn from, defensively. West? meh Hibbert? meh. We'll see. Like you said, let's go Rockos.
Coach McHale's take on Pacer's defense (It doesn't sound like he is confident that the young team can beat the Pacers D? Hope they practised well to move as a team to exploit the double team. I wonder who the one or two guys are who are not on the same page. I do have an idea.):
“The movement behind it, the spacing – they’re starting to leave certain people. Our guys have to make the next play. In our league, it’s like a chess match. We’ve had the same opening for a while. Pretty soon, they start countering your openings. We have to see who’s open, get the ball to them and that guy has to make plays.
“When they put two-on-one, it distorts the court, but it opens up stuff, too. Where we have trouble is it takes all five guys moving together at the same time to exploit that. Now, they’re really loading up as a team and much more zoning. That requires everyone being on the same page. When we go back, one or two guys are completely not on that page. We haven’t had much practice time and teams are playing us differently. We go over it and over it and over it, but the best teacher in this league is experience.”
I don't think he's referring to JLin. This team does have a tendency to just stand around and look on. One thing JLin does well is that he talks to his mates when he sees a breakdown.
One way to beat the counter openings is court awareness. Some players have it and some just don't. Most are young and just haven't experienced enough to have those heads up play. There's a reason why certain groups of players can play well or flourish together and some can't. I can't see what Mchale can really do at this point. He's trying to grasp at intangibles.
@racha, If they're going to get defense oriented players then Lin's position would be the first to go. Your wish might just come true...Beverly's defense should help the perimeter...so much so, that if he continues to penetrate too, then he could over take Lin's spot. uh oh...
Don't get too excited about Patrick Beverly, k.smith.
No matter how good he has looked these last few games as a physically fresh rookie playing against tired midseason legs, Beverly has a LONG WAY TO GO before he is NBA ready.
Beverly is the kind of player NBA general managers love to scout. He's athletic looking, has a good looking elevation on his jump shot, and can occasionally dunk. He's also got SLOW reflexes, a lack of court vision that shall soon be exposed, weak defensive skills that soon shall have opposing PGs targeting him, and no ability to play through the traps that teams will eventually put on him.
Patrick Beverley was not drafted because he doesn't have NBA game. Putting him in a Rockets jersey will only expose his weaknesses. Putting him in the rotation beside Jeremy Lin will only CEMENT Lin's role as a starter in due time.
At least Scott Machado, who I also said this summer was not NBA caliber, had NBA reflexes despite not having NBA athleticism. Beverley does not have NBA reflexes, plus jumping seems to be the only thing he does that appears to be NBA caliber. Once teams figure out Beverley, we'll see if Beverley can overcome the weaknesses that caused him to go undrafted.
When a player like Beverley gets drafted but fails to stick in the NBA, my mind automatically files him under "undrafted". That's because my mind only cares about guys who make meaningful NBA contributions, guys like LIN.
When I said new blood, I meant the frontcourt not the backcourt. I'm fine with JLin's defense, LOL. You think I want my boy to get traded. I don't think so.
Here are some interesting stats. I am comparing two PG that were from Houston that got traded to Phoenix and Toronto, Raymond Felton who took Lin's spot in NY and two other PG in Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul and here is what I came up with:
Jeremy played more games than all 5 of them at 40 games played, Jeremy is also logging the most minutes at 1339 minutes played. The lowest would be Kyle Lowry at 727 MP. Jeremy fg% is 2nd from the last position at .428 as compared to the lowest which is Felton at .396, his 3 pt % is the lowest, his ft attempts is 2nd to last also, his assists is 100 assists off from CP who has the highest, he has also behind CP in terms of steal at 82 steals, he has the highest number of blocks at 15, but alarmingly he has the most turnovers at 121. Kyrie Irving is 2nd in turnovers at 110. Amongst the 5 other PG Lin comes in 4th in terms of scoring at 491. Felton and Lowry isn't far behind him eventhough they are injured and not starting. Just some interesting stats for you guys to digest.
In summary, Lin can reach CP status if he plays more efficiently in cutting down his TO and attempting more FG instead of 3 pts, he also needs to goto the hole more and draw more fouls (hence the low FTA number). In order to do this he will also need help from the BIGS in finishing at the basket or on the attempt to boost up his assist number, help from Harden to trust in him and let him run the point instead of jacking it up, stop attempting so many threes or long twos and bottom line is that he has to be more aggressive and take it to the hole and draw fouls. Throw up your head and arms like Harden to catch the referees eyes.
Sorry guys, but I cannot export EXCEL cells into here to make the columns and rows much neater for you to read the stats. I tried to explain the best I could out of the data that I compiled.
Another thought that occurs to me is that although Lin has been benched a couple of times he is still logging the most minutes which is crazy. That is alot of mileage on him already for 40 games. Which leads me to say that McHale is not managing his minutes too well. At this rate both him and Harden will be worn out by the end of the season.
I don't know whether TO is a fair comparison with CP. CP is well acquainted with his team. CP is also playing with more experienced guys. Those guys can also catch passes better. Of course JLin can improve, but I don't think it is a problem.
For assists, JLin is making good reads and delivering the right passes. Teammates failing to catch passes has been a recurring problem. Outside CP3, JLin is doing better than everyone else on the list per game. So again, of course he can improve since he is still young, but I don't see an issue on JLin's part there.
Aggressiveness and taking threes is partly JLin and partly the system. I'd like to see more shots and more midrange, but imo he is working within a basketball system/philosophy and the corresponding guidelines as to what type of shots that should be taken and how much JLin should shoot the ball for a player playing his position. I do agree JLin has some measure of discretion within those general guidelines and should try to shoot more and take mid range twos as much as he can within that system, without completely messing with the philosophy behind the system. I think he more or less achieving the right balance given the circumstances. He can probably try to shoot midrange.
Thanks for the info Johnly. Lin's 3pt shooting isn't going to improve much. He's never been a great 3pt shooter. Also, HOU is all about layups and 3pt shots. Ultimately, 3pt shots will lower his fg%.
Lin will have to go above and beyond what other players have to do, to earn the trust of this coaching staff. It is what it is. The perfect system for Lin was under D'antoni. Mchale's system is good/decent but it doesn't optimize Lin (no mid range game).
@TN4, what does per game going to prove anyway in terms of stats? You can skew numbers if you do per game. We all know Lin's production increased between Mid Nov - Jan. and then somewhat took a bit of a drop with the games where the Rockets lost 5 in a row. He put up some decent numbers but not where they should be. Therefore I tend to look at total games played and what each players produced during that stretch and how many minutes played. Lin has played the most minutes yet his efficiency is not nearly efficient as CP3 who played less minutes.
I have a thing for guys like Jeremy Lin that go undiscovered despite awesome pre NBA production.
Roy Hibbert was THE GUY for me before Lin. Before I even knew who Lin was, Hibbert was the guy I intensely followed. Before he entered the NBA, I proclaimed him a future All Star and got flamed repeatedly. Now he's an All Star, and though I'm not truly into the All Star game at least Hibbert now has become a max contract center.
I was THRILLED when the Pacers got Tyler Hansbrough. He is one of the NCAA's all time greatest players, especially at UNC where he easily ranks alongside Jordan and Worthy and Daugherty as one of the greatest college performers ever. But then Tyler (and Roy) got benched by Coach Jim O'Brien who eventually was fired by Bird for badmouthing his team and not playing the young guys.
Hibbert's career is secure, so I don't follow him as much anymore. Hansbrough, on the other hand, is a STUD who is not highly rated because he's white. There is a leaguewide perception that Hansbrough is a slow stiff who can't run or jump, but it's so not true. Hansbrough was a dominant NCAA superstar that dunked over people, dribbled past them to the basket, shot 3 pointers, and scored from all over the court. He's what people THINK Blake Griffin is, as Griffin is actually just a one dimensional dunker who needs a lot of work on his entire game.
Right now, Tyler has a very limited role. He's being used as a low usage banger, which is an utter WASTE of his ability. David West is the starter and there is nothing wrong with that, but I've seen Hansbrough vastly outplay David West as a starter. Hansbrough is a game changer who needs minutes and touches to be successful, just like Jeremy Lin.
There are actually very few NBA power forwards I would rather have than Tyler Hansbrough. Though he doesn't get the minutes I feel he deserves, Hansbrough is a PLAYER who has gotten 20 points and 10 rebounds as a starter. On a different team that correctly perceived him as an athletic dunking player, Hansbrough would easily be as impactful a power forward as Jeremy Lin is a point guard.
If Lin wasn't around, I'd be on a Tyler Hansbrough forum singing his praises. That's how high my esteem for that great young power forward is.
amen to that...
ReplyDeleteIt was ansxing that Jeremy got 14 pts in the last 6-5 min. I hope he can step up again throughour the upcoming Pacers gam, not in the last few min.
ReplyDeleteJeremy is not posting All Star stats but in my mind he is already All Star caliber. Name another non All Star who gets double teamed as frequently as Lin. For me, the defensive pressure by opposing teams and how much teams gameplan for you speak more what caliber of player you are rather than straight up stats. Sooner than later Lin is going to break through those defensive pressure and start to post All Star stats too!
ReplyDeletetotally agree!! sooner than later!! Lin himself knows it as well, but this time, he is very patience, and humble. If all of us understand that, we will have less nonsense posts here.
Deleteso when can he earn all his fans' supports for this fan voting event? the stats? if so, what they should be? 20pt/g? or when his team has certain number of wins? which posts about this fan voting all-star festival are nonsense?
Deletethe fact is each fan's decision of whether a player deserves or has earned a vote is based on different principles taking into account different factors. i respect those fans who make their decisions using principles which reflect mainly basketball factors. i personally vote based mainly on basketball, but also take into account non-basketball factors.
Deletemy decision making is obviously open to criticism when judged from the pov of voters who prefer to base their decision solely on basketball-centric principles. what i don't think my decision making is open to criticism to is that it is unreasonable. it is reasonable as other opinions because there are no set guidelines in the nba voting system saying that voting for a combination of reasons invalidates my vote and that i must vote for basketball reasons only.
in a way, all-star voting is what the fans make of it. actually, isn't any voting system what the voters make of it? i cannot understand how schwarzenegger was voted as a governor. i guess i would say he hadn't earned it by my standard (based on my limited understanding of his actual credentials)
i suppose there may have been a day when the popular opinion was that voting should be based on only basketball reasons.
Delete"as a result of the ebb and flow of the tide of fan opinion, the all-star game voting system is left with slack waters of principles based on taste and disgust" (lol, changed some words from phrase i just read)
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Deletei'm talking about what can Jeremy do to earn votes from his FANS. there is abs no consequence for my person life if Lin in the all-star or not (save some $$$ maybe, now he is out), it must be true to most of his fans too. totally different than any political campaign, results could affect you/your family big time.
DeleteIF, that is a big IF, he is on the ballot next year, I'll vote too, but his stats won't get much better(avg 20 plus pts?) and won't be good enough for fans or non-fans when nba put out the ballot in Nov, so forget about next year too.
oh well, thanks for reading, at least no one here said you have to have enough BB knowledge in order to vote. lol.
@wilc, based on BB reasons? I take back the last paragraph in my last post now.
Deletethat day will never come - voting should be based on only basketball reasons - unless your voting mechanism can read mind.
yeah perhaps that's a poor comparison if only because the type of impact and degree of impact on voters 'real life' are different.
Deletei want to make the point that people do vote because they feel compelled to for some reason. maybe those reasons may not be as serious as promoting, maintaining, or protecting family, property, bodily integrity, reputation, etc etc, but you'd be amazed how it can affect people in some way. for example, for some jlin stands for an ideal in playing basketball, in work ethic, in Americanism, in faith etc etc, and supporting him is a way expressing support for that ideal.
i do get your point that based on stats, it would always be possible to justify not voting jlin. be encouraged that guys like kg who don't have best stats still do get voted in. increased stats will help his case with fans who vote based purely on basketball season and i am confident jlin will improve by next year.
thanks for indulging me with the discussion as well. :)
ah, might i add one last thought i had about effect on people in real life and that being a reason why people express their support through voting. i think annother motivation for voting jlin for some fans is for the sake of their families, actually. reasoning goes like this: they want good role model for kids, they promote athlete who serves as good role model (e.g. JLin), they promote by voting. so a person who reasons like this may actually feel an importance for their kids. i'm sure many dads would feel like this (of course they may still not vote because of some other offsetting factor e.g. they want to tell their kids that you have earn a position based purely on performance and do not expect to depend on likeability/looks taking you to high places...i guess unless you are a move star, lol, i digress...)
Delete@snowybyl i don't quite understand. so you are saying that voting should or should not be based on only basketball reasons? essentially what i am saying is that given the way the system is set up e.g. a fan voting, voting is based on whatever fans want it to be based on and that there is really no way telling what 'should' and 'should' not be the correct standard.
DeleteHeck yeah he's an allstar. He's a smart guy. He doesn't want the NBA to be a Lindrama. He knows it so well that if he get voted in, he will be the talk of the world in negative ways imaginable. I think this year, he just wants to lay low and let it play out. If he stays healthy and complete the season, then next year he will make more noise than Linsanity. Hey at least I voted for him until the end. He's on my allstar team.
DeleteApparently in order to become an all star, you have to had:
Delete1. Walked to school backwards in snow uphill
2. Walked on hot coal barefooted
In order to "deserve" to be an all star, even though its based on fan voting, it just happened people pick decent players.
But then again, Jeremy is a greaat player, but hey he doesn't deserve to be an all star because:
1. he's a rookie
2. he is a flash in the pan
3. its ridiculous for him to be an all star because of some unknown reason
4. his fans bring shame and disgust to "hardcore" basketball fans (like us, even though I know A LOT MORE BASKETBALL than 90% of NBA fans now)
Did I miss anything?
Watch once he posts 20ppg/10apg people will still say he isn't elite so he should not be an all star because he hasn't earned it somehow...Maybe he needs to be like Wilt Chamberlain and kill a mountain lion bare handed or something.
Cara, I cannot think of any recent All Star PG that could produce like Lin against that kind of swarming Jordan Rules defense without multiple screens and top level big men to draw attention away.
DeleteBut I can think of one player during the 80s who could shred double and triple teams the way Lin can: Sugar!
I know that readers of this forum ought to be disgusted with me constantly conparing Lin to Sugar, but I can't help myself.
Lin really is the modern day Sugar to me. I'll bet their numbers are similar too.
jeremy will earn it when he becomes a consistent performer over several years.
Deleterookies or second year players usually don't make it unless they make the highlight reels daily, like griffin. even everyone's favorite future all star kyrie irving isn't in it.
the ballots come out in november, which means that most voters are voting based on last year's performance and mainly, name recognition. it may actually work against lin that linsanity happened, since that's the ceiling people will be measuring him against, which is very, very tough to meet. i think when jeremy starts to perform consistently in the 16-8 to 18-8 range over a year or two, and the rockets make a lot of noise by going far into the playoffs, he will get voted in.
kenoshi, that's racha logic for you ;) eventually it'll be "lin's not black enough".
DeleteI think JLIn earned each All-Star vote he got from his fans. I am still happy he will get some rest and recuperation over the All-Star break.
ReplyDeleteThe key word here is earned. I think many fans voted more than once which I completely disagree with, but like you said he'll get some needed rest and hopefully he'll come out with more thrust in the 2nd half of his first full nba season.
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DeleteDoes the system allow people vote more than once? Do you think Kobe's, Lebron James' or C.Paul's fans only vote once only? Again please, you disagree on what?
DeleteFans are allowed to vote more than once though. Actually, you can vote up to four times through the four voting channels.
DeleteI would consider it cheating if fans voted more than they are entitled using tricks such as where you clear the browser browsing data so that you can vote more than once using any given voting channel (in this case using the all-star balloting web page).
I'd like to point out that fans of all players are imo equally likely to use these tactics. Every player's final count will be skewed and inflated.
And actually, the gap should be even narrower if no fans of any player cheated. (C has 10 supporters, J has 9 supporters, each person gets one vote, the gap is by one vote; with for example 10% inflation for both player C and player J, C gets 11 votes and J gets 9.9, vote gap is 1.1 instead of 1, a wider gap of 0.1 vote)
Racha, you don't think fans didn't vote more than once for Chris Paul or Kobe or Lebron, etc.? I am with Lin on this one, he didn't play like an All Star and shouldn't be in the All Star game unless the fans spoke for him. Unfortunately the fans didn't come through. I remembered when Yao got voted in that one year when they had the All Star game in Houston he looked lost out there and really didn't seem to enjoy the spot light.
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DeleteI think Paul, Kobe, and Lebron are overwhelmingly favorites that receiving multiple votes is really indifferent on whether or not they make it on the all-star team. They will make it regardless. As for JLin, I feel there are a lot of fans who voted for him also realizes he needed an extra push to get over the hump. I don't think you can say the same for Paul, Kobe, and Lebron. I actually voted for JLin but only once. I was tempted to vote twice but I didn't. So if votes are skewed, which they are, it would favor JLin more than it would Paul, Kobe, and Lebron.
DeleteI also agree with wilc that every players final count is skewed and inflated somewhat, the only difference I think is that JLin might be skewed a bit more.
I don't know about that. Paul's voters may be as much pressured to vote using illegitimate means as a response to JLin was close on his heals and also as a response to the perception that JLin's fans would be cheating. I agree to disagree on this point, since there is no way of really verifying.
DeleteWhat I do remember is reading tweets (courtesy of @via's posts) that people vote for CP3 just because they did not want to see JLin. Imo I'd say that's improper use of a vote, but then again I guess there are no guidelines saying you can't use strategic voting to offset the votes of supporters of a player you do not like.
LOL, here's Racha subtle Linhatred:
Delete"So if votes are skewed, which they are, it would favor JLin more than it would Paul, Kobe, and Lebron."
"I also agree with wilc that every players final count is skewed and inflated somewhat, the only difference I think is that JLin might be skewed a bit more."
Racha's so brilliant that he can think out the skewness of all-star voting for the sake of Lin.
wilc, that's cool man. Paul's fans may as well felt the wrath of JLin fans so they went on tear themselves at the voting booth. It makes sense.
DeleteYeah, well at the end of the day the results are what they are. Accept them for what they are, but at the same time try to be positive about it. Makes life easier.
DeleteSo let's hope a well rested JLin will explode on to the scene a second time and make February Jeremuary. lol nvm that's horrible attempt at a pun.
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DeleteLinbruary sounds better, LOL.
DeleteRacha, seriously man, aren't you tired of hating Lin? Even this All-Star voting event, you still have something negative to jab at JLin. Dude, why the fuck Kobe, Lebron, and Paul got a pass on illegitimate voting and not Lin? Not that I support illegal means to get Lin to All-Star. If you're a Lin's fan, you would vote for him period. That's what fans do. If you're not a fan, then just fuck off. I'm sick of your fucking hatred.
DeleteI say what I mean and I mean what I say. Again, if you don't like what I posted just ignore it. Lets keep the forum clean for everyone else that wants it clean. I for one have a tendency to be more critical than not and I wont change one iota for anyone here. I'm gonna say it one last time. JLin is my boy and that's reason I'm watching bball now. I stopped watching bball when Yao left, now I'm back all because of JLin. Please have some restraint. We all had enough BS yesterday.
Deleteracha, calling you out for your trolling hatred is great fun. i commend these posters for continuously calling you out and making you look foolish. does the body good ;)
Deletesimilar to how i continue pummeling you for how you continuously duck the fact the rockets offense is centered around harden and sticking their main playmaking pg in the corner. note you've continuously ducked statistical facts from kenoshi, and have ducked acknowledging the fact lin even stands in the corner at all. keep ducking, pussy.
He'll be an All Star one day... Would be awesome to see him in the Skills Challenge. If not, a few days off with his family would be good for him.
ReplyDeleteLin is the whole package. The sheer number of votes he received speaks for itself. He has showed resilience in the face of adversity and his all round game is improving as he gains experience. I have no doubt that he will be an all star soon.
ReplyDeleteLin is the whole package. The sheer number of votes he received speaks for itself. He has showed resilience in the face of adversity and his all round game is improving as he gains experience. I have no doubt that he will be an all star soon.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that right now Chris Paul is injured. He has already missed 3 games. So that makes me wander if he will be ready for the All Star game. If he can't play, does Jlin get to play, because he was in 3rd place behind Paul?
ReplyDeleteThey are going to announce the back ups to the All Star soon as well. Let's see if Lin's name is on the back ups.
DeleteCP can always start the 'GAME', then rest. no one look at the stats from any all-star games. read the bio, it only has the years one made it to the all-star, not how many minutes nor points. it is for one's resume and future marketing purpose.
Deleteit's evident most coaches and players still don't think highly of lin. as many have stated correctly before, he'll have to put up HOF numbers consistently to even sniff a sliver of respect. these are the same morons who passed on him the first and second go arounds. don't count on them choosing him for the all star bench either.
DeleteI don't think it works like that awarde, peeps correct me if I'm wrong coaches determine reserves and all signs point to Harden.
DeleteHarden as PG...Hahaha Kobe is never getting the ball.
We all know Stearn is about trying to promote NBA overseas. he has stated that they are trying to establish an NBA team overseas. We all know that Lin has fans all around the world. Wha better way than to have Lin play in the All Star game to get the media attention overseas to cover the All star. All Star game received much international media attention last year because of Lin.just sayin
ReplyDeleteSomething else that i noticed is that Lin is launching his charity project, the weekend of the All star game. Notice how known of the Houston rocket organization has said nothing about this. Also Lin was named #11 eligible bachelor by Town and Country magazine. Also the Vatican has invited him to come and be a part of a discussion about the scandals in sports. Linsanity the movie makes it's premiere debut at the Sundance film festival which is a huge honor. Yet the rockets organization hasn't reported any of this. That is why Houston Rockets organization will remain a hick town organization, because they don't understand on how to promote their barnd around the world.
ReplyDeletewow that's amazing, i didn't know JLin had so much going on! vatican, eh? dude's influential on a whole new stage.
Deletealso i miss an article about Lin in one of december issues of SI. at least rockets twitter could mention it.
DeleteVatican can use all the PR help they can get. They are losing the demographics war as younger generations are less devout. Tying themselves to pop culture icon is their solution instead of ridding themselves of arcane mindset and priests' misconducts.
Deletei really don't think lin could be promoted any more than he is now...
Deleteafter all, if you look at any rockets promo, whether it's Fan Night on NBA TV or whatever, every time there's a Rockets vs. xxxx promo on tv, it's always Jeremy's picture that's being used as the face of the Rockets, and "kobe vs. lin" or whatnot.
to be honest, i'd be offended and may even carry a chip on my shoulder if i were harden. he's been promised the franchise, and been given the max contract, and been told he's the franchise player, but yet everywhere we look - jeremy is still the marketing face of the rockets.
i'd be careful about this if i were morey or les. on the one hand, yeah jeremy is the more popular player. on the other hand, you risk alienating your franchise player and it could become an issue in the locker room and on the court.
B-ball is a business. It is because Houston Rockets do a lot business with China & Taiwan. That was one of he reasons they signed lin because of his international appeal. Have you seen when they play in Houston, lin has an organized fan club with a thousand members.so les know s exactly what he is doing
DeleteThis is some funny stuff:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAfeQXbjAS0
This one has Greg Smith in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6akv-SyGMMU
I say we trade for Javal McGee. He will make the highlight everynight for the Rockets.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZesxVPWyk4
McGeeeeee, SMH.
DeleteNah, we already have too many problems on the Rockets. After adding McGee, the Rockets will need a name change to the Houston Knuckleheads.
Deleteyou may want to check this out, pretty funny tweets between JaVale McGee and Jeremy:
Deletehttp://nba-memes.tumblr.com/post/37764980918
HY, I saw that. Jlin can also tutor McGee math if he gets traded to the Rockets, LOL.
Deletei'm not watching this year's all star game because Lin's not playing and it's going to look exactly like last year's all star game. what's the point?
ReplyDeleteThe All Star game means so little to me that I didn't even attend it while it was held in Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be my favorite game of the season back when Isiah and Magic were in it and made a spectacle out of it. In the 80s, the All Star Game was the best game of the year because players would really play defense and go at each other and run incredible plays. It was like the Dream Team vs the Dream Team.
Now, there's disjointed disinterested play. I don't blame the players, I blame the overhyping of the All Star game that likely prevents players from giving their all on the court.
I did end up having to put up with All Star hubbub anyway. I was performing with the Phoenix Symphony that evening. I saw Darryl Dawkins go by on the street, Oscar Robertson walk down the street past the restaurant I was dining, and Keanu Reeves stopped me and my girlfriend and asked me for directions to the game. None of this is made up - it's REAL.
Anyway, this game will have two of my favorite players: Jeremy Lin and Roy Hibbert.
I waxed poetic about Hibbert on the previous thread.
Two summers ago, Pacers president Larry Bird gave Hibbert a choice of three Hall of Fame centers to tutor with: Bill Russell, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale.
Hibbert chose Walton, and they worked out HARD all summer. Walton did a great job and Hibbert made his first All Star team.
At the time, I was actually hoping Hibbert would get to train with Kevin McHale, but then McHale was hired by the Rockets. Hibbert is naturally gifted in the low post with quick spin moves and excellent hands, but he doesn't have much in terms of scoring post moves.
Roy Hibbert trains with my favorite player (not Lin) in the entire NBA, Tim Duncan. It seems that between Walton and Duncan, Hibbert is really getting the defense and rebounding down. Next summer, I hope Duncan tutors Hibbert on offensive moves.
@KHuang,
DeleteLast season, Knicks won both b2b matches against IND in which Jeremy scored 13pts and 19pts. Do you think Jeremy can repeat victory against IND this season with the Rockets?
Also envy you giving direction to Keanu Reeve...lucky devil you.
DeleteI think Lin is more than capable of having big games against the Pacers, but I cannot predict wins.
DeleteIf the Pacers did the unthinkable: bring David West off the bench as a 6th man and start Tyler Hansbrough, then NO WAY for Lin. Psycho T is too fleet footed, high jumping, hoop savvy, and motor driven to let Jeremy Lin waltz into the lane like he did last season. I stopped following the Pacers after Tyler Hansbrough (another one of my favorite winning players) was benched.
When I think of teams stopping Jeremy Lin, I never look at the point guard matchup because no individual point guard can stop Lin from scoring at will in isolation. I think strictly of the wing help and particularly the big man rotation. I don't even worry about opponents guarding Lin with a small forward because if Lin can shred Shawn Marion and Grant Hill and the Spurs crack defenders at will, no wing in the entire NBA can stop Lin.
Indiana does have an athletic wing in Paul George, but he's absolutely incapable of stopping Lin due to the lack of footspeed and basketball instincts.
As much as I like Hibbert, he's not a rangy midrange threat like Psycho T. Jeremy Lin should have no problems either getting past Hibbert of feeding Asik for the blown layup.
Hopefully IND coach doesn't visit this site. Let him keep benching Tyler Hansborough. ;>
DeleteAnd now that Larry Bird is gone, maybe Daryl Morey can convince Kevin Pritchard that Hansbrough is a BUST and trade for any Rockets forward including Chandler Parsons who's not half the player that Psycho T is.
DeleteKHuang, i agree with you... used to be my favorite game as well back in the late 80's and 90's (when i was old enough to follow NBA) especially with my favorite player of all time Magic. back then, players cared about this game and actually wanted to prove to each other who's better. made for great theater. even the dunk contest back then was about competing and winning.
Deletenow? not so much. no one cares who wins this thing and no one cares who's better anymore. well, except if jeremy had made it, the eastern guards would actually try to play defense just so they don't get showed up by an asian dude.
i think they need to think of ways to get the competitive juices flowing. players disliking players will bring that out (wade breaking kobe's nose).. and since all the players care about is money, maybe the NBA should pull money together and the winning team gets to split the pot.
Jeremy will not be in ASG, but he'll be in THIS.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Feigen -
ReplyDelete"Jeremy Lin was 45,000 votes behind CP3 for a starting Western Conference All Star guard spot. I think I speak for him when I say, "whew.""
Jeremy's upcoming VIDEO PROJECT TEASER
ReplyDeleteThis is some good stuff right here!
DeleteVatican Recruits Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin to Promote Christian Values in Sports
ReplyDeleteIsabliJane is the 2nd coming of via. Who needs via anyways? LOL, just kidding via.
Delete"IsabliJane is the 2nd coming of via..."
Deletesounded creepy, like apocalypse or the undead will soon swarm the land lol
In a good way!
DeleteJosh Lin on Linsanity the movie:It's. about. to go. down.
ReplyDeleteHaving a super hero brother sure has its perks. Dammit Josh I envy you
DeleteRockets-Pacers Preview (AP)
ReplyDeleteThe Indiana Pacers are riding their longest home win streak in 10 years as their NBA-leading defense gets ready for a test.
The Pacers look for their 11th straight home win as they try to hand the high-scoring Houston Rockets a sixth straight defeat Friday night.
Indiana (24-16) is enjoying its longest run at home since a 14-game streak Nov. 28, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003. The Pacers are allowing a league-low 89.1 points per game overall, and that figure is at 82.6 during this home streak.
Houston (21-19) enters on its longest slide since a six-game skid in April, but James Harden and company could pose problems. Harden is averaging 26.3 points for a Rockets club that is second in the league with 105.4 points per game.
Both teams had the day off Thursday after some difficult back-to-back sets of games.
Indiana split two sets in the past week, losing both of the second contests by 97-86 scores at Brooklyn on Sunday and at Orlando on Wednesday.
The Pacers did not want to blame the schedule after allowing the Magic to shoot 46.5 percent and hit 12 3-pointers - a season high for an Indiana opponent.
"I believe it is our fourth game in five nights so fatigue can play a factor," guard George Hill said. "There is no time for excuses and everybody in the NBA goes through them. You still have to come to battle every day. We will take this loss as a team and hold our heads high and get back to work on Friday."
Houston will begin its fifth straight set of back-to-back games after failing to pick up a win in the last two. The Rockets fell 105-100 at Dallas on Wednesday as Harden went 5 for 23 from the floor, although he scored 20 points.
"James played hard," coach Kevin McHale said. "He got to the line 12 times. He had some looks that he normally makes and missed some, but you're going to have nights like that."
The Pacers yield an average of 20.6 foul shots, among the lowest in the league, but Harden presents a challenge as he is among the league leaders with 9.9 attempts per game.
Houston got some sloppy play from its key perimeter players Wednesday as Harden, Jeremy Lin and Carlos Delfino combined for 13 of its 16 turnovers that led to 24 points.
"You've just got to make the easy play," Harden said. "We were trying to do a little too much, one extra dribble too much."
While Indiana excels defensively, it's the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA with 91.1 points per game.
No Pacers player has scored 30 in any of the last 27 games. The only team with a longer such drought is Washington, which has not had a player exceed 27 all season.
Indiana is the top rebounding team in the league at 46.4 per game and will faces Houston center Omer Asik, averaging 11.2 boards. The 7-footer has never started against the Pacers as he goes up against 7-2 center Roy Hibbert, who averages 2.7 blocks and 8.4 rebounds.
Game Preview from NBA
ReplyDeleteMatchup
The Houston Rockets make their only appearance at the Fieldhouse in two years on Friday during a four-game trip. For the Pacers, the game splits up a stretch of seven games away from Indy.
The Rockets look much different than they did last season, with only four players returning because of an active free agency and a trade that shipped a handful of players away. They signed free agents, most notably Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, and made the sudden deal with Oklahoma City for James Harden just before the regular season opener. Now, they are both the youngest (average age under 24) and the least experienced team in the NBA.
Houston got off to a slow start (4-11), which is to be expected with a new core and so many late changes. Head coach Kevin McHale took a leave of absence for 13 games as he dealt with a family issue. During that stretch, former IU coach Kelvin Sampson stepped in and the team went 7-6.
They were recently seven games over .500 after winning five in a row but they’ve since lost three straight. The Rockets’ up-tempo play has them leading the league in points per game (105), but they’re also giving up the third-most (103). Their identity capitalizes on their opponents’ mistakes, as they are third in the league in steals with almost nine per contest.
With a new team and greater opportunity, center Omer Asik has been putting up dramatically better numbers than his first two seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, who decided not to match the Rockets’ offseason offer. He’s averaging 10.3 points per game (up nearly seven) and 11.1 rebounds per game (up nearly six) while shooting 54 percent. Asik and Roy Hibbert were two of the more compelling centers that other teams took a look at. Asik left but Hibbert stayed.
James Harden has also thrived in his new environment and is Houston's go-to option. He’s accounting for more than 35 percent of their offense – averaging 26 points and five assists per game.
The Pacers will play their defensive, grind-it-out type of style and pressure the Rockets. They are the only team in the league holding their opponents, on average, under 90 points per game and they’ve only given up more than 100 points at home once this season. Indiana’s 10-game home winning streak will be on the line.
I'm concerned that we are gonna brickfest 3 points tonight. Pacers currently 1st in the league in DefEff and O3P%
ReplyDeleteOh and Asik gonna get plowed in the inside by Hibert and West too
I can only hope Indy just have a bad night because the only way to win against Pacers is to be better than them on DEFENSE
Hibbert protects his basket well. I hope the team won't get intimidated and stay on the perimeter. I say drive the ball in and get him into early foul trouble. I'm guessing our big men won't do the job (Asik with his size should be able to draw more fouls), but our guards should try to get Hibbert a few quick fouls.
DeleteBeforw Lin's rookie season, I was hoping that Larry Bord would advise Herb Simon to bring Jeremy Lin to the Pacers.
ReplyDeleteAt the time, the Pacers were a bubble playoff team. Bird had promised that the Pacers would make the playoffs during his tenure, and they DID. Tyler Hansbrough was inserted into the starting lineup in midesason and instantly started having 20 point 10 rebound games.
What the Pacers did not have was consistent guard play. They were getting by with Darren Collison and AJ Price. Plus Danny Granger is a worse shooting and less defensive Carmelo Anthony.
Lin would have been the perfect guy to put on this Pacers team. In my fantasy world, they would've had:
PG: Lin
SG: Paul George
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Psycho T
C: Roy Hibbert
bench: David West as a high scoring 6th man, George Hill at both guard positions, and Lance Stephenson as a defensive swingman.
That would've been a top NBA team, a contender in the East that would put a scare into Miami and a healthy Chicago.
maybe in 3 years, ha! Then some of us won't have to deal with HOU's retarded fan base anymore.
DeleteLin is not going to be with the rockets longer than his contract. Morey has said MULTIPLE TIMES that LIN/ASIK are tradable assets.
The all star voting stuff is bogus. Lets make it simple. The all stars team selection should be stat driven. The best guys should play period.
ReplyDeleteTop assists/scoring guys, east or west, will be selected as PG/SG/SF based on that. If you lead in scoring/assists per game then you're the starter followed by the 2nd highest player in the league as the backup, so on and so forth.
As for PF/C, the selection will be based on rebounding and shot blocking prowess.
This is fair for players and should be fair for the fans as well. The cream will always rise to the top anyways, so there should be no grumblings about popularity and just strictly good bball play and that's it. So fans who feel that Kobe and Lebron are all stars would be playing anyways because they have the stats to back it up.
The NBA then should come up with another team or a group of players, the standby team. The selection of this team can be based on other stats, perhaps steals. This group of players or player is called upon when they need a steal or two to trim the lead down or frustrate the opposing team. This group of player(s) can be called upon only once to do what they do best and that's it.
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DeleteI think All Star game is a chance for fans to see stars from different teams play together. It's the synergy, the answers to "what if" this point guard is matched up with that big man. Stats correlates to stars' status or what the fans want to see but is only an indicator. Stats, by itself, has no feel, no soul.
DeleteIf it's just about stats, why bother having a game at all. Just give out awards.
racha,
Deletesounds simple but it's really not as simple as taking stats straight up. unless it's fairly obvious, "who's the best pg/sg/sf/pf/c" could be all very subjective. sometimes that player with best stats isn't really the best player. A LOT of this has to do with the system the player plays in. jeremy lin is a perfect example of this.
i think the best way to do this is to have a panel of media members select the players that will be on the ballot (4 players per position), and fans can vote for whoever they want on the ballot. in other words, if you're on the ballot you're a legitimate all-star, and after that it's based on who the fans want to see.
Etane, yeah, although I get tired of seeing the usual suspects sometimes. Players like Ty Lawson and Greivis Vasquez to name a few should be all-stars.
Deletefighton1999, that's a good way to do it also.
DeleteRacha, I guess from my point of view is all star is for those mainstream fans and not niche fans like you and I might be.
DeleteUhm, there's this thing called the all nba team, mvp and dpoy. It's all stats oriented.
DeleteThe all star game is for the FANS TO VOTE FOR WHO THEY WANT TO SEE ON THE COURT. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STATS AND NEVER WILL. FANS AREN'T STATISTICIANS.
Imagine if rockets still had Kmart instead of harden. Lin would have all star stats. I was against the harden trade and still am.
ReplyDeleteJeremy is all star to me. No Jeremy, no all star to watch. Linsanity makes NBA excited and fun to watch. Bring back many fans and new fans. That, is the power of a "star". No body does it like Jeremy Lin. Good luck on this game. Will see a win.
ReplyDeletenot related to our boy, just a news in NBA -
ReplyDeleteAlvin Gentry is out as the Phoenix Suns coach:
http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/01/18/13/Gentry-out-as-Suns-coach/msn_landing.html?blockID=851319&feedID=3698
With a record like that, someone is gonna get hacked. Just a matter of time.
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DeleteGentry I think was D'Antoni's assistant with the Suns. He restored D'Antoni's offensive system when he took over after Porter took over for D'Antoni.
DeleteIf coach doesn't stay around next year, Gentry may be a candidate. JLin should be able to run it with similar experience. Unfortunately, the system seems to still require good rolling big men.
Since I'm from Phoenix, I know about Alvin Gentry.
DeleteGenerally I like him. He's a good coach. I don't see him as being an improvement over McHale, though.
Alvin Gentry had Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, and Luis Scola as his bigs in Phoenix. He also had Goran Dragic who most people outside of this forum regard as being vastly superior to Lin. Those guys are all better paid than Lin and his minimum wage frontcourters, yet they could not get the job done.
Also, I predicted before the season that the Suns drafted an utter bust in Kendall Marshall in the lottery. I said that Marshall was too slow and too untalented to play in the D league, let alone the actual NBA. Indeed, Marshall has been the kind of superbust that has set the Suns back every time they draft in the lottery.
I live in Phoenix, but I'm not a Suns fan. I just cannot agree with their basketball philosophy of overpaying below average players, letting stars walk, and drafting bust after bust.
Ready to comment on the game tonight. I thought I wasn't going to be home tonight and have already set my DVR to record it, but I am home and ready to watch the game. Go Rockets!
ReplyDelete2 hours until game time is tooooooooooo long. Need to watch it now. Can't wait for the Roxs to slaughter the Pacers.
DeleteWhich match up you think will be interesting to watch 2nite?
DeleteProbably George vs Parsons or Hibbert vs Asik. Don't know if Augustine played against Lin last year.
DeleteMy match up to watch 2nite is McHale vs Vogel. I don't see any threat from the Pacers other than they will grind you down. It's gonna be a test of stamina and conditioning more than anything. Just need to play smart and take care of the ball. The Pacers are not gonna blow you out.
DeleteMy impression George is that he is a dynamic scorer. He can beat you in many different ways. It should be a good test for Parson's defense.
DeleteI'm kind of being sarcastic with the McHale vs Vogel matchup, but I don't have any specific matchups that really stands out for me. Pacers is a throw back team. They play hard nose defense. Maybe this a good lesson the Roxs can learn from, defensively. West? meh Hibbert? meh. We'll see. Like you said, let's go Rockos.
DeleteGeorge is good but I never find him to be a threat, although he does put up the most numbers for the Pacers.
DeleteCoach McHale's take on Pacer's defense (It doesn't sound like he is confident that the young team can beat the Pacers D? Hope they practised well to move as a team to exploit the double team. I wonder who the one or two guys are who are not on the same page. I do have an idea.):
DeleteFrom http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2013/01/pacers-a-tough-test-but-rockets-look-at-own-issues-first/#more-13220
“The movement behind it, the spacing – they’re starting to leave certain people. Our guys have to make the next play. In our league, it’s like a chess match. We’ve had the same opening for a while. Pretty soon, they start countering your openings. We have to see who’s open, get the ball to them and that guy has to make plays.
“When they put two-on-one, it distorts the court, but it opens up stuff, too. Where we have trouble is it takes all five guys moving together at the same time to exploit that. Now, they’re really loading up as a team and much more zoning. That requires everyone being on the same page. When we go back, one or two guys are completely not on that page. We haven’t had much practice time and teams are playing us differently. We go over it and over it and over it, but the best teacher in this league is experience.”
I don't think he's referring to JLin. This team does have a tendency to just stand around and look on. One thing JLin does well is that he talks to his mates when he sees a breakdown.
DeleteOne way to beat the counter openings is court awareness. Some players have it and some just don't. Most are young and just haven't experienced enough to have those heads up play. There's a reason why certain groups of players can play well or flourish together and some can't. I can't see what Mchale can really do at this point. He's trying to grasp at intangibles.
The Roxs just need some new blood on the team. Maybe players that are defense oriented.
Delete@racha, If they're going to get defense oriented players then Lin's position would be the first to go. Your wish might just come true...Beverly's defense should help the perimeter...so much so, that if he continues to penetrate too, then he could over take Lin's spot. uh oh...
DeleteDon't get too excited about Patrick Beverly, k.smith.
DeleteNo matter how good he has looked these last few games as a physically fresh rookie playing against tired midseason legs, Beverly has a LONG WAY TO GO before he is NBA ready.
Beverly is the kind of player NBA general managers love to scout. He's athletic looking, has a good looking elevation on his jump shot, and can occasionally dunk. He's also got SLOW reflexes, a lack of court vision that shall soon be exposed, weak defensive skills that soon shall have opposing PGs targeting him, and no ability to play through the traps that teams will eventually put on him.
Patrick Beverley was not drafted because he doesn't have NBA game. Putting him in a Rockets jersey will only expose his weaknesses. Putting him in the rotation beside Jeremy Lin will only CEMENT Lin's role as a starter in due time.
At least Scott Machado, who I also said this summer was not NBA caliber, had NBA reflexes despite not having NBA athleticism. Beverley does not have NBA reflexes, plus jumping seems to be the only thing he does that appears to be NBA caliber. Once teams figure out Beverley, we'll see if Beverley can overcome the weaknesses that caused him to go undrafted.
Whoops, Beverley WAS drafted in the 2nd round.
Deletesorry guys.
When a player like Beverley gets drafted but fails to stick in the NBA, my mind automatically files him under "undrafted". That's because my mind only cares about guys who make meaningful NBA contributions, guys like LIN.
When I said new blood, I meant the frontcourt not the backcourt. I'm fine with JLin's defense, LOL. You think I want my boy to get traded. I don't think so.
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ReplyDeletePlayer G MP FG FGA FG% 3P% FT FTA FT% AST STL BLK TOV PTS
ReplyDeleteGoran Dragic 39 1257 196 438 0.447 0.318 106 149 0.711 237 58 10 88 547
Kyle Lowry 26 727 114 265 0.43 0.391 107 129 0.829 153 36 11 53 378
Raymond Felton 28 944 182 460 0.396 0.353 38 49 0.776 176 34 3 66 443
Jeremy Lin 40 1339 184 430 0.428 0.276 89 116 0.767 252 82 15 121 491
Kyrie Irving 30 1071 255 551 0.463 0.405 129 155 0.832 168 54 11 110 699
Chris Paul 37 1237 217 451 0.481 0.347 146 162 0.901 358 97 1 79 623
Here are some interesting stats. I am comparing two PG that were from Houston that got traded to Phoenix and Toronto, Raymond Felton who took Lin's spot in NY and two other PG in Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul and here is what I came up with:
DeleteJeremy played more games than all 5 of them at 40 games played, Jeremy is also logging the most minutes at 1339 minutes played. The lowest would be Kyle Lowry at 727 MP. Jeremy fg% is 2nd from the last position at .428 as compared to the lowest which is Felton at .396, his 3 pt % is the lowest, his ft attempts is 2nd to last also, his assists is 100 assists off from CP who has the highest, he has also behind CP in terms of steal at 82 steals, he has the highest number of blocks at 15, but alarmingly he has the most turnovers at 121. Kyrie Irving is 2nd in turnovers at 110. Amongst the 5 other PG Lin comes in 4th in terms of scoring at 491. Felton and Lowry isn't far behind him eventhough they are injured and not starting. Just some interesting stats for you guys to digest.
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DeleteIn summary, Lin can reach CP status if he plays more efficiently in cutting down his TO and attempting more FG instead of 3 pts, he also needs to goto the hole more and draw more fouls (hence the low FTA number). In order to do this he will also need help from the BIGS in finishing at the basket or on the attempt to boost up his assist number, help from Harden to trust in him and let him run the point instead of jacking it up, stop attempting so many threes or long twos and bottom line is that he has to be more aggressive and take it to the hole and draw fouls. Throw up your head and arms like Harden to catch the referees eyes.
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DeleteSorry guys, but I cannot export EXCEL cells into here to make the columns and rows much neater for you to read the stats. I tried to explain the best I could out of the data that I compiled.
DeleteAnother thought that occurs to me is that although Lin has been benched a couple of times he is still logging the most minutes which is crazy. That is alot of mileage on him already for 40 games. Which leads me to say that McHale is not managing his minutes too well. At this rate both him and Harden will be worn out by the end of the season.
DeleteI don't know whether TO is a fair comparison with CP. CP is well acquainted with his team. CP is also playing with more experienced guys. Those guys can also catch passes better. Of course JLin can improve, but I don't think it is a problem.
DeleteFor assists, JLin is making good reads and delivering the right passes. Teammates failing to catch passes has been a recurring problem. Outside CP3, JLin is doing better than everyone else on the list per game. So again, of course he can improve since he is still young, but I don't see an issue on JLin's part there.
Aggressiveness and taking threes is partly JLin and partly the system. I'd like to see more shots and more midrange, but imo he is working within a basketball system/philosophy and the corresponding guidelines as to what type of shots that should be taken and how much JLin should shoot the ball for a player playing his position. I do agree JLin has some measure of discretion within those general guidelines and should try to shoot more and take mid range twos as much as he can within that system, without completely messing with the philosophy behind the system. I think he more or less achieving the right balance given the circumstances. He can probably try to shoot midrange.
curious why don't you per game number, but use total...
DeleteThanks for the info Johnly. Lin's 3pt shooting isn't going to improve much. He's never been a great 3pt shooter. Also, HOU is all about layups and 3pt shots. Ultimately, 3pt shots will lower his fg%.
DeleteLin will have to go above and beyond what other players have to do, to earn the trust of this coaching staff. It is what it is. The perfect system for Lin was under D'antoni. Mchale's system is good/decent but it doesn't optimize Lin (no mid range game).
@TN4, what does per game going to prove anyway in terms of stats? You can skew numbers if you do per game. We all know Lin's production increased between Mid Nov - Jan. and then somewhat took a bit of a drop with the games where the Rockets lost 5 in a row. He put up some decent numbers but not where they should be. Therefore I tend to look at total games played and what each players produced during that stretch and how many minutes played. Lin has played the most minutes yet his efficiency is not nearly efficient as CP3 who played less minutes.
DeleteI have a thing for guys like Jeremy Lin that go undiscovered despite awesome pre NBA production.
ReplyDeleteRoy Hibbert was THE GUY for me before Lin. Before I even knew who Lin was, Hibbert was the guy I intensely followed. Before he entered the NBA, I proclaimed him a future All Star and got flamed repeatedly. Now he's an All Star, and though I'm not truly into the All Star game at least Hibbert now has become a max contract center.
I was THRILLED when the Pacers got Tyler Hansbrough. He is one of the NCAA's all time greatest players, especially at UNC where he easily ranks alongside Jordan and Worthy and Daugherty as one of the greatest college performers ever. But then Tyler (and Roy) got benched by Coach Jim O'Brien who eventually was fired by Bird for badmouthing his team and not playing the young guys.
Hibbert's career is secure, so I don't follow him as much anymore. Hansbrough, on the other hand, is a STUD who is not highly rated because he's white. There is a leaguewide perception that Hansbrough is a slow stiff who can't run or jump, but it's so not true. Hansbrough was a dominant NCAA superstar that dunked over people, dribbled past them to the basket, shot 3 pointers, and scored from all over the court. He's what people THINK Blake Griffin is, as Griffin is actually just a one dimensional dunker who needs a lot of work on his entire game.
Right now, Tyler has a very limited role. He's being used as a low usage banger, which is an utter WASTE of his ability. David West is the starter and there is nothing wrong with that, but I've seen Hansbrough vastly outplay David West as a starter. Hansbrough is a game changer who needs minutes and touches to be successful, just like Jeremy Lin.
There are actually very few NBA power forwards I would rather have than Tyler Hansbrough. Though he doesn't get the minutes I feel he deserves, Hansbrough is a PLAYER who has gotten 20 points and 10 rebounds as a starter. On a different team that correctly perceived him as an athletic dunking player, Hansbrough would easily be as impactful a power forward as Jeremy Lin is a point guard.
If Lin wasn't around, I'd be on a Tyler Hansbrough forum singing his praises. That's how high my esteem for that great young power forward is.