Lin is very good with their collective basketball Harden is very good with their individual basketball Lin needs to do more points Harden needs to pass more the ball Lin is playing more than 40 minutes for two reasons First because the defense of Douglas is not anymore the same Second, because Lin is currently the best defender of Houston If Lin continue to evolve in its defense, he can be 1 or 2 defensive team in the NBA
Hope i'm just overreacting but Lin played much slower tonight after he took that hit on his knee. It starts the 2 min mark. http://youtu.be/KEYi52pXUG0 He was hobbling to the locker room too. I hope it's nothing serious...
Also, why the h.ell doesn't Mchale know how to manage a players' minutes? Having Lin go from Scrub minutes to consecutive 40min games irks me.
Why did McHale play too many minutes for Lin? Was the owner Leslie in the audience today as well? It's odd, to many PT for 2 games in a row all of sudden. Maybe with so much complains from fans when Lin was being treated like the end of the bench, he's trying to get Lin injured - just kidding. With Lin knee not yet 100%, he shouldn't be playing 12 minutes straight.
Too bad Lin plays so well but he doesn't have the stats to show for it, since that's what the "experts" and general fans look at.
Maybe McHale finally decided to use his brain and realized that Lin is really important to the team. If he didn't play Lin that many minutes, the Rockets might not pull out a win today. Unfortunately, he only used half of his brain because using Lin that many minutes will only increases his chance of getting injured. Lin was the best defensive player tonight and he was needed to pull out a win. I am telling you this really does make Sampson looks really stupid and incompetent because Lin shot down Vasquez, but yet was able to go HAM on Toney.
High hopes that Anderson signing will give us a lock down defender like Schump was last year for the Knicks. This might be good for Harden and Jeremy down the stretch... unless Jeremy gets benched again for DEFENSIVE reasons by the coaching staff...
Lin usually plays anywhere from 30-34 min per game. But with the close game today, he played more. He played well so the coaches kept him in. Nothing wrong with that. The pace was slow in this game so he probably was fresher than a 30 min frenetic paced game.
alcsd, haha...got it. I actually don't really have much faith in the whole Rox org including Les but I can't blame him either. JLin could be a afterthought after Harden's trade and Morey comes across as a genius to Les. Les on the other hand collected his first pot of gold being a stock trader would only apply his trader instinct to buy high sell high. No surprise that Harden is given the green light to stat pad while JLin work hard like a second-class citizen to win games for the Rox.
He was as bad on offense as Harden is on defense. Not a net positive player.
My thing about NBA scorers is that if they can't defend, they BETTER score and score BIG. Even so, I'm constantly watching them to see if they're actually impacting winning.
Jeremy Lin is the one guy I DON'T worry about when it comes to winning.
I thought Lin played decent tonight. He didn't put up a good stat line.
The Bad: His jumpshot is atrocious, he got blocked badly at the rim a time or two, he had some really head scratching turnovers, and he took one horrible shot where he waved off Harden and chucked up a 3 that missed badly.
The Good: Other than that, he played pretty well. He played within the flow of the offense and didn't force much. He was getting into the paint, reading the defense, making the right plays and finding the open man. He played solid defense as well and was active on the boards. Solid effort overall from Lin tonight.
JLin played 41 minutes and had two turnovers - TWO. You really think that is something worth mentioning? Were they really "head scratching"? Even people like Nash have 3,5 turnovers a game or so. JLin makes things happen - sometimes he turns it over but thats the nature of basketball DUDE.
Also - why ride on a 3 that he missed? A miss is a miss - why call it "badly"? All the Rox were shooting bad - 5/24 and yet noone complains about Delfinos jumpshots - noone discribes it as atraocious (1/6 and 0/4). JLins teammates didnt care about passing to Lin either so why bicker about that waving off Harden thing? Besides - Harden shot 2/8 which is same percentage as 1/4.
I was just making the observation that those turnovers were just awful, of the cringeworthy type he was making earlier in the season. These types of turnovers you rarely see top NBA point guards make. But you're right, it was only two, so that's good.
That 3 was awful. Bad shots stick out in my mind, and that shot was horrible. He waved off Harden to go ISO. He held the ball, didn't penetrate, but chose to chuck up a contested 3 that barely hit the rim. Shots that barely hit the rim often lead to fastbreaks the other way. When a ball bounces up off the rim, it gives the defense a split second to get back, which can make a world of difference. (If you've been watching basketball for longer than 11 months, then please disreqard the previous explanation as you are already aware of it). Just a horrible shot, bad decision. Reminded me of the type of chucking Josh Smith does.
But then again, that was only one shot. Overall, he had an okay game.
And you're wrong about Delfino. Plenty of people call Delfino's shot selection atrocious. He even has the derisive nickname "Kobe Delfino" because he has no conscience at all. He will chuck you out of games as much as he will chuck you into them. But this site is not named www.carlosdelfino.net. It's called www.jeremylin.net, so I come here to analyze and observe what Lin does in games, not Delfino.
We really dont need to debate about the quality of turnovers tonight since it has only been two and JLin had one steal (if Im not mistaken) - unless of course you want to point out that JLin is a (alleged) turnover machine (SAS style) in which case -> go ahead...
I really dont get your "touching rim -> fastbreak" explanation. You are cherry picking observations and disregard those which dont comply with your way of thinking. Your claim cant be explained otherwise. Superstition?
Whether a missed 3 leads to a fastbreak depends on were your teammates happen to stand at the time and whether they are able to get the rebound. So - it depends on how the team was spread and what kind of players were on the court at the time.
The ball may jump from the outer side of the rim into the hands of an opponent - it might as well go in, touch the inside of the rim, go out and land on your lap if you sit in the 1st row.
When I learned how to shoot 3s I never took into consideration how someone would get a rebound and who that would be. A miss is a miss. I dont plan on how I miss cause I dont plan to miss. Maybe you play different but...
However - its dumb to even debate about the quality of a miss. Unless of course you want to find reason to blame someone for nonsense.
Maybe you just dont know that cause you never played basketball or even never watched until an asian guy started to play. Maybe that bugs you so you have to do whatever is possible to bash that player...
Its a Jeremy Lin fansite - not a Jeremy Lin pull-something-out-of-your-ass-to-bash-him site. If JLins shot was atrocious - how were others peoples shots? Iven seen one airball and two near-airballs. Can you even make those sound worse after what you have been saying about Lin?
BTW - people do criticise other players here. Noone criticised Delfinos form - so - I wasnt wrong.
Your post makes a lot of claims - I dont see any analysis though.
it's very obvious to all of us but @fearoflittlepeople himself that he is a sophisticated throll(borrow from Michael Terry. @fear reminds me of eb___, ne___whatever
@willy, right on, fellow. Since this is jlin site, we should also talk about how others affect jlin's game right? Not just jlin we are talking about. We talk about jlin and his team, that means everyone on the rockets.
This is the first time I could see Lin play really good D. Yes, he played decent D other times, but this time, he really played very good D on Vasquez, so Lin's D must be improving. Harden should try to get around 22 points per game and take better shots. Yes, Harden's D sucks, but without Harden, I think Rockets would have won 4 or 5 games less, so overall, makes positive contribution, and in the crunch time, he is the only one who can create shots or draw fouls. Lin is playing with more confidence, but I can't see any change in his offensive game or mind set so far that makes me alter my initial prediction that Lin will end this season with around 12 ppt.
Also, Achon, don't post anything specifically negative about Lin's game, or you will get attacked.
A hon, to be fair Lin had worse jump shooting games before. Today, few of his layups did not go in -- bad luck partly. I want Lin to take 15 shots per game though.
Re-watched the game and take back what I said about Jeremy not getting touches... he had plenty of touches and IMO Harden plays very well with Jeremy. Obviously down the stretch, Harden is going to get the ball instead of Jeremy because he's really the best and by far the most consistent individual offensive option the team has. I think Jeremy obviously has shown he has the ability to go LINSANITY... and this will happen when his conditioning and legs are all the way back which will really improve his jumpers.
1. James Harden is out of control. He flipped out on one play where Lin didn't pass to Harden who was double teamed at the time. This is reminiscent of Melo flipping out when Lin didn't pass to him once. Then, Harden, loudly clapped his hands on another possession. The guy is a prima donna and is extremely disrespectful. This is the same guy, remember, who people reported was complaining and pouting after Game1 of the finals last year when OKC WON THE GAME, but Harden was b*tching that he didn't get the ball enough (even though he shot a ton that game). James Harden is not a leader. He's a flashy iso ball-dominating scorer who plays horrible/lazy D against his man.
2. I've been spending time on basketballvalue.com. It's started by a MIT and Stanford grad. This guy was the Grizzlies' sole analyst since 2009, not a coincidence the Grizzlies got much better the past few years. The founder of this site was recently hired as Director of Analytics for the 76ers. Anyways, his site shows that Jeremy Lin now has the 14th best adjusted plus/minus in the ENTIRE league: Jeremy Lin led the Rockets with +17. Lin's 2-year adjusted +/- ranks 14th in the ENTIRE NBA since 2011 now... http://basketballvalue.com/topplayers.php?year=2012-2013&mode=summary&sortnumber=92&sortorder=DESC
It also shows that Lin is top3 on the team this year in adjusted +/-. http://basketballvalue.com/teamplayers.php?year=2012-2013&mode=summary&sortnumber=94&sortorder=DESC&team=HOU
There are lots of other interesting things you can check out on this site. The beauty of adjusted plus/minus is it improves on basic plus/minus. It adjusts and factors for pace as well as the caliber of your teammates on the court, as well as the competition on the floor (so are there starters or bench players you go up against). It looks at the team's performance when the player is on or off the court. The data requires sufficient sample sizes and still has some "noise" in the data since models can't account for chemistry or other things, but it's one of the closest things to measuring a players' effectiveness.
If Lin is not allowed to play PG and if Houston keeps him, I think he will find a way to leave (even though they have his bird rights). I hate to say this, but I actually prefer Lin playing with Melo than with Harden. At least with Melo, he gets to play PG full time. I think because of the fiasco with Melo, he doesn't want to repeat that with Harden. He is being cautious and smart because of lessons learned. Harden didn't seem selfish when he was with the Thunder, but his head has gotten real big lately. If the McHale doesn't put things in order soon, it will be an irreversible toxic environment. On top of that, everyone is playing for himself because Morey treats everyone like an asset.
I think McHale has already put things in order - on JLins costs.
Prima Donna or not - after this "Harden upset" thing I am no longer sure whether Harden is as unselfish as he claimed (interview beginning of season "I am unselfish like JLin"). He cant just disrespect someone like JLin on the court like that.
Unfortunately its a fact that "production" is based on scoring and nothing else. The more you score the more you get paid. So - its no wonder that "good" players sometimes dont give shit - they make their teammates feed them the ball and they score. They let the team do everything else and if it doesnt work out... they still dont care. They blame it on everyone else...
This is why I hope the team trainer/doctor advise that Lin to sit out the next couple of game. I want McHale to see how valuable Lin is to this team.
Let Harden get the stats the next two games, but the team either lose or barely win one. I am not a religious person, but somehow I have a feeling that things will work out for Lin (whether he stays in Houston or go else where). I hope history repeat itself and he got traded somewhere and he blow up there like he did in NY. Houston will have eggs on their face. Poetic Justice for JLIN.
I think the way his teammates treat Lin, especially Harden has to do with the coaches' treatment of Lin. If the coaches don't see him as a leader and treated him like scrub, then it's okay for us to treat him like one too. I know what Khuang is to going to say, scrub don't play 30 minutes. They had no choice, because he was signed to a good contract and their marketing campaign was built around him.
That would be a true test for harden and the team. But i know that only 2 things will happen....i wont watch those games cuz it will be boring and rockets will have a back to back loss. Will mchale realize jeremy's worth? NOOO.He will probably give the best excuses he can think of but not admit that jeremy is valuable.I hope jeremy will be given the rest and recuperate and smile in the bench watching harden be the PG/SG/SF and still lose.At least when happens ,Jeremy is watching from the sideline and not on the court ... Hahah
Then they better get a real head coach with strong leadership skill because McHale aint' cutting it as this team's commander. Someone Phil Jackson will put Harden in his place.
One of the main reasons was because McHale started to use Lin correctly, which was no a no brainer. If McHale doesn't step up his leadership skill soon, and the environment is so toxic that Lin is unhappy, then he might have to go. Lin is a smart dude, if he is unhappy, he won't show it publicly, but his people will express it.
I have been way too busy to follow Lin's recent games. My work schedule is growing.
I follow the entire NBA as much as I can. Though it doesn't seem that way here, Lin is only one of several players I'm following. It just seems that I'm a Lin fanatic because this is a Lin website and I think he's the best young point guard in the NBA.
I'd also like to see Lin traded. Except for the owner, so much about Houston, the Rockets organization and their fans that I dislike, as well as how have treated Lin thus far. Don't forget that Lin had to save his basketball career and reputation by "auditioning" in the real game 42 days into the season. I feel that Lin is good for the Rockets and Harden but they are bad for Lin. I have been a Harden fan and supporter, but the more time goes by the less I like Harden.
Not too long ago, I told Neph that the Pacers is a poor team but I judged them prematurely. I'd love to see Lin go to either Memphis or Indiana.
I hope he gets traded to the Eastern Conference if possible, but I still like Dallas for him because the owner and head coach respects his game. I know Dallas doesn't look good on paper because is Dirk aging really fast, but Lin is a winner so I am sure he will win there. As I said earlier, I am not a religious person, but I have a feeling everything will work out him. It doesn't matter how he is used or misused, he will triumph in the end.
I noticed this until now, most of the interviews (excepts for the two wins of the Knicks), he doesn't seem happy. Even during Melodrama, he seemed more happy than the interviews here.
I actually liked the Mavericks very much. It was my first choice for Lin. However, until Lin proves himself in a lot more games, so many owners and basketball minds were and are gun shy about Lin, especially coupled with the fact that Dolan, Woodson and the ESPN's Smith did such a hatchet job on Lin. Also it had a LOT to do with the steep drop off in Lin's production going from D'Antoni to Woodson (Ignorant people didn't realize all the facts for the change - like we did or the BasketballValue.com). I had a distinct feeling that Cuban (but not the Mav's coach) was just being gracious to Lin but didn't really believe it in his heart (just like McHale was during the Linsanity phase but completely changed after the Woodson era). In fact, Lin's agents shopped the Mavs but Cuban "weren't going in that direction".
hi guys. can somebody advise what happened to Jeremy when he fell on his knees and has to be benched for a minute or two? I missed that part fully, the last thing I saw is him kind of twisting back court. I got a call from one of our suppliers so I had to take that call first. did he get fouled hard AGAIN? thanks!
Mark Cuban is the one person that won't bs anything he doesn't believe in. I learned a lot about him as a person from watching him during his time on Dancing with the Stars. Prior to that I didn't know anything about him. I know it's a reality TV so they will edit certain things to fit their agenda. From watching him, I came away liking him as a person. I would definitely want to work for him. He is a big loyal guy.
I don't know much about Carlisle, and all I know is that he is smart.
Reading people face, facial and body language is one of my hobbies (I became intrigued by this whole thing watching the lady who picked OJ jurors). I think we all do at some point or another (without realizing it) by the way we choose our friends or who we allow to come into our lives. Usually I can pick up the bad and evil ones really fast. I don't go around reading everyone, but only the ones that intrigue me.
Harden is not a bad person, but sometimes when you are so young and getting paid max money and being put on a pedestal by the GM and coaches, it will go to his head. I hope Houston gets a real coach who can put things in order. Harden strikes me as a loyal guy and will standup and fight for his friends.
I can see Morris and Carlos starting to trust Lin more. If the trust continues, then they will see him as a leader.
Dallas was one of the teams that called Lin's camp at midnight. They didn't think that they could get him because of the we will match up to 1 billion thing. Dallas didn't sign Collison until after Lin was off the market. Even Morey said that Lin would have gotten more money if he was an unrestricted free agent. Teams didn't want to waste their time pursuing Lin, so the Knicks almost pulled it off fencing other teams away.
Yeah I feel Harden is playing to prove he's worth his contract. He wants to be mentioned with Kobe/Melo/KD/Lebron. That comes before the team winning for him.
Harden's contract is guaranteed, just like Lin's. Lin also needs to prove he is worth his contract. Harden so far is already proving he is worth it. Without Harden this team would be near the bottom of the Western Conference.
When Sampson was in charged, the offense was built around Harden and Lin was used as a spot 3 shooter, that team was struggling to stay .500. Now they are winning by using Lin more (but now enough) and I think Lin contributes to that a lot.
@ulyssess Cazuquel, hey man, i appreciate your posts on here but you might want to tame some of the things you say on clutch fans. The people there are idiots, don't waste your time arguing with them.
"...The last year of Harden's five-year, $79 million contract with the Rockets is only 50 percent guaranteed. That means Harden, who passed on a four-year offer from the Thunder that topped out at $55 million, is guaranteed to earn $69.7 million from Houston during the next 5 seasons...Harden almost certainly will hit one of the benchmarks specified in the contract to guarantee the rest of his 2017-18 salary and collect the full $79 million. All he has to do is make one All-Star team in a 4-season span from 2013-14 through 2016-17 to double his take in Year 5...There are other incentive clauses in the contract, based on postseason advancement and statistical benchmarks, that also can make Harden's $17.8 million salary in 2017-18 fully guaranteed."
@k.smith They are people with different ideas and different thoughts Their problem is they have not opened their hearts to see everything that Lin is doing for this team and to city from Houston
Harden wii always be harden since game one with the Rockets.Don't think he'll ever change the way he assumes control of the ball unless his coach tells him so which probably won't happen too. I just really feel bad for jeremy everytime he puts his hands up to ask fir the ball and doesn't get it.This game showed too many flaws of this team, mainly because some players would just want better stats.Too sad for jeremy who is so willing to sacrifice his numbers and his body just so his teammates can score and still NOT SCORE
Obviously earlier in the season Jeremy wasn't used the right way IMO (Up to 2nd SAS game), but I think McHale says it best, the team is best when the ball moves. Tonight the shots weren't falling, the spacing wasn't there... Harden just trying to will a W by being THE MAN.
I highly doubt the Rockets want to play this style night in night out. Great all around game for Lin tonight IMO.
Kind of weird that McHale is now playing Lin max minutes. He can barely walk after taking a fall and then McHale inserts him into the lineup. I wonder what changed. Did it take the Hawks coach praising Lin's D for McHale to see Lin in a different light? In any case, yeah, I kinda would rather have Lin play with Melo on the court. Though Melo was all about himself too.
If there are 5 players like Lin on a court, they will win a championship and can dominate even against Heat, Thunder.
Lin has always played solid defense. It was Sampson's eye test that saw differently. He does make Sampson look stupid. I am sure Sampson is not happy about this. I mean it could hurt his chance of getting a head coaching job someday. Or maybe Les is putting him on a short leash now because of him misusing Lin.
@alcsd, let me clarify, I think Jeremy typically plays excellent all around D. The past few games, Jeremy has really stepped up PnR D over Douglas. Douglas was getting screened consistently tonight....
With Jeremy's speed and size, he can bother the opposing guards and not be a liability when he gets switched up.
Yeah 5 guys like Lin on the court would be awesome. 5 guys all playing for each other, not for themselves. That's why we love Lin, and why even though the Rockets have a decent record right now we're still not all that happy.
They needed Jlin on the court. They need to execute more on the half court as opposed to their usual run and gun. lin is the only one capable or decent enough to run the play in the half court setting. Douglas obviously cant do it. harden can probably do it but on instinct will defer back to his ISO first ball and they cant afford that because it will stagnate the offense and the hornets could control the pace of the game. Lin kept the ball moving in there and with his defense keep the momentum from shifting to the other team. The box score can be deceptive sometimes.
Jlin will be just fine. We all know that Lin has superior court vision and has the talent/skills as PG. I am glad that he is becoming an elite defender. This is going to make him an all around athlete in the NBA. Lin is the player to watch in the next couple of years. Mchale knows what he has in Lin and I think once we get past this ASG, things will settle down. I have always been on the fence about Harden. He is great scorer, but what else can he do? I think as time progresses, Harden's flaws will become very visible where people will begin to talk about them.Don't forget that this is a young team and the selfishness on wanting to make their mark is normal.It is up to the Rockets coaching staff to keep the egos in check.
He won't change. His contract is not fully guaranteed. One of the stipulations is that he has to make one all star game under his new contract, starting next year. Plus, he wants to be recognized as a superstar like Kobe, Lebron, and Durant.
Why is there so much Harden bashing on this site. What do you think the Rockets record is without him? If the Rox had Kevin Martin instead? Harden is already the 2nd best shooting guard in the league at the age of 23, he is a superstar. The numbers he's put up are astonishing - and efficient. Say what you guys want, but Harden is the MAN on the team and rightfully so - he is definitely their best player.
Actually, I think the Rockets would be exactly as good as they are now had they kept Kevin Martin and especially Jeremy Lamb.
Harden turns the ball over WAY MORE than Lin ever did, plus he fires up his share of bricks. Opponents know this, so they zone Lin and let Harden fire.
Most of us here like James Harden, but we are also acutely aware of his limitations. Fortunately he has Jeremy Lin to COVER him.
No way. Martin can't a hoop whenever he wants at will, like Harden can. Not even close. As for Lamb, I watched every single game of his at UCONN; tremendous talent, but was not going to contribute this year. Too passive for now. Has a similar mentality to someone like Rudy Gay.
Harden I believe has single handedly made a diference of 5-6 games for the Rox.
I want to see Lin handle the ball as much as possible and be the initiator on offense but Harden is the man on the Rox, and rightfully so.
I agree, point scoring wise, that Harden is the man on the Rox. I don't see anyone on Rox team who can score against different types of defenders, although Harden sometimes keeps on driving and getting blocked or losing ball against good defenders also. Harden is not Westwood who can pretty much drive and make shots against anyone through sheer speed. Harden also travels often on his Euro steps, which makes me think referees are not that good at refereeing games.
will, agreed about harden. I think the Rockets are finding a good balance to maximize both of them right now. I did see Harden putting more effort on D last night but probably because NOH was doing a good job of attacking him... and he still gets 31 points and was key like Jeremy during 4th quarter.
Lin scores in three ways: transition, PnR, and spot up 3's... NOH defense took away transition really well last night. They doubled on PnR to force the ball out of the guards, and Jeremy is still struggling with his 3's..... really baffling why Harden gets dissed here.
1) I agree with someone on the previous thread that the team's chemistry is not really there. you could point out the fact that they are worried about being traded and stuff like that.. I think that is a possible reason. However, I really think that "chemistry" between Harden and Lin are rather exaggerated. This is what happens when they start winning. Suddenly, things SEEM to come together. In my humble opinion, the so called "chemistry" is a result of staggering minutes not them PLAYING TOGETHER. Of course, during the start of the season , "chemistry" was bad because Lin was asked to be a spot up shooter which he is not. I am neutral on Harden but for some reason I always feel Lin had better chemistry with others. Until I see Lin and HArden being on the same court majority of the time and being a lethal combo , I really cant agree about their "chemistry". Of course, I am not saying that it wont work out ,but right now I am not entirely sold on it.
I know comparing with the knicks may be annoying but when he was there, you would see pictures of landry, novak and jeffries hanging out . I always wondered to myself why I dont see the other players and the same thing is happening here. Only difference is that it is just parsons. are the guys expected to be with each other all the time? of course not. I just find it awfully coincidental that Lin has so few friends.
2)While rockets are playing a run and gun offense and producing some results, is anyone worried that it may make them tired? this will not work all the time especially back to back games. Yes, they are young but I feel they should be coached smartly. There needs to be adjustments made. The western conference is stacked and no team should be taken for granted. Our wins are because we outscore others but come playoffs, or against elite teams, defense is going to be really important I am not being pessimistic but we are still "fighting" for a playoff spot because sometimes teams tend to get on a roll during the later part of the season. The nuggets are an example. They struggled initially but are getting their grove back. I am just afraid that by all star break, they would soon get tired. The bench needs to chip in too.
3) the pattern I realise is that when Lin does a good job defensively, his offense falters abit . Or it could be good shot blockers take away his "game" Unless Lin starts hitting outside shots, no one is going to give Lin any credit. AS what they say, defense takes EFFORT and tenacity and if Lin can score AND defend I think that would make him lethal. The thing is the nba today is not only pg dominant, scoring PGs are seen as BETTER. I remember watching nba tv and they were looking at some poll on who the best pg was (I think it might be GMs/coaches.. I am not too sure..or even fans.. cant remember). Rondo was 3rd BUT the disparity between him and the 2nd best/ the 1st was HUGE.I remeber some sport analyst was saying he was very surprised. It just goes to show that it is not good enough to pass, you have to score . which is why Westbrook gets lots of love for scoring and sometimes hate for it. In years to come, the trend for pgs is that they all can score AND pass . If you look at the current warriors clippers game now, curry has 25 points and everyone is going nuts .That is how pgs are measured these days.
4)While some of you might be unhappy with Lin's lack of recognition by coaches or the fans I think we can all take comfort in the fact that at least Lin is moving in the right direction. After all that linsanity stuff, I think it is good for Lin to just do his own thing without all the media stuff. Most importantly. for him to recover fully. He is going to the paint more often but to me, I still think he is not fully there yet.
I think going into this season, Lin was looking to pass more and not to drive too much. I remember watching some clip this past summer and his trainers and coaches (not the Rockets ones) told him that they want him to drive less and to improve his catch and shoot. Unfortunately, his shoots are not falling in from the 3. They made those recommendations to him because they want him to have a long NBA career.
@alcsd: I agree with you about the drive early in the season. Although we were upset because it made Lin look bad but I thought it would be good for Lin if he didnt do that so that his knee would recover. Which is also why I think it is good for Lin to also develop an outside shot. Going into the paint all the time would not only increase chances of getting hurt, it would also be very tiring. He needs to develop other offensive weapons. Lin does whatever it takes to win that includes charges :( That is Lin for you.
They still need more time to build on the chemistry. Don't think they will build the good friend kind of chemistry but at least a good team chemistry. It's their first season together, so I assume this is normal.
You are right. Which I find sometimes Why we can't blame anyone. Since they all try to make a guarantee spot and worry to trade away or cut next minute. Just like what happened to jlin before.
I was so touched, memories of that run of Linsanity rushed back like waterfall. That team was so much greater than any individual, definitely one of the most bonded team I've never witnessed. Like you posted earlier, hopefully Jeremy's good will intention will not go in vain.
I want Jeremy back here in NY: now. I dont care about Melo or anyone else. Ive never followed a different team besides the knicks until I followed Jeremy to Houston..and I realized I dont care one bit how Hogger Harden plays or how many wins they get (sorry Rocket fans) I just want Jeremy to play well and be happy. I miss that smile he always used to wear and the joy he used to get from the game. He needs to have a team to run that will trust him and let him lead them to victory...why do these big name players follow Jeremy all over the place like the plague. I cant stand much more of this.
Yes I miss Jeremy's big genuine smile and the purest joy from the game. As much as I miss Jeremy in blue and orange, the environment was pressing and hurting him hard as well.
Maybe Jeremy IS having a career like Steve Nash. Steve was overlooked early in his days. Buried behind Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd in his rookie year in Pheonix, made a name for himself in Dallas, returned to Pheonix and became a 2-time MVP.
If we look at it from Steve's journey, Jeremy's fate doesn't seem so bad anymore. We can continue to pray for him and give him the utmost support through the rain.
It takes much more effort and energy for defense. That is why most of defensive specialist such Tony Allen not known to score a lot of points unless you're LeBron James or Russell Westbrook, both freak athlete.
If James Harden spend as much of energy and effort as Lin did on defense, he would not have enough in the tank to score 20+ points every night and could miss the all star lol.
I have no problem with our run and gun style as long as we have plenty effective halfcourt play sets that we can fall back on(which I speculate that McHale is not "smart" enough to draw or KHuang said that the rest of The Rockets is "too dumb" for complicated plays CMIIW)
I definitely do not consider either Lebron James or Russell Westbrook topflight defensive players at the level of Lin or Allen (and Lin I rate HIGHER than Tony Allen on defense).
Just because Lebron and Westbrook have the physicality to play topflight defense doesn't mean they actually do. Lebron can play that top defense when he feels like it, but usually he doesn't. Lebron let friggin CHANDLER PARSONS score 20+ on him!
Possession by possession, Lin defends 100% of the time. No other PG can claim that.
It's the NBA. Not everyone has to get along and be best friends to be effective on the court - it's not like college basketball where the unity runs much deeper. I think last year was special because there were no expectations for Jeremy, and his teammates were geniunely happy for him (except for JR and Melo) - this year, Jeremy is getting paid and is a starting PG. He is expected to do more. But I wouldn't look into the relationship thing too deeply.
Lebron has Chalmers and a bunch of other people who are also playing high level defense. The wear and tear is not just on a single person but is rotating constantly. The Hornets game looked to me like all the wear from high level defense is on Jeremy.
Furthermore, I was watching some older highlights such as the Nets game when Jeremy scored 25pts. The entire team including the bench were together with jubilation. The back stabbing didn't start until Carmelo came back from injury.
Just a quick reminder for the fans who want to do this: KEEP VOTING FOR LIN FOR THE ALL STAR GAME. Text LIN to 69622, and tweet Jeremy Lin #NBABALLOT and vote on nba.com or rockets.com. Do all three! Only 11 more days left.
As for Jeremy's jump shots..... I just wanted to share that Wade isn't too proud to switch his personal shooting coach.
Dwayne Wade, the established elite veteran SG who is ranked #8 in the league and the Heats' 2nd leading scorer is working with a new shooting coach "who different than what I’m used to".
shttp://www.hoopsworld.com/daily-nba-news/ December 26, 2012 :
Dwyane Wade’s career-high shooting percentage and blistering 61 percent clip over his past eight games can’t all be attributed to a little extra coaching, but it certainly hasn’t hurt.
The Heat’s second leading scorer admitted he has been working with a shooting coach during the season.
“You have to know your problem,” Wade said. “When I’m missing, I already know how and why I’m missing. I know that I don’t have a lot of arc on my shot. So I know that me shooting on the way down is really fighting against the wind.
“For me, it was just to get somebody to come in, different than what I’m used to, a different voice.”
If JLin can improve his jump shot drastically, he will be one of the two best PG in this league. That jump shot will be the catalyst to open up his untapped greatness. When his confidence is high, he's unstoppable.
i don't know why but this particular game assure me more than any other game that Lin will be one of the best PG one day. i never been so convinced before.
Looking at PG around his age - we have Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Damon Lillard, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Rose. Chris Paul and Stephen Curry are just a few years older. So top 2 is very, very ambituous. I don't count John Wall, because I think Lin has already surpassed John Wall.
I think Lin's surpassed ALL those guys already, except for Westbrook and Rose who are dynamic All NBA scorers (and not much else).
Lin is easily the best two way point guard in the game. No PG defends like him, and no PG elevates his teammates like him either. Substitute Lin with any other PG and the Rockets likely wouldn't win as many games.
I don't really look at individual stats when evaluating players. I look at their winning impact on their specific teams and on the entire NBA. Jeremy Lin is having an OVERSIZED impact on the NBA, probably more than any PG in the game today.
With an improved jump shot, I would say Lin can be in top 5. If no improved jump shooting, I would say top 13 to top 10. Basically, reasonable people can differ on their opinions because it all depends what you think a good PG should do.
I think the last thing Jeremy should do is to concentrate on his jump shot. He seems to shoot better when he's acting on instinct when taking whatever the defense gives him. Sorta like dancing, he's best when he's on his toes.
Just from those highlights alone, there were at least 3 assists from Lin to a teammate within 1 step of basket that they failed to convert. I'm not counting those to the perimeter shooters for ope threes.
From the looks of it, NOL played pretty good transition defense and the Rox couldn't really run. I like how Lin took the rock right at unibrow in the 4th to get the free throws.
Just watched the coach's post game interview. I never watch his interviews but I was curious because some of you commented that he did not mention anything about Jeremy after the Hawk's game. Wow... he did the same thing this time.
Just sad to see Jeremy playing so hard on defense and sacrificing his body for the team but get no recognition for his effort. I hope Jeremy will have a healthy and productive season and not get burned out too early. I agree that he should rest for a few games if he's hurt. He's just too unselfish.
They won't appreciate Lin just by looking at the stats book. The coaches have to factor in all players on the team, while fans can zoom in on one only. They need to go review film after the game to see his contribution, which I am sure they will appreciate.
hmmm...i haven't played any pro bball games but aren't the coaches watching and monitoring the games by the court side and they can immediately spot who are the sluggish players and who can help win games to have a good rotation sub? If coaches need to review video of each game to come to appreciate the contributions of each player, how can they endorse goods and bads of players in the post-game interviews? IDK...
The coaches are stuck on the bench, therefore only have one perspective. With the multitude of cameras in the arena, the video will show buildup of points from different angles. Many times it is the build up that is important - ie the assist to shot is seen, but many times it is the the assist that leads to the assist that is more important - just watch the Spurs game and watch the Spurs passing around the court.
If a coach can not "see and/or understand" the floor at the game time, I could not imaging that the one can be a good coach. It is true that there are more cameras monitoring the floor than the coach's sight. Yet, it is the coach making the game time decision. If one can not "follow" the game and be aware of the players' contribution, I am not sure the one is suitable for the job.
Thanks for that via. Only thing better would be for the clock to hit zero after the shot, for the NYK to be trailing at the time of the shot, and a shot of a Raptor holding their heads in disbelief. The whole stadium was up for that last shot. They were all cheering a visiting player which was the incredible part.
upon further review, it doesn't look like harden "clapping" at jeremy was disrespectful. when lin got the rebound, he had to hold it low to the ground because a defender was draped all over him. lin was still surveying the area to see who he could pass to, so harden clapped loudly 3-4 times to let lin know where a safe outlet pass could be made.
I missed that particular moment during the game, but I dont think that JH is pissed over it. Its normal, when we play, we always, raise our hand or clap or voice-off just to show where we are so that the PG would have a better vision on the move.
Continuing his stellar play from Block of the Night on the NYE, JLin's no-look pass to Greg Smith is Play of the Day: http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/top_plays/2013/01/02/20130102-play-of-day.nba
@via, will try html link next time to make my post more "professional" like yours. :)
ESPN Insider: The rise of Kyrie Irving Cavaliers sophomore will be league's best point guard by 2015 Updated: December 26, 2012, 1:32 PM ET By Amin Elhassan | ESPN Insider
It was September 2010 and I was serving as the Phoenix Suns' assistant director of basketball operations. Grant Hill, having recently returned from a summer sabbatical at Duke, walked into the training room.
"I just saw the best player in the nation," he said succinctly.
I asked him if he thought the kid from St. Patrick High School in New Jersey was that good. Hill replied that coach Mike Krzyzewski was going to "give the kid the keys," something he hadn't done with any freshman since Bobby Hurley. I was a bit skeptical; I had seen a couple of the kid's high school and AAU games, and while I was impressed by his poise and maturity on the court, I couldn't fathom Coach K giving that kind of freedom to a freshman.
Two months later, I sat down for my first look at Kyrie Irving as a collegiate basketball player. About 10 minutes later, I shut my notebook.
"This kid is clearly wasting his time playing another minute of college ball," I said to myself.
A few games later, he'd get injured and miss most of the remainder of the season. However, in those few appearances, he was one of the most NBA-ready freshmen I had ever seen, particularly at the point guard position.
Two years into his pro career, Irving seems destined for greatness, even gracing the cover of ESPN The Magazine's NEXT issue. How great? By 2015, he will be the best point guard in the NBA. Here's a scouting perspective on why.
What makes him special? Most young players generally play the game at a frenetic pace, symbolic of their inability to absorb all the information coming to them in each instant of an NBA game. What sets Irving apart is his incredible patience on the offensive end. Whether it's out of a pick-and-roll or an isolation situation, he allows the play to develop before deciding whether to attack, pull up or dish.
He shows excellent recognition of time and score situations (short clock, two-for-ones, etc.) and is vocal and unabashed at directing traffic on the court, even when playing with older, far more experienced players. His timing is impeccable, and he delivers one-handed pocket bounce passes with the ease and accuracy of a wily veteran. Not only does he make all the right reads out of the pick-and-roll, but he also knows how to create new opportunities after initial action has stagnated.
Scouts put Irving's dribbling ability right at the top of the league with Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford; however, he's more Paul than Crawford in that there is an efficiency of dribbling and space creation (he's not just going into a "dribble tantrum," as Crawford will frequently resort to). Again, this is a trait that belies his age, as most young players don't have the discretion to know when to use -- or not use -- a superior skill.
Additionally, Irving's footwork is extremely refined, as he is able to create space by changing stride lengths not only in the open court but also in extremely tight situations. He will often explode with his first step and then bring a right to left crossover back to a short second step, throwing defenders off.
Irving excels going either direction, using either hand and going off either foot. He has fairly large hands, which allow him to palm the ball and manipulate it repeatedly after he picks up his dribble for pass and shot fakes en route to the basket. He is an excellent perimeter shooter, shooting at above 40 percent from 3-point land in his NBA career. His in-between game has improved tremendously, and he actually attempts a fair amount of left-handed runners and floaters, which will one day make him that much harder to guard. He finishes at the rim through contact, but is also extremely aware of baseline cutters and will make the drop-off pass.
Indeed, Irving's shooting prowess and ability to score in so many different ways make defending him against the pass much more difficult, as is the case with Paul and Steve Nash.
In fact, you can see elements of other players' games incorporated in his style, from Paul and Nash to Rod Strickland, John Stockton and Isiah Thomas, which tells us that Irving watches a ton of film not only of contemporaries but also of past stars. Statistically, he shares rare company as one of just eight players to average at least 15 points per game, shoot an effective field goal percentage of at least 50 percent, and have an assist percentage greater than 30 percent for his career, although his sample size is much smaller (the others: Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Paul, Kevin Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker and Mark Price).
Further, according to Kevin Pelton's SCHOENE projection system, Irving's three-year projections have him at a combined 28.0 wins over replacement (WARP) in 2015, second only to Russell Westbrook among point guards under the age of 25. However, Irving's 2015-16 WARP projects to climb at 11.8 as opposed to Westbrook, whose numbers should be in decline at 9.3.
All of this, and Irving won't turn 21 until March.
What will hinder him? Irving's biggest hindrance so far has been his supporting cast, as Cleveland continues its rebuild. Playing with lesser-caliber teammates, particularly younger ones, makes his job much more difficult and alters his development.
Irving is a pass-first point guard, but his scoring ability (and the lack of other viable offensive options on the Cavs) force him to look for his shot more aggressively, which can manifest itself in subpar shot selection. For example, he'll go into stretches in which he will come down the court and pull up for a 3-pointer before running anything.
Of greater concern, Irving will often "conserve" energy on the defensive end. He is overly reliant on help defense when guarding the ball, often taking a liberal interpretation of "send him to the help" with an open stance that not only allows but encourages blow-bys. On the weak side, he is aware but not alert, meaning he is in the right spot initially, but because he is not in an active defensive stance (i.e., standing straight up and down), he is then left to scramble out in rotations. Related to that, his closeouts are either too soft or too hard (i.e., he overcommits and flies right by the perimeter player).
The longer Irving has to play savior on offense, the longer it will be acceptable for him to give subpar effort on the defensive end, which slows his overall development toward being the best PG in the league.
Of course, there are other players who could potentially lay claim to the "Best Point Guard in 2015" title. One can make a case for and against Westbrook, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio and Rajon Rondo to be the best point guard in 2015, but none brings the combined abilities that Irving brings to the table.
Irving combines the savvy of a veteran, the fresh legs of a young player, the explosive first step of an athlete, the perimeter accuracy of a knock-down shooter, the scoring ability of a shoot-first player, the passing acumen of a player who can't shoot, and a personality that shines through -- making players want to play with him, coaches want to coach him and marketers want to pay him. It's only a matter of time before he becomes the example after which other players will pattern themselves.
That ESPN Insider guy doesn't know a thing about basketball.
When Kyrie Irving came out, I was like "SUPERBUST"!!!
Indeed, Irving's team just can't win. They actually have more talent than Lin's Rockets do, plus they play in that weakass Eastern Conference where the Rockets would easily be the #1 or #2 team.
Irving needed to stay in college and work on his game. He might've been as good as Jeremy Lin coming out had he done that.
From a non American and non-bb person's perspective , why are Americans so fixated on statistics and scoring numbers in evaluating a player's capability? Doesn't basketball appreciate the equivalent of the midfield general in soccer? Basically a player(for example Xavi(Barcelona) or Zico(Brasil)) who dictates the flow and tempo of the game by pinpoint passing,energy, creative leadership and all those intangibles. After all , basketball is suppose to be a team sports. I would think Jeremy Lin would fit the mould here.
The Hornets were a weak team and I seem to disagree with most posters here because I thought it was a good win from a strategic point of view. There was no need to run Rockets players ragged to smash the Hornets by playing fast breaks. Coach did just enough to get the win and keep everyone healthy.
You could see that Rockets had TOO MUCH TIME on the ball when attacking. Their options were enormous, in comparison against the better teams where they sometimes struggle to get a good shot going. Whereas Omer scored little against OKC, in this game he was set up constantly by Lin and Harden and practised his layup / dunking skills. Refs didn't help with some weird calls, and if the 3's had gone in, it would have been another runaway score.
Ok so finally got to watch archive instead of catching snippets at stop lights via league pass, some comments:
Brian Roberts...Wow, made TD/Harden look stupid all game. Managed to blow by Lin once or twice but that's it, him and vasquez was pretty much shut down by Lin every time Lin was on them.
The PnR defense by Lin is awesome, watch the OKC vs Nets game, see any parallel between Lin and DWill's PnR defense? Heh Lin gots game!
Really liked the no look pass from Lin to Smith and Smith finishes it with a right hand dunk with authority. Asik can never pull that off.
Asik is a defensive blackhole all game. Owned by Lopez/smith and whoever he switches off with.
Lol his first basket was when he juked Anthony Davis HARD, the look on Davis's face was classic...PAWNED!
Austin rivers can't make a ft to save his life.
Ball movement was the suck, except for Lin, though ball rarely makes it back when it leaves his hand. Once it gets to Harden if he can't make a quick pass into the post with someone wide open cause he drew 2/3 defenders he goes iso, at least he's getting smarter when trapped to the left, and waits for usually Lin or someone else to bail him out.
Really good juke on Vasquez but layup was in and out, shame :(
Parsons d is gawd awful, along with Asik. Patterson let Anderson score in his face a few times. And the announcers are like "Rox are playing solid D"...Lol wtf game are they watching? It should have been "Lin is playing phenomenal d".
Great chemistry with Morris, loved the no look to Morris and lots of great feeds to Patterson, esp like how Patterson was always there to help rebound for Lin if he doesn't make his drives.
What is this, Asik catching low bounce passes?
I like how Lin leaves when he dropped on his knees end of 3rd and defense instantly suffers. Vasquez does a 2 and 1 with a smile, followed by 3ptr and alley-oop...Fast 8-3 run, if Anderson didn't miss with the 3pt rim shot which resulted in him catching defenders out of position (like achon said would happen lol), Parsons wouldn't have been able to shorten their run to 8-5.
Lin looks ok to me in 4Q.
There was a point where Lin calls for Asik screen and Asik calls Morris and Morris trudges from the corner to screen...Yeah lets waste the shotclock some more, wtf Asik?
2nd trey in and out good release no hesitation. Almost!
Nice alley-oop to Patterson and some quick dishes from Lin and others to 2pat and TO conversions (haha some really dumb TOs by NOH in 4Q) allowing Rox to pull from a 2pt lead to 10.
Oh and the Lin juke and fadeaway over Brian Roberts, just beautiful. Wait what am I talking about Lin can't create his own shots...
Now the trey miss at 1min mark, its a good miss, because it was long and hit opposite rim, shows Lin still has his legs, this is a good sign, esp considering he took a hard fall, and that he's been playing defense all game.
BTW why the hell does Jeremy end up guarding Davis (help defense) with no bigs down low...And Anthony gets two 2 + 1s...Somebody explain that to me lol.
well what haters don't know is if Jeremy isn't at the game, Vasquez won't be shut down, Rockets will resort to tons of ISO plays (heck, when the ball leaves his hands he rarely gets it back. team mates seem like they don't want to pass to him even if he's open), and Hornets might have taken this game. I've seen haters slugging ONLY at Jeremy's 9 points in this game.
Great d by JLin. JLin in the first quarter, without fouling, stayed in front of Vazquez drives. JLin also defended the PnR well. This stifled the flow of Vazquez's playmaking.
Vazquez missed shots in the lane with JLin in front him. However, more athletic PGs can still finish over great PG defense in the lane. This is when a good shot blocking big man is an asset. JLin slowing down and preventing his man from elevating on the penetration sets up big men to come over for the easy block. Too bad we don't have a shot blocker like Tyson last year.
I looked at the stat sheet before watching the replay of the game. I thought Vazquez had a good stat line. When I did come around to watching the game, I realised TD and Harden was on Vazquez most of the game besides the beginning of the first and the end of the 4th. With JLin on Vazquez, Greivis wasn't doing too much harm.
Despite a good performance by his counterpart JLin did well; Vazquez did a lot of the damage while someone besides JLin was guarding him.
Lin himself needs to understand that he can attack Vasquez.
General Greivis is TALL at 6'6". I watched the replays and Lin appears a little bit intimidated by that height.
However, just because General Greivis is tall doesn't mean he can truly challenge Lin defensively. When Lin attacked, he had no trouble scoring on General Greivis.
Omer Asik was caught playing unnecessary help defense when General Greivis tried to take Lin 1 on 1 for those bricked up drives. That's why Robin Lopez went wild like Moses Malone this game. I'd have let General Greivis shoot those bricks and make a few wild shots at Lin's expense because the Rockets would've won the game in the first half and not the second!
New Orleans made the fatal mistake of driving the ball AT Lin. If there's one point guard that opposing teams should NOT drive the ball at, it's Jeremy Lin. Apparently opponents still believe the BS that an Asian guy can't athletically keep up in basketball.
Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball Here's something totally new: the Western Conference playoffs are going to be a bloodbath of awesomeness again. 9:42 PM - 2 Jan 13
Axxx Rxxxxxxxx @AxxxRxxxxxxx @HPbasketball as a supporter of an Eastern Conference team, this makes me giddy. Let them beat up on each other. 9:55 PM - 2 Jan 13
Txxx Jxxxxx @rxxxxxxxxx @HPbasketball How great would an OKC-Houston first round matchup be? 10:01 PM - 2 Jan 13
GSW v. Houston would be best first round to gain confidence and momentum. I will never be sold on a Mark Jackson led team. They are winning on the talent of Curry and Lee, not because of MJax. However Curry and Lee are no more experienced in playoff ball than Lin, and Harden has been through it already.
That sets up a second round of OKC/Clips/Spurs/Grizz and that way the Rox can avoid having to play 3/4 of them to make it to the finals.
I don't think the Rox are good enough to beat the elite teams without a huge trade, explosion in team chemistry, or a tremendous offensive improvement from Asik (just won't happen for another few years). Still we can always hope for miracles.
Surprised to find the graphic showing Kobe vs Jeremy (not the Beard). I would think most consider the Beard as the face of the Rockets. 54% of votes for the game already. Quite popular. Who doesn't want to see the duel of the duos from dual eras?
JLin being the team-first guy is playing very unselfish bball while other players interested only in stat pad and coaches focus in winning and manipulating JLin's unselfish work ethic are given credits for the Rockets' victory. It's really on JLin to be at least a bit selfish and do the obvious to make himself look good. He can play to elevate others' performance but he needs to takes care of his own stats too.
Reports found in the country where I have been residing for the past 6 months have done no justice to JLin's contribution to the Rockets.
"In Houston, the Rockets won with a narrow margin in home game against the New Orleans Hornets. "The Beard" Harden scored 31 points and seven assists to help the team 2-game winning streak. Jeremy Lin played poorly, attempted 10 shots, scored only nine points and seven assists. Asik contributed hugely with 21 points and eight rebounds."
The press generally has no clue about how basketball games are won or lost. They have even less clue about how DOMINANT Lin is.
I've seen guys like Jason Kidd and Ricky Rubio have worse shooting games than Lin, but they get praised endlessly because of their "defense and court vision". Lin is WAY BETTER than either Kidd or Rubio on both court defense and court vision, plus scoring too.
Lin's boss Les Alexander is a basketball man who fully understands Lin's true value. As long as he knows, it doesn't matter what haterade is written about Lin in the press.
These reports irk me a lot and at times spoil my day(sigh, too emotionally invested in JLin bball career). I like your optimism about Les. However, I think the Rockets have failed to recognize the imbalance arising from making Harden looks good at JLin’s expense; the failure to weigh the tradeoff between inflating Harden’s value and diminishing that of JLin will eventually erode the overall value of the Rox.
I don't worry about such reports because I as an Asian American male in show business have been long excoriated by inaccurate reporting and dumbass bosses.
All Lin can do is do his best under the circumstances given him. From what I'm seeing, he can't do any better.
If anybody thinks any point guard like Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul can replace Lin and improve on Lin's 18-14 Rockets record, LET THEM TRY. Kudos to them if they're right.
That's always been my attitude toward my haters. If they moan so much about my bad job, let them replace me with somebody "better". As it does in Lin's case, it always BACKFIRES.
Every moment Lin is the NBA, there are 30 teams that though he COULDN'T play being PUNKED.
Lin plays for the Rockets who initially thought he couldn't play. Maybe there are guys in that organization who still think Lin is a scrub that doesn't belong in the NBA. And if they want to risk getting themselves fired by not using Lin properly, I'm all for them taking that risk.
So as far as "proving the haters wrong", that's already happening on a grand NBA scale. Enjoy the punkings!
Lin seems to be developing some stuff I have not seen very often, such as "no-look" passing which is very effective and does fool opponents, and one hand passes. He also seems to be driving more often to his left side, although my eyes tell me that his driving to his left side is not as fast as his driving to his right, which is normal and understandable.
That no look pass to Smith is # 1 in NBA's Top 10 plays of the night:Jan.2nd. See , that's what i've been saying. Mchale or the others might overlook Jeremy's value in the game , not even a mention of him in post game interviews or media articles, but somehow , somewhere , skills like that cannot just be ignored. JLin will have his due , no matter what.
C'mon peeps! Lin is now only 46k votes behind CP3! Let's give one final push for our all star! Text LIN to 69622 and tweet Jeremy Lin #NBABALLOT and vote at nba.com or rockets.com!!!!!
The Rockets need to trade James Harden to the Thunder for Kevin Martin and Rookie Jeremy Lamb. That would be a great trade because Martin is a great 3 point shooter and Lamb is a young T-Mac styled Guard who would compliment Jeremy very well.
Lin is very good with their collective basketball
ReplyDeleteHarden is very good with their individual basketball
Lin needs to do more points
Harden needs to pass more the ball
Lin is playing more than 40 minutes for two reasons
First because the defense of Douglas is not anymore the same
Second, because Lin is currently the best defender of Houston
If Lin continue to evolve in its defense, he can be 1 or 2 defensive team in the NBA
No
DeleteAch my friend your reply is so cool but can you please elaborate a little bit more?
DeleteHope i'm just overreacting but Lin played much slower tonight after he took that hit on his knee. It starts the 2 min mark. http://youtu.be/KEYi52pXUG0 He was hobbling to the locker room too. I hope it's nothing serious...
ReplyDeleteAlso, why the h.ell doesn't Mchale know how to manage a players' minutes? Having Lin go from Scrub minutes to consecutive 40min games irks me.
Why did McHale play too many minutes for Lin? Was the owner Leslie in the audience today as well? It's odd, to many PT for 2 games in a row all of sudden. Maybe with so much complains from fans when Lin was being treated like the end of the bench, he's trying to get Lin injured - just kidding. With Lin knee not yet 100%, he shouldn't be playing 12 minutes straight.
DeleteToo bad Lin plays so well but he doesn't have the stats to show for it, since that's what the "experts" and general fans look at.
Maybe McHale finally decided to use his brain and realized that Lin is really important to the team. If he didn't play Lin that many minutes, the Rockets might not pull out a win today. Unfortunately, he only used half of his brain because using Lin that many minutes will only increases his chance of getting injured. Lin was the best defensive player tonight and he was needed to pull out a win. I am telling you this really does make Sampson looks really stupid and incompetent because Lin shot down Vasquez, but yet was able to go HAM on Toney.
DeleteHigh hopes that Anderson signing will give us a lock down defender like Schump was last year for the Knicks. This might be good for Harden and Jeremy down the stretch... unless Jeremy gets benched again for DEFENSIVE reasons by the coaching staff...
DeleteLes already put Sampson on short leash, and McHale on notice so I don't think Lin will get benched in the future unless he noticeably stink it up.
Delete@alcsd:
Deletei'm curious how do you know sampson and mchale are on Les's radar not to misuse JLin...where's the source you heard it from? link please...
Lin usually plays anywhere from 30-34 min per game. But with the close game today, he played more. He played well so the coaches kept him in. Nothing wrong with that. The pace was slow in this game so he probably was fresher than a 30 min frenetic paced game.
DeleteMaybe the new guy they just signed can be that lock down defender? I miss Shump Shump.
Deletelivyrlife,
DeleteI was being sarcastic. I should have ended with "as Khuang would put it." There is not an option for blue or green font here.
Sorry Khuang, I am not flaming you.
alcsd,
Deletehaha...got it. I actually don't really have much faith in the whole Rox org including Les but I can't blame him either. JLin could be a afterthought after Harden's trade and Morey comes across as a genius to Les. Les on the other hand collected his first pot of gold being a stock trader would only apply his trader instinct to buy high sell high. No surprise that Harden is given the green light to stat pad while JLin work hard like a second-class citizen to win games for the Rox.
@Rachel
DeleteYeah miss Shump-Shump playing with
JLin...
I don't miss Iman Shumpert.
DeleteHe was as bad on offense as Harden is on defense. Not a net positive player.
My thing about NBA scorers is that if they can't defend, they BETTER score and score BIG. Even so, I'm constantly watching them to see if they're actually impacting winning.
Jeremy Lin is the one guy I DON'T worry about when it comes to winning.
I thought Lin played decent tonight. He didn't put up a good stat line.
ReplyDeleteThe Bad: His jumpshot is atrocious, he got blocked badly at the rim a time or two, he had some really head scratching turnovers, and he took one horrible shot where he waved off Harden and chucked up a 3 that missed badly.
The Good: Other than that, he played pretty well. He played within the flow of the offense and didn't force much. He was getting into the paint, reading the defense, making the right plays and finding the open man. He played solid defense as well and was active on the boards. Solid effort overall from Lin tonight.
JLin played 41 minutes and had two turnovers - TWO. You really think that is something worth mentioning? Were they really "head scratching"? Even people like Nash have 3,5 turnovers a game or so. JLin makes things happen - sometimes he turns it over but thats the nature of basketball DUDE.
DeleteAlso - why ride on a 3 that he missed? A miss is a miss - why call it "badly"? All the Rox were shooting bad - 5/24 and yet noone complains about Delfinos jumpshots - noone discribes it as atraocious (1/6 and 0/4). JLins teammates didnt care about passing to Lin either so why bicker about that waving off Harden thing? Besides - Harden shot 2/8 which is same percentage as 1/4.
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DeleteWell said willydilly!
DeleteI was just making the observation that those turnovers were just awful, of the cringeworthy type he was making earlier in the season. These types of turnovers you rarely see top NBA point guards make. But you're right, it was only two, so that's good.
DeleteThat 3 was awful. Bad shots stick out in my mind, and that shot was horrible. He waved off Harden to go ISO. He held the ball, didn't penetrate, but chose to chuck up a contested 3 that barely hit the rim. Shots that barely hit the rim often lead to fastbreaks the other way. When a ball bounces up off the rim, it gives the defense a split second to get back, which can make a world of difference. (If you've been watching basketball for longer than 11 months, then please disreqard the previous explanation as you are already aware of it). Just a horrible shot, bad decision. Reminded me of the type of chucking Josh Smith does.
But then again, that was only one shot. Overall, he had an okay game.
And you're wrong about Delfino. Plenty of people call Delfino's shot selection atrocious. He even has the derisive nickname "Kobe Delfino" because he has no conscience at all. He will chuck you out of games as much as he will chuck you into them. But this site is not named www.carlosdelfino.net. It's called www.jeremylin.net, so I come here to analyze and observe what Lin does in games, not Delfino.
@achondro....
DeleteWe really dont need to debate about the quality of turnovers tonight since it has only been two and JLin had one steal (if Im not mistaken) - unless of course you want to point out that JLin is a (alleged) turnover machine (SAS style) in which case -> go ahead...
I really dont get your "touching rim -> fastbreak" explanation. You are cherry picking observations and disregard those which dont comply with your way of thinking. Your claim cant be explained otherwise. Superstition?
Whether a missed 3 leads to a fastbreak depends on were your teammates happen to stand at the time and whether they are able to get the rebound. So - it depends on how the team was spread and what kind of players were on the court at the time.
The ball may jump from the outer side of the rim into the hands of an opponent - it might as well go in, touch the inside of the rim, go out and land on your lap if you sit in the 1st row.
When I learned how to shoot 3s I never took into consideration how someone would get a rebound and who that would be. A miss is a miss. I dont plan on how I miss cause I dont plan to miss. Maybe you play different but...
However - its dumb to even debate about the quality of a miss. Unless of course you want to find reason to blame someone for nonsense.
Maybe you just dont know that cause you never played basketball or even never watched until an asian guy started to play. Maybe that bugs you so you have to do whatever is possible to bash that player...
BTW:
DeleteIts a Jeremy Lin fansite - not a Jeremy Lin pull-something-out-of-your-ass-to-bash-him site. If JLins shot was atrocious - how were others peoples shots? Iven seen one airball and two near-airballs. Can you even make those sound worse after what you have been saying about Lin?
BTW - people do criticise other players here. Noone criticised Delfinos form - so - I wasnt wrong.
Your post makes a lot of claims - I dont see any analysis though.
it's very obvious to all of us but @fearoflittlepeople himself that he is a sophisticated throll(borrow from Michael Terry. @fear reminds me of eb___, ne___whatever
Delete@willy, right on, fellow. Since this is jlin site, we should also talk about how others affect jlin's game right? Not just jlin we are talking about. We talk about jlin and his team, that means everyone on the rockets.
DeleteWow, I actually agree with willy on this.
DeleteThis is the first time I could see Lin play really good D. Yes, he played decent D other times, but this time, he really played very good D on Vasquez, so Lin's D must be improving. Harden should try to get around 22 points per game and take better shots. Yes, Harden's D sucks, but without Harden, I think Rockets would have won 4 or 5 games less, so overall, makes positive contribution, and in the crunch time, he is the only one who can create shots or draw fouls. Lin is playing with more confidence, but I can't see any change in his offensive game or mind set so far that makes me alter my initial prediction that Lin will end this season with around 12 ppt.
DeleteAlso, Achon, don't post anything specifically negative about Lin's game, or you will get attacked.
A hon, to be fair Lin had worse jump shooting games before. Today, few of his layups did not go in -- bad luck partly. I want Lin to take 15 shots per game though.
DeleteIdiotid statements about Lin are what are causing you and ach to get attacked here, eb5attorney.
Delete"first time" you EVER saw Lin play good defense, huh? What games have YOU been watching??
THAT is one of the DUMBEST things I've ever seen anybody post here, especially this late in Lin's career.
I'M idiotic for misspelling the word with a typo!
DeleteRe-watched the game and take back what I said about Jeremy not getting touches... he had plenty of touches and IMO Harden plays very well with Jeremy. Obviously down the stretch, Harden is going to get the ball instead of Jeremy because he's really the best and by far the most consistent individual offensive option the team has. I think Jeremy obviously has shown he has the ability to go LINSANITY... and this will happen when his conditioning and legs are all the way back which will really improve his jumpers.
Delete1. James Harden is out of control. He flipped out on one play where Lin didn't pass to Harden who was double teamed at the time. This is reminiscent of Melo flipping out when Lin didn't pass to him once. Then, Harden, loudly clapped his hands on another possession. The guy is a prima donna and is extremely disrespectful. This is the same guy, remember, who people reported was complaining and pouting after Game1 of the finals last year when OKC WON THE GAME, but Harden was b*tching that he didn't get the ball enough (even though he shot a ton that game). James Harden is not a leader. He's a flashy iso ball-dominating scorer who plays horrible/lazy D against his man.
ReplyDelete2. I've been spending time on basketballvalue.com. It's started by a MIT and Stanford grad. This guy was the Grizzlies' sole analyst since 2009, not a coincidence the Grizzlies got much better the past few years. The founder of this site was recently hired as Director of Analytics for the 76ers. Anyways, his site shows that Jeremy Lin now has the 14th best adjusted plus/minus in the ENTIRE league:
Jeremy Lin led the Rockets with +17. Lin's 2-year adjusted +/- ranks 14th in the ENTIRE NBA since 2011 now...
http://basketballvalue.com/topplayers.php?year=2012-2013&mode=summary&sortnumber=92&sortorder=DESC
It also shows that Lin is top3 on the team this year in adjusted +/-.
http://basketballvalue.com/teamplayers.php?year=2012-2013&mode=summary&sortnumber=94&sortorder=DESC&team=HOU
There are lots of other interesting things you can check out on this site. The beauty of adjusted plus/minus is it improves on basic plus/minus. It adjusts and factors for pace as well as the caliber of your teammates on the court, as well as the competition on the floor (so are there starters or bench players you go up against). It looks at the team's performance when the player is on or off the court. The data requires sufficient sample sizes and still has some "noise" in the data since models can't account for chemistry or other things, but it's one of the closest things to measuring a players' effectiveness.
If Lin is not allowed to play PG and if Houston keeps him, I think he will find a way to leave (even though they have his bird rights). I hate to say this, but I actually prefer Lin playing with Melo than with Harden. At least with Melo, he gets to play PG full time. I think because of the fiasco with Melo, he doesn't want to repeat that with Harden. He is being cautious and smart because of lessons learned. Harden didn't seem selfish when he was with the Thunder, but his head has gotten real big lately. If the McHale doesn't put things in order soon, it will be an irreversible toxic environment. On top of that, everyone is playing for himself because Morey treats everyone like an asset.
DeleteI hope Lin sits out this next game or two to rest his body (due to the fall) and McHale will see how much he needs him.
Delete@alcsd:
DeleteI think McHale has already put things in order - on JLins costs.
Prima Donna or not - after this "Harden upset" thing I am no longer sure whether Harden is as unselfish as he claimed (interview beginning of season "I am unselfish like JLin"). He cant just disrespect someone like JLin on the court like that.
Unfortunately its a fact that "production" is based on scoring and nothing else. The more you score the more you get paid. So - its no wonder that "good" players sometimes dont give shit - they make their teammates feed them the ball and they score. They let the team do everything else and if it doesnt work out... they still dont care. They blame it on everyone else...
I sure hope Im wrong about Harden but...
I like the ideas of sitting out a couple games will be good for Lin to rest his body.
DeleteThis is why I hope the team trainer/doctor advise that Lin to sit out the next couple of game. I want McHale to see how valuable Lin is to this team.
DeleteLet Harden get the stats the next two games, but the team either lose or barely win one. I am not a religious person, but somehow I have a feeling that things will work out for Lin (whether he stays in Houston or go else where). I hope history repeat itself and he got traded somewhere and he blow up there like he did in NY. Houston will have eggs on their face. Poetic Justice for JLIN.
I wanted to suggest the same, ditto!
DeleteLets check it out, atleast one game without JL.
I think the way his teammates treat Lin, especially Harden has to do with the coaches' treatment of Lin. If the coaches don't see him as a leader and treated him like scrub, then it's okay for us to treat him like one too. I know what Khuang is to going to say, scrub don't play 30 minutes. They had no choice, because he was signed to a good contract and their marketing campaign was built around him.
DeleteThat would be a true test for harden and the team. But i know that only 2 things will happen....i wont watch those games cuz it will be boring and rockets will have a back to back loss. Will mchale realize jeremy's worth? NOOO.He will probably give the best excuses he can think of but not admit that jeremy is valuable.I hope jeremy will be given the rest and recuperate and smile in the bench watching harden be the PG/SG/SF and still lose.At least when happens ,Jeremy is watching from the sideline and not on the court ... Hahah
DeleteActually alscd, what I would've said was that Les Alexander is the Rockets owner and he is as big a Lin fan as any of us are on this site.
DeleteWhatever Les says, that's what goes.
Lin's not going anywhere, but other Rockets employees might.
Then they better get a real head coach with strong leadership skill because McHale aint' cutting it as this team's commander. Someone Phil Jackson will put Harden in his place.
DeleteIt would be hard for Phil Jackson or any other coach to outdo McHale in going 17-14 with this Rockets team.
Delete@KH, you've been so busy these days...What do you think of tonight's game? [Were you able to catch it?]
DeleteOne of the main reasons was because McHale started to use Lin correctly, which was no a no brainer. If McHale doesn't step up his leadership skill soon, and the environment is so toxic that Lin is unhappy, then he might have to go. Lin is a smart dude, if he is unhappy, he won't show it publicly, but his people will express it.
DeleteTo Anonymous:
DeleteThanks for that info. Now I have a new site to visit once a week. (;~)
Thanks for asking, via.
DeleteI have been way too busy to follow Lin's recent games. My work schedule is growing.
I follow the entire NBA as much as I can. Though it doesn't seem that way here, Lin is only one of several players I'm following. It just seems that I'm a Lin fanatic because this is a Lin website and I think he's the best young point guard in the NBA.
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DeleteHaha, everybody knows that, @KH. [follow entire NBA]
DeleteHow else do you get so good at spotting talent.
I guess we'll have to wait [till you find some time to catch up to the games] to get your opinion on all this. :)
@alcsd,
DeleteI'd also like to see Lin traded. Except for the owner, so much about Houston, the Rockets organization and their fans that I dislike, as well as how have treated Lin thus far. Don't forget that Lin had to save his basketball career and reputation by "auditioning" in the real game 42 days into the season. I feel that Lin is good for the Rockets and Harden but they are bad for Lin. I have been a Harden fan and supporter, but the more time goes by the less I like Harden.
Not too long ago, I told Neph that the Pacers is a poor team but I judged them prematurely. I'd love to see Lin go to either Memphis or Indiana.
Ztrta,
DeleteI hope he gets traded to the Eastern Conference if possible, but I still like Dallas for him because the owner and head coach respects his game. I know Dallas doesn't look good on paper because is Dirk aging really fast, but Lin is a winner so I am sure he will win there. As I said earlier, I am not a religious person, but I have a feeling everything will work out him. It doesn't matter how he is used or misused, he will triumph in the end.
I noticed this until now, most of the interviews (excepts for the two wins of the Knicks), he doesn't seem happy. Even during Melodrama, he seemed more happy than the interviews here.
I meant to say never noticed until now
DeleteI actually liked the Mavericks very much. It was my first choice for Lin. However, until Lin proves himself in a lot more games, so many owners and basketball minds were and are gun shy about Lin, especially coupled with the fact that Dolan, Woodson and the ESPN's Smith did such a hatchet job on Lin. Also it had a LOT to do with the steep drop off in Lin's production going from D'Antoni to Woodson (Ignorant people didn't realize all the facts for the change - like we did or the BasketballValue.com). I had a distinct feeling that Cuban (but not the Mav's coach) was just being gracious to Lin but didn't really believe it in his heart (just like McHale was during the Linsanity phase but completely changed after the Woodson era). In fact, Lin's agents shopped the Mavs but Cuban "weren't going in that direction".
DeleteI don't want Lin traded to any team that refused to sign him this offseason.
DeleteThat means I want Lin to stay right on this Rockets team.
hi guys. can somebody advise what happened to Jeremy when he fell on his knees and has to be benched for a minute or two? I missed that part fully, the last thing I saw is him kind of twisting back court. I got a call from one of our suppliers so I had to take that call first. did he get fouled hard AGAIN? thanks!
DeleteMark Cuban is the one person that won't bs anything he doesn't believe in. I learned a lot about him as a person from watching him during his time on Dancing with the Stars. Prior to that I didn't know anything about him. I know it's a reality TV so they will edit certain things to fit their agenda. From watching him, I came away liking him as a person. I would definitely want to work for him. He is a big loyal guy.
DeleteI don't know much about Carlisle, and all I know is that he is smart.
Reading people face, facial and body language is one of my hobbies (I became intrigued by this whole thing watching the lady who picked OJ jurors). I think we all do at some point or another (without realizing it) by the way we choose our friends or who we allow to come into our lives. Usually I can pick up the bad and evil ones really fast. I don't go around reading everyone, but only the ones that intrigue me.
Harden is not a bad person, but sometimes when you are so young and getting paid max money and being put on a pedestal by the GM and coaches, it will go to his head. I hope Houston gets a real coach who can put things in order. Harden strikes me as a loyal guy and will standup and fight for his friends.
I can see Morris and Carlos starting to trust Lin more. If the trust continues, then they will see him as a leader.
Dallas was one of the teams that called Lin's camp at midnight. They didn't think that they could get him because of the we will match up to 1 billion thing. Dallas didn't sign Collison until after Lin was off the market. Even Morey said that Lin would have gotten more money if he was an unrestricted free agent. Teams didn't want to waste their time pursuing Lin, so the Knicks almost pulled it off fencing other teams away.
DeleteI meant to say that Cuban won't waste time by BSing to a journalist about Lin and won't say anything like that if he doesn't believe in Lin.
DeleteApparently Cuban doesn't sign guys that he doesn't think will help his team either.
DeleteLin playing for the Houston win
ReplyDeleteHarden playing try to join from AllStar Game
Yeah I feel Harden is playing to prove he's worth his contract. He wants to be mentioned with Kobe/Melo/KD/Lebron. That comes before the team winning for him.
DeleteHarden's contract is guaranteed, just like Lin's. Lin also needs to prove he is worth his contract. Harden so far is already proving he is worth it. Without Harden this team would be near the bottom of the Western Conference.
DeleteHarden's contract is not fully guarantee. Tell me Via.
Delete@achondroplasiaphobia:
DeleteMaybe the team wouldnt be that succesful without Harden but same goes for Jeremy.
Harden is doing what he does best - Im ok with that. Its not about the fact that he rules Rox offense. Its about how much he rules Rox offense...
When Sampson was in charged, the offense was built around Harden and Lin was used as a spot 3 shooter, that team was struggling to stay .500. Now they are winning by using Lin more (but now enough) and I think Lin contributes to that a lot.
Delete@ulyssess Cazuquel, hey man, i appreciate your posts on here but you might want to tame some of the things you say on clutch fans. The people there are idiots, don't waste your time arguing with them.
Delete"...The last year of Harden's five-year, $79 million contract with the Rockets is only 50 percent guaranteed. That means Harden, who passed on a four-year offer from the Thunder that topped out at $55 million, is guaranteed to earn $69.7 million from Houston during the next 5 seasons...Harden almost certainly will hit one of the benchmarks specified in the contract to guarantee the rest of his 2017-18 salary and collect the full $79 million. All he has to do is make one All-Star team in a 4-season span from 2013-14 through 2016-17 to double his take in Year 5...There are other incentive clauses in the contract, based on postseason advancement and statistical benchmarks, that also can make Harden's $17.8 million salary in 2017-18 fully guaranteed."
Delete@k.smith
DeleteThey are people with different ideas and different thoughts
Their problem is they have not opened their hearts to see everything that Lin is doing for this team and to city from Houston
Maybe. Who knows. You never know. Maybe they are bottom maybe they are top maybe they are middle.
DeleteHarden wii always be harden since game one with the Rockets.Don't think he'll ever change the way he assumes control of the ball unless his coach tells him so which probably won't happen too. I just really feel bad for jeremy everytime he puts his hands up to ask fir the ball and doesn't get it.This game showed too many flaws of this team, mainly because some players would just want better stats.Too sad for jeremy who is so willing to sacrifice his numbers and his body just so his teammates can score and still NOT SCORE
ReplyDeleteObviously earlier in the season Jeremy wasn't used the right way IMO (Up to 2nd SAS game), but I think McHale says it best, the team is best when the ball moves. Tonight the shots weren't falling, the spacing wasn't there... Harden just trying to will a W by being THE MAN.
DeleteI highly doubt the Rockets want to play this style night in night out. Great all around game for Lin tonight IMO.
"Too sad for jeremy who is so willing to sacrifice his numbers and his body just so his teammates can score and still NOT SCORE"....
DeleteThis is the Jeremy I've come to love and support... But I know he'll come around in his scoring... He's proven that already in the past...
Kind of weird that McHale is now playing Lin max minutes. He can barely walk after taking a fall and then McHale inserts him into the lineup. I wonder what changed. Did it take the Hawks coach praising Lin's D for McHale to see Lin in a different light? In any case, yeah, I kinda would rather have Lin play with Melo on the court. Though Melo was all about himself too.
ReplyDeleteIf there are 5 players like Lin on a court, they will win a championship and can dominate even against Heat, Thunder.
That was what coach Dantoni said too about having 5 guys like Lin then he will win a companionship too.
DeleteLin was playing solid D tonight over Douglas
DeleteLin has always played solid defense. It was Sampson's eye test that saw differently. He does make Sampson look stupid. I am sure Sampson is not happy about this. I mean it could hurt his chance of getting a head coaching job someday. Or maybe Les is putting him on a short leash now because of him misusing Lin.
Delete@alcsd, let me clarify, I think Jeremy typically plays excellent all around D. The past few games, Jeremy has really stepped up PnR D over Douglas. Douglas was getting screened consistently tonight....
DeleteWith Jeremy's speed and size, he can bother the opposing guards and not be a liability when he gets switched up.
Yeah 5 guys like Lin on the court would be awesome. 5 guys all playing for each other, not for themselves. That's why we love Lin, and why even though the Rockets have a decent record right now we're still not all that happy.
DeleteThey needed Jlin on the court. They need to execute more on the half court as opposed to their usual run and gun. lin is the only one capable or decent enough to run the play in the half court setting. Douglas obviously cant do it. harden can probably do it but on instinct will defer back to his ISO first ball and they cant afford that because it will stagnate the offense and the hornets could control the pace of the game. Lin kept the ball moving in there and with his defense keep the momentum from shifting to the other team. The box score can be deceptive sometimes.
DeleteThe score was tied into the 4Q. They needed Lin and all the other starters to pull out this win. Hence the minutes played by Lin.
DeleteI love Lin, truly I do, but 5 Lins would be a disaster of a team.
DeleteI'll take 4 team players like Lin + Lin however.
Jlin will be just fine. We all know that Lin has superior court vision and has the talent/skills as PG. I am glad that he is becoming an elite defender. This is going to make him an all around athlete in the NBA. Lin is the player to watch in the next couple of years. Mchale knows what he has in Lin and I think once we get past this ASG, things will settle down. I have always been on the fence about Harden. He is great scorer, but what else can he do? I think as time progresses, Harden's flaws will become very visible where people will begin to talk about them.Don't forget that this is a young team and the selfishness on wanting to make their mark is normal.It is up to the Rockets coaching staff to keep the egos in check.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought the main reason the Rockets hired McHale was because of his leadership skill?
DeleteHopefully harden change his game orienation after ASG.
ReplyDeleteHe won't change. His contract is not fully guaranteed. One of the stipulations is that he has to make one all star game under his new contract, starting next year. Plus, he wants to be recognized as a superstar like Kobe, Lebron, and Durant.
DeleteWhy is there so much Harden bashing on this site. What do you think the Rockets record is without him? If the Rox had Kevin Martin instead? Harden is already the 2nd best shooting guard in the league at the age of 23, he is a superstar. The numbers he's put up are astonishing - and efficient. Say what you guys want, but Harden is the MAN on the team and rightfully so - he is definitely their best player.
DeleteActually, I think the Rockets would be exactly as good as they are now had they kept Kevin Martin and especially Jeremy Lamb.
DeleteHarden turns the ball over WAY MORE than Lin ever did, plus he fires up his share of bricks. Opponents know this, so they zone Lin and let Harden fire.
Most of us here like James Harden, but we are also acutely aware of his limitations. Fortunately he has Jeremy Lin to COVER him.
No way. Martin can't a hoop whenever he wants at will, like Harden can. Not even close. As for Lamb, I watched every single game of his at UCONN; tremendous talent, but was not going to contribute this year. Too passive for now. Has a similar mentality to someone like Rudy Gay.
DeleteHarden I believe has single handedly made a diference of 5-6 games for the Rox.
I want to see Lin handle the ball as much as possible and be the initiator on offense but Harden is the man on the Rox, and rightfully so.
I agree, point scoring wise, that Harden is the man on the Rox. I don't see anyone on Rox team who can score against different types of defenders, although Harden sometimes keeps on driving and getting blocked or losing ball against good defenders also. Harden is not Westwood who can pretty much drive and make shots against anyone through sheer speed. Harden also travels often on his Euro steps, which makes me think referees are not that good at refereeing games.
Deletewill, agreed about harden. I think the Rockets are finding a good balance to maximize both of them right now. I did see Harden putting more effort on D last night but probably because NOH was doing a good job of attacking him... and he still gets 31 points and was key like Jeremy during 4th quarter.
DeleteLin scores in three ways: transition, PnR, and spot up 3's... NOH defense took away transition really well last night. They doubled on PnR to force the ball out of the guards, and Jeremy is still struggling with his 3's..... really baffling why Harden gets dissed here.
Rest JLin in MIL game. But knowing competitive nature of JLin, he won't just sit out MIL game. He wants to win games for the team. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteJust a few thoughts.
ReplyDelete1) I agree with someone on the previous thread that the team's chemistry is not really there. you could point out the fact that they are worried about being traded and stuff like that.. I think that is a possible reason. However, I really think that "chemistry" between Harden and Lin are rather exaggerated. This is what happens when they start winning. Suddenly, things SEEM to come together. In my humble opinion, the so called "chemistry" is a result of staggering minutes not them PLAYING TOGETHER. Of course, during the start of the season , "chemistry" was bad because Lin was asked to be a spot up shooter which he is not.
I am neutral on Harden but for some reason I always feel Lin had better chemistry with others.
Until I see Lin and HArden being on the same court majority of the time and being a lethal combo , I really cant agree about their "chemistry". Of course, I am not saying that it wont work out ,but right now I am not entirely sold on it.
I know comparing with the knicks may be annoying but when he was there, you would see pictures of landry, novak and jeffries hanging out . I always wondered to myself why I dont see the other players and the same thing is happening here. Only difference is that it is just parsons. are the guys expected to be with each other all the time? of course not. I just find it awfully coincidental that Lin has so few friends.
2)While rockets are playing a run and gun offense and producing some results, is anyone worried that it may make them tired? this will not work all the time especially back to back games. Yes, they are young but I feel they should be coached smartly. There needs to be adjustments made. The western conference is stacked and no team should be taken for granted. Our wins are because we outscore others but come playoffs, or against elite teams, defense is going to be really important
I am not being pessimistic but we are still "fighting" for a playoff spot because sometimes teams tend to get on a roll during the later part of the season. The nuggets are an example. They struggled initially but are getting their grove back. I am just afraid that by all star break, they would soon get tired. The bench needs to chip in too.
3) the pattern I realise is that when Lin does a good job defensively, his offense falters abit . Or it could be good shot blockers take away his "game" Unless Lin starts hitting outside shots, no one is going to give Lin any credit. AS what they say, defense takes EFFORT and tenacity and if Lin can score AND defend I think that would make him lethal.
The thing is the nba today is not only pg dominant, scoring PGs are seen as BETTER. I remember watching nba tv and they were looking at some poll on who the best pg was (I think it might be GMs/coaches.. I am not too sure..or even fans.. cant remember). Rondo was 3rd BUT the disparity between him and the 2nd best/ the 1st was HUGE.I remeber some sport analyst was saying he was very surprised. It just goes to show that it is not good enough to pass, you have to score . which is why Westbrook gets lots of love for scoring and sometimes hate for it. In years to come, the trend for pgs is that they all can score AND pass .
If you look at the current warriors clippers game now, curry has 25 points and everyone is going nuts .That is how pgs are measured these days.
4)While some of you might be unhappy with Lin's lack of recognition by coaches or the fans I think we can all take comfort in the fact that at least Lin is moving in the right direction. After all that linsanity stuff, I think it is good for Lin to just do his own thing without all the media stuff.
Most importantly. for him to recover fully. He is going to the paint more often but to me, I still think he is not fully there yet.
I think going into this season, Lin was looking to pass more and not to drive too much. I remember watching some clip this past summer and his trainers and coaches (not the Rockets ones) told him that they want him to drive less and to improve his catch and shoot. Unfortunately, his shoots are not falling in from the 3. They made those recommendations to him because they want him to have a long NBA career.
DeleteIn addition, I hope they tell him not to take offense charges.
Delete@alcsd: I agree with you about the drive early in the season. Although we were upset because it made Lin look bad but I thought it would be good for Lin if he didnt do that so that his knee would recover. Which is also why I think it is good for Lin to also develop an outside shot. Going into the paint all the time would not only increase chances of getting hurt, it would also be very tiring. He needs to develop other offensive weapons. Lin does whatever it takes to win that includes charges :( That is Lin for you.
DeleteI'm hoping this Rox team will reach this level chemistry one day...[JLin has always been a change-maker, you never know.]
DeleteThey still need more time to build on the chemistry. Don't think they will build the good friend kind of chemistry but at least a good team chemistry. It's their first season together, so I assume this is normal.
DeleteIt's hard to build team chemistry and to play for each other when Morey has always put everyone on notice, and that they all are assets to him.
DeleteYou are right. Which I find sometimes Why we can't blame anyone. Since they all try to make a guarantee spot and worry to trade away or cut next minute. Just like what happened to jlin before.
DeleteI think Lin will make his shooting a top priority this summer and once that is fixed, he will look to score more next season.
DeleteI think the timing of the trade for Harden really did hurt the team chemistry. It was so sudden, and everyone wonders if they're next.
Delete@via Thanks for that video, almost brought a tear to my eye. :) I hope you're right.
"reach this level chemistry one day"
Delete- reach near this level of chemistry one day
I can only hope that JLin's goodwill is not in vain, and his team mates will learn to trust.
@Dave - Maybe there'll be another similar vid by the end of the season [or the next.] This time, the Rox. :)
DeleteYou never know...
via, that's ONE GREAT VIDEO you found.
DeleteI was so touched, memories of that run of Linsanity rushed back like waterfall. That team was so much greater than any individual, definitely one of the most bonded team I've never witnessed. Like you posted earlier, hopefully Jeremy's good will intention will not go in vain.
I want Jeremy back here in NY: now. I dont care about Melo or anyone else. Ive never followed a different team besides the knicks until I followed Jeremy to Houston..and I realized I dont care one bit how Hogger Harden plays or how many wins they get (sorry Rocket fans) I just want Jeremy to play well and be happy. I miss that smile he always used to wear and the joy he used to get from the game. He needs to have a team to run that will trust him and let him lead them to victory...why do these big name players follow Jeremy all over the place like the plague. I cant stand much more of this.
Delete@music613,
DeleteYes I miss Jeremy's big genuine smile and the purest joy from the game. As much as I miss Jeremy in blue and orange, the environment was pressing and hurting him hard as well.
Maybe Jeremy IS having a career like Steve Nash. Steve was overlooked early in his days. Buried behind Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd in his rookie year in Pheonix, made a name for himself in Dallas, returned to Pheonix and became a 2-time MVP.
If we look at it from Steve's journey, Jeremy's fate doesn't seem so bad anymore. We can continue to pray for him and give him the utmost support through the rain.
Yeah, I missed that pumped up smile as well. Hope to see it soon.
DeleteIt takes much more effort and energy for defense. That is why most of defensive specialist such Tony Allen not known to score a lot of points unless you're LeBron James or Russell Westbrook, both freak athlete.
DeleteIf James Harden spend as much of energy and effort as Lin did on defense, he would not have enough in the tank to score 20+ points every night and could miss the all star lol.
I have no problem with our run and gun style as long as we have plenty effective halfcourt play sets that we can fall back on(which I speculate that McHale is not "smart" enough to draw or KHuang said that the rest of The Rockets is "too dumb" for complicated plays CMIIW)
I definitely do not consider either Lebron James or Russell Westbrook topflight defensive players at the level of Lin or Allen (and Lin I rate HIGHER than Tony Allen on defense).
DeleteJust because Lebron and Westbrook have the physicality to play topflight defense doesn't mean they actually do. Lebron can play that top defense when he feels like it, but usually he doesn't. Lebron let friggin CHANDLER PARSONS score 20+ on him!
Possession by possession, Lin defends 100% of the time. No other PG can claim that.
It's the NBA. Not everyone has to get along and be best friends to be effective on the court - it's not like college basketball where the unity runs much deeper. I think last year was special because there were no expectations for Jeremy, and his teammates were geniunely happy for him (except for JR and Melo) - this year, Jeremy is getting paid and is a starting PG. He is expected to do more. But I wouldn't look into the relationship thing too deeply.
DeleteLebron has Chalmers and a bunch of other people who are also playing high level defense. The wear and tear is not just on a single person but is rotating constantly. The Hornets game looked to me like all the wear from high level defense is on Jeremy.
DeleteFurthermore, I was watching some older highlights such as the Nets game when Jeremy scored 25pts. The entire team including the bench were together with jubilation. The back stabbing didn't start until Carmelo came back from injury.
Just a quick reminder for the fans who want to do this: KEEP VOTING FOR LIN FOR THE ALL STAR GAME. Text LIN to 69622, and tweet Jeremy Lin #NBABALLOT and vote on nba.com or rockets.com. Do all three! Only 11 more days left.
ReplyDeleteCan u show how to properly using the text method? I don't want to do it wrong. Just write Lin in the text that's all?
DeleteBut how will they know which Lin it is? :P
Delete@lydia lien, yep. Just text his last name to 69622(mynba) and you'll get a confirmation text right afterward.
DeleteAs for Jeremy's jump shots..... I just wanted to share that Wade isn't too proud to switch his personal shooting coach.
ReplyDeleteDwayne Wade, the established elite veteran SG who is ranked #8 in the league and the Heats' 2nd leading scorer is working with a new shooting coach "who different than what I’m used to".
shttp://www.hoopsworld.com/daily-nba-news/ December 26, 2012 :
Dwyane Wade’s career-high shooting percentage and blistering 61 percent clip over his past eight games can’t all be attributed to a little extra coaching, but it certainly hasn’t hurt.
The Heat’s second leading scorer admitted he has been working with a shooting coach during the season.
“You have to know your problem,” Wade said. “When I’m missing, I already know how and why I’m missing. I know that I don’t have a lot of arc on my shot. So I know that me shooting on the way down is really fighting against the wind.
“For me, it was just to get somebody to come in, different than what I’m used to, a different voice.”
JLin highlights vs NO - 1/2/13
ReplyDelete[coffeetime]
coffee time's got really good highlights.
Deleteyeah, and some weird singing!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletelol
DeleteThe singer is the comedian, Jimmy Fallon. He is a big Knicks fan. I think that is his parody of Nirvana/Kurt Cobain song.
DeleteHere is the link to the full song
http://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2012/02/24/jimmy-fallon-s-ode-to-jeremy-lin.html
Pearl Jam - Jeremy
DeleteIf JLin can improve his jump shot drastically, he will be one of the two best PG in this league. That jump shot will be the catalyst to open up his untapped greatness. When his confidence is high, he's unstoppable.
ReplyDeletei don't know why but this particular game assure me more than any other game that Lin will be one of the best PG one day. i never been so convinced before.
Deleteyeah! he was just all over the place , doing everything he can! 'what you really want to see in your player...
DeleteNot sure I would go that far. I would say top 7-10 with an improved jumpshot. I think right now he might be slightly outside top 10.
DeleteI'm not saying in the near future but in 3 or 4 years. definitely before 30!
DeleteLooking at PG around his age - we have Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Damon Lillard, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Rose. Chris Paul and Stephen Curry are just a few years older. So top 2 is very, very ambituous. I don't count John Wall, because I think Lin has already surpassed John Wall.
DeleteI think Lin's surpassed ALL those guys already, except for Westbrook and Rose who are dynamic All NBA scorers (and not much else).
DeleteLin is easily the best two way point guard in the game. No PG defends like him, and no PG elevates his teammates like him either. Substitute Lin with any other PG and the Rockets likely wouldn't win as many games.
I don't really look at individual stats when evaluating players. I look at their winning impact on their specific teams and on the entire NBA. Jeremy Lin is having an OVERSIZED impact on the NBA, probably more than any PG in the game today.
With an improved jump shot, I would say Lin can be in top 5. If no improved jump shooting, I would say top 13 to top 10. Basically, reasonable people can differ on their opinions because it all depends what you think a good PG should do.
DeleteI think the last thing Jeremy should do is to concentrate on his jump shot. He seems to shoot better when he's acting on instinct when taking whatever the defense gives him. Sorta like dancing, he's best when he's on his toes.
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ReplyDeleteJust from those highlights alone, there were at least 3 assists from Lin to a teammate within 1 step of basket that they failed to convert. I'm not counting those to the perimeter shooters for ope threes.
ReplyDeleteFrom the looks of it, NOL played pretty good transition defense and the Rox couldn't really run. I like how Lin took the rock right at unibrow in the 4th to get the free throws.
Just watched the coach's post game interview. I never watch his interviews but I was curious because some of you commented that he did not mention anything about Jeremy after the Hawk's game. Wow... he did the same thing this time.
ReplyDeleteJust sad to see Jeremy playing so hard on defense and sacrificing his body for the team but get no recognition for his effort. I hope Jeremy will have a healthy and productive season and not get burned out too early. I agree that he should rest for a few games if he's hurt. He's just too unselfish.
They won't appreciate Lin just by looking at the stats book. The coaches have to factor in all players on the team, while fans can zoom in on one only. They need to go review film after the game to see his contribution, which I am sure they will appreciate.
DeleteYeah thats true, but as they mentioned, couple of days ago, didnt even had time review any videos from the game, because of the tight schedule.
Deleteyou just can put a good (hardworking) man down! Jeremy will have his due. i'm sure of that!
Delete*"can't" put a good man down...
Deletehmmm...i haven't played any pro bball games but aren't the coaches watching and monitoring the games by the court side and they can immediately spot who are the sluggish players and who can help win games to have a good rotation sub? If coaches need to review video of each game to come to appreciate the contributions of each player, how can they endorse goods and bads of players in the post-game interviews? IDK...
DeleteThe coaches are stuck on the bench, therefore only have one perspective. With the multitude of cameras in the arena, the video will show buildup of points from different angles. Many times it is the build up that is important - ie the assist to shot is seen, but many times it is the the assist that leads to the assist that is more important - just watch the Spurs game and watch the Spurs passing around the court.
DeleteIf a coach can not "see and/or understand" the floor at the game time, I could not imaging that the one can be a good coach. It is true that there are more cameras monitoring the floor than the coach's sight. Yet, it is the coach making the game time decision. If one can not "follow" the game and be aware of the players' contribution, I am not sure the one is suitable for the job.
DeleteNBA: Top 10 Game-Winners of 2012
ReplyDelete2. New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors [2/14/12]
Thanks for that via. Only thing better would be for the clock to hit zero after the shot, for the NYK to be trailing at the time of the shot, and a shot of a Raptor holding their heads in disbelief. The whole stadium was up for that last shot. They were all cheering a visiting player which was the incredible part.
Deletelol @ those Raptors fans...
Delete[JLin's just the perfect hero, he's irresistible haha.]
reliving that incredible shot... :)
Deletereliving that incredible shot... :)
Deleteupon further review, it doesn't look like harden "clapping" at jeremy was disrespectful. when lin got the rebound, he had to hold it low to the ground because a defender was draped all over him. lin was still surveying the area to see who he could pass to, so harden clapped loudly 3-4 times to let lin know where a safe outlet pass could be made.
ReplyDeleteI missed that particular moment during the game, but I dont think that JH is pissed over it. Its normal, when we play, we always, raise our hand or clap or voice-off just to show where we are so that the PG would have a better vision on the move.
DeleteYeah, don't read too mch into Hrden's clapping. I wonder what was said to Lin after he passed to Asik for the and-1.
DeleteContinuing his stellar play from Block of the Night on the NYE, JLin's no-look pass to Greg Smith is Play of the Day:
ReplyDeletehttp://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/top_plays/2013/01/02/20130102-play-of-day.nba
@via, will try html link next time to make my post more "professional" like yours. :)
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DeleteMine's nothing like a professional's, lol
DeleteMeanwhile~
ReplyDeleteIs Kobe right? Are the Lakers too old?
Perhaps the Lakers are too “old” and “slow” to be playing Mike D’Antoni’s fast-pace system.
rockets and lakers should trade coaches... :)
DeleteHaha if only that's do-able..!
DeleteESPN Insider: The rise of Kyrie Irving
ReplyDeleteCavaliers sophomore will be league's best point guard by 2015
Updated: December 26, 2012, 1:32 PM ET
By Amin Elhassan | ESPN Insider
It was September 2010 and I was serving as the Phoenix Suns' assistant director of basketball operations. Grant Hill, having recently returned from a summer sabbatical at Duke, walked into the training room.
"I just saw the best player in the nation," he said succinctly.
I asked him if he thought the kid from St. Patrick High School in New Jersey was that good. Hill replied that coach Mike Krzyzewski was going to "give the kid the keys," something he hadn't done with any freshman since Bobby Hurley. I was a bit skeptical; I had seen a couple of the kid's high school and AAU games, and while I was impressed by his poise and maturity on the court, I couldn't fathom Coach K giving that kind of freedom to a freshman.
Two months later, I sat down for my first look at Kyrie Irving as a collegiate basketball player. About 10 minutes later, I shut my notebook.
"This kid is clearly wasting his time playing another minute of college ball," I said to myself.
A few games later, he'd get injured and miss most of the remainder of the season. However, in those few appearances, he was one of the most NBA-ready freshmen I had ever seen, particularly at the point guard position.
Two years into his pro career, Irving seems destined for greatness, even gracing the cover of ESPN The Magazine's NEXT issue. How great? By 2015, he will be the best point guard in the NBA. Here's a scouting perspective on why.
What makes him special?
Most young players generally play the game at a frenetic pace, symbolic of their inability to absorb all the information coming to them in each instant of an NBA game. What sets Irving apart is his incredible patience on the offensive end. Whether it's out of a pick-and-roll or an isolation situation, he allows the play to develop before deciding whether to attack, pull up or dish.
He shows excellent recognition of time and score situations (short clock, two-for-ones, etc.) and is vocal and unabashed at directing traffic on the court, even when playing with older, far more experienced players. His timing is impeccable, and he delivers one-handed pocket bounce passes with the ease and accuracy of a wily veteran. Not only does he make all the right reads out of the pick-and-roll, but he also knows how to create new opportunities after initial action has stagnated.
Scouts put Irving's dribbling ability right at the top of the league with Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford; however, he's more Paul than Crawford in that there is an efficiency of dribbling and space creation (he's not just going into a "dribble tantrum," as Crawford will frequently resort to). Again, this is a trait that belies his age, as most young players don't have the discretion to know when to use -- or not use -- a superior skill.
Additionally, Irving's footwork is extremely refined, as he is able to create space by changing stride lengths not only in the open court but also in extremely tight situations. He will often explode with his first step and then bring a right to left crossover back to a short second step, throwing defenders off.
Irving excels going either direction, using either hand and going off either foot. He has fairly large hands, which allow him to palm the ball and manipulate it repeatedly after he picks up his dribble for pass and shot fakes en route to the basket. He is an excellent perimeter shooter, shooting at above 40 percent from 3-point land in his NBA career. His in-between game has improved tremendously, and he actually attempts a fair amount of left-handed runners and floaters, which will one day make him that much harder to guard. He finishes at the rim through contact, but is also extremely aware of baseline cutters and will make the drop-off pass.
DeleteIndeed, Irving's shooting prowess and ability to score in so many different ways make defending him against the pass much more difficult, as is the case with Paul and Steve Nash.
In fact, you can see elements of other players' games incorporated in his style, from Paul and Nash to Rod Strickland, John Stockton and Isiah Thomas, which tells us that Irving watches a ton of film not only of contemporaries but also of past stars. Statistically, he shares rare company as one of just eight players to average at least 15 points per game, shoot an effective field goal percentage of at least 50 percent, and have an assist percentage greater than 30 percent for his career, although his sample size is much smaller (the others: Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Paul, Kevin Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker and Mark Price).
Further, according to Kevin Pelton's SCHOENE projection system, Irving's three-year projections have him at a combined 28.0 wins over replacement (WARP) in 2015, second only to Russell Westbrook among point guards under the age of 25. However, Irving's 2015-16 WARP projects to climb at 11.8 as opposed to Westbrook, whose numbers should be in decline at 9.3.
All of this, and Irving won't turn 21 until March.
What will hinder him?
Irving's biggest hindrance so far has been his supporting cast, as Cleveland continues its rebuild. Playing with lesser-caliber teammates, particularly younger ones, makes his job much more difficult and alters his development.
Irving is a pass-first point guard, but his scoring ability (and the lack of other viable offensive options on the Cavs) force him to look for his shot more aggressively, which can manifest itself in subpar shot selection. For example, he'll go into stretches in which he will come down the court and pull up for a 3-pointer before running anything.
Of greater concern, Irving will often "conserve" energy on the defensive end. He is overly reliant on help defense when guarding the ball, often taking a liberal interpretation of "send him to the help" with an open stance that not only allows but encourages blow-bys. On the weak side, he is aware but not alert, meaning he is in the right spot initially, but because he is not in an active defensive stance (i.e., standing straight up and down), he is then left to scramble out in rotations. Related to that, his closeouts are either too soft or too hard (i.e., he overcommits and flies right by the perimeter player).
The longer Irving has to play savior on offense, the longer it will be acceptable for him to give subpar effort on the defensive end, which slows his overall development toward being the best PG in the league.
Of course, there are other players who could potentially lay claim to the "Best Point Guard in 2015" title. One can make a case for and against Westbrook, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio and Rajon Rondo to be the best point guard in 2015, but none brings the combined abilities that Irving brings to the table.
DeleteIrving combines the savvy of a veteran, the fresh legs of a young player, the explosive first step of an athlete, the perimeter accuracy of a knock-down shooter, the scoring ability of a shoot-first player, the passing acumen of a player who can't shoot, and a personality that shines through -- making players want to play with him, coaches want to coach him and marketers want to pay him. It's only a matter of time before he becomes the example after which other players will pattern themselves.
The making of Kyrie Irving
Replace the name with Jeremy, and that'd be his scouting report. Oh, and the incredible D as well.
DeleteYeah Hans, that's what I thought.
DeleteMaybe Jeremy should "conserve" energy on the defensive end and try to score more. That way he will get the respect from the coaches and media pundits.
DeleteThat ESPN Insider guy doesn't know a thing about basketball.
DeleteWhen Kyrie Irving came out, I was like "SUPERBUST"!!!
Indeed, Irving's team just can't win. They actually have more talent than Lin's Rockets do, plus they play in that weakass Eastern Conference where the Rockets would easily be the #1 or #2 team.
Irving needed to stay in college and work on his game. He might've been as good as Jeremy Lin coming out had he done that.
From a non American and non-bb person's perspective , why are Americans so fixated on statistics and scoring numbers in evaluating a player's capability?
DeleteDoesn't basketball appreciate the equivalent of the midfield general in soccer? Basically a player(for example Xavi(Barcelona) or Zico(Brasil)) who dictates the flow and tempo of the game by pinpoint passing,energy, creative leadership and all those intangibles. After all , basketball is suppose to be a team sports.
I would think Jeremy Lin would fit the mould here.
Why, lam?
DeleteBecause America is a ME FIRST culture where success is measured strictly by the superficiality of BLING.
The Hornets were a weak team and I seem to disagree with most posters here because I thought it was a good win from a strategic point of view. There was no need to run Rockets players ragged to smash the Hornets by playing fast breaks. Coach did just enough to get the win and keep everyone healthy.
ReplyDeleteYou could see that Rockets had TOO MUCH TIME on the ball when attacking. Their options were enormous, in comparison against the better teams where they sometimes struggle to get a good shot going. Whereas Omer scored little against OKC, in this game he was set up constantly by Lin and Harden and practised his layup / dunking skills. Refs didn't help with some weird calls, and if the 3's had gone in, it would have been another runaway score.
Ok so finally got to watch archive instead of catching snippets at stop lights via league pass, some comments:
ReplyDeleteBrian Roberts...Wow, made TD/Harden look stupid all game. Managed to blow by Lin once or twice but that's it, him and vasquez was pretty much shut down by Lin every time Lin was on them.
The PnR defense by Lin is awesome, watch the OKC vs Nets game, see any parallel between Lin and DWill's PnR defense? Heh Lin gots game!
Really liked the no look pass from Lin to Smith and Smith finishes it with a right hand dunk with authority. Asik can never pull that off.
Asik is a defensive blackhole all game. Owned by Lopez/smith and whoever he switches off with.
Lol his first basket was when he juked Anthony Davis HARD, the look on Davis's face was classic...PAWNED!
Austin rivers can't make a ft to save his life.
Ball movement was the suck, except for Lin, though ball rarely makes it back when it leaves his hand. Once it gets to Harden if he can't make a quick pass into the post with someone wide open cause he drew 2/3 defenders he goes iso, at least he's getting smarter when trapped to the left, and waits for usually Lin or someone else to bail him out.
Really good juke on Vasquez but layup was in and out, shame :(
Parsons d is gawd awful, along with Asik. Patterson let Anderson score in his face a few times. And the announcers are like "Rox are playing solid D"...Lol wtf game are they watching? It should have been "Lin is playing phenomenal d".
Great chemistry with Morris, loved the no look to Morris and lots of great feeds to Patterson, esp like how Patterson was always there to help rebound for Lin if he doesn't make his drives.
What is this, Asik catching low bounce passes?
I like how Lin leaves when he dropped on his knees end of 3rd and defense instantly suffers. Vasquez does a 2 and 1 with a smile, followed by 3ptr and alley-oop...Fast 8-3 run, if Anderson didn't miss with the 3pt rim shot which resulted in him catching defenders out of position (like achon said would happen lol), Parsons wouldn't have been able to shorten their run to 8-5.
Lin looks ok to me in 4Q.
There was a point where Lin calls for Asik screen and Asik calls Morris and Morris trudges from the corner to screen...Yeah lets waste the shotclock some more, wtf Asik?
2nd trey in and out good release no hesitation. Almost!
Nice alley-oop to Patterson and some quick dishes from Lin and others to 2pat and TO conversions (haha some really dumb TOs by NOH in 4Q) allowing Rox to pull from a 2pt lead to 10.
Oh and the Lin juke and fadeaway over Brian Roberts, just beautiful. Wait what am I talking about Lin can't create his own shots...
Now the trey miss at 1min mark, its a good miss, because it was long and hit opposite rim, shows Lin still has his legs, this is a good sign, esp considering he took a hard fall, and that he's been playing defense all game.
BTW why the hell does Jeremy end up guarding Davis (help defense) with no bigs down low...And Anthony gets two 2 + 1s...Somebody explain that to me lol.
And yes Lin had a good game, just wished those layups he missed would have gone in, sorry to say but those are his bread and butter right now.
DeleteAnd yes like I said earlier, Harden d is non existent :/
DeleteSo in summary, everyone else sucked except Jlin.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletewell what haters don't know is if Jeremy isn't at the game, Vasquez won't be shut down, Rockets will resort to tons of ISO plays (heck, when the ball leaves his hands he rarely gets it back. team mates seem like they don't want to pass to him even if he's open), and Hornets might have taken this game. I've seen haters slugging ONLY at Jeremy's 9 points in this game.
DeleteGreat d by JLin. JLin in the first quarter, without fouling, stayed in front of Vazquez drives. JLin also defended the PnR well. This stifled the flow of Vazquez's playmaking.
ReplyDeleteVazquez missed shots in the lane with JLin in front him. However, more athletic PGs can still finish over great PG defense in the lane. This is when a good shot blocking big man is an asset. JLin slowing down and preventing his man from elevating on the penetration sets up big men to come over for the easy block. Too bad we don't have a shot blocker like Tyson last year.
I looked at the stat sheet before watching the replay of the game. I thought Vazquez had a good stat line. When I did come around to watching the game, I realised TD and Harden was on Vazquez most of the game besides the beginning of the first and the end of the 4th. With JLin on Vazquez, Greivis wasn't doing too much harm.
Despite a good performance by his counterpart JLin did well; Vazquez did a lot of the damage while someone besides JLin was guarding him.
Lin himself needs to understand that he can attack Vasquez.
DeleteGeneral Greivis is TALL at 6'6". I watched the replays and Lin appears a little bit intimidated by that height.
However, just because General Greivis is tall doesn't mean he can truly challenge Lin defensively. When Lin attacked, he had no trouble scoring on General Greivis.
Omer Asik was caught playing unnecessary help defense when General Greivis tried to take Lin 1 on 1 for those bricked up drives. That's why Robin Lopez went wild like Moses Malone this game. I'd have let General Greivis shoot those bricks and make a few wild shots at Lin's expense because the Rockets would've won the game in the first half and not the second!
New Orleans made the fatal mistake of driving the ball AT Lin. If there's one point guard that opposing teams should NOT drive the ball at, it's Jeremy Lin. Apparently opponents still believe the BS that an Asian guy can't athletically keep up in basketball.
Lol, your comment about General Greivis is hilarious but good post.
DeleteHardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball
ReplyDeleteHere's something totally new: the Western Conference playoffs are going to be a bloodbath of awesomeness again.
9:42 PM - 2 Jan 13
Wxxxxx Axxxxxxx @WxxxxxAxxxxxxx
@HPbasketball Grizz/Clips 7 game soirée part 2: electric boogaloo?
9:44 PM - 2 Jan 13
Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball
@WxxxxxAxxxxxxx PLEASE NOOOOOOOOOO
9:44 PM - 2 Jan 13
Axxx Rxxxxxxxx @AxxxRxxxxxxx
@HPbasketball as a supporter of an Eastern Conference team, this makes me giddy. Let them beat up on each other.
9:55 PM - 2 Jan 13
Txxx Jxxxxx @rxxxxxxxxx
@HPbasketball How great would an OKC-Houston first round matchup be?
10:01 PM - 2 Jan 13
Anybody BUT Serge Ibaka in the first round.
DeleteI'd cite LMA and Batum as being even more terrifying than Ibaka, but I don't think Portland can make the playoffs.
I think they can, IF Batum and Lillard stay consistent.
DeleteGSW v. Houston would be best first round to gain confidence and momentum. I will never be sold on a Mark Jackson led team. They are winning on the talent of Curry and Lee, not because of MJax. However Curry and Lee are no more experienced in playoff ball than Lin, and Harden has been through it already.
DeleteThat sets up a second round of OKC/Clips/Spurs/Grizz and that way the Rox can avoid having to play 3/4 of them to make it to the finals.
I don't think the Rox are good enough to beat the elite teams without a huge trade, explosion in team chemistry, or a tremendous offensive improvement from Asik (just won't happen for another few years). Still we can always hope for miracles.
VOTE: for LAL vs HOU matchup [to air on NBA Fan Night Jan 8]
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSurprised to find the graphic showing Kobe vs Jeremy (not the Beard). I would think most consider the Beard as the face of the Rockets. 54% of votes for the game already. Quite popular. Who doesn't want to see the duel of the duos from dual eras?
Deleteyeah, if the Beard is perceived to be the best player of the Rockets, why isn't Harden featured together with Kobe?
DeleteJLin being the team-first guy is playing very unselfish bball while other players interested only in stat pad and coaches focus in winning and manipulating JLin's unselfish work ethic are given credits for the Rockets' victory. It's really on JLin to be at least a bit selfish and do the obvious to make himself look good. He can play to elevate others' performance but he needs to takes care of his own stats too.
ReplyDeleteReports found in the country where I have been residing for the past 6 months have done no justice to JLin's contribution to the Rockets.
"In Houston, the Rockets won with a narrow margin in home game against the New Orleans Hornets. "The Beard" Harden scored 31 points and seven assists to help the team 2-game winning streak. Jeremy Lin played poorly, attempted 10 shots, scored only nine points and seven assists. Asik contributed hugely with 21 points and eight rebounds."
Don't worry about what the press writes.
DeleteThe press generally has no clue about how basketball games are won or lost. They have even less clue about how DOMINANT Lin is.
I've seen guys like Jason Kidd and Ricky Rubio have worse shooting games than Lin, but they get praised endlessly because of their "defense and court vision". Lin is WAY BETTER than either Kidd or Rubio on both court defense and court vision, plus scoring too.
Lin's boss Les Alexander is a basketball man who fully understands Lin's true value. As long as he knows, it doesn't matter what haterade is written about Lin in the press.
These reports irk me a lot and at times spoil my day(sigh, too emotionally invested in JLin bball career). I like your optimism about Les. However, I think the Rockets have failed to recognize the imbalance arising from making Harden looks good at JLin’s expense; the failure to weigh the tradeoff between inflating Harden’s value and diminishing that of JLin will eventually erode the overall value of the Rox.
DeleteI don't worry about such reports because I as an Asian American male in show business have been long excoriated by inaccurate reporting and dumbass bosses.
DeleteAll Lin can do is do his best under the circumstances given him. From what I'm seeing, he can't do any better.
If anybody thinks any point guard like Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul can replace Lin and improve on Lin's 18-14 Rockets record, LET THEM TRY. Kudos to them if they're right.
That's always been my attitude toward my haters. If they moan so much about my bad job, let them replace me with somebody "better". As it does in Lin's case, it always BACKFIRES.
BACKFIRE indeed! 'can't wait for the day all these haters , unbelievers , doubters..etc... will be proven wrong.
DeleteI really like your optimism and singlemindedness , Khuang.
Not many players in NBA who is as team-oriented as Lin for sure. I still want to see him take 15 shots per game.
DeleteWhy "wait", chan c?
DeleteEvery moment Lin is the NBA, there are 30 teams that though he COULDN'T play being PUNKED.
Lin plays for the Rockets who initially thought he couldn't play. Maybe there are guys in that organization who still think Lin is a scrub that doesn't belong in the NBA. And if they want to risk getting themselves fired by not using Lin properly, I'm all for them taking that risk.
So as far as "proving the haters wrong", that's already happening on a grand NBA scale. Enjoy the punkings!
Right on , Khuang!
DeleteLin seems to be developing some stuff I have not seen very often, such as "no-look" passing which is very effective and does fool opponents, and one hand passes. He also seems to be driving more often to his left side, although my eyes tell me that his driving to his left side is not as fast as his driving to his right, which is normal and understandable.
ReplyDeleteNot "developing" but "utilizing" more often.
DeleteThat no look pass to Smith is # 1 in NBA's Top 10 plays of the night:Jan.2nd. See , that's what i've been saying. Mchale or the others might overlook Jeremy's value in the game , not even a mention of him in post game interviews or media articles, but somehow , somewhere , skills like that cannot just be ignored. JLin will have his due , no matter what.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4zk0t1KGuU
does anyone have any idea on how good james anderson is? is he a good pick up?
ReplyDeleteC'mon peeps! Lin is now only 46k votes behind CP3! Let's give one final push for our all star! Text LIN to 69622 and tweet Jeremy Lin #NBABALLOT and vote at nba.com or rockets.com!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Rockets need to trade James Harden to the Thunder for Kevin Martin and Rookie Jeremy Lamb. That would be a great trade because Martin is a great 3 point shooter and Lamb is a young T-Mac styled Guard who would compliment Jeremy very well.
ReplyDeleteDon't forgot the lottery pick Houston gave up to get Harden, Nemo.
DeleteMove on , Nemo.
DeleteThings happen for a reason...
DeleteEven JLin live by this principle.
So he takes everything in stride...
KHuang,
DeleteThe Rockets will "cut their losses", therefore lottery pick won't be included. ;)