-Chandler Parsons is a solid SF but not an All-Star level talent ala Paul George.
-James Harden's D is horrible. I think most if it is effort. He spends about 90% of his energy on O, 10% on D.
-Whenever JLin hits a few shots, no one even looks to get him the ball. Did you see him waving his hands at Hardin in the 1st half after he'd hit a few?
-We need an upgrade at PF like yesterday. Patterson and Morris combined: (1-13, 2 rebs)
-Even worse, did you see Patterson call off JLin's play call?
-This just shows the level of respect for Jeremy from some of his teammates. I think this is a trickle down from the coaches lack of respect towards JLin.
-Lin needs the ball in his hands more. How about 50/50 (like first two games of the season) instead of 80/20 Harden?
-McHale may have been a great player, but his record (94-106) as a coach stinks.
-McHale needs to look in the mirror and improve as much or more than JLin needs to.
amen to all of that. seriously, as an offensive player, how do you get into a rhythm when you hardly ever get the ball? Houston sucks balls. They aren't makin the playoffs. yeah, they won a few games, but no one is takin them seriously. Harden is overrated, he's not durant, lebron, kobe status. I rather have lin playing for teams like the hornets who let grevis vasquez run the point. What a waste of time. How do you develop a point guard when he doesn't touch the ball for heaps of minutes at a time? he's being used as a derek fisher of the lakers during the last couple of years. Hit a few open shots, hustle, and pass the ball to kobe.
ReplyDeleteThe coaches simply see Lin as a role player and use him like a role player. There is only 1 star on this roster. The offense should not be democratic, regardless how he's played, that's why 80% has to go to Harden.
ReplyDeleteHarden is such a ball hog. I honestly don't get how he gets as many assists as he does...might just be a consequence of the fact he has the ball 80% of the time because I rarely see him make really great passes.
ReplyDeleteI almost see him as empty stats because he gives up just as many points on the defensive end as he scores on offense.
I'm not happy with Jlin's role. I think his shot is improving though and he's working on various areas of his game.
ReplyDeleteRockets are in a tailspin because they refuse to go through Lin and keep feeding Harden the ball. This is ok though. Lin will be traded to another team after next season. It sucks mostly for the fans. I still think Lin can be as good as Linsanity no question, perhaps even better.
At his best, he is still probably a 22 ppg 10 assist guy if the team went through him.
he can easily be a 15ppg, 7a, 4-5 reb 2-3 steal guy right now if he can just get some opportunities.
ReplyDeleteHe's been averaging that in the past 15 games even WITH this terrible coaching/strategy.
DeleteIf they let him run the offense like a normal PG, he'd be averaging 18/8 without breaking a sweat.
DeleteOn Cluthfan already there's a thread discussing trading Jeremy (I don't encourage anybody on this forum to join a bunch of biased LOH fans but Torocan, Lucky Charm and a few others give very insightul analysis). IDK, I'm not really in favor of the trade but I sure know that Rockets will have losses piling up and eventually miss playoffs if Harden still holds the ball 80% of the time. Jeremy has improved a lot this season (even for me as a new bball fan, I can see the improvement) so I'm not a bit worried about his progress. It's the Rockets org deserves to miss the playoffs this year again if they don't respect Jeremy's talent!
ReplyDeleteClutchfans is filled with scum, nothing but racists and Lin-haters.
DeleteAmazing how they marginalize everything good he does and amplifies every little mistake he makes.
True. But it's good to have some LOF to counter those ridiculous comments.
DeleteWhy is it jeremy's problem? Obviously, it's the whole team problem including coach.
DeleteThe main problem is JLin not being used properly (low usage rate) in HOU system. Many Lin fans objected to this fact and many CF HOU fans reacted strongly on Lin performance.
DeleteThe focus should not be on Lin but on the coaching system that emphasizes Harden too much as a focal point of offense and now Harden has hit the well after averaging 39 min/gm.
I remember KHuang said there's too much OFFENSIVE FREEDOM and he's right. When Lin scored 5 points straight at the end of 2Q, the offensive flow did not run through him as the main ball-handler. They need to ride the hot hands and at that point, it's Lin. Very frustrating system to watch non-PGs trying to initiate plays that go to nowhere.
I hope Lin fans in CF can shed light to this main problem of Harden-centric, all players-are-PGs, too-many minutes for Harden besides not utilizing Lin properly. So the focus is not shifted to solely on Lin (what he did and what he could/should have done). They all should know that coaches play a big part on the players' roles.
Typo: "hit the wall, not well" although it might as well be true
DeleteShrug you have clutch that says any tean where lin is ball dominant will never make playoffs and he is at best 2nd or 3rd scoring option..his groupies thinks the same.
DeleteWith PB in the house you guys/gals may just get your wish.
Its almost feel like Lin being bullied by the Rockets. Not once that I'm sold on the coaching staff (McHale Sampson) not even once just like they aren't sold on Lin either. As long as Harden still untouchable and the coaching staff didn't look at themselves in the mirror, nothing gonna change much.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the day when Jeremy is really ready, F McHale and go HAM on the court
i will never lose hope on JLin...
ReplyDeleteJosh Lin is that you? lol
Deletelol
DeleteLin is not going to be traded. We see now what the problem is. I don't care who they stick to play with Harden, you are going to get the same results. He will hog the ball, get his 20+pts, and Rockets still the loose the game. I think somebody said earlier that Mchale looked pale, probably is because he has been told his job is on the line if he can't reel in Harden. the Rockets have played awful in the last 6 games. You can't blame everything on the players. The media in Houston don't want to face up to the fact that Harden is not a one man show.
ReplyDeleteI love you JLin. I will never lose hope.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletehave been a fan of the site for months.
quick question first. when did Patterson call off JLin's play call in the Pacers' game? and where can we write to to fix the statistical mistake of crediting Lin's steal made in 1st quarter to Asik?
It's funny how the ONLY Rocket to respect and mesh with Jeremy is Toney Douglas.
ReplyDeleteWhen they play together, Toney knows Jeremy's the better playmaker and he's the better 3pt shooter and adjust accordingly. When J-Lin gives TD the ball...TD gives it back unless he has a wide-open shot. And when TD gives J-Lin the ball, J-Lin will give it back if TD is wide-open at the arc.
The only time this game looked winnable was when Jeremy was scoring and running the show. McHale refuses to reign Harden in...he must go. I'm sure he likes Jeremy as a person, but he clearly has no respect for him as a player.
Les and/or Morey need to drop the hammer on McHale. Hire Dave Blatt. Or even Alvin Gentry. The personal tragedy McHale suffered this season makes it difficult to do, however...
Anyways, all I can say is that McHale and Harden may ruin this season for J-Lin and the Rockets...but Jeremy is too good not to improve from the experience.
DeleteJeremy is being forced to become a better spot-up jump shooter, non-PnR playmaker, ball-hawk defender and (eventually) a more vocal leader.
His numbers will suffer this year. People will hurl hateful racist insults at him...but it won't matter. In the long run, he'll be a much stronger, more complete player as a result. It's a marathon, not a sprint!
My view is this, he should just forget what (if thats what is happening); McHale had instructed him to do, he should just go for his point and show/shut the nay sayers.
DeleteTake atleast 12-15 shots, and be aggressive. Then we we hearing and seeing different kinda writeups on the sports web. He is just being too nice, which is not always a good thing.
He can't "forget McHale." Basketball doesn't work that way.
DeleteMcHale will bench him. Players won't set high picks. And no player -- not even Lebron -- should be jacking bad shots.
Just look at tonight! He went 4-7 with two 3s and McHale still yanked him early and sat him late. This has happened all season (remember the Portland game when Jeremy was threatening a triple-double?).
Has anyone got "anger pills" that we can send to Jlin ? you guys are spot on .. Jlin is too nice for his own good..
DeleteThere's not much Lin can do other than just be super efficient in his role.
DeleteThere are 4 other guys on the court demanding the ball. Lin has to work with and around those guys.
Honestly im a bigger fan of a lin/td backcourt than lin/harden backcourt, they just have much better chemistry. If they had td/lin in at 8min I believe they would have closed the gap and maybe pull an upset
DeleteNot happy with td not getting minutes he was big part of rox doing as well as they did. Bs
Agree. Thats why I like TD.
DeleteI really dont know how JLin and TD are off the court but on the court they really seem to respect each other - and they seem to have good chemnistry.
TD would sometimes bring the ball up the court but he would not hesitate to give Lin the ball or pass to Lin. Lin and TD -> true team players.
There were games when I thought (during 4th) -> damn it, pleaseeeee take Harden out and let the Lin/TD combo run the show. TD plays better D than Harden, TD trusts in Lin and he can even shoot...
I have said right from the beginning of the season -> I want to see more of Lin/TD combo. Eventhough Im excited about the Lin/Harden combo I really dont think they can get things going until next season (+ training camp). Harden has to learn to let go of the ball. He needs to trust Lin. He also has to learn to play D.
Looks January games are taking a big toll on Rox. Feb should give some breather for the Rox and figure out the much needed team coordination.
ReplyDeleteAs some of us have said earlier, JLin would still need to take atleast 15 shots in a game to remain aggressive. He is being to unselfish to go and helpout on defensive. Each member has their own player to D, and he should only over do once is a while when he could get a quick win over the ball.
Doing it in every run, would just tire him out, eventually its going to take a toll on his shots as well.
meanwhile an analysis between KH and JL together...
No, "fatigue" has nothing to do with it. That's all garbage from McHale and the media.
DeleteEvery single team has to play a similar schedule. The Rockets are the YOUNGEST team in the league. So if anything, they're the LEAST affected by the schedule.
Cant disagree here :)
DeleteUltimately it all goes to coaching staff and straighten up things.
Another analysis
Win or lose is not that important. It's how a team play the game. Last night's Boston vs Chicago and Dallas vs OKC games were awesome. The games were exciting because they all played hard like it's the playoffs. All 5 guys were playing their hearts out just trying to get the win. Very exciting basketball during regular season, and yeah Durant is just going nuts. The dude is just a pure offensive player.
Deletekhuang's boy tyler hansbroug really does look like a beast. lin would've been great in indy, along with utah. rockets should trade lin now that they have beverly and douglas to stand in the corner while parsons and deflino run point.
ReplyDeleteCool, ntt.
DeleteI love Psycho T.
I'd rather have him beside Lin than ANY teammate Lin's ever had, including James Harden and Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler.
Watched some of psycho t's old games, lin will turn him into an all star.
DeleteStruggling through their second lengthy stretch without injured star Kevin Love, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves on the verge of their longest losing streak of the season.
ReplyDeleteThings aren't about to get any easier with Nikola Pekovic sidelined for at least a week.
The injury-plagued Timberwolves try to avoid a sixth consecutive loss Saturday night against a visiting Houston Rockets team mired in a brutal skid of its own.
Love, who sat out the first 2 1/2 weeks of the season due to a broken right hand, has missed the last seven games after suffering the same injury in a 101-97 win at Denver on Jan. 3, and remains out indefinitely.
Minnesota (16-20) has since gone 1-6, dropping its last five games by an average of 16.0 points. The Timberwolves suffered another big blow Thursday, losing Pekovic to a badly bruised right quadriceps in a 90-77 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers. The formidable big man is averaging 16.0 points and 8.6 rebounds and will miss the next seven to 10 days.
Alexey Shved, who averages 10.7 points, also left Thursday's matchup with an ankle injury.
"We've had a very difficult run of bad luck," team president David Kahn said. "However, as I said to the players, there is still in that circle of players that are available, a lot of talent.
"So I don't think this is a time for us to feel sorry for ourselves. Or to panic, or begin to do anything but simply play better, smarter, more together and try to win some games."
Besides Love, Pekovic and Shved, the Timberwolves are also dealing with injuries to Chase Budinger (knee), Brandon Roy (knee), Josh Howard (knee) and Malcolm Lee (hip). Terry Porter, who's been filling in while coach Rick Adelman tends to his hospitalized wife, only had seven healthy players for Friday's practice.
On a positive note, Ricky Rubio appears to be getting closer to full strength after returning from a torn ACL on Dec. 15. The Barcelona native, though, is averaging just 3.8 points and 4.7 assists over 11 games while shooting 22.2 percent. He went 2 for 9 from the field and finished with four points and six assists in his first start of the season against the Clippers.
"It's tough when you're playing, and there's no more bodies over there," Rubio said. "You have to remain doing new things every single game, and we can't get the rhythm. But that's no excuse. We are professionals. I think that players that are healthy have to step up and start doing a better job."
The Rockets (21-20) are also hoping to pick up the pace after averaging 95.7 points - 9.4 less than their season mark - over a six-game slide. Houston, which hasn't dropped seven straight since Jan. 6-18, 2006, saw its woes continue Friday in a 105-95 loss at Indiana.
The Rockets were outscored 31-18 in the first quarter and finished with 18 turnovers.
"We can get things going for a while but we have a period where we struggle," coach Kevin McHale said. "And we're constantly going through a period in the first half where we have a slew of turnovers and then it's a battle to get back and fight and get over the hump."
Omer Asik had a career-high 22 points and 12 rebounds but James Harden was limited to 17 points - snapping his career-best 22-game streak of scoring at least 20. Harden has gone a combined 10 for 42 (23.8 percent) from the field in his last two games.
While the Rockets have taken 16 of 20 from the Timberwolves, they had dropped three straight in this series before pulling out an 87-84 road win Dec. 26 behind 30 points from Harden.
"If Jlin was playing for the Hornets I GUARANTEE he would be getting double double and triple double every single game. The amount of PNR they set for Vasquez in that team is ridiculous."
ReplyDeleterockets love to get pick n rolled to death (while blaming lin), then hardly run any picks for him. good stuff. #freelin
quoted etymology
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ReplyDeleteSuns, coach Gentry agree to part ways
DeleteIs it a good idea to swap coach with Phoenix Suns? Anyone?
If there's one coach the Phoenix Suns should NOT get, it's Kevin McHale.
DeleteEven though Goran Dragic learned how to play under McHale, he bolted for less money at the first opportunity because he can't stand McHale.
Similarly, Alvin Gentry will do nothing to stop James Harden from turnovering and bricklaying.
Did ANYONE email the NBA about their incorrect recorded steal by Lin last night that was credited to Asik? Jeremy Lin gets robbed of some stats every game it seems like, but since Lin was credited with 0 steals last night his steals streak just ended.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost positive Lin had 1 or 2 steals in the first half of the game last night while I was watching.
I remember reading here that if you contact the NBA and give them the time and game quarter of the event that was mis-recorded, they will fix it. It probably has to be in the next day or two after the game.
If more than one fan provide solid argument to support the steal should be credited to Lin, NBA has to review the video and most likely, will rectify the error.
DeleteI just emailed NBA to the following address about the error:
DeleteCONTACT NBA
Same
DeleteThe way Jeremy is being treated is just so painful to watch. No respect from the coaching staff and barely from his team mates. I could just imagine how Lin feels, just like he said in an interview, he is capable to do more. It is bad enough that Lin has to put up with haters from fans and opposing team and now he has to endure the lack of support from his own team.
ReplyDeleteRockets brand of basketball at the moment is not fun to watch and as can be observed it looks like they r also not having fun on the court. They need to realize that they need to play as a team-- something that Jeremy is exemplifying every night and even during the Linsanity streak. It was always about the team and not padding his own stats. Wonder when Lin will get his break as a Rocket
The way Jeremy is being treated is just so painful to watch. No respect from the coaching staff and barely from his team mates. I could just imagine how Lin feels, just like he said in an interview, he is capable to do more. It is bad enough that Lin has to put up with haters from fans and opposing team and now he has to endure the lack of support from his own team.
ReplyDeleteRockets brand of basketball at the moment is not fun to watch and as can be observed it looks like they r also not having fun on the court. They need to realize that they need to play as a team-- something that Jeremy is exemplifying every night and even during the Linsanity streak. It was always about the team and not padding his own stats. Wonder when Lin will get his break as a Rocket
NBA Action: Houston Rockets
ReplyDeleteThe Rockets issues run deeper than what McHale can do honestly. We are really seeing the effects of having a young squad. There are so many breakdowns in this game, and other games, it's unbelievable. Every player has a tendency or knack for doing certain things well and others not so much.
ReplyDeleteGreg Smith for instance. We know he works well around the rim, at least better than Asik, but his biggest problem is defense, especially on pnr. There was a play where he just completely turned the opposite direction, lost his guy, and wondered if he was defending a pick n' pop or pick n' roll. West ended up with a wide open deuce on the high block.
Asik's biggest problem is his hands. He's got good footwork and can get himself in position to score, but his hands just doesn't follow suit. In terms of scoring, Asik is most effective when he's moving to the basket, not when he's at the basket already. He's not Hakeem and cannot juke his defender around and make something out of nothing. Most often than not Asik ends up creating an ugly shot that misses wildly around the basket and gets fouled. And when he's fouled, he doesn't make his free throws. One of the issues the Rockets have early in the game is they force feed Asik. As a result, the Rockets would start trailing in bunches and each possesion thereafter becomes critical and tight. The Rockets are pounding themselves in the face. There are also other reasons for being down but this is one of them they can cut back. JLin needs to stop looking for Asik. I know JLin thinks Asik is really good, he's on record for saying that, but Asik is really not that good right now. He can play defense and rebound and that's his strength. Lets just leave it at that. JLin, you should be taking more shots and stop feeding Asik. I know the Rockets need to play inside out sometimes to free up the perimeter, but it should be used sparingly. Don't turn Asik into something he's not at this point in his career. He's not Hakeem, nor is he Yao for that matter.
(cont)
DeleteOn JLin. When your team is down, sometimes the high risk/reward type passes should be mitigated. It's just not necessary in those type of situations. JLin needs to use better judgement. I understand that this is the Rocket's style of play, but that shouldn't be an excuse. And yes, I'm chirping on that one TO JLin had in the 1st quarter. Also, JLin has to be more active on the offensive end. He needs to score, score, and score. Harden needs his touches, but JLin can definitely find more than 7 attempts per night, that's just inexcusable. Stop feeding Asik and JLin will have more chances to score. There's a play where JLin brought the ball up court, the defenders were not completely set yet and all 4 of the defenders were lined up near the perimeter away from the side JLin's on. He then waits, looks to his left, and throws it to Harden out on the elbow. STOP JLin. You need to stop there. With JLin's quickness, he could have EASILY drove in for a layup it was so wide open, or get fouled doing so. He needs to seize on those moments.
Patterson's defense was ok early in the game against West, but he's so inconsistent setting screens for whatever reason. Watching him set a screen for JLin is like watching a revolving hotel door. He doesn't stand his ground sometimes but rolls with the defender. How are you suppose to free JLIn up like that? Incomprehensible. One good thing about Pat is he sticks to his man, but he does tend to not help much on defense.
(cont)
DeleteDelfino is one of those players that you dont want on the court unless you need to acommplish a specific task , like shooting 3s or something. He gets lost in a simple offensive scheme. He doesn't stand in the corner when he suppose to and floats to the elbow. When the Rockets play horn, Morris attempts to set a pick but Delfino is like right there with his defender clogging any driving lanes for Harden. Morris has to back out to create spacing and again run back to Harden in a second attempt to re-set the screen. Re-positioning will take precious ticks off the shot clock. This is Delfino's biggest problem is his court awareness. Delfino does a better job on defense though. He will get right up in your grill.
Sometimes I don't blame Harden all that much because his teammates just doesn't get to their right spots. He can't trust their shooting. He can't trust where they're gonna be on the court. So he tries to take it upon himself which ultimately result in a worse outcome. His defense is obviously horrid. Harden tries to help in the block but he doesn't have the close-out quickness to protect the perimeter and other times he simply just loses his guy because he was busy looking at another player with the ball. I don't believe Harden doesn't want to play defense, he's just trying to help out the bigs and getting burned on the perimeter as a result. The same goes for JLin. JLin and Harden doesn't have that type of defensive closeout quickness and I'm not knocking. Some players have it and some don't. Not every player is perfect, just remember that.
There are many more defensive and offensive breakdowns in this game, but I'm done for now. Either you have a coach that can really integrate his player's strengths into the system, or you have players that has the knack to adjust and play the right way. Unfortunately, we don't have neither. This is a young ball club and it's really going to take a while for them to gel. But we know Morey, there's gonna be some big moves and rightfully so because this group of guys is just not clicking right now.
Also, posters here talk about set plays, set plays for JLin so on so forth. Right now, the Rockets shouldn't even be thinking about coming up with more set plays, for anyone. The Rockets is not a half court team and they need to stick with playing up-tempo and transition offense by forcing steals and turnovers. When the Rockets played well, even during a short stretch last night against the Pacers, it was because of what I just mentioned, not the set plays. The problem with setting plays up is intricate. You need to set screens appropriately. You need everyone to be in their right positions. There's a lot of little things the Rockets are not doing well. They first need to fix those issues before they do anything else.
I completely disagree with most of what you just wrote.
DeleteIt's not all on Lin to create opportunities when his teammates are actively blocking him.
next.
I gave you a good example of a scoring opportunity that doesn't involve any of his teammates he should have seized, didn't I? It's not all on JLin, but saying his "teammates are actively blocking him" is beyond being reasonable.
Deletenext.
You're just here to bash Lin, and I'm just here to admire him.
DeleteStop with the bashing stuff, it's tiresome.
DeleteWell, you've bashed Lin and Lin's fans in your posts above.
DeleteIf it's not tiresome for you to bash Lin and his fans, then don't whine about what you're DOING.
@Racha For you example, do you know the time of the play
DeleteFrom what I remember, there was a similar play where JLin was pushing the ball, but found himself one on four when no teammates joined him. He chose to wait for his teammates to join him on the break.
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Deletewilc, yes, 5:58 or 5:59 in the first quarter.
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Deletewilc, that's the one. It was wide open for him to drive in. The Pacer's defense is not set and his teammates are still trotting along. Jlin has the complete right side of the court for him to operate.
DeleteSeriously KHuang, enough with your nonsense. Don't respond to my posts and I wont respond to yours. It's simple like that. You're letting your personal anger and hatred interfere and take hold of this site and we don't need any of that.
DeleteYou don't tell me what to do, Racha.
DeleteYou do not run my life. If we disagree with each other and you can't handle it, TOO BAD.
You bash on Lin and his fans on a pro-Lin site, expect retaliation.
wilc, it's not exactly ideal to call it a 1 on 4. He's not really going up against 4 defenders. Nobody can. JLin was in transition from the Pacer's missed shot. JLin got back but his teammates was still jogging back. JLin could have attacked then and there.
DeletePlease, KHuang. You are no pro, save it funny guy.
DeleteStop being so combative. You're making this site into a warzone for you own benefit.
DeleteRacha, you need to understand how forums work.
DeleteYou judge people negatively all the time, and then you whine when you get retaliated against.
When you come here to criticize Lin and his fans, expect a warzone like response to your posts.
I like Lin's game. You have a BIG problem with that.
KHuang, stop responding to my post. I don't need you to tell me how things works. You're hyper sensitive. Don't you follow other NBA players. Isn't Duncan you favorite player? Hibbert too? Why don't you go to their fansites and fight the haters there. Stop wasting your time on JLin, he doens't know who you are. You are not gonna get invited to his house and become his best friend.
DeleteKHuang, you need to show some self-restraint and my last post to you. I'm not gonna step into your hate trap again and feed you anymore.
DeleteI've found the play developing from a Pacers missed corner three at around 6.14 of he 1st quarter. JLin could have pushed the ball from end to end, but most people would actually say that is going two on four (Parsons ran up, but several Pacers were close by) and therefore ill-advised.
DeleteWhat's ill-advised is jumping up in the air and trying to pass that results in a turnover. Again, wilc I respect your opinion. I just think it's an opporutnity JLin can take advantage of with his quickness. If he can't make it to the basket, at least he will get a foul called perhaps from a body contact from Hill.
DeleteI don't want to put other players in JLin's shoes, but I would guess Westbrook, Paul, Parker, or whichever PGs with lightening speed would attempt.
DeleteJLin didn't push it end to end is why that play was significant in my opinion. He brought the ball up court but kinda slowed down. That hesitation caught the Pacers defenders off guard and JLin should have drove immediately.
DeleteThat's been happening all season long, wilc.
DeleteLin's been left out there to play team basketball, all by himself. His teammates are incapable AND unwilling - a very bad combination.
The coaches let guys play, but there are differing agendas on the court. Even if Jeremy Lin were handed the ball on every play and great coaching changes were made, it wouldn't change anything if Lin's teammates have made up their minds to play selfishly and incapably.
Now if theae players realized that Lin is trying to get them going, the Rockets would do better. Omer Asik appears to have bought into Lin, and so he'a been superb despite his painfully obvious limitations. I appreciate what Omer Asik does, though I'd like to see him become a better screen and roller as his career rolls on.
Lin doesn't really have a "team" in Houston. THAT is the main problem.
Again, I'm not just criticizing JLin nor am I saying it's his fault the Rockets lost. I'm just pointing out certain areas of his game, as well as other players.
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Deletewilc, also you mentioned Parsons ran up and several Pacers were close by. There are just so many places you can be on the court. It's hard enough to find openings to drive. In this case, they weren't really close by in terms of packing the paint and Parsons ran up but he was completely on the opposite side of th court and didn't even attempt to cut to the basket. If he did cut, I would have a different perspective.
DeleteI think its a bit harsh to point that out as an example of him not attacking offensively.
DeleteEven the announcers said that "Nobody though is running with Jeremy Lin".
I've rewatched the sequence of events multiple times on NBA League Pass and I do agree that he could have made the decision to take it to the basket.
At the same time, I also noticed that there were no trailers for the rebound or tip in if he missed.
About JLin needing to be more offensive minded, JLin is just a pass first and team oriented PG. Using the same example, his first instinct on this play after getting the rebound was to check where his teammates were to see if they will join him on the break (if you follow his head movements closely).
@KHuang I agree. When JLin calls Asik for the high pick, Asik comes running out.
DeleteI remember a play last game when JLin hand gestured for Morris for the high pick, Morris hand gestured back and refused to come over.
Teammates need to respect JLin's play calling abilities. They should respect the PG's play calling abilities and let JLin call the plays. Instead they turn around and tell JLin what to do and where to go!
Even more shockingly, I noticed when Beverley is in the game and he waves off people etc., the teammates actually obediently respond.
The teammates have to realise that when your PG tells you where you want to be, it is not negotiable!
DeleteHerein lies the problem. There are fans here who are just to vested in JLin like he's either their son/brother or significant other or something. He's just a basketball player. Basketball players have areas they excel and areas they dont. I don't feel I'm being harsh because If I was in his shoes I would have drove; one reason being I played bball in the past. I'm just pointing out an opportunity where JLin can make the most out of his quickness. I'm not asking him to drive into a packed house of defenders and get demolished. It's getting a bit to protective here for JLin. Lets remember he's a baller and I treat him like one. Not an Asian baller or whatnot, just a baller. Things I see other elite PGs do, I expect JLin to do also because he's capable. I think JLin can be elite and the only way I can solidify that is if I can see him do the things I mentioned. What I pointed out is not asking him to jump over a defender and finish with an acrobatic dunk. I know his limits. He's not freakishly athletic and I don't expect him to do any of that stuff. There are clear cut things he can do but he's not doing them. That's just what I'm seeing. Even if JLin is a pass first guard, seeing an opening and not taking it is not being heads up in my opinion. Whatever the reason JLin has, I don't know. All I'm saying is he's more than capable of scoring more, minus Harden and the score first PG mentality.
DeleteAlso, wilc, I think you're even keeled with your posts and I enjoy reading them. I'm not here to accuse you of being a JLin fanatical because you have been fair all around.
@wilc,
DeleteDON'T feed the throll. This Rascal isn't JLin fan.
IGNORE the RASCAL.
Moon lighter, don't need to change screen names. There are only a handful of posters on this forum that talk like you. You can't mask it with simply a screen name. You're writing/comment betrayed you. If you're a stand up dude, reveal who you are and don't beat around the bush. You want to make this into a hate site, but you're cowarding behind different screen names each day and attack me with the same vigor. You're one classy guy.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete@Moon Lighter Thanks for the advice. I think everyone is entitled to their opinions, but some opinions can be more persuasive than others and this is based on the quality of the arguments supporting an opinion. Many times, arguments which support opinions are equally persuasive, at which point the parties will just have to agree to disagree.
DeletePersonally, as long as the parties put forth their case and support them with evidence and reasoned submissions, I have no problem with a divergence in opinion on the outcome of the case.
wilc, you can't be serious. So are you saying JLin doesn't get his screens because he's Asian and Beverly does because he black. So it's a racial thing now? I see holes in JLin's game and that's where my primary focus is on, his game, while most other fans here see it as a racial thing. I now see where all the disagreements are coming from.
DeleteI guess if that's the case, JLin played awfully well last season with the Knicks. I guess that was all JLin noone else, but this year with the Rockets it's all racial.
Delete@Racha I do agree he could have used his quickness to get to the basket. I think he didn't because he was looking to pass all along on the fast break. I think this is what they probably practiced for fast break situations. I don't think they would have practiced JLin going one on one. (Although I do think it would have been exciting to see him do a change in pace hesitation move, and then suddenly explode to the basket).
DeleteJLin caught the ball, looked for where his teammates were, was preoccupied with the fact that his teammates were not running, looked forward and saw a man guarding him, and looked back to see if there are better options e.g. teammates trailing on the break, saw that they were (lazily) jogging, waived for them to "come one, run the floor!" and then looked back at which time he still could have drove it, but had slowed down too much to make use of his momentum. It would have been like going one on one. I like his chances because there were no one else in the lane. I guess next time it's just a matter of recognition that the lane was open with only one man to beat and not get too caught up in the fact that his teammates were not cooperating and not running the fast break as the coach had asked the team to.
@Racha Nope, I don't think its a race thing at all. I think there is disrespect for JLin. That may be explained by race, but I don't think that is the case. I think there is some disrespect for JLin. That was my point. I don't know why they disrespect him. It may be race, but again I don't think that is the case. As someone pointed out, the lack of trust may flow from how the coaching staff lacks trust in him.
DeleteThanks for the clarification, wilc.
DeleteA simple question for you Racha, you said that JLin's a mediocre player at best, so do you think you're better than him because you keep writing all these negatives that you thought you might do better than JLin? Seriously man, you're a fucking fan and acted like you're an expert at analyzing Lin's game. If you're that good, go be all that you can be and maybe some of us create a fansite for you and be your fan as well. Until then just stfu already.
DeleteI think you are giving Harden too much credit Racha, if you watched him in the playoffs his ball hogging and tendency of getting trapped is what literally killed OKC.
DeleteIn fact your reasoning for Harden taking more shots is the same thing I hear people use defending people like Carmelo and Kobe. These same folks never elevate their team because they don't trust them, they're all about stat padding, what we see Harden do a lot of.
McHale quite honestly either doesn't know what to do with him or Harden simply is playing his franchise player card and not giving a hoot, so Harden is doing what he is accustomed to doing here...Crappy defense, iso offense.
A lot of JLin's high risk/reward passes is those long lobs on transition, I have no problems with him taking those, because well its what JLin is good at, and when team is down a few quick transitions like he pulled off in 3Q with a 3ptr and 2pt transition on pass from Harden is money and great at getting morale back up. What I have problems with are when he make those lazy slow lobs to most of the time Harden right next to him and it gets picked. JLin also quite frankly passes too fast for his teammates and results in TOs, something that works fine for the quick/athletic types like Landry/Iman/Carmelo but just clobbers the likes of Amare and sometimes Tyson...On Rox Asik/Patterson/Morris have issues with JLin's passes, Harden not so much, neither does Parsons and Smith.
JLin also needs to not just attack, he needs to initiate more contact, esp in 4Q, so he can get to the line more. If you watch JLin attack this season, esp in 4Q he is looking to avoid contact and ends up relying on that stupid jump pass a lot, whereas Harden is the exact opposite.
This is absolutely THE time to start developing a half court game, their first year, when everyone isn't expecting much. Whether McHale can do that or not is another story. Statistically teams with high pace doesn't get to or if they do usually 1st/2nd round exits in the playoffs, they can't rely on that, simply because up against a good defensive team that can slow their pace they don't stand a chance.
Another point: their TOs are atrocious. They need to bring that under control. This is a hallmark of a young team, and in order to do that, they need a coach that will hold them accountable.
Here's the problem: McHale won't hold Harden accountable for anything, but he holds JLin accountable. Everyone sees Harden getting away with murder, and JLin wearing the dunce hat. They read this as Harden is the leader, and JLin is the role player, and I wanna be like Harden so I can get away with crap. Several analysts already see this as a pattern as many on the team is modeling themselves behind Harden in terms of shot selection, positioning, etc., even Lin at times. And sure enough except for Lin/TD/Asik and sometimes Patterson, they all play garbage defense.
One more thing: Their transition defense has gone down the drain. Only person I see hustling is Lin/Douglas/Delfino and sometimes Parsons. Harden sort of jogs back most of the time, rest of the guys are usually no where to be found.
DeleteIts funny that they focus on transition offense but forgot why it works so well against others. Just like their treatment for 3 pointers.
Kenoshi, nah you can't attribute the reason OKC lost in the playoffs to Harden. Whether you like him or not, that's no how it goes man. No matter how big of a ball hog you consider Harden to be, he's the sixth man. You almost sound like Durant and Westbrook doesn't exist. I would attribute young and experience more than laying the blame on 1 guy. There are obviously other reasons than young and inexperience but we'll leave it at that for now.
DeleteI am actually ENJOYING seeing the Rockets implode!
ReplyDeleteThe lesson is this: Move the ball away from Jeremy Lin, suffer the consequences.
There's another lesson here too: Move the ball away from Lin's sidekick Toney Douglas, suffer the consequences.
The players have taken it upon themselves to freeze out Lin and Douglas by extension. Fine, but that's resulted in the losing streak that will continue if the team keeps freezing Lin and Douglas out. And for all this yammering about the "great" Patrick Beverley, he's had exactly the kind of NONWINNING impact I predicted he'd have. Gimme Toney Douglas over Patrick Beverley anyday, even with Douglas's limitations.
I've put my feet up and am enjoying watching Lin shred both opponents and teammates alike. He's just out there, KILLING PEOPLE on both teams! It's totally fun to watch!
What happened to McHale whipping JLin into being a great PG. So now you're enjoying seeing the Rockets implode. You don't think McHale is a great coach anymore. What's the deal.
DeleteAnd you say what? Move the ball away from TD and suffer the consequences. What consequences? The Rockets issues doesn't stem from moving the ball away from JLin or TD. I'm not here to argue with you, just sharing my perspective.
Finally, how is JLin shredding both opponents and teammates alike and KILLING PEOPLE. My Gosh, I must have been watching the game on Jupiter or something cause our TVs are definitely not on the same wavelengths.
Sorry you hated Lin's game yesterday.
DeleteHe did very well with the opportunities his teammates let him have.
I can't stop you from being a Lin hater.
Stop with all the hating stuff, it's tiresome.
DeleteYou're the one criticizing the heck out of Lin and especially Lin's fans, not me.
DeleteI'm not even criticizing you for it.
You wanna fight some more? LET'S DO IT, RACHA!!!!
You're the one responding to my post, so I responded to yours. You want to critique my comments but you wont allow others to critique yours. Again, dont respond to mine and I wont respond to yours, period.
DeleteOnce again, you don't order anybody around here.
DeleteI'll respond to what I want to, and you can respond to me all you want.
You do not own anybody here. Learn that lesson NOW.
Hahaha I like how you call TD Lin's sidekick KHuang, when they play together they sort of remind me of Batman and Robin :D (no not gunna use the green hornet comparison here hehe)
Delete@Racha:
DeleteYou talk of KHuangs hatred when you are only here to bash Lin. You dare talk of self restraint when you call people clit face, motherfucker and what not. Now you act righteous? You are the dumbest troll ever. You are truly a psychopath :) muahaha
To all Rach <=> troll
It has been frustrating in the last 6 games, but we must have faith in JLin and the Rockets team, they will turn the corner to face the light.
ReplyDeletefinally someone wrote it correctly!
ReplyDeletehttp://sportige.com/houston-rockets-falling-apart-for-no-reason-01-2013/
Good post, Maknusia.
DeleteI agree with the article.
Until recently, teams have defended the heck out of Lin and left Harden alone. The idea was that since Lin feeds the entire team, stopping Lin would stop the Rockets. That worked at times, but then Harden would run wild in the gaps created by Lin.
Now teams are defending Harden the way they defend Lin, and Harden has responded poorly. He is turning the ball over and bricking at a rate that Jeremy Lin never did. Harden needs to give the ball up and let the ball be passed back to him instead of constantly trying to force his own action.
The article correctly pointed out that Lin is still same ol' Lin, making the best of his increasingly limited opportunities as Harden bricks away.
McHale and the coaching staff need to change up their strategy yet again, now that Harden is being targeted the way Lin still is. I'm curious to see what changes McHale and his staff do in order to get the team going again.
I wander if we will see any change in tonight's game. As far a Lin, I am not worried about his game. Lin will only get better. It so interesting on here that people always want to point out the negatives about lin's games and never give him credit for playing an all around solid game. If you look for the negatives all the time, then you will find them. This is a young and good team with coaches who don't know how to capitoilze on the the players natural abilities. instead we point the finger at one player. People on this site have their doubts about lin, but I know lin will end up being an elite player in the NBA. This season with the rockets is Lin's training ground.
Delete@KHuang That ain't gonna happen anytime soon. Something major need to happen first otherwise nothing will change dramatically.
DeleteI feel it and I know it that there is must be something (bad) going on behind the locker room or gym. And it is driving my crazy with constant wondering what actually happened, what hidden agenda if any
I also agree 100% with the article. At least, someone else gets it.
DeleteIts going to take McHale getting fired.
DeleteI'm almost wanting the Rox to lose another 6 games straight and fall to .4. Like I said teams have started to figure out Rockets...Not that it takes a genius, all it takes is clog lanes with a big and let Harden iso. He wasn't even double teamed much against Pacers, they simply stood there and laughed at him.
But then again, this guy is OBVIOUSLY a LIN ONLY FAN and its RIDICULOUS to suggest Lin needs more touches, he simply needs to SHOOT MORE with the LIMITED TOUCHES he has.
Racha, keep posting. I think Lin can and should on the average take 3 more shots, but he keeps on trying to turn Asik into an All-star. I think players reflect what coaches feel about Lin, and clearly are not treating him as a second highest paid player. Some of the attempted sets are pitiful. I hope Harden gets flu so we can see Lin not feel pressured to give the ball to Harden. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, he can definitely do 3 more shots. Harden is not stopping JLin from taking 3 more shots. Passing to Asik is stopping JLin from taking 3 more shots.
DeleteI also agree JLin and McHale aren't seeing eye 2 eye.
I meant Harden is not stopping JLin from taking 3 more shots to make it 10 shot attempts, but he's definitely stopping JLin from taking more than that. And that I agree needs to be looked at and adjusted.
DeleteSome disjointed observations:
DeleteMany posters are blaming Lin for being not as aggressive, i.e, for not taking more shots, while some posters are assuming that the Rockets' coaches instructed Lin to play like that, deferring to Harden. The most likely scenario is that Rockets' players are picking up on the vibes or deference that the GM and coaches are giving to Harden and deferring to Harden.
One good thing that has come out of this is that Lin is being forced to improve his weak aspects, so that's good in some sense. However, Lin has a lot of leverage due to his unique situation, and I think, under the current situation, he should just focus on achieving decent status, i.e., 15 points and 6 assists per game average and let the blame go to Harden. I think Rockets' coaches might respect Lin more if Lin fights their viewpoints somewhat and not be such a good, respectful guy.
Another thought I had was that the overall talent level of the Rockets team is not good enough to make it to playoffs, when you think about it, so unless the Rockets' gell as a team and are more motivated or is coached by a really good coach, it's not abnormal for Rockets to be losing to decent teams. Also, the way they are playing, I would not be surprised if they lose to not so good teams. I put Rockets on par with NOH in terms of the talent level.
One reason why Akeem the Dream was so good catching the ball was because he was a former soccer goalie which requires you to develop very good footwork and hands-eyes coordination. Akeem would have made a great soccer goalie.
I do not perceive Harden as a franchise player. I hope Lin can find his Malone, so he can become a Stockton. I There is a reason why he was 6th man. Often, his Eurosteps seem traveling.
I like Beverley kid. He seems very motivated and hard working guy.
Hakeem, not Akeem.
DeleteI can't take any more lost and I am sure the rockets too. They need to trust each other and play like solid team. I want to see a win. Period. Jeremy, let's do it!
ReplyDeleteThe act to end all speculations, anxieties, and disappointments is for Lin to simply score consistently 20 points plus per game. We all know it's easy to say than done.
ReplyDeleteThere's something I'm always uneasy about is athletes who play for their religion and leave everything to their God. Generally it's always the athletes who demand themselves to improve than those players who ask their deity for help.
Well, religion notwithstanding, JLin deserves any help he can get at the moment.
I'm ok with 15 - 19 pts range. This is something he can do right now, even with Harden in the game.
DeleteDafuq? Now you're just spouting bullshit. It is clear to me that you're not a Lin fan. Never once he stated that he wanted God to improve him/turn him into Michael Jordan. It is also clear that you don't know how hard he worked his ass off to be where hes at right now.
DeleteSo now you think you just can come in here, not only slandering him but also take away all his credit? Who are you man? Who do you think you are? Tell us Lin fans what significant accomplishment you had in this world if any. Tell us just how great are you
It's unfair to attack Lin's Christian devoutness. Even as an agnostic (I dont' know what I am), I believe Lin would not have made it this far without his strong belief in the Christian God. All the more power to him -- I admire his sincerity. I actually admire people who live their lives consistently according to their beliefs. I feel as sorry for atheists and agnostics as I do for Christians, etc., because after all, we are all going to die and go into the unknown realm soon; and that fact alone causes a great deal of humility as I grow older. Death is a great equalizer my friend, so let's not knock Lin for his beliefs. I am just guessing that you are probably under 40? Just curious, Tigeramus. I am between 45 and 55.
DeleteNote I even feel sorry for myself, ha, ha.
DeleteTigeramus, I believe the general Christian belief is that humans are given "free will", so that even while praying to God for Holy Spirit guidance, they are supposed to try very hard and not be so passive. At least, that is my understanding, so I don't consider Lin being a passive sort of guy.
DeleteThat's right. Jlin will never just pray to god for help and sits and wait for god's help. Don't go there. His belief is what makes him a good person and keeping him strong and driven.
DeleteRacha, I would be happy if Lin starts putting up 15 points per game. That's just one or two shots difference.
DeleteLol ignoramus he says he is playing FOR GOD, and is THANKFUL for what GOD GAVE HIM.
DeleteOnly non-believers think that Christians just pray for rain and hope God delivers and do nothing themselves. If that was the case you wouldn't see the 151312312 missionaries helping people all over the world, cause according to you that should be God's job.
side note - check it out, one of jeremy's sundance buttons turned up on ebay! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330860509638
ReplyDeleteI like the writeup by Etymology (at January 18, 2013 at 9:13 PM) in the previous "Rockets @ Pacers Game #41 Game Thread".
ReplyDeleteI wonder if what he wrote can somehow be passed to and read by Rockets coaches/GM/owner.
As to some posters' challenging Lin's toughness. Lin will not forget what his parents went through for his current opportunity. Take a look at the below video of one immigrant's struggles. Very eloquent and moving. Very proud of her at the same time. By the way, I always get the sense that speaking with the English or Australian accent makes one appear smarter. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationofimmigrators.com/immigration-reform/immigration-by-chance----save-the-dv-green-card-lottery/
Man, was she eloquent and moving. Very, very well suited to being a CEO of her company which I am not familiar with. If she ran for President (which she cannot because she was not born here), I would vote for her in a minute.
DeleteThe way Lin gets disregarded by uncooperative teammates is similar but harsher than what former #2 overall pick Jay Williams went through.
ReplyDeleteSports Illustrated did an article on Jay Williams before his massive motorcycle accident. It chronicled how the horrendously bad baby Bulls would disregard and disrespect Jay Williams on and off the NBA court.
For example, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry used to curse at Jay Williams and refuse to set picks when Williams called for them. Tyson Chandler got bullied by Byron Scott into setting those picks later for Chris Paul while Eddy Curry eventually failed the NBA for a myriad of bad attitude problems, not his game.
Jeremy Lin has it harder than Jay Williams did, on many levels. Yet Jeremy Lin is also a far more talented player than Jay Williams. The difference between Jeremy Lin and Jay Williams is that Williams lacked the athleticism and physicality to be a one man wrecking crew like Lin at the NBA level.
Under these circumstances, the best Jeremy Lin can do is SELFISHLY try to score his points and use the other players as he sees fit. Actually, Lin appears to be doing just that. Since Lin is not the coach who can bully players into responding to him or the GM who can eject bad players, all he can do is play his game and let his recalcitrant teammates continue to play poorly the way they have been.
Even under these circumstances, I'm looking for Lin to increase his scoring after the All Star break. Lin is gradually learning how to crack the defensive traps all by himself, and that'll only get better as the season rolls on.
Lin is morphing into a monster player.
You know what Nietzsche said - what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
DeleteFor the clueless idiot coaches and players to realize that Lin is key to the team's success, it's gonna have to take Lin playing superstar ball despite the hurricane force gale working against him, and/or an injury to Harden.
Lol, that reminds me of a Kelly Clarkson song (a song presumably about break ups between couples, but if I were imaginative I could somehow fit the lyrics to JLin's history with his doubters).
DeleteHmm...what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I like that they are encouraging words. Applied to JLin's situation, no doubt he will be stronger as a result. However, I sometimes think you can also get stronger without being closed to getting killed. The trouble for someone like JLin is, he wasn't given a choice (after all he only had one contract offer). Perhaps in his second contract JLin can be more picky with who he plays with.
"Lin is morphing into a monster player." What is impressive is that despite the circumstances, he makes the best out of the situation. He's doing very well with the hand that he has been dealt, so I am proud of our guy.
Well said wilc, totally agree!
DeleteOne problem with the Rockets not mentioned much is that it is a very young team, and that results in selfish play. Why? Because guys like Patterson, Parsons, Morris are wanting to prove themselves as starters and as deserving of a big contract. Harden, too. He's under pressure to live up to his max contract.
ReplyDeleteIn NYC, you had veteran players who were losing badly and weren't threatened by JLin (except for Carmelo).
And, what's that stupid article by bleacherreport about how Lin is holding HARDEN back????? WTF?
Each one of those guys was NOTHING before Lin showed up.
DeleteNow that Lin has fed them the ball for cherrypicking scores, they think they're ALL THAT now.
Unfortunately for them, their refusal to cooperate with Lin is resulting in their individual games suffering. Those guys are playing like the D Leaguers they started out as.
Lin is playing like Lin, getting better and better despite his weak teammates EJECTING themselves. That's why Lin is TEAMMATE TERRORIST.
I thought Parsons was something or at least perceived as a promising player, i.e. by Kobe even before Lin showed up?
DeleteRobert, that really is a great point. Thank you for sharing. I think there is real truth in your assessment.
DeleteParsons is perceived as promising.
DeleteHowever, he wasn't an impact player last season. The jury is still out on whether he is an impact season, especially since his defense needs work.
Being considered a promising player is not a "nothing". Let's give others their due, if we want others to give Lin his due.
DeleteYes, good point Robert. I was thinking the same thing. Seems like everyone is trying to do his own thing.
DeleteMr Crab Walk (a fun nick name I gleaned from some other forum which noticed the way he drives) can hit shots from anywhere on the floor. His ability to hit openn shots is an asset. I don't think he's at the level where he demands defensive attention by more than one player. He doesn't in that sense make people around him better.
DeleteEven if he is not physically or skillfully dominating, when I think about how he helps his teammates out in other ways such as cutting when the defensive attention is on a dribble penetration, I am disappointed. I compare him to Landry Fields in a similar situation, I would actually prefer Fields in those situations.
And then there is his defense. The guys tries, but I wish he would improve like JLin has.
You talking about Parsons or Harden? :)
DeleteHaha, probably the Parsons. Harden is attracting more defensive attention lately. And Harden doesn't seem to try (most of the time).
DeleteOh..about that bleach article, it turns out the opposite of the title. I didn't read it, that's what people read it said it.
DeleteIt seems like the Wolves have a few key injuries. Their usual starting centre is out and their PF of course is out. Both their replacements are young guys, so I don't think they have a very strong inside presence for this game. I expect easier dribble drives inside by Parsons and Harden.
ReplyDeleteThey seem like a middle of the pack defensive team and they are missing their key guys who do a good job of rebounding, but they do have Kirilenko who is good at guarding the transition. I don't see where the Wolves will be getting their points from.
The Wolves will be getting their points from Rockets TOs, poor FT, and overrated-ball-hogging-iso-Harden turning the ball over.
DeleteCan't live with him, can't live without him. We need his scoring, but the way he's doing it is killing us.
DeleteI don't know, we have Harden afterall, that is enough for us to lose. Stop him and drive/shoot over him all day, its basically what the past 6 games have been like.
Deleteeb5attorney, whatever Asik needs to do to improve his eye and hand coordination he must do it right away. It's probably too late to do anything this season anyways. As for talent level, I think the Rockets talent are OK because we don't really know how good these players can be, except JLin, Harden, TD, and Delfino. These 4 guys have already shown what they can do. The remaining guys are still young, as most are, and obviously lack experience in a lot ways. As for making the playoffs, I don't even want to predict. The Rockets can turn it on for a couple of games in a row and puff it's gone just like that. I actually think NOH has more talent.
ReplyDeleteSee the thing about JLin being aggressive and the coach instructing JLin to give it up to Harden can be argued but I see it like this:
I totatlly agree that JLin needs to handle the ball more and become the primary playmaker. If not the primary, at least pretty balanced between the two of them, JLin and Harden. As for taking shots, or how many JLin or whomever can take, it's not set in stone. In the Indiana game, Asik had 13 attempts, Parsons had 9, Patterson had 8, Harden had 19, and Jlin had 7. All of the arguments about Harden ball hogging is one thing, saying JLin is not getting enough shots because of Harden ball hogging is another thing. It's not so much Harden is ball hogging and JLin is forbidden to shoot, it's because JLin is more comfortable with he ball before he shoots. JLin needs to be the guy, probing and reading the defense, and not playing off the ball. We talk about this over and over again, but it somehow gets overlooked and comes back to Harden ball hogging and not passing it to JLin, getting disrepected and other stuff. Let me explain why JLin doesn't get the ball more as the ball handler.
(cont)
DeleteIf JLin wants to, he can take 13 shots like Asik. In other games, Delfino went off shooting 3s like crazy. I don't know how many attempts he had but it was quite a few. Patterson and Morris went off on different nights. The problem is not whether JLin is not being treated fairly in terms not being given ample opportunity to shoot; it's soley JLin's preference whether he wants to take more shots or not. If JLin can create ways to shoot in the mid-range, attacking the basket, and not hesitate to shoot 3s, no one is stopping him. The problem is the ball handling part. Posters here have a tendency to mix everything up into one basket and call it Harden's fault or McHale's fault. Yes, Harden has some fault and so does McHale.
JLin is not handling the ball as much as the playmaker because he has problematic bigs. JLin needs someone like a Tyson Chandler, that can play above the rim, can screen approrpriately, and basically do all the little things the current Rocket bigs aren't able to do. This is the reason why we haven't seen more pick and rolls from JLin. Aside from not being able to screen appropriately, Asik can't finish at the rim and turns the ball over with his flimsy hands. If Asik can do better at finishing and not bobble the ball, the defender may stick closer to Asik and not load up on JLin. Even as a pick and roll guy, JLin cant run it effectively because the problem stems from the bigs. So JLin's usage rate is low as a result. JLin is then relegated to feeding this player and that player passes throughout the game and we start the blame game again. On the other hand, Harden runs most of the pick and roll because he doesn't require a Tysons Chandler type guy to screen for him. As long as he gets a decent screen, he can euro step his way into the paint. That's the difference between JLin and Harden as to who gets more PNR.
Mchale can tell JLin here you go, you have the keys to do pick and roll all night, but JLin would still have issues because the bigs are the problem right now. JLin's success in PNR is depenedent on great, or at least above average, bigs and Harden can deal with the Asik/Morris/Patterson screening for him. But as of recently, Harden is just forcing his way in the lane causing more problems which needs to be addressed. Rigth now, whoever plays the Rockets don't even pay any attention to Asik/Morris/Patterson in PNR and just collapses on Harden and JLin. Do you think JLin will have more success than Harden with the defense collapsing on him like that. I don't think so, neither is Harden. But the way JLin drives to the basket he will get more banged up than the way Harden attacks the basket with the euro step.
And most often than not, when Harden runs the PNR he's the one that ends up scoring. In JLin's case, it's really either him or the screener depending on who has a better or open look.
DeletePerhaps when Rockets' coaches change their attitude, the bigs will start setting sets more seriously. I see why players like Duncan are so valuable; they are truly the "franchise" players.
DeleteI do notice that Rockets' bigs at least try to set picks for Harden, but when Lin needs them, none can be found. I do notice the deferential and differential treatment.
DeleteNo question. There's a reason Duncan, Tyson, etc. are valuable bigs because they are. They do a lot of things great. Now we see a night and day difference between what a great big can do for JLin's game. Asik has always been known for his defense and rebounding. I really doubt he can do any more than that. JLin's game is seriously impacted by the bigs.
DeleteSo does that mean as long as the capable picks setting bigs are absent, Lin will not score many points? If so, that's a depressing thought.
DeleteNo wonder the coaches want Lin to shoot long jumpers better: that's the only way he can score without the capable picks setting bigs!
DeleteYes the bigs needs to be able to set picks but they also need to be versatile as well. If the bigs can only set picks alone, and can't do anything else it's useless because JLin will be drawing the defenders to him. The pick and roll keeps the defense off balance and guessing.
DeleteHave you ever noticed JLin shoots really well when he comes off a screen, not necessarily a pick and roll, but just a spread ball screen--an example is the Dallas game, with time winding down, JLin shot a 3 behind a screen. JLin just has a different level of comfort with screens and pnr. JLin said he plays well when he finds his comfort zone. Hence shooting spot up shots is obviously not his comfort zone.
I want JLin to get out of his comfort zone and attempt to score more. That's probably JLin's biggest problem right now. Finding ways to score w/out being in his comfort zone. That's why you and I always chirp on why he doesn't have more variety and take more shots. I hope he figures something out. I want him to be able to score regardless.
He does have nice short jumpers though. He really should take more of those. He's not a great "shake and bake" type of jump shooter who can get off his shots without screens, i.e., Smith of Knicks, but he can make those.
DeleteOh, I'm not saying JLin can only shoot coming off screens. It's obvious he's not a spot up guy, but he can definitely shoot those mid and close range shots like you said. He should do more of it, so what's the hold up. I don't know. I don't think McHale is telling JLin you can't shoot. It will be nice if JLin can disclose what's going on but it's proabably not gonna happen.
DeleteJoke of the year written by MambaJoe from clutchfans
ReplyDelete"Also, Harden is not a ball stopper. Harden is a willing passer and he will pass the ball to an open player but its hard to keep passing it to an open player when that player keeps missing open shots or ends up turning it over anyway... Harden averages 5 assist per game for a reason. But his role on this team is to score because the Rockets lack that big time."
If you paid Beverley $80 Mill USD and gave as much freedom, I am sure he will score 20 points per game too.
DeleteI do wish he would change his name to "Beowulf" though. "Beverley" sounds like some female secretary, although it's a last name.
DeleteHaha Harden has 5apg because he's a guard that shoots 20-25 times a game. Give Lin half that much and he'll give you much higher assists...Wait he already does lol :D
Delete"12 shots a game" is what Jeremy need to do.
ReplyDeleteLess than 40 minutes to go before game time. Just came back from an exhausting day taking family pictures at the mall and nothing would be better to watch the Rockets and hopefully get a win tonight. I cannot stand lucky 7.
ReplyDeleteI think there is still 1 hour 36 minutes till tip off
DeleteYou're right. I thought it started at 7 PM.
DeleteRule of thumb: most Rockets games start at 8 PM EST; a few start at 7:30 EST.
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