Grantland: The Rockets Reach for Greatness After another deadline steal, Daryl Morey's plan may finally be working. Plus: a surging Bobcat, his pouting teammate, and the underrated Nene.
Very minimal mention of Lin.. And if they do, it's to point out his inadequacies. If I am a casual fan reading this, I would think Jeremy had no role in the teams success. Still not much love from the media or his coach. The gm still talks about getting a 2nd stat to play next to harden. Jlin has truly been relegated to a mere role player by the media. Sigh.
And if they don't run any plays, what da hell do the coaches do in the game? What happens at the end of a game, with last possession to win or tie? What do coaches do, just yell "move the ball?".
McHale being a half court post player .. He has no credibility to teach such offense.
To be honest, JLin cant be just given the "star" status, he has to earn it with consistent production at his position--he's not there yet. Once JLin does that, he will be recognized without a doubt, especially if he becomes an all-star next year. In the article, there's also mention on Harden's bad D so it's not just pointing out JLin's inadequacies.
1. Morey believes Houston needs a second star and a good defense Morey understands how much work, and how much luck, went into landing Harden, and he realizes they need two more things to become a real contender: a second star and a good defense. ... Morey says. "We are still on pace to be a no. 6–no. 10 seed. We still have a long way to go, but we definitely like our position better. We probably got the hardest part done, but now we have to get a second star to go with James. As much as we believe Lin plays a crucial part in Houston's offense and defense, Lin's stats still do not qualify him as a star yet. And until Lin can be consistent with his 3PT shooting and off-the-ball movement, he won't be considered a star in the HOU system.
2. But Houston wants to be a top-10 offensive rebounding team, Sampson says, and Robinson can help there.
3. On defense, perimeter players don't execute the "recover" part of "help and recover" all that well - Harden has a bad habit of turning his back completely to his man and lose his man. Harden's fundamentals will eventually break down if teams put him through multiple screens, on and off the ball. - Parsons is better at tracking the ball and his man at the same time, but when an opposing ball handler kicks the ball back out, he will often lunge for a steal instead of simply retreating to his guy (gambling defense) - Lin is prone to ball-watching and thus vulnerable to backdoor cuts along the baseline, breakdowns that can be fatal against opponents with shooting bigs who can drag Asik up toward the elbows.
This is a big reason Houston's opponents have shot 37.2 percent from deep, the seventh-worst defensive figure in the league, on the fourth-most attempts per game. And Houston has allowed a lot of those juicy corner looks it loves to get on offense; its opponents have hit a whopping 43.5 percent on about 5.5 corner 3s per game, according to NBA.com
These are valid points on the lax defense but I'm surprised there was no coverage on Lin's superb help defense that helped to shut down Utah big men on the 45pt drubbing.
Racha, I would be more optimistic if I felt that the coach was trying to develop Lin into a second superstar next to harden. U really think Lin will be an deserved all star next year with McHale harping over Lin's play? Instead, we have an organization that is looking for its second superstar. At this pace, if McHale had his way, Lin will be relegated to a Derek fisher type of player albeit an expensive one at that. And I wasn't complaining about the fact that Lin was being singled out by Zach. It's just that when he talks about the teams success, Lin is barely ever mentioned- his defense being completely ignored. It's seems to be concensus by these people that Lin will never reach superstardom. Unless u are a Lin fan, u will never see what he does well.
To me, it proves that in the next 2 years in Houston, Lin's defense and great playmaker will not let him "shine" as the 2nd star next to Harden in the media until he becomes consistent 3PT shooter and efficient scorer.
I believe Lin will rise to the occasion and make himself even a more complete player after 2 years. He has the talent, hard work and determination to accomplish that.
Lin will never "shine" under McHale. I wish the organization had enuff faith in Lin's potential to believe that he can be a superstar next to harden. It doesn't mean they shouldn't get out and get a superstar player but stop saying we need a second star like the other players are just scrubs.
The more we get into this season, the less I believe in this organization to nurture Lin. I really hope my gestalt is off.
how could jeremy become one of all-star players (those players in all-star game) next year or beyond? before retirement, kobe and chris will always want to be in, so no chance for jeremy no matter how good his stats are. if rockets sign another media all-star player, they will be so busy to promote that player to all-star game too, plus push Harden to be the starter position, if not, no.3 will be better than have lower votes than jeremy.
just saying, i'm not upset or anything about this all-star status. i fully understand that is a big IF, one day he'll be one. for now, i'll just cheer for this team and jeremy.
Solidz, the current system in HOU is inherently tricky to allow Lin to "shine" in the stats because: 1. read-and-react system utilizes multiple playmaker (Harden-Lin-Parsons-Delfino) so there won't be as many assists as CP3 racks up, plus 2. No big men to get easy points as CP3 has in Clippers with Blake and DeAndre Jordan 3. It emphasizes consistent spot-up 3PT shooting that Lin was not strong but improving lately.
We all know this and it is the perfect system to undermine Lin's strength but surprisingly Lin rose above the challenge with 50% 3PT shooting in the past 10 games before he was really sick in the past 2 games.
I see the HOU read-and-react system was evolving to use Lin's PnR more after the ASG system. I suspect due to losing PPat/Morris as stretch 3PTers, Harden's recuperating ankle, too many TOs by Parsons/Delfino, and anticipating a lot of PnRs between Lin/Robinson or Lin/Harden.
So I see HOU is evolving to trust Lin more and to revamp the system to use PnR now or in the future (Dwight/JSmith anyone?)
So I still have high hope that Lin's strong play will force coaches to utilize his strength more into the system because they want to win against good teams.
OKC game should be an eye-opener to HOU coaches. They were previously 0-2 with Harden as the focal point of the offense as PG but 1-0 after allowing Lin to be PG and Harden as SG.
I don't care what McHale said in public about Lin still growing. As long as he trusts Lin to be the PG like in the OKC game, that's what matters.
I predict Lin is about to take control of the playmaking in the 2nd half if he can continue his strong 50% FGs. And Harden would still be the ultra efficient SG as in the OKC game.
McHale is a great coach but a poor communicator. He wants to "protect" Lin against Linsanity expectations but he should be smarter to throw in a little praises here and there in his interviews.
I disagree. If McHale let's Lin play like he did in OKC game which was still under this system, he can certainly shine without compromising the teams success. For whatever reason, even after a great game, McHale finds away to make sure Lin does not do that. In his eyes, if Lin scores 20 more points, he is being selfish and looking to pad up his stats. This is why u never hear a compliments ever about Lin's offensive game. It's not the system that is holding Lin back ( harden has no problem doing well). It's the coach.. Period.
I agree that Lin still has a chance to shine like he did in the OKC game as long as he made his 3PT shooting (60% 3-5) and had a high AST to TOV ratio (8 asts vs 3 TOs).
The more I think about McHale's interview approach about Lin, McHale definitely has a consistent agenda to remove 'Linsanity' expectations by the news media. I believe he means well but sometimes did a poor job communicating it during interview as he did with insinuating Lin might want to score rather than winning. (I believe according to Friedman, McHale said this while RAVING about Lin after the OKC game how much has has improved). cali7 made a good point on why only 1 NY media picked up on it to do a hack-job on Lin. If it were open criticism, we'd hear it from other news outlet or at least B/R.
I remember he made similar comment in the beginning of the season about "we're trying to win, Jeremy" not to make high-risk/high-reward TOs and just safe passes.
He chose the approach of "he's a young kid", "he'll be fine", "he's growing" to consistently remind the media not to expect Linsanity fearing it puts too much pressure for Lin to deliver.
I checked back regarding his rift with Lowry last year, he never aired out to the media about weaknesses that his players need to work on. So clearly, he had an agenda to eliminate 'Linsanity' expectations for Lin. But sometimes he did a poor job on it. He needs to throw in more praises.
@Solidz75, to coaches, Lin is the 3rd or 4th scoring options to the team, so if he got too many sores, they tend to think he is not playing with in the system.
But, in my opinion, Lin is already a great player with some flaws. I wouldn't care if he did not get his praises from coaches. In this forum, I believe everyone is Lin's fan and we all want him to succeed ultimately. However, I believe he haven't brings his A-game yet.
I think Lin improves a lot under McHale as a player and the improvement is the only thing Lin needed at this stage of his career. Once, Lin is well developed, I believe he will be a superstar.
I understand you guys POV. However, my problem with McHale and this organization to an extent is not necessarily how they are using him right now, but how they view his potential and how the envision him as a player. Is McHale really protecting Lin from the Linsanity expectations or does he simply believe Lin will never reach that level of play again, that he doesnt have that potential. There is absolutely nothing McHale has done this year to make me believe that he views Lin to be more than a role player. Zero. Don't score. Don't u dare take the last shot if the game. Just don't make mistakes.
Do u guys really believe McHale would play kyrie Irving or John wall this way? While we as fans believe that Lin is just as talented as those two, this organization doesn't believe that Lin is that good.
U guys can try to skew it all u want, but u r just avoiding the elephant in the room.
I believe that Lin has the potential to become a great player. However not if he listens to his coach or becomes the player he is molding Lin to be.
@Solidz75, well I am not saying you are wrong. I am just saying as long as it is good to Lin, I don care the rest. I do not think McHale can mold Lin to a role player. Eventually Lin will become a better player, Neither racism or coaches can stop that. Stat line might said otherwise, but as a player, he is getting better and better.
That been said, I think you are right about Rox's attitude on Lin. They are disappointed for sure and they can not talk about it public to often. I mean if you trust Lin is a great player, why would you need to protect him from linsanity level expectations? He is more or less already met the expectations.
Solidz. The article is not about Lin. And, the part about Lin leaving his man open for backdoor passes doesn't even put the situation in its proper perspective.
That being said, I am not sure why people are disagreeing with you that Lin is a star that is being held back by McHell's bad coaching. And, that it's becoming clear as day that McHell is intentionally holding Lin's game back.
And let me clarify that while I understand how McHale thinks, I think McHale's wrong about Jeremy being a safe playmaker. Morey is also wrong thinking Jeremy can't be the 2nd star.
Both McHale and Morey basically try to mold Jeremy into the current HOU system and at this point, he's just an average PG to be consistent 3PT shooter threat.
But as KHuang raised several times and the Wizard game showed, Jeremy is "breaking" the system in a good way in order to win.
The system is flawed with multiple TOs with Harden/Delfino/Parsons as the ball-handlers and only works when 3PT shooting is falling. There was no offensive rhythm when Jeremy was out and it was ugly to watch.
IMO McHale and Morey need to acknowledge publicly that Jeremy is an important part of the offense and defense although he still has a lot of growing. And he can be the 2nd star. Without this public admission in 2-3 years, Lin should consider other teams where he can fully utilize his strength.
In the meantime, Lin can work hard to excel in his consistent shooting and off-the-ball movement. He can learn a lot from Harden in the next 2 years.
And McHale did praise Lin recently after the OKC game, perhaps in the same BKN pre-game interview with controversial comment. So he's coming around on Lin.
via posted this tweet from Feigen
@Jonathan_Feigen Feb 23 McHale on Lin: "Jeremy's becoming a better pt gd all the time. I couldn't be happier with him." Past 10 gms Lin shooting 50.4 %; 50 % on 3s.
psalm, McHell knows very well that Jeremy is the reason why Houston is doing so well. He's gone to using Harden as the man and suffered an 8 game losing streak as restul. That's why he's afraid to sit Lin even when he was suffering from a cold.
McHell is a chicken. He's afraid to go to the bench and he's afraid to take his stars out in close games. He knows he's highly dependent on Lin.
McHell is not that dumb to not realize that his team starts to perform like a sub .500 team whenever he benches Lin. He IS enough of an ass to do it enough to contain Lin's game but he's not dumb enough to not use him just enough to keep the team from going completely into disarray.
Psalm that quote was given at the same time when McHale turned around and brought up 29 PTA and 9 TO's. that's called a backhanded compliment. I wouldn't read into anything those guys are saying because they work for the rockets.
Ethane, my point about the article is not that it wasn't about Lin, but really it doesn't give Lin enough credit for the contributions he has made to the team so far. The frustrating thing is the media just doesn't see Lin as a big piece of the puzzle. We know because we watch him closely every game. This other guys just look at the stat sheet and believe that Lin really has no part in this team. When one talks about the success if rockets this season, it is hard not to include Lin.
And I disagree that McHale knows Lin's worth. If he did, that would indicate that he is purposefully sitting Lin out to sabotage his career. I don't think McHale is that malicious. I just think he has the typical blinders on and like other media members out there, just fails to see Lin's contribution - all the great things he does for the team. He always has some thing to bone pick no matter how great Lin is doing. This explains all those inexplicable benching he does to Lin, no matter how great he is doing ( the winnable Denver game being one if many examples). When u wanna see the glass as half full, that is all what u will see. That is what McHale is when it comes to Lin. The iopposite whe it comes to harden or other players.
I am relly not worried about Lin. I think once lin gets a full season under his belt, some of the criticism will stop. Also I am not worried about McHale or his comments. I think Mchale is coming around with Lin. McHale seems to be just a negative person in real life. Also we all know his kisses Harden's but for obvious reasons. The funny thing is that it will probably be Harden who gets McHale canned.Lin/Harden wants to be a champion and he and Lin are very competitive. Also, I see that McHale is treating Lin like a rookie, and also much like Popivich did with Tony Parker when he came into the league. So that is why I am not worried about Lin. The more McHale tries to push Lin's buttons, the better player he will become. Also trying to pair Harden with another superstar...hmm.. I think Morey needs to rethink that... It has to be the right superstar with no prima doona attitude. Because if the Rockets get someone like that, then it will seriously harm the chemistry of this team. I think the Rockets should just grow their own championship team. They have all the players, they just need the right coaching staff...just sayin...
awarde, I have the same perspective that Lin will only improve when McHale pushes his buttons (improved ball-handling, decision-making, 3PT shooting). We're already seeing it with 50% FG 3PT results. And some of us thought Lin needs to fix his shooting in the offseason.
The truth is McHale is a mixed bag. He didn't try to sabotage Lin but he also hasn't realized how good Lin can be if he is let loose.
Lin is already slowly taking control of the offense because HOU wants to win.
Lin will make McHale and Morey to be LOFs in the playoff! Les will twiddle his thumbs and say, "I told you so"!
Other people reading this thread might think we're just overcrazed Lin fans.
But anyone who watched the Wizard game can see how ugly the offense looked like when Lin was on the bench. It just stopped working the second 3PT shooting got cold.
Plus the 8 game losing streak that Etane mentioned because they featured Harden as the main playmaker.
Lin always had his shot. Lin only got exposed when he had to take spot up jumpers as a shooting guard. Lin's weakness is he can't shoot without being the ball handler. So, what we see now with Lin's improved FG% is a natural effect of Lin going back to playing his natural position.
And, Lin is getting improved playing time despite McHell. Lin helped Rox win 5 games straight and he's rewarded with more freeze out plays which resulted in the 8 game losing streak that finally gave Lin back his playing time.
Plus, how dumb of a coach do you have to be to coach a player that played in so many star quality games who helped all those around him play better and not realize Lin's worth and intangibles?
He has to be a deeply engrained LOH to think Lin's not a star caliber player.
Hmm actually I don't know whether he is one but he certainly behaves like one. Why else would he take every opportunity to down play Lin's ability and his outlook as a maturing player?
As a professional, he's damaging Lin's marketability.
As a player developer, he's the first to put a cap on Lin's growth as a player.
As a human being, he's the bully with sociopath tendancy to blame everything that goes wrong with the team on LIn.
I've been saying that this league only respects you if you put up the numbers, Lin needs to just shoot and the hell with trying to set up others. He isn't even the PG anymore. He is a delivery boy to bring the ball up to the half court, then give it to Harden and run to his corner. If Lin was to stay a player past this current contract, he'd better get his points up by his 3rd year. We and Lin must accept the reality of his status in Houston as a stepping stone only. At present, he must learn to shoot like harden or be traded into obscurity. The system Houston has at present is built for regular season and not playoffs. Shooting 3s like the Rox can't ever get them too far. In the playoffs, it gets physical and if you don't run the ball at least some of the times, your going to be shooting 3s only. Just like in football, if you don't run the ball, the passing game is not going to be as effective, especially in the playoffs. The pick and roll is essential attack, just like having a pulled guard making a block. In Lin they have someone who can wreak defenses for the expressed purpose of engaging the whole team. Harden's drives are linear to the hoop so in that sense it's much easier to defend. How many times have we seen Lin dribble around the back of the court and eventually find an easy shot? Lin needs to accept that his current job discription is not for him to dribble, but to post up and shoot.
Agree with Bob. We can say all we want about how much Lin contributes beyond the stat line, but lets not be naive here - this is a bottom line league. If Lin doesn't put up some numbers, he will forever be treated as a mere role player. Certainly, Lin is capable of doing this while making the team better. If he wants longevity, he needs to go beyond what McHale is forcing him to do and do much more than what he is doing now.
I was just watching the Roxs vs GS highlights and wanted to point out a perfect read & react play during a possession at the 2:08 mark of this vid.
In this possession, GS is playing a 3-2 zone and the Roxs is in a 3-out/2-in formation: JLIn/Harden/Parsons on the perimeter and Asik/Patterson in the post.
1) JLin passed to Harden and then makes a basket cut and filled in on the left corner spot.
2) Parsons moved from the corner spot to the wing spot
3) Patterson moved from the short corner to the low post spot
4) Harden is in triple threat and has to make a decision to drive, shoot, or pass
5) Asik saw Harden in somewhat of a reverse dribble position which triggered an immediate pick and roll.
6) Harden did not run the pick and roll and instead made a decision to pass to a wide open JLin.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kosGp79smGo
That wasn't a triangle my dude. Another thing I would like to add though is that the proper spacing and movement of the players created a passing window in case JLin didn't shoot the 3. He could have made an entry pass to Patterson, skip pass it to Parson on the wing, or kick it back to Harden.
That's cool man. One thing I want to say about the triangle is that it's an intricate offense and does take some time to master. With a bunch of young guys, it's not an easy thing to teach. And we know McHale is not the greatest X and O coach and that's probably why he has the read/react because he doesn't have to call plays--the only play he shouts out is "move the ball." However, I believe he has a structure as who is the scoring and shooting options during certain situations.
Racha, whatever other plays the Rox are running recently, they are definitely more intricate than before. I see the progression from simple spacing to more dynamic off ball movements and weaving passes.
I think a lot of this progression is out of the coaches' hands. I've seen at least a couple of times where Harden, Lin and Parsons form their own huddle during time outs where they get busy gesturing to each other.
It seems plays are made up and run on the fly by our floor generals.
Saw some of his vid online. He seems to be a solid player. He can catch balls, unlike Asik, and finish strong around the basket. He can seal off his defender under the basket for easy plays. He can play the pick and roll. Very quick on his feet. I didn't see much of his defensive skills in the vid, but he can leap and looks like a good shot blocker. Not bad at all. He looks better than Greg Smith at the 5 spot, but we'll have to see when he actually plays though.
Based on CF feedback from some German fans, he seems able to be a backup big body to Asik but he will probably spend time in RGV D-League team.
Also, Rockets want to prevent Boston's future offer to sign him after he rejected a 10-day contract from Boston.
Also has a good 3PT%, I think so Rockets might hope for a combo of Asik/DMo player.
The funny thing, Rockets already becomes the "whitest/lightest" team in the NBA in the past 3 games with only Harden as the chocolate flavor in the starting team next to Asik/DMo/Parsons/Delfino team. :D
Strengths: Versatile bigman. Seldom seen combination of size, scoring ability and athleticism ... Excellent and strong 6’11 frame with solidly muscular 240 lb body ... Very good shot blocker ... Explosive qathlete for a European player ... Runs the floor like a deer ... Deep range on his jumper ... Owns a quick first step ... Good pick and roll defender due to his good footwork and long arms ... Cerebral player. Rarely gets out of control. Solid decision maker ... Outstanding court vision for a bigman, excellent passer ... Emotional leader of his club team ... Is shooting 40% on threes so far in 09-10 and 60+% from the field ... Very good free throw-shooter (80%) ... Is leading the league in blocked shots ... Shows the ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting accuracy ...
Strengths: The next big prospect out of Germany after Dirk Nowitzki Excellent fundamentals Very good shooting mechanics Has a nice frame, with big, strong shoulders Can put on a lot of weight Very versatile Can play any of the 2-5 positions Exceptional at running the floor An explosive leaper with quickness and athleticism Hits the three consistently when left open An athletic shot blocker with good timing Finishes well around the basket Has a nice repertoire of moves in the paint. Possesses good vision and passing skills.
I don't think this Tim Olbrecht is going to be anything more than a practice player for the Rockets.
The scouting report has overrated his athleticism, plus he's not yet been turned back by NBA caliber shotblockers. He'll also have to gain strength.
The benefit of having a guy like Tim Olbrecht is that he'll solidly anchor the D League affiliate while also providing health insurance in case a big man goes down. It's not that Olbrecht would play much, it's that he's provide an extra practice body so that the team could run sets 5-on-5. That Olbrecht has a clearly defined fundamental skill set makes him even more appealing as a practice player.
I find your generalization of a white euro player ignorant. You do realize that belittling someone because he is white is the same reason Lin is being belittled as an Asian. Nowitzki won a nba tittle as a white euro player!
I am confused why players like Raymond Felton (stats basically 14pts., less rebounds, less assists and far less steals than Lin) are rated higher than Lin just because Lin averages 2 less points than Felton? Also, Rubio stats are similiar to Lin, but Rubio considered a star and Lin is not? Lin takes so much more scrutiny and critcism than other players. Parsons only averages 2 more points than Lin. Does that make him SO much more valuable? Maybe if Lin played the same minutes as the others, his point average would go up!
Well, Rubio is definitely a home run hitter LOL. I think Felton is more experienced. I would say Lin is overall a much better player than Felton. Rubio is actually very good.
also people don't like to be wrong not to draft him in the first place. So they expect Lin to come down to earth sometime and find reasons to do so.
Otherwise, the racism involved not in drafting him in the NBA and not offering scholarship in the college level would have to be true.
Others envy his meteoric rise in fame so they find reasons to bring him down. Even players want to show him up in every game.
On the other side of the coin, GMs hope they're right to pick the 2009 5th draft pick Rubio and the 2005 5th draft pick Felton so they keep hyping up the good things about them, not talk so much about the bad parts.
People don't like to be wrong and they hate to be called racists. KHuang is on the money here.
I remember last year when the Knicks beat twolves, Rubio was like "this kid is pretty good". I was like who da eff are u to call him a kid? Rubio is all flash - definitely overrated in my book.
Rubio gets more assists per game than Lin, but is also averaging more turnovers as a result of handling the ball more as a point guard. And yet Lin is the one called a turnover machine.
Racism will never go away. It just pops up in different forms.
Were Jeremy Lin any color other than Asian, everybody would be celebrating him as the nect great guard due to his overwhelming basketball skills and fan friendly personality.
Technically this is bigotry. Racism is more of a macro level injustice. Think of words like hegemony and colonial mentality. Bigotry is more of a micro level injustice. Think of words like stereotyping and type casting.
If we want to define it like that, Jonathan, than "racism" is the better word.
There's nothing "micro level" about a future Hall of Famer receiving zero Division 1 scholarships and not getting drafted in what has turned out to be a weak draft year.
EVERYBODY though Lin could not play because of his race. It wasn't his lack of on court production that held him back. RACISM.
geronimo, racism was never truly a problem for Yao Ming in the NBA.
He was a deserving #1 overall pick who never got limited on the court because of being Asian. Also, the Chinese government stood behind Yao and the NBA had to contend with that too.
The only racist things I ever publicly heard fired against Yao was Shaq's quotes, and even Shaq eventually apologized to Yao in Mandarin.
Jeremy Lin, however, is a totally different story. Unlike Yao, Lin came up in the American basketball system and defied odds every step of the way. Lin has made A LOT of people look stupid, and those people are trying to knock Lin out.
Geronimo, Jeremy Lin is a walking Asian American CURSE FINGER that points at everything that's wrong with America's treatment of its Asian population.
My reaction to McHale's slip of tongue labeling Lin as a selfish player: ---------- After Lin's first 4 starts, a NBA coach of a higher status than that of McHale, said many positive things with sincerity and frankness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=RwLSe_6TrFQ&feature=endscreen (Thank LinFanOnly for the link)
Lin was the only PG, after D'antoni already tried several, young old black and white nonetheless, that could run the Knicks team effectively on court. D'antoni left Knicks without regret, as he finally proved that his system still works, given a competent PG such as Nash or Lin, even without a so-called offensive superstar.
McHale should humble himself and hear D'antoni's remarks about Lin with an open mind. McHale is a legend as a mere basketball player, but he still has much to learn as a coach and as a proper human being.
You are welcome:) D'antoni did say JLin brought back his confidence as well. Indeed, one would doubt oneself if being criticized over and over, I hope JLin watch those Linsanity videos as well when his coach put dump towel over him. JLin, we believe in you! You are great!
Mchale's PROBLEM is that he was a quick footed 6'10" big man who was a GREAT defensive talent in his day.
This is where being a great player hurts McHale as a coach. He assumes that EVERYONE can defend like a Kevin McHale in his prime could. Nope, only Jeremy Lin is as good a defender today as McHale was back then.
McHale seems to believe that effort and hoop smarts are enough to stop NBA offenses. Well, he's learning the hard way that it takes more than attitude and talent to defend. In the NBA, you need to PLAN.
McHale's problem might be that he's a quick footed pasty white talent. But, the Rocket's problem is McHale is no longer a player but a coach who is coaching a play off contending caliber talent infested team but is barely over .500 and hanging on to the 8th seed.
Unfortunately i think dantoni'a the only coach in the league who believes in Lin. Just imagine how Lin would be doing if dantoni was the coach of this current houston squad. Dantoni allowed Lin to reach his potential because he came to believe in him and give him the trust to lead his offense. He overlooked the bad and the inconsequential and focuses on the good. McHale doesn't believe linsanity will ever happen again and that Lin has that potential.
Even D'Antoni doubted if Lin can bring his strong play during practice into real games. So let's not mistake D'Antoni to 'discover' Lin. He just ran out of players in the 4th game in 5 days.
Then Feb 4th game happened and to his credit afterwards, he is a big believer of Lin to run his system.
If it were Coach "Smart", Lin wouldn't start the next Utah game.
D'Antoni was like all others, didn't discover Lin, because he said, Lin was standing there, nobody would notice him until played him; however, it only took one game for D'Antoni to believe in him and he saw Lin's greatness after few games, yet all others till today still downplay Lin's capability, and don't believe Linsanity, still think Lin just got lucky, because he played in bigger stage. That is the difference.
I do miss the honeymoon days when the coach, Knicks teammates believed in JLin, supporting him, happy for him, it's so touching, warm feeling. When I watch those videos, Lin was talking to those vetern teammates how to play, we don't see that much now.
No doubt dantoni doubted Lin. But he came to trust him when he saw what he could do. This is on complete contrast to McHale when he continues to ignore Jlin's great games this season, OKC, SA just as aberrations. If you see the potential in those games, a coach needs to nurture it. Not break down like he is trying to do. McHale considers all those games as aberrations or flukes despite then happening over and over again.
Maybe the ego of a man just didn't want to admit he was wrong? It's harder to admit "I was wrong" for many, maybe including myself than to move a mountain. People feel so good if they can say, I told you...
You mean if D'antoni were coaching the rockets, he would do exactly what McHell is doing? Highly doubtful. I think you guys are attacking D'antoni's abilities and integrety by comparing him to McHell. That's like the ultimate insult to any coach.
Seriously, are u guys joking? No way dantoni would marginalize Lin's role when he played it to perfection. Dantoni is a stubborn dude. ..harden would have to find a way to coexist with Lin.
If it indeed is the "ultimate insult" for me to be speculating that D'Antoni would have Lin in a lesser offensive role than McHale currently has Lin, then so be it.
Just look at the Lakers. D'Antoni has elevated lobe to be an even more selfish player than Kobe's ever been, plus Steve Nash is withering away as an undersized off guard.
I make my claim based on how D'Antoni uses Steve Nash in a far more limited role than McHale has Lin doing.
Here Etane goes again being flameboy troll who hates people here again.
Actually, HE'S the one acting reality distorted because Nash is limited even more under D'Antoni right now than Lin is is under McHale. Besides, D'Antoni tried Carmelo Anthony as his ballhandling guard and found out that Anthony couldn't handle the ball the way Kobe Bryant can.
Etane, you CANNOT STOP FLAMING PEOPLE. You're nothing but a hater troll covering up your own ignorance with personal attacks and insults.
You have never refrained from attacking people here. I have written all along that you post here only to antagonize others, and you have indeed lived up to that because you're a HATER TROLL.
And, since Kobe has become the focal point of the offense, the Lakers started winning again.
D'antoni recognized this and adjusted accordingly. He's not stubbornly forcing the ball in Nash's hand and hope magic happens like it did during the PHX Suns days.
D'antoni changes according to the game situation and players' ability. He doesn't make his players to bend to blend into his playing style like McHell does.
Khuang, do u really think etane is a troll or is this an inside joke between u too. I don't agree with your take at all on dantoni but I don't think you are a troll.
Ah, I see that you can't explain away Nash being turned into a corner shooter, Etane.
You are being just as idiotic as when you flamed me repeatedly for saying that McHale ran a motion ststem when you yourself had no friggin clue what a motion offense is.
Your problem, Etane, is that you are so wrapped up in your hatred of his forum that it's creating incorrect fantasies in your hateful little brain about what's happening on the NBA court. The problem is that so many articles, particularly on Truehoop, have been writing about D'Antoni screwing up Steve Nash. So it isn't just me that sees Nash being marginalized by D'Antoni, contrary to your fatally flawed fantasy flaming.
Your problem is that your hateful imagination cannot keep up with REALITY. So what you need to do is find some other angle than hoops to flame people here. When you flamed everybody in this forum for being stupid, you EXPOSED YOURSELF as a "Lin fan only hater"!
lydia and solidz, I can go back and pull up the anti Asian racial slurs Etane first fired at this forum when he got here.
He talks about Asians doing drugs, gambling away their money, being evil, and doing other things. Ask Etane to repost them, as I refuse to sully this forum by cutting and pasting his comments.
This guy is a PSYCHOPATH RACIST TROLL who you guys treat with kid gloves. All he's done is taunt you and laugh at you in your faces.
My goal is to burn this troll every time he tries to flame people here.
Who knows what D'Antoni will choose to be a PG if he were to coach Houston? Possibly Lin since he's more familiar with D'Antoni offense.
But it's possible that D'Antoni chose Kobe, not Nash, to be the PG because he learned from his NY experience not to get into fight with the superstar (Melo).
I can see your point, KHuang but the LA scenario is different than HOU. Kobe is already an established star there so D'Antoni wouldn't want to get fired so soon.
Again, this is just hypothetical so not worth fighting for :D
I only catched one LA game this last week, and I didn't exactly see Nash sit in the corner while being iced out by the rest of the team like Lin was during the first half of the season. In fact, I saw Nash shoot some clutch Q4 3pters.
Second, the Rockets is not a motion system team. It is a read and react team. Every team including the Rockets use motion offense in one variation or another. It's not Bobby Knights patented system and it's not Kevin McHell's repertoire.
For you to say motion offense is a point guard-less sytem that takes the ball away from Lin is utterly ridiculous which is furthest from the truth and is proof of your continued intention to distort reality.
Face it, you'd do anything to protect your Church of McHell and your shrine to pasty white post players. You agree with every backhanded comment made about Lin and demean him by claiming Lin is actually improving under McHell.
You're the thread troll Lin hater in a Lin fan site.
STILL you have no friggin idea what McHale's motion system is, racist troll.
First you were flaming me because you erroneously thought it was a speedball system. Now you're erroneously flaming me because you don't understand that motion systems can have preferences. You don't care one iota about basketball and are strictly here to flame others.
That you racially taunt McHale as a "pasty" person is just like when you accused us Asians of using drugs, Etane. No matter what ethnicity you lie about being, you're a RACIST TROLL who apparently hates more than just Asians.
C'mon, troll. I'm not even going to waste my time fighting you on basketball because basketball is just the means by which you flame others. Let's personally fight, since that's what you're really after.
I'm gonna burn your racist psychopathic troll butt alive, Etane. You have been a wonderful punching bag for this forum.
Hey thanks for replying so quickly so I can squeeze in one extra comment before I leave the office!
Yup I have no idea how a motion offense that predicates it's play making on the guards as a system that takes the ball away from ... the guard! That's just too funny!
And, you said that McHell asked Lin to "MOVE THE BALL" because Lin is too slow to pass. You're the one that used "motion offense" as an excuse for McHell's endless mind fuck against Lin's game and why McHell keeps trying to take the ball away from Lin.
Hey, McHell was trying to destroy Lin's game and each time you had the perfect excuse to cover for McHell!
Guess what? You're a loser hater who can't stand another asian succeeding in the world. You're one of those minorities that like to keep other minorities down so to make yourself feel good!
Of course, you want me to be your punching bad. Cuz you're a frustrated yellow boy who can't make it in a white world! Don't blame me for your loser ways. Blame yourself for hating your own skin color!
No. Khuang, not at all! why would I? I do not defend, I just say as what I see and recall.
what I agree with Psalm is this "Who knows what D'Antoni will choose to be a PG if he were to coach Houston? Possibly Lin since he's more familiar with D'Antoni offense.
But it's possible that D'Antoni chose Kobe, not Nash, to be the PG because he learned from his NY experience not to get into fight with the superstar (Melo)."
Since the beginning, Etane, you have come on this board to HATE ASIANS.
Ever since you posted that vile hater garbage about Asians doing drugs in maajohng parlors, you have never quit flaming Asians. You even LIE about being Asian yourself.
Etane, you serve a valuable purpose here. You are the ARCHETYPAL RACIST PSYCHOPATH TROLL that is the cause of Asian people being marginalized in America. It is because of hateful jerks like you that Asians are treated poorly in this country.
Should the Bucks change their ugly deer jersey? I don't how the players feel with a green deer on the front their jersey. Looks like they're going hunting or something.
We have been cursing each other for almost a year now.
Etane hates Asians, and I hate him because he hates Asians.
Anti Asian racism is a recurring theme on this board. Etane is trying to destroy the reputation of Asians. Why should I as an Asian cower in his racism?
Funny how people disagree, and we wonder why so many people think Lin is a scrub and get upset. Even on this site, we can't agree even though we generally agree Lin is the real deal....
My take on D'Antoni and Lin - MD used Lin as a chess piece althought it didn't work in the end. MD tried to trade Melo during Linsanity.So I don't agree MD thought Lin was his guy. He wanted Dwill to replace the Linsanity and get Melo out of there. Maybe at best MD would have let Lin shine next to Dwill but there can only be one lead guard of a team.
MD would use Harden as the main guard in Houston. Lin would either become Raja Bell or Lin would be the 6th man backup PG to lead the 2nd unit and maybe if lucky finish out games in the 4th Q as the Raja Bell along side Harden in a semi-dual prong attack where Harden gets the ball as first option. The 80 million dollar max guard on the team gets the ball in his hands REGARDLESS of who is coaching.
My take on MD in Laketown is this - Kobe is too egotisical and that is why the Lakers stink. Put Lin in Kobe's role, and that is a .600-.700 playoff team at worst. They probably flame out in round 1 or 2 of the playoffs but still, better than with Kobe right now.
I don't put it on MD like Khuang for the Laker disaster, well I do, but not for the same reasons as Khuang.
Kobe is the PG SG and team do-it-all because that is how Kobe wants it. I believe MD actually wants Nash to handle the ball and do a Suns 2.0 but Kobe won't have it. Nash and MD know it but can't do squat about it. It's Kobe town in LA for better or worse. MD would get fired calling out Kobe or doing anything to Kobe, even a 34 yr old Kobe with 1 season left on contract.
Kobe just dominates the ball in games because he is the better player. Doesn't mean Nash can't lead the team better and set people up better but Kobe will NOT have it. That is basically what is going on in Lakertown.
Kobe feels physically great this year in comparison to years' past. He feels invincible. He wants the limelight and to still sell shoes, be top 5 in scoring, and be the star till he is 45. That's who he is and that's why his team is losing. He's selfish enough to think he can have his cake and eat it too.
I'm sure many of you here will disagree with me about Kobe and MD and the Lakers. Kobe wants to win no doubt, but not by being the Raja Bell of the team. When Nash had the ball in his hands and passed to Kobe early in the season, Kobe just jacked shot after shot and passed to nobody. In Phoenix, if Bell didn't have an open shot or drive, the ball went back to Nash. Good luck with that in LA Nash....
So MD took the passive agressive approach and put Kobe on ball as PG so Kobe can't black hole the team to death and take every shot. In essense, MD FORCED Kobe to pass without calling him out as a ballhog by putting him at PG.
In Houston, the problem is not Harden. It's the coaches and maybe the Front Office. Harden actually passes to Lin! Maybe not as much as we'd like but short of deferring, Harden tries.
In Laketown, if Lin were Nash, I believe Lin would be doing much better than Nash statisically but the team would probably still be losing. Lin is a much more athletic and bigger and stronger and faster player and more dynamic than Nash. He would wreak havoc next to Kobe. And MD doesn't mind Lin doing TO's and all that crap making HR plays.
In fact, Lin would try to dominate the ball too at times and Kobe would learn Lin can do it. Problem is when Kobe goes into blackhole mode, Lin can get cold and passive as we see in Houston at times, and Lin is still way less seasoned than Nash who has weathered the storm decently well in Laketown.
I just can't back down from Etane's racial slurs, particularly when he publicly accuses me of being unable to fit into a white world and being an alleged self hater of Asians.
So please understand that when I retaliate against his racism, it is something that I as an Asian American man MUST do.
Haha Khuang is distorting our forum disagreement as a race war because 1) he hate his own race 2) he is exposed as a liar.
He would do and say anything to defend anyone that tries to claim Lin is not a super talent.
He goes on to claim D'antoni would ice Lin out even more so than McHell. What a joke! What kind of reality distortion is using the fact that Nash doesn't handle the ball as much as he used to as excuse to say Lin would be iced out even more by D'antoni than McHell? Where is the connection? What is the relevance?
For whatever reasons, D'antoni is the best coach Lin ever had in the NBA and they also have the best relationship between player and coach. But, Khuang, for his own evil purposes, like to distort McHell who's done nothing but put Lin's career on freeze is actually a better coach than D'antoni to Lin.
Khuang would take every little fact and spin it in a way that makes his distorted world view be accepted as reality! He is a living walking paradox!
You don't know me, yet you call me a race self hater? You're more dirty evil than I thought.
I have known from the moment you came here to post racial slurs that your sole goal is to degrade Asians.
Others may not see you taunting and flaming EVERYBODY that has an Asian screenname here, but I do. How DARE YOU taunt Brent Yen as being "delusional" like you did above, you goddamn filthy racist puke?
I've watched you taunt every single Asian on this board, Etane. I've seen you call Asian women "witches" and Asian men "self haters". You are more evil than anybody I have ever encountered on this site, racist.
LOL you say I don't know you. What do you follow up that with? "I have known you from the moment you came here.." are you not a walking paradox or what?
I thought I was your punching bag but you keep hitting yourself.
Racist Etane, I'm only a paradox to you because you're a lying flaming psychopath who cannot reconcile my strong retaliatory responses with your openly declared racist views that Asian American men are "weak".
You are fascinated with me because I'm absolutely unafraid of calling you on your pathetically poorly disguised racist trolling. Since you feed on negativity, particularly the hate that you create, I am ONE of your main targets to hate Asians with. In truth, you have targeted and flamed every Asian here in a systematic and predictable fashion.
I will give you credit, troll. At least you came here looking for a real fight against the Asians you hate. Now the fight has FOUND YOU.
LOL I think you're tired. You are a paradox cuz I am a flamer? I don't think Asian American men are weak. I think Khuang is! You're the one that initiated the attack. At least come up with some coherent ones oh reality distortion zen master!
And, why do you, as the one calling out others as racists, always bring up race as an issue? You obviously have issues you need to see a therapist about. I'd love to hear about what you have to say so as to help you figure out what's been bothering you all your life which is, like everyone here already figured out, yourself.
Etane and KHuang, you both are knowledgable basketball fans. Please stop your bromance fight on this site cuz JLin read the comments every now and then. Just show him love not hate on this site.
He accused me of being not able to fit into his white world. What Etane doesn't know is the majority of white clients and friends I have would beat the living tar about him if he taunted them as being "pasty white refrigerators" like he did in another thread.
Had Etane kept his evil racist hate filled defaming trap shut, we wouldn't be fighting like this. But he HAD to flame Asians, so here he is firing away against the entire board and the race.
Jeremy Lin? He'd BENEFIT from seeing me punk Etane's racist troll butt.
I'll even stop retaliating if we can keep this free of personal animosity.
What's frustrating is that I want to COMPLIMENT Etane on his basketball knowledge. Even though he has no respect for my basketball knowledge or me as a person. I have total respect for Etane even when he disagrees with me. He doesn't even realize that I agree with him more than he knows.
1. DMO has better chemistry on court with Lin than the guys traded away.
2. DMO plays hard on both ends and rebounds well so far in limited play. DMO isn't American so he isn't afraid to try hard and fail on the court looking awkward or stupid.
3. Against Brooklyn or Wash, Lin threw an up the court pass to DMO and it went out of bounds. Unlike PPAT, you could see DMO really tried to catch it and was pissed he didn't. You could see that DMO wasn't use to how far Lin wanted to lead him, but that DMO put it into his memory bank and almost blamed himself for not catching it whereas PPATT and Morris wouldn't even try to make it look like Lin just threw a crappy pass.
4. I think Dmo is a Sparta Sports Science summer training away from exploding next season...his basic skillset is already there pretty much.
once again you prove to be a voice of reason good to be next to Jeremy, isabelijane :D (although the Kill Bill intestine comment made me pause haha) Time to sign up for instagram.
And yes, that was scary picture. I will only do it if there was a teammate catching on the other side. If the niece bounces out of bound, Jeremy could be ejected from that game. The costliest TOV ever :D
@psalm - hahaha. I won't let him do it to my daughter or son, more so with his own daughter or son. you're kind of lenient though. even with a team mate he wouldn't dare do that to my child. he wouldn't want to see my inner Beatrix Kiddo who comes out when one of my loved ones is getting or might get hurt. that TO would cost not just 2000 McChickens but probably an entire franchise or two of McDonalds, plus rights on In-and-Out :D
The video is in Japanese but the interviews are in English and it has some new footage and interviews from Jeremy's HS coach, teammates and Larry King.
Dont know if this was talked about before but I was watching a special on NBA TV talking about the Lakers and the Celtics. Interestingly there was a part where they talk about Isaiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman calling out Larry Bird, saying that he's only good because he's white. This is the same comparison that Lloyd Mayweather said about Lin... We hear all this talk about Lin's race not being a factor and where you have panels of so call sports experts say that his race actually helped him but no where in that panel is there any asian representative where they can even defend themselves...
Isiah Thomas was like "Okaaaayyyy, whatever" to Rodman's comments.
That event was so totally overblown by a racist media looking to elevate Larry Bird at Detroit's expense. Bird even came out and said "Those words came out of Isiah's mouth, not his head"!
Years later as Pacers GM, Larry Bird claimed that the NBA would be more marketable if it had more white players. There was a media furor over that too.
Now Lin being called a "bust" and "overrated" and "undeserving of his contract"? WAY WORSE than what Rodman said.
By the way, I didn't agree with Rodman's statement when he said it back then. Larry Bird is a uniquely great talent who'd be celebrated if he were any skin color ....
You know what... we only hear the stuff they put on the media, chink in the armor, lucky fortune, two inches of hurt, etc... One can only imagine what he went through during his childhood till now. At this day and age, we are a society that is so PC but seems like everyone is okay when it's at the expense of a minority group that does not historically make little noise. Guess what though, the more media coverage Lin and others after Lin gets, the more noise they make and ultimately they will be heard.
I've definitely endured more racism than Lin has, as I'm much older than him and much more battlehardened.
By the way, Floyd Mayweather would have a much harder time fighting me physiclally in the street than he would dodging Manny Pacquiao. If Floyd pulled that racism garbage on me, he'd receive a physical challenge from me. I'm MUCH MEANER than Pacquiao, even though Pacquiao is a great sport champion.
whoever started the "truth" that one sport has and will always be dominated by one skin color or race must be an idiot. racism stems from insecurity. Jeremy looks like a good person both on and off courts, so they exploit what they think is his weakest point - his race.
Any race can do anything if they are up for the challenge. The social prejudices are pretty lame.
For example, when people talk about Germany nowadays they think of an advanced 1st world country. Ask a Roman back in the days of Caesars and they'll laugh at you and describe Germania as a conquered race of inferior barbarians.
People talk about Chinese nowadays as physically weak, intelligent folks (in America anyway). They don't understand that China in history was rife with warring kingdoms and massive wars fought with million men armies (with deaths that eclipse world war 2), fought and led by men who were elite in close quarter battle that make western legends seem stupid.
Chinese, physically weak? Lol yeah right.
My point? Anyone can become anything if they truly put their mind to it. To say one race is better than another is inherently stupid.
Racism is a human condition, we are wired to use generalization to simplify our cognitive functions. Intelligence and diligence is our only tool to fight it. It's all too easy to be excluded and pushed into the fringes. People ask why minorities settle into ghettos. Having been told by 2 clubs that I didn't "fit" into their social network in my small rural town made me realize that exclusion is often done because people are too lazy to take in new experiences. They are comfortable with their own kind. I quit playing basketball as a senior starting PG and took to tennis because I could prove my worth by myself with my own racket. In my 60th year, I've come to understand that we all must be responsible to be alert to generalization and marginalization of different people. We are all equally guilty and all equally victims if we don't stand guard against our own laziness.
Anyone know if Thomas Robinson will be playing tomorrow? Saw some of is highlights... He might be the guy that will elevate Lin's game but dont know if he can set picks though.
It looks like they will get some burn time coming off the bench.
CSN Houston: Motiejunas to get first start with Rockets .. And newcomers Thomas Robinson and Francisco Garcia are still learning how the Rockets play after two practices. Even though McHale said both new guys would play. ... Robinson, who the Rockets acquired in a trade with the Kings last week, will play on Wednesday but McHale said Robinson will play
guys, Jeremy just did a Q&A on Facebook. dang! i missed it. did somebody here got to send him questions? anyway here is the TRANSCRIPT from lingifs from Tumblr.
@Brent thanks for your response on prev. thread. Yes, I do see PPat and JLin shooting very nice touch medium Js, and on that WA game, Lin was just too tired/ill so he wasn't going to take that last one. Instead, he tried to get it to Parsons on the 3, safe to do if those are the rules, and that ended up being an awkward TO that I blame 'rules' creating. He could have easily passed to Asik for a layup too. Thanks for your reply, as often, I think I'm not bbIQ enough to add much when everyone gets technical.
@KH, same thanks to you. Yes, I read lout and clear you are saying D is the key, and I agree. If you can see that last WA play, out of a time-out, and a Bev assignment where Lin fist bumped him and gave Bev his seat at the planning huddle, Bev gave Wall 10 ft for 10 sec. I imagine you know Lin would have closed the gap to force a play with way more than 5 sec left when the play ended. I would not have gone back to see it had not Bob C Fan mentioned the last 2 mins D.
I'm beginning to see a theory in my mind that the Morey numbers theory of 3s vs 2s set some player rules on the team that can be too rigid during crunch time. As a team, the've developed this system of explosive offense that works in a macro sense around the 3s producing more points than the 2s, over the course of the game. But, I'm thinking if I take the raw stats for 3Q's, and build a simulated game, we'd have a score based on the 3s game for 3 Qs. Then, with the 4th Q, given garbage and crunch, we can take stats on 3s for the close games lost vs close games won, and I bet it comes out not shooting 2s kills the offense and that's why we lost. Morey has paid analysts to do that, but that's my theory from watching the game flow. If I get time, I might do that. If y'all know how we can get that info, maybe it's there already.
I got that confirmed in answering with Bob C on another thread, as he pointed to the last 2 mins of play while I was focused on how we lost the spread. When I looked at the last 2 mins, it was only the 2 that produced, and D lost it for us as KH as noted.
So, even with this great offensive scheme, I'm for more flexibility in crunch time. I mean not being able to win with 19 for 46 3s ... what do we need? 20 3s? Sure on that day. 23 is the record, so any statistics-based team would not go for that.
Just an unsubstantiated guess, and maybe I'll do the spreadsheet work or not, depending on what people think.
@JoeTeam, statistical analysis has its weakness. In the game of basketball, most of the state line are complied as unconditioned statistics, FG% 3P% etc. However, hardly anytime you will find those stat useful, because usually there are conditions on top of any given situations.
For example, you came in to a game as a 40% 3Pts shooter, it does not mean that in the crunch time, you will shoot at 40%. That's why there are advanced stat out there. In the end, statistical results are always true, but we just can not fail to read it correctly like a lot of ppl use Lin's box score to evaluate his impact on the game. It is just completely wrong in my opinion.
To me, Rox way of basketball is not for the crunch time and playoff conditions, ISO play brings more value in those conditions. Like the last play by WAS, he ate Delfeno alive basically and that was a play that is hard to miss. So usually if ROX can not have a good lead by the 2min mark of 4th Q, it usually worries me a lot. But to their credit, they are already much better compare to the beginning of the season.
They might just find out those 2 pts Jumpers will give them a new dimension on what they can do in a tight game situation. But again, without stops, it is worthless to discuss a team which is already a very good offensively.
Given the time constraint, if you can not get stops, playing horse with team that has better plays for the crunch time is not going to end well.
This Rockets team could use a defensive philosophy.
To me, the Rockets have quick agile athletic perimeter players and plodding battleship inside players. Right now I am not talking about Francisco Garcia and Thomas Robinson.
The Rockets have the speed and athleticism to trap the perimeter from the wings and close out on shooters. Jeremy Lin often covers 2-3 guys all at once because he's got the speed to play the passing lanes and the size to contest jumpshots.
James Harden is a player that could be a very good defensive player with minimal effort. If he simply put his hands up and shuffled a bit, he'd be decent. Now if Harden and Lin ganged up together defensively to cover ground, that would be really great to watch. I even think Harden could do that without sacrificing scoring, albeit it would necessitate more strategy from the other players.
What excites me about Francisco Garcia and Thomas Robinson is their possible effect on defense. Garcia is a solid defender who can be counted on for solid defense every game. Thomas Robinson is the wildcard who eventually could morph into the midrange roaming shotblocker the Rockets desperately need to shut down penetrating guards. I can envision Robinson having a Serge Ibaka type of defensive effect.
With this Rockets team, I'd advocate scrambling the perimeter and keeping the big men firmly rooted down low. Let Lin and Harden roam midrange, though this would require a defensively oriented Harden.
@Brent Yen: Yep, numbers can lie :-) If you think like I do that this fast ball movement to the 3, plus anything goes for Harden, isn't going to get far in crunch time or playoffs, I don't have to do spreadsheets! I feel the stats are there, if you remove the situational stuff and measure what you want to test for. I was just saying I think too much is dependent on the stats to justify the existing system for Q4 coaching mistakes.
On stops, you and KH and other D guys, I agree. Good point on their crunch game vs ours! I was ok with Bev in when I first saw him in the WA game-end, but when I looked at how long he allowed Wall to run the clock down, I realized what a dumb D posture either coached or taken. One would always want to put D pressure on the offense, because they have the advantage and you have to narrow the advantage by closing on them. When you close on them, they have to show their intent. And then, you increase your odds.
Thanks again, can't wait for tomorrow's game with all this chatter. Y'all have a good one.
@KHuang ... I like Robinson's 2nd chance attitude. Also he said of Jeremy ... "he runs the team." I hope to see more of your point-outs on the new defense, and maybe Robinson will also allow what people have been asking for too ... the ally-oops. For sure a young guy like him will move vs your Asik plod. I think you're saying that.
Have a good evening. Tomorrow is a fun game to just see the new chemistry, if the guys get some playing time.
Joeteam, I went to Goodwill last week and bought something of great interest.
I spent a measly two bucks and got a Magic Johnson skills teaching video!!!
Magic goes through all of his individual drills and workouts. Of course, he makes it look so easy because he's Magic Johnson. I couldn't even begin to do the stuff that Magic does, and I'm actually gifted in hand eye coordination.
Joeteam, what really struck me about Magic was his DEFENSE. When he's teaching defense, Magic is far more excited and animated than he is teaching offense. Magic did an incredible job teaching perimeter defense, and it's quite scary when Magic Johnson plays defense on the camera so that the viewer can feel what it's like to be defended by a quick 6'9" point guard.
As good as Magic Johnson was on defense, I feel that Jeremy Lin is even better. Magic was a good defender, but he could not shut down the perimeter athletes. Jeremy Lin gets actual stops, which is just as unbelievable to me as anything he does on offense.
So, you twos ... man I was going to get off but the convo continues. Why isn't Sampson getting called out for his defensive schemes? Isn't he the defensive coach?
KHuang, for 2 bucks, you got a treat. You gotta get a kid to convert it to digital and put it on youtube. Anybody around you have an old analog DVR (Panasonic?) Just kidding, prob not worth the work for us here.
Do share a Magic wisdom sometime, when you see someone blow a key play. I like that CF poster who is doing the breakdowns on vid and in photoshop. Those are cool. But he's only doing it for the offense, I think, and he's doing whatever ones he feels like doing while taking requests.
I'm just hoping Coach Nick will do a Rox defensive breakdown soon, because he really got the Melo emo thing absolutely right, well before Melo acted out of bounds in Boston.
Brent, LOL if Lin, Harden, and Parsons can surprise the Heat one day like last year. I call that an ambush! and rightly so given how much $ goes into winning games.
If I need to point out one weakness on Lin's personal defense, I will say he is weaker defending back door cuts. I guess he just focused on the ball too much (plus he is really help D minded). But this is just by my eyeball test, I might be wrong on this.
I'll look for that. What can you do, listen to footsteps better? I know when you face your opponent, you ignore the head/arms and watch the hips then shoulders, but what do people do to defend the backdoor cuts?
I really hope that Trob is a chippy defensive rebounder. This team needs some muscle and meanness inside to stop guys like Blake. I'd rather they get a Tyson chandler, than another "star". This team has no toughness to go deep in the post season and the perimeter scoring will dry up under playoff pressure. To me it's like football, sometimes you just have to run right into the meat of the defense, other wise, your passing game is too predictable. Look at what the Ravens did this year. The beauty of Lin is that from the pick and roll he takes the rock into the defense and creates total chaos in the defensive sets. What he does is to contract the defense in order to give an uncontested easier shot for a teammate. The alley oops to Tyson chandler and the kick outs to Novak was a big part of linsanity.
Defending NBA players, particularly backdoor cuts, is not an individual effort.
It takes a coordinated TEAM effort to defend in the NBA, even off the seemingly simplest backdoor cuts. Good teams will help their beaten teammates on backdoor cuts.
Kelvin Sampson is the defensive coach, but I don't know what his schemes are or whether McHale even listens to anything Sampson said. I know that Sampson gets heavily criticized here, but I've never been able to do that. I get the feeling that Sampson is more in cahoots with Lin than we know, and he may even have defensive answers already.
Joeteam, that Magic Johnson video was very dense in defensive content. One thing that Magic teaches extremely well is defensive hop stepping footwork. Magic's ability to skip across the court defensivel is something the Rockets other than Lin should work on.
... - 1-2 (PG-SG) Pick-and-Roll - Rockets' Baseline out of Bounds - Elevator Doors - Pistol
I haven't reviewed all of them but HMMMMM member did a great job creating Youtube videos and charted pictures to explain these plays. I wonder if I can recognize them in the next few games.
Thanks psalm234, now I have to study them too so we can convo. I just scanned them and said to myself ... now that's why I come here!
I'll look up your noted plays, and we'll see if we can all up our bbIQ and maybe the CF hate will balance a bit. It's for real sometimes a nasty place. It is so here too, sometimes, and you can't escape to another thread to get away.
Speaking of that, I miss via. Maybe she needed a break or is on a business trip :-)
yeah, I'm also wondering if her work took her away for a while. Hope via is back soon :)
I started looking up the Elevator variation and it's quite flexible how the ball-handler or screener decides the next option. No wonder Lin, who has the best court vision, can quickly assess which option would be best based on what the defense gives them.
They really empower the ball-handler(s) to choose the many options of 1 play based on the defensive rotation (i.e. if the defensive player overcommits or not).
Yeah, CF does have some knowledgeable members worth learning from. Of course, trolls and haters are abound :D I just ignore them haha
The Rockets cannot defend because their defense is as freeflow as their offense is!
That's the difference between Kevin McHale and Mike Woodson. Even though they are both freeflow motion coaches on offense, Woodson is a famed defensive coach who employs run and jump tactics to create constant double teams.
Right now, Woodson's defense is not working because his aged perimeter players cannot execute his run and jump trapping with the explosiveness that Jeremy Lin would've brought. Lin's loss in NY is felt defensively, not offensively.
Ho Chen reported Rockets: Jeremy Lin's feeling fine
ReplyDeleteGrantland: The Rockets Reach for Greatness
ReplyDeleteAfter another deadline steal, Daryl Morey's plan may finally be working. Plus: a surging Bobcat, his pouting teammate, and the underrated Nene.
Nice read.
DeleteVery minimal mention of Lin.. And if they do, it's to point out his inadequacies. If I am a casual fan reading this, I would think Jeremy had no role in the teams success.
DeleteStill not much love from the media or his coach. The gm still talks about getting a 2nd stat to play next to harden. Jlin has truly been relegated to a mere role player by the media. Sigh.
And if they don't run any plays, what da hell do the coaches do in the game? What happens at the end of a game, with last possession to win or tie? What do coaches do, just yell "move the ball?".
DeleteMcHale being a half court post player .. He has no credibility to teach such offense.
To be honest, JLin cant be just given the "star" status, he has to earn it with consistent production at his position--he's not there yet. Once JLin does that, he will be recognized without a doubt, especially if he becomes an all-star next year. In the article, there's also mention on Harden's bad D so it's not just pointing out JLin's inadequacies.
DeleteThree things stand out for me:
Delete1. Morey believes Houston needs a second star and a good defense
Morey understands how much work, and how much luck, went into landing Harden, and he realizes they need two more things to become a real contender: a second star and a good defense.
...
Morey says. "We are still on pace to be a no. 6–no. 10 seed. We still have a long way to go, but we definitely like our position better. We probably got the hardest part done, but now we have to get a second star to go with James.
As much as we believe Lin plays a crucial part in Houston's offense and defense, Lin's stats still do not qualify him as a star yet. And until Lin can be consistent with his 3PT shooting and off-the-ball movement, he won't be considered a star in the HOU system.
2. But Houston wants to be a top-10 offensive rebounding team, Sampson says, and Robinson can help there.
3. On defense, perimeter players don't execute the "recover" part of "help and recover" all that well
Delete- Harden has a bad habit of turning his back completely to his man and lose his man. Harden's fundamentals will eventually break down if teams put him through multiple screens, on and off the ball.
- Parsons is better at tracking the ball and his man at the same time, but when an opposing ball handler kicks the ball back out, he will often lunge for a steal instead of simply retreating to his guy (gambling defense)
- Lin is prone to ball-watching and thus vulnerable to backdoor cuts along the baseline, breakdowns that can be fatal against opponents with shooting bigs who can drag Asik up toward the elbows.
This is a big reason Houston's opponents have shot 37.2 percent from deep, the seventh-worst defensive figure in the league, on the fourth-most attempts per game. And Houston has allowed a lot of those juicy corner looks it loves to get on offense; its opponents have hit a whopping 43.5 percent on about 5.5 corner 3s per game, according to NBA.com
These are valid points on the lax defense but I'm surprised there was no coverage on Lin's superb help defense that helped to shut down Utah big men on the 45pt drubbing.
Racha, I would be more optimistic if I felt that the coach was trying to develop Lin into a second superstar next to harden. U really think Lin will be an deserved all star next year with McHale harping over Lin's play?
DeleteInstead, we have an organization that is looking for its second superstar. At this pace, if McHale had his way, Lin will be relegated to a Derek fisher type of player albeit an expensive one at that.
And I wasn't complaining about the fact that Lin was being singled out by Zach. It's just that when he talks about the teams success, Lin is barely ever mentioned- his defense being completely ignored. It's seems to be concensus by these people that Lin will never reach superstardom. Unless u are a Lin fan, u will never see what he does well.
To me, it proves that in the next 2 years in Houston, Lin's defense and great playmaker will not let him "shine" as the 2nd star next to Harden in the media until he becomes consistent 3PT shooter and efficient scorer.
DeleteI believe Lin will rise to the occasion and make himself even a more complete player after 2 years. He has the talent, hard work and determination to accomplish that.
Lin will never "shine" under McHale. I wish the organization had enuff faith in Lin's potential to believe that he can be a superstar next to harden. It doesn't mean they shouldn't get out and get a superstar player but stop saying we need a second star like the other players are just scrubs.
DeleteThe more we get into this season, the less I believe in this organization to nurture Lin. I really hope my gestalt is off.
how could jeremy become one of all-star players (those players in all-star game) next year or beyond? before retirement, kobe and chris will always want to be in, so no chance for jeremy no matter how good his stats are. if rockets sign another media all-star player, they will be so busy to promote that player to all-star game too, plus push Harden to be the starter position, if not, no.3 will be better than have lower votes than jeremy.
Deletejust saying, i'm not upset or anything about this all-star status. i fully understand that is a big IF, one day he'll be one. for now, i'll just cheer for this team and jeremy.
DeleteSolidz, the current system in HOU is inherently tricky to allow Lin to "shine" in the stats because:
Delete1. read-and-react system utilizes multiple playmaker (Harden-Lin-Parsons-Delfino) so there won't be as many assists as CP3 racks up, plus
2. No big men to get easy points as CP3 has in Clippers with Blake and DeAndre Jordan
3. It emphasizes consistent spot-up 3PT shooting that Lin was not strong but improving lately.
We all know this and it is the perfect system to undermine Lin's strength but surprisingly Lin rose above the challenge with 50% 3PT shooting in the past 10 games before he was really sick in the past 2 games.
I see the HOU read-and-react system was evolving to use Lin's PnR more after the ASG system. I suspect due to losing PPat/Morris as stretch 3PTers, Harden's recuperating ankle, too many TOs by Parsons/Delfino, and anticipating a lot of PnRs between Lin/Robinson or Lin/Harden.
So I see HOU is evolving to trust Lin more and to revamp the system to use PnR now or in the future (Dwight/JSmith anyone?)
So I still have high hope that Lin's strong play will force coaches to utilize his strength more into the system because they want to win against good teams.
OKC game should be an eye-opener to HOU coaches. They were previously 0-2 with Harden as the focal point of the offense as PG but 1-0 after allowing Lin to be PG and Harden as SG.
I don't care what McHale said in public about Lin still growing. As long as he trusts Lin to be the PG like in the OKC game, that's what matters.
I predict Lin is about to take control of the playmaking in the 2nd half if he can continue his strong 50% FGs. And Harden would still be the ultra efficient SG as in the OKC game.
McHale is a great coach but a poor communicator. He wants to "protect" Lin against Linsanity expectations but he should be smarter to throw in a little praises here and there in his interviews.
oops typo ..
Delete"and anticipating a lot of PnRs between Lin/Robinson or Harden/Robinson."
Daryl Morey already got PUNKED by Lin once, when Linsanity broke out and turned into LesSanity.
DeleteThe good thing is that Morey will ready for the second round of All Star Linbarrassment.
I disagree. If McHale let's Lin play like he did in OKC game which was still under this system, he can certainly shine without compromising the teams success.
DeleteFor whatever reason, even after a great game, McHale finds away to make sure Lin does not do that. In his eyes, if Lin scores 20 more points, he is being selfish and looking to pad up his stats. This is why u never hear a compliments ever about Lin's offensive game.
It's not the system that is holding Lin back ( harden has no problem doing well). It's the coach.. Period.
I agree that Lin still has a chance to shine like he did in the OKC game as long as he made his 3PT shooting (60% 3-5) and had a high AST to TOV ratio (8 asts vs 3 TOs).
DeleteThe more I think about McHale's interview approach about Lin, McHale definitely has a consistent agenda to remove 'Linsanity' expectations by the news media.
I believe he means well but sometimes did a poor job communicating it during interview as he did with insinuating Lin might want to score rather than winning. (I believe according to Friedman, McHale said this while RAVING about Lin after the OKC game how much has has improved). cali7 made a good point on why only 1 NY media picked up on it to do a hack-job on Lin. If it were open criticism, we'd hear it from other news outlet or at least B/R.
I remember he made similar comment in the beginning of the season about "we're trying to win, Jeremy" not to make high-risk/high-reward TOs and just safe passes.
He chose the approach of "he's a young kid", "he'll be fine", "he's growing" to consistently remind the media not to expect Linsanity fearing it puts too much pressure for Lin to deliver.
I checked back regarding his rift with Lowry last year, he never aired out to the media about weaknesses that his players need to work on. So clearly, he had an agenda to eliminate 'Linsanity' expectations for Lin. But sometimes he did a poor job on it. He needs to throw in more praises.
@Solidz75, to coaches, Lin is the 3rd or 4th scoring options to the team, so if he got too many sores, they tend to think he is not playing with in the system.
DeleteBut, in my opinion, Lin is already a great player with some flaws. I wouldn't care if he did not get his praises from coaches. In this forum, I believe everyone is Lin's fan and we all want him to succeed ultimately. However, I believe he haven't brings his A-game yet.
I think Lin improves a lot under McHale as a player and the improvement is the only thing Lin needed at this stage of his career. Once, Lin is well developed, I believe he will be a superstar.
Minor correction, he is already doing super star stuff right now (Maybe not down to every possesion). He helps ROX winning the game.
DeleteI understand you guys POV. However, my problem with McHale and this organization to an extent is not necessarily how they are using him right now, but how they view his potential and how the envision him as a player. Is McHale really protecting Lin from the Linsanity expectations or does he simply believe Lin will never reach that level of play again, that he doesnt have that potential. There is absolutely nothing McHale has done this year to make me believe that he views Lin to be more than a role player. Zero. Don't score. Don't u dare take the last shot if the game. Just don't make mistakes.
DeleteDo u guys really believe McHale would play kyrie Irving or John wall this way? While we as fans believe that Lin is just as talented as those two, this organization doesn't believe that Lin is that good.
U guys can try to skew it all u want, but u r just avoiding the elephant in the room.
I believe that Lin has the potential to become a great player. However not if he listens to his coach or becomes the player he is molding Lin to be.
@Solidz75, well I am not saying you are wrong. I am just saying as long as it is good to Lin, I don care the rest. I do not think McHale can mold Lin to a role player. Eventually Lin will become a better player, Neither racism or coaches can stop that. Stat line might said otherwise, but as a player, he is getting better and better.
DeleteThat been said, I think you are right about Rox's attitude on Lin. They are disappointed for sure and they can not talk about it public to often. I mean if you trust Lin is a great player, why would you need to protect him from linsanity level expectations? He is more or less already met the expectations.
Solidz. The article is not about Lin. And, the part about Lin leaving his man open for backdoor passes doesn't even put the situation in its proper perspective.
DeleteThat being said, I am not sure why people are disagreeing with you that Lin is a star that is being held back by McHell's bad coaching. And, that it's becoming clear as day that McHell is intentionally holding Lin's game back.
And let me clarify that while I understand how McHale thinks, I think McHale's wrong about Jeremy being a safe playmaker. Morey is also wrong thinking Jeremy can't be the 2nd star.
DeleteBoth McHale and Morey basically try to mold Jeremy into the current HOU system and at this point, he's just an average PG to be consistent 3PT shooter threat.
But as KHuang raised several times and the Wizard game showed, Jeremy is "breaking" the system in a good way in order to win.
The system is flawed with multiple TOs with Harden/Delfino/Parsons as the ball-handlers and only works when 3PT shooting is falling. There was no offensive rhythm when Jeremy was out and it was ugly to watch.
IMO McHale and Morey need to acknowledge publicly that Jeremy is an important part of the offense and defense although he still has a lot of growing. And he can be the 2nd star. Without this public admission in 2-3 years, Lin should consider other teams where he can fully utilize his strength.
In the meantime, Lin can work hard to excel in his consistent shooting and off-the-ball movement. He can learn a lot from Harden in the next 2 years.
And McHale did praise Lin recently after the OKC game, perhaps in the same BKN pre-game interview with controversial comment. So he's coming around on Lin.
Deletevia posted this tweet from Feigen
@Jonathan_Feigen Feb 23
McHale on Lin: "Jeremy's becoming a better pt gd all the time. I couldn't be happier with him." Past 10 gms Lin shooting 50.4 %; 50 % on 3s.
psalm, McHell knows very well that Jeremy is the reason why Houston is doing so well. He's gone to using Harden as the man and suffered an 8 game losing streak as restul. That's why he's afraid to sit Lin even when he was suffering from a cold.
DeleteMcHell is a chicken. He's afraid to go to the bench and he's afraid to take his stars out in close games. He knows he's highly dependent on Lin.
McHell is not that dumb to not realize that his team starts to perform like a sub .500 team whenever he benches Lin. He IS enough of an ass to do it enough to contain Lin's game but he's not dumb enough to not use him just enough to keep the team from going completely into disarray.
Psalm that quote was given at the same time when McHale turned around and brought up 29 PTA and 9 TO's. that's called a backhanded compliment. I wouldn't read into anything those guys are saying because they work for the rockets.
DeleteEthane, my point about the article is not that it wasn't about Lin, but really it doesn't give Lin enough credit for the contributions he has made to the team so far. The frustrating thing is the media just doesn't see Lin as a big piece of the puzzle. We know because we watch him closely every game. This other guys just look at the stat sheet and believe that Lin really has no part in this team. When one talks about the success if rockets this season, it is hard not to include Lin.
And I disagree that McHale knows Lin's worth. If he did, that would indicate that he is purposefully sitting Lin out to sabotage his career. I don't think McHale is that malicious. I just think he has the typical blinders on and like other media members out there, just fails to see Lin's contribution - all the great things he does for the team. He always has some thing to bone pick no matter how great Lin is doing. This explains all those inexplicable benching he does to Lin, no matter how great he is doing ( the winnable Denver game being one if many examples). When u wanna see the glass as half full, that is all what u will see. That is what McHale is when it comes to Lin. The iopposite whe it comes to harden or other players.
I am relly not worried about Lin. I think once lin gets a full season under his belt, some of the criticism will stop. Also I am not worried about McHale or his comments. I think Mchale is coming around with Lin. McHale seems to be just a negative person in real life. Also we all know his kisses Harden's but for obvious reasons. The funny thing is that it will probably be Harden who gets McHale canned.Lin/Harden wants to be a champion and he and Lin are very competitive. Also, I see that McHale is treating Lin like a rookie, and also much like Popivich did with Tony Parker when he came into the league. So that is why I am not worried about Lin. The more McHale tries to push Lin's buttons, the better player he will become. Also trying to pair Harden with another superstar...hmm.. I think Morey needs to rethink that... It has to be the right superstar with no prima doona attitude. Because if the Rockets get someone like that, then it will seriously harm the chemistry of this team. I think the Rockets should just grow their own championship team. They have all the players, they just need the right coaching staff...just sayin...
Deleteawarde, I have the same perspective that Lin will only improve when McHale pushes his buttons (improved ball-handling, decision-making, 3PT shooting). We're already seeing it with 50% FG 3PT results. And some of us thought Lin needs to fix his shooting in the offseason.
DeleteThe truth is McHale is a mixed bag. He didn't try to sabotage Lin but he also hasn't realized how good Lin can be if he is let loose.
Lin is already slowly taking control of the offense because HOU wants to win.
Lin will make McHale and Morey to be LOFs in the playoff! Les will twiddle his thumbs and say, "I told you so"!
Other people reading this thread might think we're just overcrazed Lin fans.
DeleteBut anyone who watched the Wizard game can see how ugly the offense looked like when Lin was on the bench. It just stopped working the second 3PT shooting got cold.
Plus the 8 game losing streak that Etane mentioned because they featured Harden as the main playmaker.
Lin always had his shot. Lin only got exposed when he had to take spot up jumpers as a shooting guard. Lin's weakness is he can't shoot without being the ball handler. So, what we see now with Lin's improved FG% is a natural effect of Lin going back to playing his natural position.
DeleteAnd, Lin is getting improved playing time despite McHell. Lin helped Rox win 5 games straight and he's rewarded with more freeze out plays which resulted in the 8 game losing streak that finally gave Lin back his playing time.
Plus, how dumb of a coach do you have to be to coach a player that played in so many star quality games who helped all those around him play better and not realize Lin's worth and intangibles?
He has to be a deeply engrained LOH to think Lin's not a star caliber player.
Etane.. Yup McHale is the biggest LOH there is.
DeleteHmm actually I don't know whether he is one but he certainly behaves like one. Why else would he take every opportunity to down play Lin's ability and his outlook as a maturing player?
DeleteAs a professional, he's damaging Lin's marketability.
As a player developer, he's the first to put a cap on Lin's growth as a player.
As a human being, he's the bully with sociopath tendancy to blame everything that goes wrong with the team on LIn.
I've been saying that this league only respects you if you put up the numbers, Lin needs to just shoot and the hell with trying to set up others. He isn't even the PG anymore. He is a delivery boy to bring the ball up to the half court, then give it to Harden and run to his corner. If Lin was to stay a player past this current contract, he'd better get his points up by his 3rd year. We and Lin must accept the reality of his status in Houston as a stepping stone only. At present, he must learn to shoot like harden or be traded into obscurity.
DeleteThe system Houston has at present is built for regular season and not playoffs. Shooting 3s like the Rox can't ever get them too far. In the playoffs, it gets physical and if you don't run the ball at least some of the times, your going to be shooting 3s only. Just like in football, if you don't run the ball, the passing game is not going to be as effective, especially in the playoffs. The pick and roll is essential attack, just like having a pulled guard making a block. In Lin they have someone who can wreak defenses for the expressed purpose of engaging the whole team. Harden's drives are linear to the hoop so in that sense it's much easier to defend. How many times have we seen Lin dribble around the back of the court and eventually find an easy shot? Lin needs to accept that his current job discription is not for him to dribble, but to post up and shoot.
Agree with Bob. We can say all we want about how much Lin contributes beyond the stat line, but lets not be naive here - this is a bottom line league. If Lin doesn't put up some numbers, he will forever be treated as a mere role player. Certainly, Lin is capable of doing this while making the team better. If he wants longevity, he needs to go beyond what McHale is forcing him to do and do much more than what he is doing now.
DeleteI was just watching the Roxs vs GS highlights and wanted to point out a perfect read & react play during a possession at the 2:08 mark of this vid.
ReplyDeleteIn this possession, GS is playing a 3-2 zone and the Roxs is in a 3-out/2-in formation: JLIn/Harden/Parsons on the perimeter and Asik/Patterson in the post.
1) JLin passed to Harden and then makes a basket cut and filled in on the left corner spot.
2) Parsons moved from the corner spot to the wing spot
3) Patterson moved from the short corner to the low post spot
4) Harden is in triple threat and has to make a decision to drive, shoot, or pass
5) Asik saw Harden in somewhat of a reverse dribble position which triggered an immediate pick and roll.
6) Harden did not run the pick and roll and instead made a decision to pass to a wide open JLin.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kosGp79smGo
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DeleteVery good decision making, positioning, cutting, and spacing in this possession.
DeleteI didn't mention Asik in this possession because he's already in his right spot.
DeleteI surmise that might be a triangle?
DeleteCheck @15 seconds of this vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ7QMNUFqMw&noredirect=1
credit isabeli for the link.
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DeleteThat wasn't a triangle my dude. Another thing I would like to add though is that the proper spacing and movement of the players created a passing window in case JLin didn't shoot the 3. He could have made an entry pass to Patterson, skip pass it to Parson on the wing, or kick it back to Harden.
DeleteBeing that I didn't know diddly about read and react until your post in the previous thread, I think you're probably right. = D
DeleteThat's cool man. One thing I want to say about the triangle is that it's an intricate offense and does take some time to master. With a bunch of young guys, it's not an easy thing to teach. And we know McHale is not the greatest X and O coach and that's probably why he has the read/react because he doesn't have to call plays--the only play he shouts out is "move the ball." However, I believe he has a structure as who is the scoring and shooting options during certain situations.
DeleteRacha, whatever other plays the Rox are running recently, they are definitely more intricate than before. I see the progression from simple spacing to more dynamic off ball movements and weaving passes.
DeleteI think a lot of this progression is out of the coaches' hands. I've seen at least a couple of times where Harden, Lin and Parsons form their own huddle during time outs where they get busy gesturing to each other.
It seems plays are made up and run on the fly by our floor generals.
Rockets have signed a new big man: Tim Olbrecht. Anyone know much about him? Hopefully he can finish around the rim to give Jeremy more assists.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/2/26/4031336/tim-ohlbrecht-houston-rockets-dleague
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DeleteSaw some of his vid online. He seems to be a solid player. He can catch balls, unlike Asik, and finish strong around the basket. He can seal off his defender under the basket for easy plays. He can play the pick and roll. Very quick on his feet. I didn't see much of his defensive skills in the vid, but he can leap and looks like a good shot blocker. Not bad at all. He looks better than Greg Smith at the 5 spot, but we'll have to see when he actually plays though.
DeleteBased on CF feedback from some German fans, he seems able to be a backup big body to Asik but he will probably spend time in RGV D-League team.
DeleteAlso, Rockets want to prevent Boston's future offer to sign him after he rejected a 10-day contract from Boston.
Also has a good 3PT%, I think so Rockets might hope for a combo of Asik/DMo player.
The funny thing, Rockets already becomes the "whitest/lightest" team in the NBA in the past 3 games with only Harden as the chocolate flavor in the starting team next to Asik/DMo/Parsons/Delfino team. :D
Tim O can shoot the 3s too? Nice.
Delete40% 3PT in 09-10 but not so well this season for RGV.
Deletehttp://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tim-Ohlbrecht-536/
Strengths: Versatile bigman. Seldom seen combination of size, scoring ability and athleticism ... Excellent and strong 6’11 frame with solidly muscular 240 lb body ... Very good shot blocker ... Explosive qathlete for a European player ... Runs the floor like a deer ... Deep range on his jumper ... Owns a quick first step ... Good pick and roll defender due to his good footwork and long arms ... Cerebral player. Rarely gets out of control. Solid decision maker ... Outstanding court vision for a bigman, excellent passer ... Emotional leader of his club team ... Is shooting 40% on threes so far in 09-10 and 60+% from the field ... Very good free throw-shooter (80%) ... Is leading the league in blocked shots ... Shows the ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting accuracy ...
Strengths: The next big prospect out of Germany after Dirk Nowitzki Excellent fundamentals Very good shooting mechanics Has a nice frame, with big, strong shoulders Can put on a lot of weight Very versatile Can play any of the 2-5 positions Exceptional at running the floor An explosive leaper with quickness and athleticism Hits the three consistently when left open An athletic shot blocker with good timing Finishes well around the basket Has a nice repertoire of moves in the paint. Possesses good vision and passing skills.
No Psalm, the Minnesota Timberwolves are whiter and more Euro than the Rockets, who are more of a paper bag than a white envelope.
DeletePretty good scouting report. He looks to be even better than what I thought.
DeleteI don't think this Tim Olbrecht is going to be anything more than a practice player for the Rockets.
DeleteThe scouting report has overrated his athleticism, plus he's not yet been turned back by NBA caliber shotblockers. He'll also have to gain strength.
The benefit of having a guy like Tim Olbrecht is that he'll solidly anchor the D League affiliate while also providing health insurance in case a big man goes down. It's not that Olbrecht would play much, it's that he's provide an extra practice body so that the team could run sets 5-on-5. That Olbrecht has a clearly defined fundamental skill set makes him even more appealing as a practice player.
true, Blackie :)
Delete10 white players for the white Minnesota!
"Are Minnesota Timberwolves Too White?"
This translated interview at the ASG is a nice window into TimO's heart:
Deletehttp://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=7679515&postcount=126
You can read the whole thread if you like with some youtubes.
I find your generalization of a white euro player ignorant. You do realize that belittling someone because he is white is the same reason Lin is being belittled as an Asian. Nowitzki won a nba tittle as a white euro player!
DeleteFor tonight's games, IND win over GSW and MIL over DAL hopefully.
ReplyDeleteI am confused why players like Raymond Felton (stats basically 14pts., less rebounds, less assists and far less steals than Lin) are rated higher than Lin just because Lin averages 2 less points than Felton? Also, Rubio stats are similiar to Lin, but Rubio considered a star and Lin is not? Lin takes so much more scrutiny and critcism than other players. Parsons only averages 2 more points than Lin. Does that make him SO much more valuable? Maybe if Lin played the same minutes as the others, his point average would go up!
ReplyDeleteSkin color.
DeleteThat's the reason why Felton is rated higher than Lin.
It's not a black and white issue.
Well, Rubio is definitely a home run hitter LOL. I think Felton is more experienced. I would say Lin is overall a much better player than Felton. Rubio is actually very good.
Deletealso people don't like to be wrong not to draft him in the first place. So they expect Lin to come down to earth sometime and find reasons to do so.
DeleteOtherwise, the racism involved not in drafting him in the NBA and not offering scholarship in the college level would have to be true.
Others envy his meteoric rise in fame so they find reasons to bring him down. Even players want to show him up in every game.
On the other side of the coin, GMs hope they're right to pick the 2009 5th draft pick Rubio and the 2005 5th draft pick Felton so they keep hyping up the good things about them, not talk so much about the bad parts.
People don't like to be wrong and they hate to be called racists. KHuang is on the money here.
Lin is a way better athlete than Ricky Rubio, plus Lin has better court sense than Ricky Rubio does.
DeleteThe way people talk junk about Lin and admire Rubio, you'd think Lin had Rubio's game and Rubio had Lin's game.
There is no young point guard better than Lin, not even John Wall.
Right on. I just hope Lin can keep improving and get his credit at the end.
DeleteI remember last year when the Knicks beat twolves, Rubio was like "this kid is pretty good". I was like who da eff are u to call him a kid? Rubio is all flash - definitely overrated in my book.
DeleteActually Rubio averages 8.4 ptsa game and yet he issuch asset. Lin has 12.7. Where is the logic?
ReplyDeleteSkin color, Rose.
DeleteThat's the reason Rubio is rated higher than Lin.
It's not a black and white issue.
Rubio gets more assists per game than Lin, but is also averaging more turnovers as a result of handling the ball more as a point guard. And yet Lin is the one called a turnover machine.
DeleteThanks,Khuang. It is so frustrating that racism still exists in this day and age!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Rose Edward.
DeleteRacism will never go away. It just pops up in different forms.
Were Jeremy Lin any color other than Asian, everybody would be celebrating him as the nect great guard due to his overwhelming basketball skills and fan friendly personality.
Technically this is bigotry. Racism is more of a macro level injustice. Think of words like hegemony and colonial mentality. Bigotry is more of a micro level injustice. Think of words like stereotyping and type casting.
DeleteIf we want to define it like that, Jonathan, than "racism" is the better word.
DeleteThere's nothing "micro level" about a future Hall of Famer receiving zero Division 1 scholarships and not getting drafted in what has turned out to be a weak draft year.
EVERYBODY though Lin could not play because of his race. It wasn't his lack of on court production that held him back. RACISM.
@KHuang what do you think of Yao. Was racism an issue for him in the NBA?
DeleteKHuang I guess everyone's a little bit racist
Deletegeronimo, racism was never truly a problem for Yao Ming in the NBA.
DeleteHe was a deserving #1 overall pick who never got limited on the court because of being Asian. Also, the Chinese government stood behind Yao and the NBA had to contend with that too.
The only racist things I ever publicly heard fired against Yao was Shaq's quotes, and even Shaq eventually apologized to Yao in Mandarin.
Jeremy Lin, however, is a totally different story. Unlike Yao, Lin came up in the American basketball system and defied odds every step of the way. Lin has made A LOT of people look stupid, and those people are trying to knock Lin out.
Geronimo, Jeremy Lin is a walking Asian American CURSE FINGER that points at everything that's wrong with America's treatment of its Asian population.
Shaq: Tell Yao Ming, "Ching chong-yang-wah-ah-soh"
DeleteMy reaction to McHale's slip of tongue labeling Lin as a selfish player:
ReplyDelete----------
After Lin's first 4 starts, a NBA coach of a higher status than that of McHale, said many positive things with sincerity and frankness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=RwLSe_6TrFQ&feature=endscreen
(Thank LinFanOnly for the link)
Lin was the only PG, after D'antoni already tried several, young old black and white nonetheless, that could run the Knicks team effectively on court. D'antoni left Knicks without regret, as he finally proved that his system still works, given a competent PG such as Nash or Lin, even without a so-called offensive superstar.
McHale should humble himself and hear D'antoni's remarks about Lin with an open mind. McHale is a legend as a mere basketball player, but he still has much to learn as a coach and as a proper human being.
You are welcome:)
DeleteD'antoni did say JLin brought back his confidence as well. Indeed, one would doubt oneself if being criticized over and over, I hope JLin watch those Linsanity videos as well when his coach put dump towel over him.
JLin, we believe in you! You are great!
Mchale's PROBLEM is that he was a quick footed 6'10" big man who was a GREAT defensive talent in his day.
DeleteThis is where being a great player hurts McHale as a coach. He assumes that EVERYONE can defend like a Kevin McHale in his prime could. Nope, only Jeremy Lin is as good a defender today as McHale was back then.
McHale seems to believe that effort and hoop smarts are enough to stop NBA offenses. Well, he's learning the hard way that it takes more than attitude and talent to defend. In the NBA, you need to PLAN.
McHale's problem might be that he's a quick footed pasty white talent. But, the Rocket's problem is McHale is no longer a player but a coach who is coaching a play off contending caliber talent infested team but is barely over .500 and hanging on to the 8th seed.
DeleteUnfortunately i think dantoni'a the only coach in the league who believes in Lin. Just imagine how Lin would be doing if dantoni was the coach of this current houston squad.
ReplyDeleteDantoni allowed Lin to reach his potential because he came to believe in him and give him the trust to lead his offense. He overlooked the bad and the inconsequential and focuses on the good.
McHale doesn't believe linsanity will ever happen again and that Lin has that potential.
Well, D'antoni did not have an option on Feb 4th 2012. But, yes, after that, it was a blast. :)
DeleteGood point, Brent :)
DeleteEven D'Antoni doubted if Lin can bring his strong play during practice into real games. So let's not mistake D'Antoni to 'discover' Lin. He just ran out of players in the 4th game in 5 days.
Then Feb 4th game happened and to his credit afterwards, he is a big believer of Lin to run his system.
If it were Coach "Smart", Lin wouldn't start the next Utah game.
D'Antoni was like all others, didn't discover Lin, because he said, Lin was standing there, nobody would notice him until played him; however, it only took one game for D'Antoni to believe in him and he saw Lin's greatness after few games, yet all others till today still downplay Lin's capability, and don't believe Linsanity, still think Lin just got lucky, because he played in bigger stage. That is the difference.
DeleteI do miss the honeymoon days when the coach, Knicks teammates believed in JLin, supporting him, happy for him, it's so touching, warm feeling. When I watch those videos, Lin was talking to those vetern teammates how to play, we don't see that much now.
No doubt dantoni doubted Lin. But he came to trust him when he saw what he could do. This is on complete contrast to McHale when he continues to ignore Jlin's great games this season, OKC, SA just as aberrations.
DeleteIf you see the potential in those games, a coach needs to nurture it. Not break down like he is trying to do. McHale considers all those games as aberrations or flukes despite then happening over and over again.
Maybe the ego of a man just didn't want to admit he was wrong? It's harder to admit "I was wrong" for many, maybe including myself than to move a mountain. People feel so good if they can say, I told you...
DeleteIf D'Antoni were coaching the Rockets, Lin would be playing a Steve Nash role . . .
Deletestuck in the corner shooting spot up jumpers.
Only one guard gets to handle the ball in D'Antoni's rigid Euro offense. That would be Harden.
@Khuang, funny, I just said exactly the same thing to my friend yesterday lol. In D'Antoni's system, Harden will most likely to initiate the offense.
DeleteAt least in Houston, McHale's motion offense does put the ball in Lin's hands SOME of the time.
DeleteWith another coach, their more structured offenses would put the ball in Lin's hands NONE of the time.
You mean if D'antoni were coaching the rockets, he would do exactly what McHell is doing? Highly doubtful. I think you guys are attacking D'antoni's abilities and integrety by comparing him to McHell. That's like the ultimate insult to any coach.
DeleteSeriously, are u guys joking? No way dantoni would marginalize Lin's role when he played it to perfection. Dantoni is a stubborn dude. ..harden would have to find a way to coexist with Lin.
DeleteIf it indeed is the "ultimate insult" for me to be speculating that D'Antoni would have Lin in a lesser offensive role than McHale currently has Lin, then so be it.
DeleteJust look at the Lakers. D'Antoni has elevated lobe to be an even more selfish player than Kobe's ever been, plus Steve Nash is withering away as an undersized off guard.
I make my claim based on how D'Antoni uses Steve Nash in a far more limited role than McHale has Lin doing.
D'antoni was backing Lin even when Carmelo was complaining about Lin. I think we're again entering reality distortion zone.
Deleteand the delusional fight again?
DeleteHere Etane goes again being flameboy troll who hates people here again.
DeleteActually, HE'S the one acting reality distorted because Nash is limited even more under D'Antoni right now than Lin is is under McHale. Besides, D'Antoni tried Carmelo Anthony as his ballhandling guard and found out that Anthony couldn't handle the ball the way Kobe Bryant can.
Etane, you CANNOT STOP FLAMING PEOPLE. You're nothing but a hater troll covering up your own ignorance with personal attacks and insults.
You have never refrained from attacking people here. I have written all along that you post here only to antagonize others, and you have indeed lived up to that because you're a HATER TROLL.
That's RIGHT, Lydia Lien.
DeleteIt's Etane's delusional fight again.
He has repeatedlt called this entire board delusional because he hates everyone here. He insists that we are all just a bunch of idiots.
This racist jerk who writes evil racist slurs about Asians doing drugs is nothing but a dirty troll who's trying to destroy this forum.
C'MON ETANE. Let's fight A LOT MORE.
I think Khuang just got his hand caught in the reality distortion cookie jar so he's on the personal attack name calling offensive to redeem himself.
DeleteI hope you don't hate me or flame me(as being one of the most respect posters here to me) for disagree with you saying this:
Delete"He has repeatedlt called this entire board delusional because he hates everyone here. He insists that we are all just a bunch of idiots.
This racist jerk who writes evil racist slurs about Asians doing drugs is nothing but a dirty troll who's trying to destroy this forum."
I don't recall any of those in any threads though...
L.O.L. You two have fun! You guys are indeed bromance lovers! :)
DeleteAnd, since Kobe has become the focal point of the offense, the Lakers started winning again.
DeleteD'antoni recognized this and adjusted accordingly. He's not stubbornly forcing the ball in Nash's hand and hope magic happens like it did during the PHX Suns days.
D'antoni changes according to the game situation and players' ability. He doesn't make his players to bend to blend into his playing style like McHell does.
d
DeleteKhuang, do u really think etane is a troll or is this an inside joke between u too. I don't agree with your take at all on dantoni but I don't think you are a troll.
DeleteLydz, you didn't catch me typing that cuz you're enamored by my charm. = D
Delete@KHuang made a real good point!!! Even if Dantoni was the coach and not McHale, Harden would probably be the point man out there more than Lin.
DeleteAh, I see that you can't explain away Nash being turned into a corner shooter, Etane.
DeleteYou are being just as idiotic as when you flamed me repeatedly for saying that McHale ran a motion ststem when you yourself had no friggin clue what a motion offense is.
Your problem, Etane, is that you are so wrapped up in your hatred of his forum that it's creating incorrect fantasies in your hateful little brain about what's happening on the NBA court. The problem is that so many articles, particularly on Truehoop, have been writing about D'Antoni screwing up Steve Nash. So it isn't just me that sees Nash being marginalized by D'Antoni, contrary to your fatally flawed fantasy flaming.
Your problem is that your hateful imagination cannot keep up with REALITY. So what you need to do is find some other angle than hoops to flame people here. When you flamed everybody in this forum for being stupid, you EXPOSED YOURSELF as a "Lin fan only hater"!
lydia and solidz, I can go back and pull up the anti Asian racial slurs Etane first fired at this forum when he got here.
DeleteHe talks about Asians doing drugs, gambling away their money, being evil, and doing other things. Ask Etane to repost them, as I refuse to sully this forum by cutting and pasting his comments.
This guy is a PSYCHOPATH RACIST TROLL who you guys treat with kid gloves. All he's done is taunt you and laugh at you in your faces.
My goal is to burn this troll every time he tries to flame people here.
Who knows what D'Antoni will choose to be a PG if he were to coach Houston? Possibly Lin since he's more familiar with D'Antoni offense.
DeleteBut it's possible that D'Antoni chose Kobe, not Nash, to be the PG because he learned from his NY experience not to get into fight with the superstar (Melo).
I can see your point, KHuang but the LA scenario is different than HOU. Kobe is already an established star there so D'Antoni wouldn't want to get fired so soon.
Again, this is just hypothetical so not worth fighting for :D
I only catched one LA game this last week, and I didn't exactly see Nash sit in the corner while being iced out by the rest of the team like Lin was during the first half of the season. In fact, I saw Nash shoot some clutch Q4 3pters.
DeleteSecond, the Rockets is not a motion system team. It is a read and react team. Every team including the Rockets use motion offense in one variation or another. It's not Bobby Knights patented system and it's not Kevin McHell's repertoire.
For you to say motion offense is a point guard-less sytem that takes the ball away from Lin is utterly ridiculous which is furthest from the truth and is proof of your continued intention to distort reality.
Face it, you'd do anything to protect your Church of McHell and your shrine to pasty white post players. You agree with every backhanded comment made about Lin and demean him by claiming Lin is actually improving under McHell.
You're the thread troll Lin hater in a Lin fan site.
Etane: L.O.L!
DeleteAgree with Psalm :)!
STILL you have no friggin idea what McHale's motion system is, racist troll.
DeleteFirst you were flaming me because you erroneously thought it was a speedball system. Now you're erroneously flaming me because you don't understand that motion systems can have preferences. You don't care one iota about basketball and are strictly here to flame others.
That you racially taunt McHale as a "pasty" person is just like when you accused us Asians of using drugs, Etane. No matter what ethnicity you lie about being, you're a RACIST TROLL who apparently hates more than just Asians.
C'mon, troll. I'm not even going to waste my time fighting you on basketball because basketball is just the means by which you flame others. Let's personally fight, since that's what you're really after.
I'm gonna burn your racist psychopathic troll butt alive, Etane. You have been a wonderful punching bag for this forum.
Hey thanks for replying so quickly so I can squeeze in one extra comment before I leave the office!
DeleteYup I have no idea how a motion offense that predicates it's play making on the guards as a system that takes the ball away from ... the guard! That's just too funny!
And, you said that McHell asked Lin to "MOVE THE BALL" because Lin is too slow to pass. You're the one that used "motion offense" as an excuse for McHell's endless mind fuck against Lin's game and why McHell keeps trying to take the ball away from Lin.
Hey, McHell was trying to destroy Lin's game and each time you had the perfect excuse to cover for McHell!
Guess what? You're a loser hater who can't stand another asian succeeding in the world. You're one of those minorities that like to keep other minorities down so to make yourself feel good!
Of course, you want me to be your punching bad. Cuz you're a frustrated yellow boy who can't make it in a white world! Don't blame me for your loser ways. Blame yourself for hating your own skin color!
= D
You laughing at me, Lydia?
DeleteWhy do you defend the racist troll Etane who openly insulted your Asian heritage with hateful racial slurs, particularly against Asian parents?
Can we change the subject and talk about tomorrow's game. What do you guys think Reddick's impact will be? He got traded to the Bucks.
DeleteYou guys are all cool people. Lets not fight please :)
Deletei absolutely agree with you, khuang.
Deleteyou guys really think if dantoni were coaching the rockets he would let lin play the same linsanity role and harden play the shump role? you crazy.
seriously, i'm a huge lin fan and even i would play harden in that role.
No. Khuang, not at all! why would I? I do not defend, I just say as what I see and recall.
Deletewhat I agree with Psalm is this "Who knows what D'Antoni will choose to be a PG if he were to coach Houston? Possibly Lin since he's more familiar with D'Antoni offense.
But it's possible that D'Antoni chose Kobe, not Nash, to be the PG because he learned from his NY experience not to get into fight with the superstar (Melo)."
Since the beginning, Etane, you have come on this board to HATE ASIANS.
DeleteEver since you posted that vile hater garbage about Asians doing drugs in maajohng parlors, you have never quit flaming Asians. You even LIE about being Asian yourself.
Etane, you serve a valuable purpose here. You are the ARCHETYPAL RACIST PSYCHOPATH TROLL that is the cause of Asian people being marginalized in America. It is because of hateful jerks like you that Asians are treated poorly in this country.
You are THE ENEMY of this forum.
Should the Bucks change their ugly deer jersey? I don't how the players feel with a green deer on the front their jersey. Looks like they're going hunting or something.
DeleteNo, Etane and I want to keep fighting.
DeleteWe have been cursing each other for almost a year now.
Etane hates Asians, and I hate him because he hates Asians.
Anti Asian racism is a recurring theme on this board. Etane is trying to destroy the reputation of Asians. Why should I as an Asian cower in his racism?
Funny how people disagree, and we wonder why so many people think Lin is a scrub and get upset. Even on this site, we can't agree even though we generally agree Lin is the real deal....
DeleteMy take on D'Antoni and Lin - MD used Lin as a chess piece althought it didn't work in the end. MD tried to trade Melo during Linsanity.So I don't agree MD thought Lin was his guy. He wanted Dwill to replace the Linsanity and get Melo out of there. Maybe at best MD would have let Lin shine next to Dwill but there can only be one lead guard of a team.
MD would use Harden as the main guard in Houston. Lin would either become Raja Bell or Lin would be the 6th man backup PG to lead the 2nd unit and maybe if lucky finish out games in the 4th Q as the Raja Bell along side Harden in a semi-dual prong attack where Harden gets the ball as first option. The 80 million dollar max guard on the team gets the ball in his hands REGARDLESS of who is coaching.
My take on MD in Laketown is this - Kobe is too egotisical and that is why the Lakers stink. Put Lin in Kobe's role, and that is a .600-.700 playoff team at worst. They probably flame out in round 1 or 2 of the playoffs but still, better than with Kobe right now.
I don't put it on MD like Khuang for the Laker disaster, well I do, but not for the same reasons as Khuang.
Kobe is the PG SG and team do-it-all because that is how Kobe wants it. I believe MD actually wants Nash to handle the ball and do a Suns 2.0 but Kobe won't have it. Nash and MD know it but can't do squat about it. It's Kobe town in LA for better or worse. MD would get fired calling out Kobe or doing anything to Kobe, even a 34 yr old Kobe with 1 season left on contract.
Kobe just dominates the ball in games because he is the better player. Doesn't mean Nash can't lead the team better and set people up better but Kobe will NOT have it. That is basically what is going on in Lakertown.
Kobe feels physically great this year in comparison to years' past. He feels invincible. He wants the limelight and to still sell shoes, be top 5 in scoring, and be the star till he is 45. That's who he is and that's why his team is losing. He's selfish enough to think he can have his cake and eat it too.
I'm sure many of you here will disagree with me about Kobe and MD and the Lakers. Kobe wants to win no doubt, but not by being the Raja Bell of the team. When Nash had the ball in his hands and passed to Kobe early in the season, Kobe just jacked shot after shot and passed to nobody. In Phoenix, if Bell didn't have an open shot or drive, the ball went back to Nash. Good luck with that in LA Nash....
So MD took the passive agressive approach and put Kobe on ball as PG so Kobe can't black hole the team to death and take every shot. In essense, MD FORCED Kobe to pass without calling him out as a ballhog by putting him at PG.
In Houston, the problem is not Harden. It's the coaches and maybe the Front Office. Harden actually passes to Lin! Maybe not as much as we'd like but short of deferring, Harden tries.
In Laketown, if Lin were Nash, I believe Lin would be doing much better than Nash statisically but the team would probably still be losing. Lin is a much more athletic and bigger and stronger and faster player and more dynamic than Nash. He would wreak havoc next to Kobe. And MD doesn't mind Lin doing TO's and all that crap making HR plays.
In fact, Lin would try to dominate the ball too at times and Kobe would learn Lin can do it. Problem is when Kobe goes into blackhole mode, Lin can get cold and passive as we see in Houston at times, and Lin is still way less seasoned than Nash who has weathered the storm decently well in Laketown.
Both Etane and KHuang are some of the reasons I read this form. Can we just stop it please :) :) :)
Deleteand you all seemed to forget that d'antoni wanted to trade melo for deron williams, and this is while Linsanity was going on.
DeleteI won't give up.
DeleteContrary to Etane's RACIAL SLUR that I supposedly can't make it in a white world, I'm doing not just fine but great.
This troll indeed is filled with anti Asian hate. He doesn't know me, and he's trying to label me as a failure.
We need to keep fighting this race war, Etane.
Sorry jlinfan4ever.
DeleteThis RACE WAR between Etane and I MUST CONTINUE.
As distasteful as I find Etane's racial slurs, I cannot let them go unchallenged. I told him that when he first came here to flame Asians as druggies.
Our fight will go on and on. Race wars don't end.
Ok, I guess :(
DeleteI'm sorry it has to be this way, jlinfan4ever.
DeleteI just can't back down from Etane's racial slurs, particularly when he publicly accuses me of being unable to fit into a white world and being an alleged self hater of Asians.
So please understand that when I retaliate against his racism, it is something that I as an Asian American man MUST do.
Haha Khuang is distorting our forum disagreement as a race war because 1) he hate his own race 2) he is exposed as a liar.
DeleteHe would do and say anything to defend anyone that tries to claim Lin is not a super talent.
He goes on to claim D'antoni would ice Lin out even more so than McHell. What a joke! What kind of reality distortion is using the fact that Nash doesn't handle the ball as much as he used to as excuse to say Lin would be iced out even more by D'antoni than McHell? Where is the connection? What is the relevance?
For whatever reasons, D'antoni is the best coach Lin ever had in the NBA and they also have the best relationship between player and coach. But, Khuang, for his own evil purposes, like to distort McHell who's done nothing but put Lin's career on freeze is actually a better coach than D'antoni to Lin.
Khuang would take every little fact and spin it in a way that makes his distorted world view be accepted as reality! He is a living walking paradox!
I see this whole thing started again when Etane said "I think we're again entering reality distortion zone"
DeletePerhaps we can disagree on the issues without getting personal?
Or if it's unavoidable, at least limit the war to 100 words or less so the rest of us can somewhat read the war as a letter, not a novel? :)
There you go again, racist Etane.
DeleteYou don't know me, yet you call me a race self hater? You're more dirty evil than I thought.
I have known from the moment you came here to post racial slurs that your sole goal is to degrade Asians.
Others may not see you taunting and flaming EVERYBODY that has an Asian screenname here, but I do. How DARE YOU taunt Brent Yen as being "delusional" like you did above, you goddamn filthy racist puke?
I've watched you taunt every single Asian on this board, Etane. I've seen you call Asian women "witches" and Asian men "self haters". You are more evil than anybody I have ever encountered on this site, racist.
LOL you say I don't know you. What do you follow up that with? "I have known you from the moment you came here.." are you not a walking paradox or what?
DeleteI thought I was your punching bag but you keep hitting yourself.
Racist Etane, I'm only a paradox to you because you're a lying flaming psychopath who cannot reconcile my strong retaliatory responses with your openly declared racist views that Asian American men are "weak".
DeleteYou are fascinated with me because I'm absolutely unafraid of calling you on your pathetically poorly disguised racist trolling. Since you feed on negativity, particularly the hate that you create, I am ONE of your main targets to hate Asians with. In truth, you have targeted and flamed every Asian here in a systematic and predictable fashion.
I will give you credit, troll. At least you came here looking for a real fight against the Asians you hate. Now the fight has FOUND YOU.
LOL I think you're tired. You are a paradox cuz I am a flamer? I don't think Asian American men are weak. I think Khuang is! You're the one that initiated the attack. At least come up with some coherent ones oh reality distortion zen master!
DeleteAnd, why do you, as the one calling out others as racists, always bring up race as an issue? You obviously have issues you need to see a therapist about. I'd love to hear about what you have to say so as to help you figure out what's been bothering you all your life which is, like everyone here already figured out, yourself.
Etane and KHuang, you both are knowledgable basketball fans. Please stop your bromance fight on this site cuz JLin read the comments every now and then. Just show him love not hate on this site.
DeleteNo L Lim, I won't stop.
DeleteI do not back down from Etane's ongoing racism.
He accused me of being not able to fit into his white world. What Etane doesn't know is the majority of white clients and friends I have would beat the living tar about him if he taunted them as being "pasty white refrigerators" like he did in another thread.
Had Etane kept his evil racist hate filled defaming trap shut, we wouldn't be fighting like this. But he HAD to flame Asians, so here he is firing away against the entire board and the race.
Jeremy Lin? He'd BENEFIT from seeing me punk Etane's racist troll butt.
L KIM, not L Lim.
Deletereapect. aorry about misspelling your name.
Can't we just AGREE to DISAGREE?
DeleteThis world will be a better place to live in. :)
Absolutely we can agree to disagree.
DeleteI'll even stop retaliating if we can keep this free of personal animosity.
What's frustrating is that I want to COMPLIMENT Etane on his basketball knowledge. Even though he has no respect for my basketball knowledge or me as a person. I have total respect for Etane even when he disagrees with me. He doesn't even realize that I agree with him more than he knows.
Actually the term reality distortion was used to describe Steve jobs' persuasion skills. Not necessarily an insult. Just let it go.
Delete
Delete本是同根生，相煎何太急.
you both cool people.
Can't let it go, Solidz75.
DeleteWe've been race fighting for nearly a year now, and it's getting worse and not better.
DO NOT DEFEND THE RACIST, Solidz75.
It looks like DMO will be starting. Gonna be fun to watch tomorrow night. McHale please don't ruin another game for me.
ReplyDelete1. DMO has better chemistry on court with Lin than the guys traded away.
Delete2. DMO plays hard on both ends and rebounds well so far in limited play. DMO isn't American so he isn't afraid to try hard and fail on the court looking awkward or stupid.
3. Against Brooklyn or Wash, Lin threw an up the court pass to DMO and it went out of bounds. Unlike PPAT, you could see DMO really tried to catch it and was pissed he didn't. You could see that DMO wasn't use to how far Lin wanted to lead him, but that DMO put it into his memory bank and almost blamed himself for not catching it whereas PPATT and Morris wouldn't even try to make it look like Lin just threw a crappy pass.
4. I think Dmo is a Sparta Sports Science summer training away from exploding next season...his basic skillset is already there pretty much.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOh Dmo isn't that athletic for NBA standards, but he has great hand eye coordination. He has good reflexes for a big man which makes him so good.
DeleteNow again, if he only did some Sparta with Jlin over the summer. He needs to work on his body and athleticism to take the next step.
I like DMo. hope we could see more Jeremy-to-DMo passes
Deletetime out from bball talk - Jeremy's instagram
ReplyDeleteASIAN SWAG
THROWING HIS NIECE ON THE BED!
CHILLIN'
I thought he will never get an instagram! Just when I stop to play instagram, he got one!
Delete@lydia - I'm not much into Instagram.. but maybe I'll just troll him there haha
DeleteWoa, that niece throw is ... scary.
Delete@JoeTeam - yeah. if I were his cousin I'll probably slice him in half and feed his intestines to sharks!
Delete
DeleteLol. Isabeli! I think he said his niece request him to do that!
@lydia - even if she requested that,I'll ask my girl not to or else mommy will get angry.
Deleteonce again you prove to be a voice of reason good to be next to Jeremy, isabelijane :D (although the Kill Bill intestine comment made me pause haha)
DeleteTime to sign up for instagram.
And yes, that was scary picture. I will only do it if there was a teammate catching on the other side. If the niece bounces out of bound, Jeremy could be ejected from that game. The costliest TOV ever :D
@psalm - hahaha. I won't let him do it to my daughter or son, more so with his own daughter or son. you're kind of lenient though. even with a team mate he wouldn't dare do that to my child. he wouldn't want to see my inner Beatrix Kiddo who comes out when one of my loved ones is getting or might get hurt. that TO would cost not just 2000 McChickens but probably an entire franchise or two of McDonalds, plus rights on In-and-Out :D
DeleteA look back on Linsanity by Japanese TV
ReplyDeleteThe video is in Japanese but the interviews are in English and it has some new footage and interviews from Jeremy's HS coach, teammates and Larry King.
Dont know if this was talked about before but I was watching a special on NBA TV talking about the Lakers and the Celtics. Interestingly there was a part where they talk about Isaiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman calling out Larry Bird, saying that he's only good because he's white. This is the same comparison that Lloyd Mayweather said about Lin... We hear all this talk about Lin's race not being a factor and where you have panels of so call sports experts say that his race actually helped him but no where in that panel is there any asian representative where they can even defend themselves...
ReplyDeleteI remember that incident.
DeleteIsiah Thomas was like "Okaaaayyyy, whatever" to Rodman's comments.
That event was so totally overblown by a racist media looking to elevate Larry Bird at Detroit's expense. Bird even came out and said "Those words came out of Isiah's mouth, not his head"!
Years later as Pacers GM, Larry Bird claimed that the NBA would be more marketable if it had more white players. There was a media furor over that too.
Now Lin being called a "bust" and "overrated" and "undeserving of his contract"? WAY WORSE than what Rodman said.
By the way, I didn't agree with Rodman's statement when he said it back then. Larry Bird is a uniquely great talent who'd be celebrated if he were any skin color ....
well, not if Bird was Asian.
I almost jinxed myself there.
You know what... we only hear the stuff they put on the media, chink in the armor, lucky fortune, two inches of hurt, etc... One can only imagine what he went through during his childhood till now. At this day and age, we are a society that is so PC but seems like everyone is okay when it's at the expense of a minority group that does not historically make little noise. Guess what though, the more media coverage Lin and others after Lin gets, the more noise they make and ultimately they will be heard.
DeleteOhhh, I CAN IMAGINE.
DeleteI've definitely endured more racism than Lin has, as I'm much older than him and much more battlehardened.
By the way, Floyd Mayweather would have a much harder time fighting me physiclally in the street than he would dodging Manny Pacquiao. If Floyd pulled that racism garbage on me, he'd receive a physical challenge from me. I'm MUCH MEANER than Pacquiao, even though Pacquiao is a great sport champion.
Not to that magnitude though, he get's in groups and in the public eye.
Deletewhoever started the "truth" that one sport has and will always be dominated by one skin color or race must be an idiot. racism stems from insecurity. Jeremy looks like a good person both on and off courts, so they exploit what they think is his weakest point - his race.
DeleteSigh.
DeleteWe humans are a highly adaptable species.
Any race can do anything if they are up for the challenge. The social prejudices are pretty lame.
For example, when people talk about Germany nowadays they think of an advanced 1st world country. Ask a Roman back in the days of Caesars and they'll laugh at you and describe Germania as a conquered race of inferior barbarians.
People talk about Chinese nowadays as physically weak, intelligent folks (in America anyway). They don't understand that China in history was rife with warring kingdoms and massive wars fought with million men armies (with deaths that eclipse world war 2), fought and led by men who were elite in close quarter battle that make western legends seem stupid.
Chinese, physically weak? Lol yeah right.
My point? Anyone can become anything if they truly put their mind to it. To say one race is better than another is inherently stupid.
ditto, @Kenoshi...
DeleteRacism is a human condition, we are wired to use generalization to simplify our cognitive functions. Intelligence and diligence is our only tool to fight it. It's all too easy to be excluded and pushed into the fringes. People ask why minorities settle into ghettos. Having been told by 2 clubs that I didn't "fit" into their social network in my small rural town made me realize that exclusion is often done because people are too lazy to take in new experiences. They are comfortable with their own kind. I quit playing basketball as a senior starting PG and took to tennis because I could prove my worth by myself with my own racket. In my 60th year, I've come to understand that we all must be responsible to be alert to generalization and marginalization of different people. We are all equally guilty and all equally victims if we don't stand guard against our own laziness.
DeleteAnyone know if Thomas Robinson will be playing tomorrow? Saw some of is highlights... He might be the guy that will elevate Lin's game but dont know if he can set picks though.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they will get some burn time coming off the bench.
DeleteCSN Houston: Motiejunas to get first start with Rockets
..
And newcomers Thomas Robinson and Francisco Garcia are still learning how the Rockets play after two practices. Even though McHale said both new guys would play.
...
Robinson, who the Rockets acquired in a trade with the Kings last week, will play on Wednesday but McHale said Robinson will play
It should be easy to fit in Cisco and TRob.
DeleteBoth players came from Keith Smart's motion system which is similar to McHale's.
Defensively, there is no adjustment because there's nothing to adjust to!
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ReplyDeleteTIM OHLBRECHT
ReplyDeleteguys, Jeremy just did a Q&A on Facebook. dang! i missed it. did somebody here got to send him questions? anyway here is the TRANSCRIPT from lingifs from Tumblr.
ReplyDeletemissed it ! It's quite fun to see people asking some funny questions and how he answered!
Delete@lydia - yeah. hope he does Q&A with us too..
Delete@Brent thanks for your response on prev. thread. Yes, I do see PPat and JLin shooting very nice touch medium Js, and on that WA game, Lin was just too tired/ill so he wasn't going to take that last one. Instead, he tried to get it to Parsons on the 3, safe to do if those are the rules, and that ended up being an awkward TO that I blame 'rules' creating. He could have easily passed to Asik for a layup too. Thanks for your reply, as often, I think I'm not bbIQ enough to add much when everyone gets technical.
ReplyDelete@KH, same thanks to you. Yes, I read lout and clear you are saying D is the key, and I agree. If you can see that last WA play, out of a time-out, and a Bev assignment where Lin fist bumped him and gave Bev his seat at the planning huddle, Bev gave Wall 10 ft for 10 sec. I imagine you know Lin would have closed the gap to force a play with way more than 5 sec left when the play ended. I would not have gone back to see it had not Bob C Fan mentioned the last 2 mins D.
I'm beginning to see a theory in my mind that the Morey numbers theory of 3s vs 2s set some player rules on the team that can be too rigid during crunch time. As a team, the've developed this system of explosive offense that works in a macro sense around the 3s producing more points than the 2s, over the course of the game. But, I'm thinking if I take the raw stats for 3Q's, and build a simulated game, we'd have a score based on the 3s game for 3 Qs. Then, with the 4th Q, given garbage and crunch, we can take stats on 3s for the close games lost vs close games won, and I bet it comes out not shooting 2s kills the offense and that's why we lost. Morey has paid analysts to do that, but that's my theory from watching the game flow. If I get time, I might do that. If y'all know how we can get that info, maybe it's there already.
I got that confirmed in answering with Bob C on another thread, as he pointed to the last 2 mins of play while I was focused on how we lost the spread. When I looked at the last 2 mins, it was only the 2 that produced, and D lost it for us as KH as noted.
So, even with this great offensive scheme, I'm for more flexibility in crunch time. I mean not being able to win with 19 for 46 3s ... what do we need? 20 3s? Sure on that day. 23 is the record, so any statistics-based team would not go for that.
Just an unsubstantiated guess, and maybe I'll do the spreadsheet work or not, depending on what people think.
@JoeTeam, statistical analysis has its weakness. In the game of basketball, most of the state line are complied as unconditioned statistics, FG% 3P% etc. However, hardly anytime you will find those stat useful, because usually there are conditions on top of any given situations.
DeleteFor example, you came in to a game as a 40% 3Pts shooter, it does not mean that in the crunch time, you will shoot at 40%. That's why there are advanced stat out there. In the end, statistical results are always true, but we just can not fail to read it correctly like a lot of ppl use Lin's box score to evaluate his impact on the game. It is just completely wrong in my opinion.
To me, Rox way of basketball is not for the crunch time and playoff conditions, ISO play brings more value in those conditions. Like the last play by WAS, he ate Delfeno alive basically and that was a play that is hard to miss. So usually if ROX can not have a good lead by the 2min mark of 4th Q, it usually worries me a lot. But to their credit, they are already much better compare to the beginning of the season.
They might just find out those 2 pts Jumpers will give them a new dimension on what they can do in a tight game situation. But again, without stops, it is worthless to discuss a team which is already a very good offensively.
DeleteGiven the time constraint, if you can not get stops, playing horse with team that has better plays for the crunch time is not going to end well.
Joeteam and others, excellent analysis.
DeleteThis Rockets team could use a defensive philosophy.
To me, the Rockets have quick agile athletic perimeter players and plodding battleship inside players. Right now I am not talking about Francisco Garcia and Thomas Robinson.
The Rockets have the speed and athleticism to trap the perimeter from the wings and close out on shooters. Jeremy Lin often covers 2-3 guys all at once because he's got the speed to play the passing lanes and the size to contest jumpshots.
James Harden is a player that could be a very good defensive player with minimal effort. If he simply put his hands up and shuffled a bit, he'd be decent. Now if Harden and Lin ganged up together defensively to cover ground, that would be really great to watch. I even think Harden could do that without sacrificing scoring, albeit it would necessitate more strategy from the other players.
What excites me about Francisco Garcia and Thomas Robinson is their possible effect on defense. Garcia is a solid defender who can be counted on for solid defense every game. Thomas Robinson is the wildcard who eventually could morph into the midrange roaming shotblocker the Rockets desperately need to shut down penetrating guards. I can envision Robinson having a Serge Ibaka type of defensive effect.
With this Rockets team, I'd advocate scrambling the perimeter and keeping the big men firmly rooted down low. Let Lin and Harden roam midrange, though this would require a defensively oriented Harden.
@Brent Yen: Yep, numbers can lie :-) If you think like I do that this fast ball movement to the 3, plus anything goes for Harden, isn't going to get far in crunch time or playoffs, I don't have to do spreadsheets! I feel the stats are there, if you remove the situational stuff and measure what you want to test for. I was just saying I think too much is dependent on the stats to justify the existing system for Q4 coaching mistakes.
DeleteOn stops, you and KH and other D guys, I agree. Good point on their crunch game vs ours! I was ok with Bev in when I first saw him in the WA game-end, but when I looked at how long he allowed Wall to run the clock down, I realized what a dumb D posture either coached or taken. One would always want to put D pressure on the offense, because they have the advantage and you have to narrow the advantage by closing on them. When you close on them, they have to show their intent. And then, you increase your odds.
Thanks again, can't wait for tomorrow's game with all this chatter. Y'all have a good one.
@KHuang ... I like Robinson's 2nd chance attitude. Also he said of Jeremy ... "he runs the team." I hope to see more of your point-outs on the new defense, and maybe Robinson will also allow what people have been asking for too ... the ally-oops. For sure a young guy like him will move vs your Asik plod. I think you're saying that.
DeleteHave a good evening. Tomorrow is a fun game to just see the new chemistry, if the guys get some playing time.
Joeteam, I went to Goodwill last week and bought something of great interest.
DeleteI spent a measly two bucks and got a Magic Johnson skills teaching video!!!
Magic goes through all of his individual drills and workouts. Of course, he makes it look so easy because he's Magic Johnson. I couldn't even begin to do the stuff that Magic does, and I'm actually gifted in hand eye coordination.
Joeteam, what really struck me about Magic was his DEFENSE. When he's teaching defense, Magic is far more excited and animated than he is teaching offense. Magic did an incredible job teaching perimeter defense, and it's quite scary when Magic Johnson plays defense on the camera so that the viewer can feel what it's like to be defended by a quick 6'9" point guard.
As good as Magic Johnson was on defense, I feel that Jeremy Lin is even better. Magic was a good defender, but he could not shut down the perimeter athletes. Jeremy Lin gets actual stops, which is just as unbelievable to me as anything he does on offense.
I always think ROX has the potential to defense like Heats. Multiple traps and always can get back in time. We have the youngest legs, why not?
DeleteWell, the Heat have the one guy that nobody else in the NBA has.
DeleteThat's Lebron James who can defend the quickest point guards and muscle the toughest big men and jump with the springiest players.
Outside Lebron, the Heat is a rather pedestrian defensive team. But Lebron by himself is devastating as a one man defensive trap.
Lebron is scarier to me defensively than offensively.
So, you twos ... man I was going to get off but the convo continues. Why isn't Sampson getting called out for his defensive schemes? Isn't he the defensive coach?
DeleteKHuang, for 2 bucks, you got a treat. You gotta get a kid to convert it to digital and put it on youtube. Anybody around you have an old analog DVR (Panasonic?) Just kidding, prob not worth the work for us here.
Do share a Magic wisdom sometime, when you see someone blow a key play. I like that CF poster who is doing the breakdowns on vid and in photoshop. Those are cool. But he's only doing it for the offense, I think, and he's doing whatever ones he feels like doing while taking requests.
I'm just hoping Coach Nick will do a Rox defensive breakdown soon, because he really got the Melo emo thing absolutely right, well before Melo acted out of bounds in Boston.
Brent, LOL if Lin, Harden, and Parsons can surprise the Heat one day like last year. I call that an ambush! and rightly so given how much $ goes into winning games.
If I need to point out one weakness on Lin's personal defense, I will say he is weaker defending back door cuts. I guess he just focused on the ball too much (plus he is really help D minded). But this is just by my eyeball test, I might be wrong on this.
DeleteI'll look for that. What can you do, listen to footsteps better? I know when you face your opponent, you ignore the head/arms and watch the hips then shoulders, but what do people do to defend the backdoor cuts?
DeleteI really hope that Trob is a chippy defensive rebounder. This team needs some muscle and meanness inside to stop guys like Blake. I'd rather they get a Tyson chandler, than another "star".
DeleteThis team has no toughness to go deep in the post season and the perimeter scoring will dry up under playoff pressure. To me it's like football, sometimes you just have to run right into the meat of the defense, other wise, your passing game is too predictable. Look at what the Ravens did this year. The beauty of Lin is that from the pick and roll he takes the rock into the defense and creates total chaos in the defensive sets. What he does is to contract the defense in order to give an uncontested easier shot for a teammate. The alley oops to Tyson chandler and the kick outs to Novak was a big part of linsanity.
Defending NBA players, particularly backdoor cuts, is not an individual effort.
DeleteIt takes a coordinated TEAM effort to defend in the NBA, even off the seemingly simplest backdoor cuts. Good teams will help their beaten teammates on backdoor cuts.
Kelvin Sampson is the defensive coach, but I don't know what his schemes are or whether McHale even listens to anything Sampson said. I know that Sampson gets heavily criticized here, but I've never been able to do that. I get the feeling that Sampson is more in cahoots with Lin than we know, and he may even have defensive answers already.
Joeteam, that Magic Johnson video was very dense in defensive content. One thing that Magic teaches extremely well is defensive hop stepping footwork. Magic's ability to skip across the court defensivel is something the Rockets other than Lin should work on.
2 Reasons why I like CF:
ReplyDeleteFun:
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=234398
Torocan-Like:
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=232193
But, I'm not a member to honor k.smith :-)
JoeTeam,
DeleteThe 2nd thread (Rockets Playbook Analysis & Discussion) is absolutely a gem!
I know Racha, Etane and others interested in current Rockets playbook will thoroughly enjoy these plays:
...
2.) Half-Court Offense
- Staggered Screen Option (added 01/14)
- Screen-The-Screener Set (added 01/14)
...
- 1-2 (PG-SG) Pick-and-Roll
- Rockets' Baseline out of Bounds
- Elevator Doors
- Pistol
I haven't reviewed all of them but HMMMMM member did a great job creating Youtube videos and charted pictures to explain these plays. I wonder if I can recognize them in the next few games.
Thanks psalm234, now I have to study them too so we can convo. I just scanned them and said to myself ... now that's why I come here!
DeleteI'll look up your noted plays, and we'll see if we can all up our bbIQ and maybe the CF hate will balance a bit. It's for real sometimes a nasty place. It is so here too, sometimes, and you can't escape to another thread to get away.
Speaking of that, I miss via. Maybe she needed a break or is on a business trip :-)
PS, I liked the pictures of their play call on Horns = "Elbow". I'll definitely be looking for that one to see if the guys follow Our Man Flint.
Deleteyeah, I'm also wondering if her work took her away for a while. Hope via is back soon :)
DeleteI started looking up the Elevator variation and it's quite flexible how the ball-handler or screener decides the next option. No wonder Lin, who has the best court vision, can quickly assess which option would be best based on what the defense gives them.
They really empower the ball-handler(s) to choose the many options of 1 play based on the defensive rotation (i.e. if the defensive player overcommits or not).
Yeah, CF does have some knowledgeable members worth learning from. Of course, trolls and haters are abound :D I just ignore them haha
I am a web forum newbie, so I forgot to credit HMMMHMM and I'm glad you did. He/she did a great job.
DeleteI looked at Elevator Doors and it was fun to see what you noted. Heading to bed now, so thanks for your convo.
ROCKETS' NEW OFFENSE PROVES EXHAUSTING FOR PLAYERS
ReplyDeleteI think it eats their D energy too.
DeleteThe Rockets cannot defend because their defense is as freeflow as their offense is!
DeleteThat's the difference between Kevin McHale and Mike Woodson. Even though they are both freeflow motion coaches on offense, Woodson is a famed defensive coach who employs run and jump tactics to create constant double teams.
Right now, Woodson's defense is not working because his aged perimeter players cannot execute his run and jump trapping with the explosiveness that Jeremy Lin would've brought. Lin's loss in NY is felt defensively, not offensively.
isn't that supposed to be Shump's task with Woodson now - to be his perimeter defender?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWILL UPCOMING ROCKETS SCHEDULE HELP PLAYOFF PUSH
ReplyDeleteJeremy Lin: Despite Struggles, Lin's Skills May Be What Harden and the Rockets Need to Reach Playoffs
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the discussion above:-
ReplyDeleteThe Rockets Reach for Greatness
Jeremy Lin Isn't A Star, According To Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey