This is a big game. Let's see how they respond. I don't think a team this young has ever made the playoffs so I believe it will be a tough final stretch.
"Collision Course" Rockets take long, hard look in the mirror as massive matchup with Utah awaits
"... There was certainly no shortage of lessons to be learned in the wake of Sunday’s defeat. After all, shooting poorly is one thing – nights like that are inevitable over the course of an 82-game season and are outliers that are fundamentally no different than Houston’s record-tying performance against Golden State a month earlier when the Rockets racked up 140 points and knocked down 23 three-pointers. But what really made the team’s collective blood boil was the inattention to the game’s little, oft-overlooked details that so frequently determine the difference between winning and losing this time of year.
“Sometimes we take little shortcuts that lead to big things,” admitted Jeremy Lin when asked what he and his teammates learned during Tuesday’s film session. “(On offense) we’re not running all the way down to the corners – we’re stopping at the bend of the three-point line and those few feet change the spacing; me not pushing the ball as much as I need to or not making the quick, early pass; big men setting solid screens, getting a piece of the guy and then rolling hard – not just rolling and stopping in the little pocket area but getting all the way through allowing movement and rotations to happen.”
Equipped with that knowledge and a more determined mindset, the Rockets now prepare for their latest “most important game of the season” – a Wednesday night matchup with the Utah Jazz. The playoff implications are as immense as they are obvious: win, and the Rockets seize the season tiebreaker with Utah and a three-game lead over them in the Western Conference standings; lose, and the rapidly unraveling Jazz are given new life after losing nine of their past 12 games. ..."
Psalm234, Thanks for posting this: This will be one fun, exciting game to watch. And I can assure all of you that I won't want those 2.5 hours back. Those will be two hours well used!
Just an update. So as I have told u guys before, there is this poster named cyberx on clutch who seems like a reliable insider to the Rox. He has an ongoing thread about how the Rox will go after milsap or j smith this off season.
Anyways, some more revealing thing from his posts today regarding Lin.
Lin's knees have recently become 100%
Lin most likely to stay with Rox long term after harden
Knicks were afraid to make an offer on Lin because they were worried about his knee injury ( perhaps worse than what was advertised?)
Rox expected more from Lin but that was before harden.
Rox are happy with Lin.. At the same time patient as well.
Some other tidbits.. Love is going to sign with lakers in 2014 ( he loves LA). David lee will ultimately return to the Knicks.
This guy really sounds legit.. Check it out if u get a chance.
Assuming that D'Antoni still coaching the LA LA land by 2014, he would drool having inside and out forward like Love. Surely Love will thrive under D'Antoni if he isn't injured and have a PG that can run D'Antoni system
Well a lot of ex Knicks seemed to be finding a way back there to finish off their careers. I think he was just implying that lee would love to finish his career there because he liked NYC so much. Whether the Knicks would take him back.. Well heck I think they wouldd take Lin back when his contract runs out in Houston and he has become a superstar pg.
You said that acc to some guy at Clutch: "Lin most likely to stay with Rox long term after Harden".
Oh no..... NOT SO FAST, Mr Clutch..... Lin will have something to say about that, especially since Morey's contract is extended (the head of the Rockets' infamous "basketball minds" in regards to Lin)... and EVEN MORE ESPECIALLY if McHale's contract will be extended beyond 2013-14 season. Besides, I really think they should get a coach who used to be a guard, particularly a point guard
That "insider info" is interesting. At the very least, it's clear now that Jeremy's knee injury was MUCH worse than reported.
Last year, people were talking about a "4-6 week" rest period. But it ended up being 4-6 months. I can only HOPE that injury concerns are the main reason Jeremy's playing time and usage have been so insulting this season.
Perhaps they're secretly afraid of him developing chronic injuries like D-Rose, but they can't say that publicly (it would cause worry and reduce Jeremy's trade value).
If the Rockets can't get Love, I'm fine with Millsap. Great all-around player with no ego. Can also play some SF. Affordable. With a fully healthy Jeremy running the offense, Houston could be a darkhorse title contender in a year or two.
1) The most recent Sloan Sports Conference exposed Lee's hilariously bad defense to every GM in the league. He's not elite and he'll never be seen that way now.
2) Golden State won't keep him because they don't have the defenders to make up for Lee's shortcomings. They're a 6th/7th seed at best with him at PF.
3) The Knicks DO have the necessary defenders around him -- Tyson Chandler inside and Iman Shumpert on the outside (though the latter is overrated).
4) Dolan clearly has no problem bringing back ex-Knicks late in their careers.
We have a member who is a knee specialist surgeon. Remember, he said things pointed to Lin's injury being more serious type within the variety. He also said that his injury likely happened in that NON-CALL FRAGRANT TYPE 2 committed by Jason Kidd. It was actually 3 thugs against one, but Kidd pulled Lin's hair down from under while lin was airborne.
The surgeon poster also explained that Lin didn't go out of the game because of delayed reaction of sort, because - ironically - one can walk off on his own with a more serious type of meniscus injury (like the one Lin had), while a more simple variety one cannot (It has to do with where in the knee blood circulates or not)
That's a great insight -- I must have missed that post.
Yeah, even the Knicks' doctors said it was a "chronic" tear, which means he hurt it way before the Pistons game and then it got worse over time.
And I remember Clyde Drexler saying at the beginning of the season that "it takes a full year" to feel 100% after a knee injury like Jeremy's (and Drexler was speaking from personal experience).
@zxcvb - Since you missed the knee specialist's post (a portion of the thread):
http://www.jeremylin.net/2012/12/rockets-raptors-game-23-post-game-thread.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jeremylin%2FCSbA+%28Jeremy+Lin%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo Rockets @ Raptors Game #23 Post-Game Thread Dec 16, 2012
Stu December 16, 2012 1:53 PM
To the poster about a knee specialist. I am a doctor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a knee specialist in musculoskeletal medicine. If there is knee inflammation, then this means it is not totally healed. It should have been by now. For there to be fluid building up (this means that it is not articulating perfectly).... etal -------------
Stu December 16, 2012 2:27 PM
Medically, he is doing ok. Lateral meniscal tears are very common in the NBA. There was an article a few years ago that said 80% of NBA players who returned from these type of injuries performed at the same level, pre-injury.
I can tell that his knee is probably ok. The kid has got game as the Spurs game showed. But not totally back to normal as Lin points out. Medically, he will be fine but driving to the hole takes its toll. That play where Kidd hit him on the head last year and he fell down awkwardly likely caused the tear due to hyperflexion of the left knee.
I would love for Lin to build his game, pick his spots and learn how to drive when he needs to. In the playoffs you go for broke. If he plays every time like the Spurs, you obviously risk injury. -------------- Stu December 16, 2012 2:36 PM
That was probably a meniscectomy versus a meniscal repair. This means cutting out or resecting the meniscus so that piece of it is no longer there. A meniscus repair is like sewing the meniscus with it fully intact. There is a slight difference. It has to do with the location of the tear. It sounds like his meniscal tear was in the more central part of the meniscus, an avascular zone where the blood supply is poor so they had to cut (meniscectomy) versus repair. The reason I say this is because he was able to walk immediately. In a mensicus repair, the meniscus tear is usually on the periphery, where the blood supply is good and you are non-weight bearing for a short period of time.
In any case, none of this matters too much. These things take time to heal and the amount of stress he has to place on it makes it a slower recovery. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin had the same things essentially. The fact that it is his left knee is a problem because thats his jumping knee.
In some weird way, maybe all this benching is good now that you guys make me think about it. His knee has a better chance of healing, though coaches are destroying his confidence and messing with his head. I say he takes over the Lakers next year fully healthy.
There is something exciting about playing at Madison Garden in front of a full house every game. I would love to see Lin back in NY and would not be surprised if he returns in future. If Lin gets to an All-Star level, he will probably make most money out of any NBA players and/or have the most impact and probably be the most influential NBA player. It's incredible to me that a Harvard player is playing at this stage as a bona-fide starting NBA PG.
ebattorney, that is exactly it. People forget that Lin is an undrafted, overlooked and disrespected player coming out of Harvard who is dominating some of these games.
Before the argument was whether he was an nba player, then it became whether he is a bench player or a starter, now it is whether he is an All star or just average and it will inevitably progress to top 10 or top5 pg in the league.
Just unbelivable how the paradigm shifts so fast for him.
It looks to me that Lin's minimum level is a higher level than the level he is playing at, which people can disagree upon, but I think most would agree is a solid NBA starting PG level at this point. That's just amazing to me what he has accomplished. I bet some of his Harvard players are saying "Man, can't believe this guy made it this far." Anyway, I am just glad that I have a good reason to watch NBA games because he's playing. Maybe I should say I am not so glad because my wife is getting upset that I am watching too many Houston games.
@Solidz75... This begs the question, could part of why Lin has been used less is because of his healing knee injury? Wouldn't that be something if this was factoring into the situation. While it's obvious we don't know if this guy is legit or not, it would not shock me in the least that Lin's injury could take this long to fully heal.
I thi k this guy was also implying that mentally it takes also tajes r a young player to come back from a knee surgery. He basically emphasized that Lin's knee is just RECENTLY 100% so people should give him a break.
But u r right.. Could that have been the reason for his limited playing time? I would think that the team/coach would mention it during press conf Amir interviews and such, since there was such an uproar.
I dismissed the notion of injury after the career tying 38 points game against the Spurs and his 1st dunk as a Houston Rockets.
Solidz statement is solid, should have announced properly to the press if that was the case but there is no official announcement about the knee limiting his minutes. They do announces minor injuries though
They should have handled Lin like any other team would have, as follows (a standard protocol): Lin's knee were not fully rehabbed, so announce that he will come off the bench to start the season to ease his way back. NOT all kinds of demeaning words, actions and attitudes that were thrown at him. No starting player with a good character like Lin has ever been treated liked that. ----------- The above is a part of what I've posted just below this thread, but it fits here.
That's a good point and I agree if that's the case.
Morey, in particular, would be concerned about lowering Jeremy's trade value. Being seen as injury-prone is even worse than "struggling." Especially when you're young.
"I'd be content for Lin to average between 30 and 35 minutes for his career."
I was also thinking Lin should average low 30s minutes on average, but that can ramp up when extra production from him is needed.
Good for the longevity of his knees, plus as a serious runner had commented on these forums a few months ago, Lin has a power running style that consumes lots of energy, while Harden runs much more efficiently so can almost play whole game and still not look winded.
That explosiveness / recoil in legs (e. g. ability to recover on defense when he has initially been beat, in addition to beat man off initial step on dribble drive penetration) is a key part of his high level of effectiveness at NBA level.
As long as Lin doesn't play low minutes in critical games like Denver where he should've played 35+ minutes, I'm good.
I'll even forgive the refusal of the Rockets to run their offense through Lin. If Lin can get 16 ppg and 6 assists on his own without any plays run for him, even I have trouble having "sympathy" for Lin getting more touches. I am of the mind that more touches for Lin would be good for the team, though that's not a priority for me like it is for some.
What is a priority for me is running some DEFENSIVE plays for not just Lin, but the entire Rockets team. That would have a huge impact on increasing Lin's offensive efficiency.
"Les Alexander probably doesn't want a repeat of the Yao Ming injury situation in Lin"
I see some possible truth in this logic but then playing Harden for 40min/game would also counter this logic. It's not like Les would wait until Harden gets injured first before limiting his PT to 35min/game.
Harden is seen as the face of the franchise so Les should want to shackle Harden to save his knees for the future :)
BTW, the CF cyberx insider info claims that Rocket mgmt is not happy with 40/mpg Harden PT by McHale so hopefully Les will send the shackling command soon.
You kept trying to cover for McHell and Sorry all season. BUT....
It's definitely not just HOW many minutes Lin played so far this season, but how they played him and the substitutions - and how long they've benched him and when and for how long. Also, in late December/early January (a short stretch of time), McHale suddenly and "unnecessarily" spiked Lin's minutes when the game was NOT on the line (that was ONLY normally reserved for Harden and Parsons to pad their stats for whatever purpose). For a few games during that one stretch, SHOCKINGLY, Lin's minutes were EVEN HIGHER than HARDEN. Some people have wondered "what gives?". Even back then, I immediately said that McHale was trying to make Lin's average minutes look more normal for a young starter, and in case the media and the owner, Alexander, take notice of it also.
you really don't. that's why to me it's a totally legitimate reason for managing his PT.
in fact, by announcing it, you're giving your opponents a competitive advantage!
and we're really not talking about him still being injured... just not 100% back to where he was before in terms of explosiveness AND endurance, so no major need for the team to announce it. and even if they did mention injury as a reason, most people would simply take it as a bad excuse.
I don't care what's in McHale's and Sampson's head.
As long as Lin is playing when the game is on the line, that's all I care about.
I don't even mind when Lin plays under 30 minutes due to a blowout Rockets victory.
So far, I find Lin's minutes to be perfectly reasonable. I don't agree with that long stretch of time he's benched from the end of the 1st quarter to the mid 2nd quarter. I'd reverse those minutes and start him the 2nd quarter while letting the reserves finish the half.
I find Lin's playing minutes more than reasonable. But that's not the point. Lin's been benched a lot for the last 15 minutes of games - plus in overtime. And McHale's mistreatment of Lin in various ways - and by extension, Morey's - has been mind boggling and audaciously in full view. The Rockets "basketball minds" wouldn't have treat Lin that way unless they were trying to prove to the team's owner and the public that Lin was a fluke after all - and then had a plan to trade him next season.
Now, with Lin's knee being close to 100% and playing better despite their attempts to kill Lin's confidence and break his emotional and mental spirits, I really do hope that Lin buy out his contract. If not, at least don't re-sign after his contract expires. BUT... SIGH.... by 2015-16 season, Lin will be a ripe old age for a basketball player at 27 years old.
Morey wanted to trade Lin. He plans to get a super Center and a PF. With Harden, the rockets will be off the cap limit. That's why the Rox is playing with Harden as PG. Ever since the trade, when Harden is controlling the game as PG, the Rox lost. With Lin as PG, the Rox won the game. 6 win and 6 losses explain them all. Again the stupid trade to the Kings is absurd. Toney Douglus scored 17 points made 3 straight 3-pointers to beat the LA Clippers the rockets used to have difficulty with. Patterson shooting way over 50% and getting rebounds in only 26 minutes of play when DeM Cousin returned from injury. The Kings trounced the Clippers 38:18. The rockets gave them the fire power. What a trade! What long term prospect! It is a bunch crap and wild imagination.There are lots of people patronizing Morey for whatever dumb things he does. The rockets started the series with GS from 30 points up to 30 points down. It's because Morey have made that stupid trade. Look at the team score playing with Harden as PG. It's eye-soring. He threw those last second passes in order to get assists. His teammates had to throw up a Hail Mary Shot. His iso game is killing the ball movements. He handled the ball so much that the team petrified. What has been hurting the rockets is the double standard applying to Harden and the rest of the team. Look at the team scoring with the GS, the rockets has slided badly: 140, 116,94, 78. When Harden was not making his shots, hobbled and let his player shooting fizzy, he stayed on the court torturing us. When Lin was a little off, you saw Beverly coming in; recently scoring 0. This double standard hurt. They moved Lin up so Harden could get the rebounds. They let Harden played as PG so he could get more assists. They were cheating on statistics. When Harden was high in assists, the team lost the game. When Lin was high in assists, the rockets won. The 6 losses after the trade tells you the difference with Harden as PG. The Rox played Dallas, GS and Phoenix twice since the trade. The rockets lost one and won one. Compare the statistics and look at the game recap, you understand the reason of losing. With Lin running the show, the rockets won. With Harden doing his mumble jumble iso games, the team lost.
I wish Lin was playing for the Jazz right now. I'm torn because I want to root for Lin and the Rockets players, but I hate that I'm forced to root for the Rockets' "basketball minds" who have been major jerks to Lin the good guy.
They should have handled Lin like any other team would have, as follows (a standard protocol): Lin's knee were not fully rehabbed, so announce that he will come off the bench to start the season to ease his way back. NOT all kinds of demeaning words, actions and attitudes that were thrown at him. No starting player with a good character like Lin has ever been treated liked that.
I believe your feeling and concern regarding the issue is mutually shared with many. But at least we just have to settle about it for now, at least he is not treated to the point of horrifically worst
You know what I don't like? Whenever I visit the Rockets Video Gallery (nba.con/rockets), they force feed a featured or initial video that I'm not interested in; and that video's viewed count is inflated that way too, which is silly. More frequently, Non-Lin videos pop up automatically. They are pushing a certain player's video that I'm not interested in. No video should come up immediately upon visiting any team at NBA.com. They should just let the visitor decide.
Actually, I'm interested in other players video too, BUT I can't really afford the time, because it would take more of my disposable time away from visiting this site. LOL.
"So nice, we show it twice ... " Walt Clyde Frazier:
On pre thread's post on JLin and his pull back mid-range: I think he can do it well, but he's not allowed to do it much in this system. Looking back on these games, it really makes me wish there is a little more freedom in this system. Sure, this offense scores a lot - but it doesn't adjust well to game adversity because the players are not as free to score in different ways, and players aren't used to it. So, if they can't get to the rim, or shoot the 3, it's a long day.
+++
The repost:
@Etane - I think I remember the announcers highlighting it in the Lakers game just before he did the spin move on Fisher, and he did a v nice fake cross to the right, pull back shot on the Wiz ...
Not sure that's a lot, but it's memorable and he can do it well. You might be right about the knees thing earlier this season, but I think it's more the 'no short j's allow rule".
I also attribute a large part of Lin's seeming lack of arsenal to the game plan itself.
In New York, Lin had several high quality big men who would set screens for him and play decoy. That spaced the court and allowed Lin to pick his spots.
In Houston, Lin doesn't have a big man that is regarded by opponents as an offensive threat. When Lin runs anything with a screen, opponents ignore the big man and collapse on Lin. Lin typically outruns the opposition, and the speed needed to do that does limit Lin's repertoire of moves a bit.
I think that in a more conventional offense with average level big men, Lin would show more moves. On the other hand, it's hard to argue with the results especially since the trades of Morris and Patterson which have freed up the perimeter.
Let's hope that Motiejeunas keeps developing then, Etane.
I don't think anybody is telling Motiejeunas to camp out at the 3 point line, but then that's because I don't think the Rockets coaches really tell anybody anything!
I'd like to see Motiejeunas get closer to the basket. That guy can score, and opponents have not yet figured out that he isn't strong enough to hold position in the post. Lin and DMo should take full advantage of that while it lasts.
Dmo probably steps out of the lane to clear driving lanes for James Harden.
What DMo needs to do is HOLD HIS GROUND and let Harden utilize him as a hand-off decoy for easy dunks.
This is another problem with a pure motion offense. Just because a guy like Harden wants to drive doesn't mean that he SHOULD have an open lane every time he starts his isolation up top.
I have always believed that Tyson was the linchpin in Linsanity. Without Tyson, Lin couldn't collapse the defense with a credible threat. The alley oops to Tyson made it possible for Lin to kick it out to Novak.
The Mchale offense is being pushed out to the perimeter by defenses sitting high on the key. Teams are making it hard for Rox to score with 3s and slashing attack by Lin and Harden by stuffing the high middle with their bigs. They have exposed the Rox's lack of low post attack.
Many wonder why Lin kept feeding Asik in the paint earlier in the season and continue to force it. I credit him with the foresight to "pay it forward" by making Asik develop the offensive skills needed to be a credible threat for the Rox in the future.
Until the Rox can get a big man to play the role of interior threat, they are going to have to live by the 3s. Mchale is so dense that he can't see how valuable the PNR is to their playoff run. As many has noted, only Lin and harden can create their shots. Unless Mchale let's these 2 run the offense through the PNR and not the motion offense, the Rox will continue having shooting woes because Parsons and Defino won't be able to shoot easy open shots. The last game in particular when Harden was doubled up, Mchale should have opened up Lin on the other side of the court.
Yes, Etane, that's the move I am talking about, however you create that spacing, whether by behind the back dribble or forward dribble and stepping back. I really think Lin needs to add this arsenal to complement his driving to the rim weapon, so he can score without hurting his body. I have not seen Lin do this move, or if he did, I have not seen it.
Absolutely. It's a propaganda. Spin. Damage control.
Notice, the leak via the Clutch site came out just as the following article was published by a Houston writer no less (and many people reading and commenting - for a smaller site):
Prior to that, Douglas was the preferred option at point guard in the fourth quarter. He had more experience, and clearly more trust from the coaching staff.
Hi-res-163781533_crop_exact Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Now, that trust must be placed in Lin. It has been a journey for Lin this season as he learns how to play with Harden, but he is certainly acclimating.
Over his last three games, he is averaging 19.3 points, six assists and two steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field, and he has been coming up big for the Rockets when they have needed him.
If the Rockets are going to continue to evolve, they are going to need Lin to be play at an All-Star level. Lin is carrying a hot hand right now, and Rockets coach Kevin McHale should milk that for all it's worth.
Not only will this help the team in the immediate future, but it will help build trust in Lin, give him confidence and allow this team to start building an identity worth building around.
I didn't get any sense that he was trying to justify rockets benching of Lin. As a matter if fact, no one asked if his limited playing time was due to him not being at 100%. He didn't even bring up the playing to e issue.
If u so venture, go check out the thread yourself. He doesn't just talk about Lin. Unless he is a professional fraud just pulling our chains, he sounds legit. U can decide for yourself if his posts have an ulterior motive. Personally, I thought everything he said was believable.
Agree with Solidz. If the knee injury was bothering Lin, they would not have him play at all. This is the NBA and you can't limp around on one leg or else you will get killed out there. Lin's quickenss was never an issue. It was his explosiveness that took time to come around. And shooting too.
Agree with Ger. If Lin's knee wasn't 100%, why the hell is he on the floor fighting through all the picks chasing the opposing teams' pg all over the place?
Sure, Lin was shackled on offense. But, he was 110% on D.
solidz, I had a previous discussion with alcsd regarding the credibility of cyberx to provide insider leak. His one valid objection was the leak on choosing Lin over Dragic because Dragic was released a day before the 1st $19M contract was offered to Lin so there was no guarantee to know NY wouldn't match Lin. Rockets can be left without Dragic and Lin.
So it could be a different interpretation of what he heard from the Rockets executive but there is always a 5%-10% chance of inaccurate information from the executive even if he's credible. Or even worse, this is an "intentional leak" to diffuse the heated situation over Lin's usage.
At this point after monitoring his CF posts, I would believe the guy does have Rockets connection probably 80% because of previous track record with Asik's Bulls contract, small minor details on meeting Harden backstage in concert and most of all no conflicting lies so far.
And if it were true that Lin is 100%, does it mean that they will trust him more with more PT and Q4 role in the crunch time? I guess we are about to see how a 100% Lin will be used in the last 15 games and the playoff.
Note: There was always a chance of 85% truth and 15% lies in an intentional leak to calm Lin fans down and even persuade Lin to stick with the Rockets in his reduced role behind Harden.
BTW, there was a supporting information that Lin's knee was not 100% back in Nov-Dec(?) during one Morey's radio interview. If I remember correctly, he could accelerate but was not able to stop on a dime, perhaps also affecting his lateral movement.
While it might be true that Lin's knee is just back to 100% recently and it somewhat explains Lin's limited 32min/game PT, it's not a valid reason to explain how Lin is not the primary PG over Harden as Calvin Murphy and many people called out.
I still believe that there is no conspiracy to underutilize Lin from the coaches but they simply erroneously believe in the current system of featuring Harden/Parsons/Lin to be main playmakers. Harden and Parsons mostly just attack on the first opportunity but Lin is the more cautious pure PG to probe and retreat if there is no easy score or assist. Lin is simply having a hard time to adjust to play in this flawed system.
Psalm, with respect to cyberx's credibility.. Yeah your guess is good as mine. But he is really a messenger of a messenger, so he is only good as his source. I just wonder if the executive he spoke to is okay with him divulging all these info.
In any case, I thought it was also interesting that they got rid of Morris because he is not too bright and that harden is feeling a lot if pressure to get the Rox into the playoffs and hence his reaction last post game. Wonder if harden is someone who wilts under pressure like he did against Miami in the finals.
Interesting thoughts. Whether true or not, it was nice to at least hear that Lin is viewed as an important asset in the organization.
Solidz, yeah I had the same exact thought if the executive gave the green light to him to leak this insider information as long as it reflects well for Houston Rockets.
oh, he also talked about Morris not being bright? wow, I need to keep up with the latest news :)
True, the silver lining is Lin being an important asset whether it's any combination of marketing or basketball talent.
I wonder if Lin's agent would express a desire for a more traditional PG role in the future contract negotiations. On one hand, Lin could feel indebted to Houston for making the only offer to steal him from the Knicks but on the other hand, Lin can't get his All-Star numbers easily in the current Houston system due to lower number of assists. And we know being an All-Star is one of his goals. Just thinking out loud here.
For now, the playoff push is definitely in both Harden's and Lin's mind.
i believe whatever helps the team win will be the role that lin will want to play, and will be the role the team will want him to play.
whatever system they run doesn't trump winning. les knows that without winning, all the money from lin will dry up. and if making lin more of a traditional PG will help this team win, then that will be his role whether or not it's written in his contract.
and frankly, i wouldn't want that in the contract. it would insinuate that he's not willing to sacrifice for the greater good, which is far from the truth. he might have better numbers but i'd rather him win games and possibly championships. i suspect he would too.
anyway, they're still figuring things out and the way roles are played out this year may be very different from how they will play out next year once they've had a whole year of data to digest and saw what everybody brought to the table.
yes, fighton. I also wasn't thinking about writing a requirement for Lin's contract to have at least 60%-70% of playmaking in the contract. I don't think it's ever been done to tie players' preference of play in the contract because coaches and systems can change, right? And it will definitely reflect badly to Lin as a selfish player.
I was wondering how Lin would contemplate his choices in 2-3 years when his personal goal (All-Star) might conflict with the current system.
But yes, a lot could change in 2-3 years with the system especially it the current system is not a winning playoff style. I'm just having serious doubt of the current system in the playoff but perhaps more experienced players will make it better. A bit too early to make any worthwhile discussion.
i do think the current system could work with a few tweaks. i think a team with its bread and butter of a fast break system could work, but also need a decent half court game with a good pg to win it all.
i look at the lakers of the 80's, and to me, they're mainly a fast break team with magic leading the charge. but when forced to play half court, they have kareem.
with a stronger inside game, i really think this could work.
I certainly hope the Rockets will get their dominating big man.
The biggest tweak will certainly be to sell the idea that they also need to sometimes trust Lin be the PG during crunch time in the 4Q even if the ball doesn't necessarily find Harden for the last shot.
That's the predicament of having 2 ball-dominant guards. It should really be 60%-40% once Lin and Harden learn to play off each other.
It's no coincidence the "info" on the subject FINALLY leaks NOW, after all the chatter on the net. The article by the Houston writer. Harvey, is the FIRST of it's kind by that type of legit writers.
I have noticed that KHuang's boy Hansbrough started in place of David West yesterday and put up 14/14 in just 27 minutes in a win for the Pacers and his opposing PF scored only 6 points too.
Certainly looks like starting quality numbers to me.
Not to rain on the parade but Hansbrough was 4 or 14. He's not a good shooter, not just from this outing but in general. He did grab 14 rebounds, 9 offensive ones btw. Rockets would welcome those types of rebounds. West had a sprained lower back and sat that game.
Now they're talking about leaving David West on the bench when he returns - which will NEVER HAPPEN.
I am rarely disappointed in Larry Bird, but I was VERY CRITICAL when he went out and got David West because the Pacers supposedly needed "more athleticism" at the 4 spot despite Psycho T having games like this as a starter.
I keep writing that the same racial bias that called the ultra athletic Lin "unathletic" is the same incorrect bias that calls a running dunking bruising winning brute like Psycho T "a big slow white stiff". The same guy who jumps up and dunks over a healthy Amare Stoudemire is "unathletic".
I am not kidding or talking big when I say I'd rather have Tyler Hansbrough as a running mate for Jeremy Lin than Josh Smith or Paul Millsap or any other "available" power forward in the NBA.
Psycho T, with proper minutes, could become a Charles Barkley type of player.
"Apparently some fans of the Pacers feel Tyler Hansbrough should start ahead of David West at the power forward position and Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star says that kind of talk needs to stop.
Wells writes: "West gets injured, heads to the sidelines, Tyler Hansbrough steps in, has two good games and all of sudden some people are saying West should come off the bench when he returns. Are you serious? Is that an early April Fools Day joke? ... Put a stop to it. There’s no way in hell it’s going to happen. There’s no way in hell it should happen. How quickly some people forget, it wasn’t that long ago that Hansbrough was struggling so bad that an argument could be made that Jeff Pendergraph should back up West at power forward."
Wells is right, Hansbrough is at best a backup power forward in the NBA and when healthy West (lower back injury) will assume his position in the starting lineup.
West becomes a free agent in July and one of the top priorities for the Pacers will be to re-sign him."
"If anyone suggest a that west come of the bench for Tyler they need to get their heads checked. I've never seen an uglier offensive player under the ring then Tyler. Some call it a bulldog I call it ugly... West is a beast. Don't be so quick to forget what he does every game. Love the pacers. All the way from Sydney."
"Tyler Hansbrough is a different kind of player...that's for sure. And, maybe a little bit ugly. (You remember Charles Barkley). But he is a valuable commodity coming off the Pacers bench. Opposing players cringe and say... 'OH NO!!! Here comes Hansbrough'. And Vogel says, he could start for a lot of NBA teams. But he can't replace our David West, and I believe he understands that. But West won't be here forever. Maybe he'll be our Jeff Foster for several years, with the ability to score ever so often...and hit free throws."
When Bird was hired as Indiana president, he boldly predicted that the Pacers would make the playoffs in his three year tenure.
If I recall, the Pacers finally did make the playoffs with a weak 36-46 recored that was an 8th seed in the Leastern conference. But the key to their late season surge was Hansbrough who went from DNPs under Jim O'Brien to starter under new coach Frank Vogel.
Hansbrough had several games that were MORE impressive than this one. He led the Pacers against a full strength Bulls team and gave the Bulls all they could handle. The Bulls just could not do anything to slow Hansbrough down.
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By the way, Hansbrough faced off last game against a quality Orlando front line.
The other guy who I follow is Andrew Nicholson, a player the Rockets easily could have drafted instead of Royce White or Terrence Jones.
Nicholson had 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in only 15 minutes!
When Nicholson played the Rockets, he MURDERED the Rockets front line.
This is why I don't consider Daryl Morey a good evaluator of talent. I was writing BEFORE the draft that Nicholson was one of the top players and had more upside than #1 overall pick Anthony Davis, and so far Nicholson has dominated despite very low playing time.
Tyler Hansbrough "could" become the next Jeff Foster? That's as utterly insane as saying that Jeremy Lin is worse than Charles Jenkins and Acie Law!
The reason people consider Psycho T's game "ugly" is because he's SUPER ATHLETIC. He knocks people around, makes key plays, is extremely cerebral, and scares opponents.
The Barkley comparison is very good. Hansbrough has range out to the 3 point line and can really put the ball on the floor. At UNC, he was an inside outside player unlike West who's strictly an outside guy. Hansbrough also plays flawless pick and roll, thus making him the ideal Jeremy Lin partner.
If Tyler Hansbrough were black, people would be like "Psycho Chuck!"
Well if Hansbrough was a starter and no longer one, it does say a lot about his game. He's determined and a high energy dude, or psycho, but that's probably it.
No one wants Winnebago. Pacers are not going to give up psycho for Winnebago. Just as recent as a couple of days ago White went at it again. He said the NBA, GMs, and Rockets wants him out. The dude is insane. Just get on a plane and everything will solved.
Yeah, if I were the Pacers, I would certainly consider not re-signing West. Not only West is not getting any younger and is historically injury prone, they would better save some money for a future big extension for Paul George, especially considering they are already tied a lot of money to Hibbert, Granger, George Hill etc.
On the other hand, Hansbrough is not only younger but cheaper as well. He also looks like more athletic, a better rebounder, better defender than West.
I guess it depends on the team need but as the Pacers coach said, Hansbrough looks like he is good enough to start.
I don't think you're criticizing Psycho T at all, geronimo.
It's just that I can tell who has real NBA ability, even if he's unfairly buried on a bench.
Geronimo, you shoulda seen the FLAMES that were fired at me when I posted in January 2012 that Lin had "All Star ability" and could "average the same kinds of stats he averaged at harvard" and was "a cross between Steve Nash and Jason Kidd". THOSE were flames.
I am just not the type of guy that believes people when they say things like "Jeremy Lin is unathletic and doesn't deserve to be in the NBA" or "Tyler Hansbrough is at best a backup". Given how critical I am of guys that supposedly can play, I am very firm in my beliefs when I see guys like Lin and Hansbrough making NBA All Star level plays every time they step onto the court.
I was talking in jest about stealing Hansbrough for Royce :) Larry Bird definitely wouldn't touch Royce even if his numbers are promising.
I compared Hansbrough's advanced stats compared to David West's and what stands out is definitely Hansbrough's Offensive Rebounding prowess (PER36 4.1 vs 2.2 this year) but West's definitely is slightly better scorer (PER36 18.7 vs 14.8).
I'd say Millsap still fits the prototypical stretch PF that the Rockets covets with his 3PT shooting. But perhaps Psycho T will be the next experiment for an inside -presence PF if TRob's experiment doesn't work.
Psycho T is simply a better PLAYER than Paul Millsap, by a large margin.
Indiana under/misuses TBone, so it's hard to compare statistics.
What I can see by my eye test is that Psycho T is a bruising jumping jack dunking shotblocking dribble driving forward who runs like a guard and scores inside like a center. This is one of UNC's top 5 players of all time and had a complete skill set from the minute he entered the NBA.
The Rockets will undervalue Psycho T just like they undervalued Andrew Nicholson and Jeremy Lin (the first time around).
Larry Bird retired from the Pacers, so it's now Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard making the calls.
Besides, Larry drafted Lance Stephenson who had legal trouble and threw his girlfriend down a flight of stairs while a Pacer! Larry got "Born Ready" Lance Stephenson at #40 in the same year he could've drafted Jeremy Lin.
I think that if Indiana had drafted Lin instead of "Born Ready", Jim O'Brien would still be head coach and Roy Hibbert and Paycho T and Danny Grangwr and Paul George would be the best starting 5 in the NBA right now.
Khuang...I tend to agree with you player assessments. I love Omar Samhan too, I think I posted way way back under the weird moniker "4d2p3432". I also love Psycho T, great face up, good enough post game, and gets after the boards. He has a limited wingspan but he makes up for it with a super high motor.
I have to disagree about Lance though. I think in hs he was a ball dominant selfish guard. But now I think he has grown up a lot and has learned how to play off the ball while putting up decent stats.
I'm not faulting Lance Stephenson for his game ON the court.
It's his game OFF the court that was troubling. However, he seems to have turned himself around and is playing very well.
I won't fault Larry Bird for getting Stephenson, though I think Lin would have been a far better pick than ANY PLAYER in the 2010 draft!
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Psycho T's lack of wingspan bothers me as little as Jeremy Lin's lack of wingspan does.
That "motor" that Psycho T has? It's actually super athleticism that NBA personnel refuse to recognize just because Psycho T is an unathletic white guy in their eyes.
Psycho T is a guy who doesn't have any holes in his game. All he needs are MINUTES.
The problem with Rockets management (aka Daryl Morey) is that he values 3-point shooting in power forwards FAR far more than rebounding, defense, interior scoring, etc. Which is why they'll probably end up with a Steve Novak/Ryan Anderson type player who "spreads" the floor, but does little else to affect the game.
The T-Rob experiment and DHoward long-time pursuit are also interesting in how Morey want to have play two types of stretch PF and brute-force PF so the Rockets won't be one-dimensional.
With Lin and Harden as the main playmakers, it certainly would be a waste of talent not to find a dominating presence inside the paint, at least like Tyson Chandler as Bob F Chan mentioned above.
Everyone is different. Some people enjoy routine and repetition. If Jeremy didn't practice on his day off he would probably expend more energy getting back into rhythm the next day. Jeremy may not like the business of the NBA but he loves basketball.
Some athletes are process oriented and others are result driven. No one is just one way but Lin is definately more process oriented. Result driven athletes use winning as incentive. Process athletes focus more on improving each day. I subscribe to the process method because they tend to be more even emotionally in dealing with pressure. Result driven athletes can allow the importance of a game become about their own self worth. Process types look at the game as a marker of their own process on a long journey. Each marker is a test of how they have improved and where improvements are needed.
Since CAA's Stephen A Smith has been giving Jeremy Lin tons of FREE ADVERTISING by talking smack about Lin to national audiences, CAA might as well make whatever money they can in order to recoup SAS's airtime, right?
nah... SAS's apparent change of heart has nothing to do with CAA. and i really doubt he does have a change of heart - he just doesn't want to be embarrassed anymore. the minute the lin screws up he'll be "telling it like it is" again.
CAA is a HUGE company. and i doubt their film representation/distribution group has any idea what the sports management group is doing. in a company this big, the right hand rarely knows what the left hand is doing. it's a great selling point but much harder to execute.
LoL - you guys could be right. As long as they dont sack but distribute the movie - Im good. I was wondering - do you guys know anything about the distribution yet? How, when and where?
Fortisimo is handling the distribution outside the US but so far -> nothing.
There's been a clamour of opinion about Harden's pathetic lack of defence. However, it must be borne in mind that opposition coaches target Harden to foul him out of the game. They realise that Rox's chance of winning plumet when Harden scores poorly. An example is Rubio's repeated flops against Harden.
So this is what happens when a team is not that good. Rox coach has to have counter tactics against this obvious attempt to foul Harden out of the game. But I do agree with those who criticise Harden for just letting his man drive to the basket, and make a pathetic attempt to jab the ball out of the driving player or just high tail it to the other end, assuming that they will get the rebound and that Lin will feed him 2 easy points.
All the previous coaches (Magic, Kareem, etc.) and an anonymous Laker player commented on his lazy work ethic to practice fundamentals, pain tolerance and #1 player in the league who dislikes basketball. SMH
Well if u go by what cyberx said before this article came out, Bynum doesn't really love basketball.. He views it as a way to make money... Kinda like Jamarcus russel attitude. So it looks like cyberx's assertion is confirmed.
X also said that he feels bad for what he has done in Philly and is willing to give them a little discount as well as his loyalty.. So hopefully he will not end up anywhere close to Lin. The guy is obviously a cancer.
Let's Go!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete"Collision Course"
ReplyDeleteRockets take long, hard look in the mirror as massive matchup with Utah awaits
"...
There was certainly no shortage of lessons to be learned in the wake of Sunday’s defeat. After all, shooting poorly is one thing – nights like that are inevitable over the course of an 82-game season and are outliers that are fundamentally no different than Houston’s record-tying performance against Golden State a month earlier when the Rockets racked up 140 points and knocked down 23 three-pointers. But what really made the team’s collective blood boil was the inattention to the game’s little, oft-overlooked details that so frequently determine the difference between winning and losing this time of year.
“Sometimes we take little shortcuts that lead to big things,” admitted Jeremy Lin when asked what he and his teammates learned during Tuesday’s film session. “(On offense) we’re not running all the way down to the corners – we’re stopping at the bend of the three-point line and those few feet change the spacing; me not pushing the ball as much as I need to or not making the quick, early pass; big men setting solid screens, getting a piece of the guy and then rolling hard – not just rolling and stopping in the little pocket area but getting all the way through allowing movement and rotations to happen.”
Equipped with that knowledge and a more determined mindset, the Rockets now prepare for their latest “most important game of the season” – a Wednesday night matchup with the Utah Jazz. The playoff implications are as immense as they are obvious: win, and the Rockets seize the season tiebreaker with Utah and a three-game lead over them in the Western Conference standings; lose, and the rapidly unraveling Jazz are given new life after losing nine of their past 12 games.
..."
Psalm234, Thanks for posting this: This will be one fun, exciting game to watch. And I can assure all of you that I won't want those 2.5 hours back. Those will be two hours well used!
DeleteYeah, Bamboo :D!
DeleteUtah is a great matchup for Houston on paper but I can't wait to see the Rockets come out with a lot of fire after the big loss :D
And Utah has certainly marked this game after the 45pt embarrassment in Utah! I expect this to be a very physical game.
I love it when JLin talks specifics about the game in his interviews. Rarely is there that kind of detail with most interviews.
DeleteLin is more articulated than his coaches. Did you see that? It makes me wonder that Lin may be more knowledgeable than his coaches as games going on.
DeleteHes gonna be a great coach one day!
DeleteJust an update. So as I have told u guys before, there is this poster named cyberx on clutch who seems like a reliable insider to the Rox. He has an ongoing thread about how the Rox will go after milsap or j smith this off season.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, some more revealing thing from his posts today regarding Lin.
Lin's knees have recently become 100%
Lin most likely to stay with Rox long term after harden
Knicks were afraid to make an offer on Lin because they were worried about his knee injury ( perhaps worse than what was advertised?)
Rox expected more from Lin but that was before harden.
Rox are happy with Lin.. At the same time patient as well.
Some other tidbits.. Love is going to sign with lakers in 2014 ( he loves LA). David lee will ultimately return to the Knicks.
This guy really sounds legit.. Check it out if u get a chance.
UCLA graduate back to LA? Why not?
DeleteBut I don't think David Lee would suit becoming a Knick, they did draft him but waste him instead, I don't think he even want to comeback
Assuming that D'Antoni still coaching the LA LA land by 2014, he would drool having inside and out forward like Love. Surely Love will thrive under D'Antoni if he isn't injured and have a PG that can run D'Antoni system
DeleteWell a lot of ex Knicks seemed to be finding a way back there to finish off their careers. I think he was just implying that lee would love to finish his career there because he liked NYC so much. Whether the Knicks would take him back.. Well heck I think they wouldd take Lin back when his contract runs out in Houston and he has become a superstar pg.
DeleteAre you old? Are you easily injured? You can no longer run? Sign up for New York Knicks Retirement Plan for your final paycheck!
DeleteI think the case above is more likely
@Solidz75,
DeleteYou said that acc to some guy at Clutch: "Lin most likely to stay with Rox long term after Harden".
Oh no..... NOT SO FAST, Mr Clutch..... Lin will have something to say about that, especially since Morey's contract is extended (the head of the Rockets' infamous "basketball minds" in regards to Lin)... and EVEN MORE ESPECIALLY if McHale's contract will be extended beyond 2013-14 season. Besides, I really think they should get a coach who used to be a guard, particularly a point guard
That "insider info" is interesting. At the very least, it's clear now that Jeremy's knee injury was MUCH worse than reported.
DeleteLast year, people were talking about a "4-6 week" rest period. But it ended up being 4-6 months. I can only HOPE that injury concerns are the main reason Jeremy's playing time and usage have been so insulting this season.
Perhaps they're secretly afraid of him developing chronic injuries like D-Rose, but they can't say that publicly (it would cause worry and reduce Jeremy's trade value).
If the Rockets can't get Love, I'm fine with Millsap. Great all-around player with no ego. Can also play some SF. Affordable. With a fully healthy Jeremy running the offense, Houston could be a darkhorse title contender in a year or two.
And I can see Lee back in NY.
Delete1) The most recent Sloan Sports Conference exposed Lee's hilariously bad defense to every GM in the league. He's not elite and he'll never be seen that way now.
2) Golden State won't keep him because they don't have the defenders to make up for Lee's shortcomings. They're a 6th/7th seed at best with him at PF.
3) The Knicks DO have the necessary defenders around him -- Tyson Chandler inside and Iman Shumpert on the outside (though the latter is overrated).
4) Dolan clearly has no problem bringing back ex-Knicks late in their careers.
zxcvb,
DeleteWe have a member who is a knee specialist surgeon. Remember, he said things pointed to Lin's injury being more serious type within the variety. He also said that his injury likely happened in that NON-CALL FRAGRANT TYPE 2 committed by Jason Kidd. It was actually 3 thugs against one, but Kidd pulled Lin's hair down from under while lin was airborne.
The surgeon poster also explained that Lin didn't go out of the game because of delayed reaction of sort, because - ironically - one can walk off on his own with a more serious type of meniscus injury (like the one Lin had), while a more simple variety one cannot (It has to do with where in the knee blood circulates or not)
That's a great insight -- I must have missed that post.
DeleteYeah, even the Knicks' doctors said it was a "chronic" tear, which means he hurt it way before the Pistons game and then it got worse over time.
And I remember Clyde Drexler saying at the beginning of the season that "it takes a full year" to feel 100% after a knee injury like Jeremy's (and Drexler was speaking from personal experience).
@zxcvb - Since you missed the knee specialist's post (a portion of the thread):
Deletehttp://www.jeremylin.net/2012/12/rockets-raptors-game-23-post-game-thread.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jeremylin%2FCSbA+%28Jeremy+Lin%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
Rockets @ Raptors Game #23 Post-Game Thread Dec 16, 2012
Stu December 16, 2012 1:53 PM
To the poster about a knee specialist. I am a doctor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a knee specialist in musculoskeletal medicine. If there is knee inflammation, then this means it is not totally healed. It should have been by now. For there to be fluid building up (this means that it is not articulating perfectly).... etal
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Stu December 16, 2012 2:27 PM
Medically, he is doing ok. Lateral meniscal tears are very common in the NBA. There was an article a few years ago that said 80% of NBA players who returned from these type of injuries performed at the same level, pre-injury.
I can tell that his knee is probably ok. The kid has got game as the Spurs game showed. But not totally back to normal as Lin points out. Medically, he will be fine but driving to the hole takes its toll. That play where Kidd hit him on the head last year and he fell down awkwardly likely caused the tear due to hyperflexion of the left knee.
I would love for Lin to build his game, pick his spots and learn how to drive when he needs to. In the playoffs you go for broke. If he plays every time like the Spurs, you obviously risk injury.
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Stu December 16, 2012 2:36 PM
That was probably a meniscectomy versus a meniscal repair. This means cutting out or resecting the meniscus so that piece of it is no longer there. A meniscus repair is like sewing the meniscus with it fully intact. There is a slight difference. It has to do with the location of the tear. It sounds like his meniscal tear was in the more central part of the meniscus, an avascular zone where the blood supply is poor so they had to cut (meniscectomy) versus repair. The reason I say this is because he was able to walk immediately. In a mensicus repair, the meniscus tear is usually on the periphery, where the blood supply is good and you are non-weight bearing for a short period of time.
In any case, none of this matters too much. These things take time to heal and the amount of stress he has to place on it makes it a slower recovery. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin had the same things essentially. The fact that it is his left knee is a problem because thats his jumping knee.
In some weird way, maybe all this benching is good now that you guys make me think about it. His knee has a better chance of healing, though coaches are destroying his confidence and messing with his head. I say he takes over the Lakers next year fully healthy.
Man! I have no idea what had happened to my previous post. sigh! :( Its missing now.
DeleteThis is the 3rd time it has happened to me in the last 5 months.
There is something exciting about playing at Madison Garden in front of a full house every game. I would love to see Lin back in NY and would not be surprised if he returns in future. If Lin gets to an All-Star level, he will probably make most money out of any NBA players and/or have the most impact and probably be the most influential NBA player. It's incredible to me that a Harvard player is playing at this stage as a bona-fide starting NBA PG.
Deleteebattorney, that is exactly it. People forget that Lin is an undrafted, overlooked and disrespected player coming out of Harvard who is dominating some of these games.
DeleteBefore the argument was whether he was an nba player, then it became whether he is a bench player or a starter, now it is whether he is an All star or just average and it will inevitably progress to top 10 or top5 pg in the league.
Just unbelivable how the paradigm shifts so fast for him.
It looks to me that Lin's minimum level is a higher level than the level he is playing at, which people can disagree upon, but I think most would agree is a solid NBA starting PG level at this point. That's just amazing to me what he has accomplished. I bet some of his Harvard players are saying "Man, can't believe this guy made it this far." Anyway, I am just glad that I have a good reason to watch NBA games because he's playing. Maybe I should say I am not so glad because my wife is getting upset that I am watching too many Houston games.
Delete@Solidz75... This begs the question, could part of why Lin has been used less is because of his healing knee injury? Wouldn't that be something if this was factoring into the situation. While it's obvious we don't know if this guy is legit or not, it would not shock me in the least that Lin's injury could take this long to fully heal.
ReplyDeleteI thi k this guy was also implying that mentally it takes also tajes r a young player to come back from a knee surgery. He basically emphasized that Lin's knee is just RECENTLY 100% so people should give him a break.
DeleteBut u r right.. Could that have been the reason for his limited playing time? I would think that the team/coach would mention it during press conf Amir interviews and such, since there was such an uproar.
I dismissed the notion of injury after the career tying 38 points game against the Spurs and his 1st dunk as a Houston Rockets.
DeleteSolidz statement is solid, should have announced properly to the press if that was the case but there is no official announcement about the knee limiting his minutes. They do announces minor injuries though
There is no excuse for McHale and Morey.
DeleteThey should have handled Lin like any other team would have, as follows (a standard protocol): Lin's knee were not fully rehabbed, so announce that he will come off the bench to start the season to ease his way back. NOT all kinds of demeaning words, actions and attitudes that were thrown at him. No starting player with a good character like Lin has ever been treated liked that.
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The above is a part of what I've posted just below this thread, but it fits here.
That's a good point and I agree if that's the case.
DeleteMorey, in particular, would be concerned about lowering Jeremy's trade value. Being seen as injury-prone is even worse than "struggling." Especially when you're young.
I've been speculating for months that Les Alexander probably doesn't want a repeat of the Yao Ming injury situation in Lin.
DeleteHence the REASONABLE minutes.
I'd be content for Lin to average between 30 and 35 minutes for his career.
"I'd be content for Lin to average between 30 and 35 minutes for his career."
DeleteI was also thinking Lin should average low 30s minutes on average, but that can ramp up when extra production from him is needed.
Good for the longevity of his knees, plus as a serious runner had commented on these forums a few months ago, Lin has a power running style that consumes lots of energy, while Harden runs much more efficiently so can almost play whole game and still not look winded.
That explosiveness / recoil in legs (e. g. ability to recover on defense when he has initially been beat, in addition to beat man off initial step on dribble drive penetration) is a key part of his high level of effectiveness at NBA level.
@KHuang
DeleteA point well taken.
As long as Lin doesn't play low minutes in critical games like Denver where he should've played 35+ minutes, I'm good.
DeleteI'll even forgive the refusal of the Rockets to run their offense through Lin. If Lin can get 16 ppg and 6 assists on his own without any plays run for him, even I have trouble having "sympathy" for Lin getting more touches. I am of the mind that more touches for Lin would be good for the team, though that's not a priority for me like it is for some.
What is a priority for me is running some DEFENSIVE plays for not just Lin, but the entire Rockets team. That would have a huge impact on increasing Lin's offensive efficiency.
I do not understand why you need to announce your player is not 100% to explain the PT?
DeleteAnd as far as Harden goes, he'd be even more tired andess productive than Lin if Harden fully committed himself to playing real defense.
DeleteI don't see anything wrong with Lin's running style.
KHuang,
Delete"Les Alexander probably doesn't want a repeat of the Yao Ming injury situation in Lin"
I see some possible truth in this logic but then playing Harden for 40min/game would also counter this logic. It's not like Les would wait until Harden gets injured first before limiting his PT to 35min/game.
Harden is seen as the face of the franchise so Les should want to shackle Harden to save his knees for the future :)
BTW, the CF cyberx insider info claims that Rocket mgmt is not happy with 40/mpg Harden PT by McHale so hopefully Les will send the shackling command soon.
KHuang,
DeleteYou kept trying to cover for McHell and Sorry all season. BUT....
It's definitely not just HOW many minutes Lin played so far this season, but how they played him and the substitutions - and how long they've benched him and when and for how long. Also, in late December/early January (a short stretch of time), McHale suddenly and "unnecessarily" spiked Lin's minutes when the game was NOT on the line (that was ONLY normally reserved for Harden and Parsons to pad their stats for whatever purpose). For a few games during that one stretch, SHOCKINGLY, Lin's minutes were EVEN HIGHER than HARDEN. Some people have wondered "what gives?". Even back then, I immediately said that McHale was trying to make Lin's average minutes look more normal for a young starter, and in case the media and the owner, Alexander, take notice of it also.
Brent,
Deleteyou really don't. that's why to me it's a totally legitimate reason for managing his PT.
in fact, by announcing it, you're giving your opponents a competitive advantage!
and we're really not talking about him still being injured... just not 100% back to where he was before in terms of explosiveness AND endurance, so no major need for the team to announce it. and even if they did mention injury as a reason, most people would simply take it as a bad excuse.
I don't care what's in McHale's and Sampson's head.
DeleteAs long as Lin is playing when the game is on the line, that's all I care about.
I don't even mind when Lin plays under 30 minutes due to a blowout Rockets victory.
So far, I find Lin's minutes to be perfectly reasonable. I don't agree with that long stretch of time he's benched from the end of the 1st quarter to the mid 2nd quarter. I'd reverse those minutes and start him the 2nd quarter while letting the reserves finish the half.
I find Lin's playing minutes more than reasonable. But that's not the point. Lin's been benched a lot for the last 15 minutes of games - plus in overtime. And McHale's mistreatment of Lin in various ways - and by extension, Morey's - has been mind boggling and audaciously in full view. The Rockets "basketball minds" wouldn't have treat Lin that way unless they were trying to prove to the team's owner and the public that Lin was a fluke after all - and then had a plan to trade him next season.
DeleteNow, with Lin's knee being close to 100% and playing better despite their attempts to kill Lin's confidence and break his emotional and mental spirits, I really do hope that Lin buy out his contract. If not, at least don't re-sign after his contract expires. BUT... SIGH.... by 2015-16 season, Lin will be a ripe old age for a basketball player at 27 years old.
Morey wanted to trade Lin.
DeleteHe plans to get a super Center and a PF. With Harden, the rockets will be off the cap limit. That's why the Rox is playing with Harden as PG. Ever since the trade, when Harden is controlling the game as PG, the Rox lost. With Lin as PG, the Rox won the game. 6 win and 6 losses explain them all.
Again the stupid trade to the Kings is absurd.
Toney Douglus scored 17 points made 3 straight 3-pointers to beat the LA Clippers the rockets used to have difficulty with. Patterson shooting way over 50% and getting rebounds in only 26 minutes of play when DeM Cousin returned from injury. The Kings trounced the Clippers 38:18. The rockets gave them the fire power.
What a trade! What long term prospect! It is a bunch crap and wild imagination.There are lots of people patronizing Morey for whatever dumb things he does.
The rockets started the series with GS from 30 points up to 30 points down. It's because Morey have made that stupid trade. Look at the team score playing with Harden as PG. It's eye-soring. He threw those last second passes in order to get assists. His teammates had to throw up a Hail Mary Shot. His iso game is killing the ball movements. He handled the ball so much that the team petrified.
What has been hurting the rockets is the double standard applying to Harden and the rest of the team.
Look at the team scoring with the GS, the rockets has slided badly: 140, 116,94, 78. When Harden was not making his shots, hobbled and let his player shooting fizzy, he stayed on the court torturing us. When Lin was a little off, you saw Beverly coming in; recently scoring 0. This double standard hurt.
They moved Lin up so Harden could get the rebounds. They let Harden played as PG so he could get more assists. They were cheating on statistics.
When Harden was high in assists, the team lost the game. When Lin was high in assists, the rockets won. The 6 losses after the trade tells you the difference with Harden as PG.
The Rox played Dallas, GS and Phoenix twice since the trade. The rockets lost one and won one. Compare the statistics and look at the game recap, you understand the reason of losing. With Lin running the show, the rockets won. With Harden doing his mumble jumble iso games, the team lost.
@kwok
DeleteI know your right. Absolutely. On all point, in my opinion.
Despite our last Jazz match up result, they are not cake walk. Everyone must concentrate on DEFENSE and let Jeremy take care the rest
ReplyDeleteI wish Lin was playing for the Jazz right now. I'm torn because I want to root for Lin and the Rockets players, but I hate that I'm forced to root for the Rockets' "basketball minds" who have been major jerks to Lin the good guy.
DeleteThey should have handled Lin like any other team would have, as follows (a standard protocol): Lin's knee were not fully rehabbed, so announce that he will come off the bench to start the season to ease his way back. NOT all kinds of demeaning words, actions and attitudes that were thrown at him. No starting player with a good character like Lin has ever been treated liked that.
I believe your feeling and concern regarding the issue is mutually shared with many. But at least we just have to settle about it for now, at least he is not treated to the point of horrifically worst
DeleteYou know what I don't like? Whenever I visit the Rockets Video Gallery (nba.con/rockets), they force feed a featured or initial video that I'm not interested in; and that video's viewed count is inflated that way too, which is silly. More frequently, Non-Lin videos pop up automatically. They are pushing a certain player's video that I'm not interested in. No video should come up immediately upon visiting any team at NBA.com. They should just let the visitor decide.
ReplyDeleteCommunism in #RedNation what do you expect lol jk
DeleteHahahaha (;~)
DeleteActually, I'm interested in other players video too, BUT I can't really afford the time, because it would take more of my disposable time away from visiting this site. LOL.
"So nice, we show it twice ... " Walt Clyde Frazier:
ReplyDeleteOn pre thread's post on JLin and his pull back mid-range: I think he can do it well, but he's not allowed to do it much in this system. Looking back on these games, it really makes me wish there is a little more freedom in this system. Sure, this offense scores a lot - but it doesn't adjust well to game adversity because the players are not as free to score in different ways, and players aren't used to it. So, if they can't get to the rim, or shoot the 3, it's a long day.
+++
The repost:
@Etane - I think I remember the announcers highlighting it in the Lakers game just before he did the spin move on Fisher, and he did a v nice fake cross to the right, pull back shot on the Wiz ...
2:50-3:25: Lakers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icTkbn9Sprs
0:55, 1:10 and then 1:52 crossover Wall and dunk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUE1VvQ4Z60
4:27 and of course the final shot: Raptors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLk0dE8Z9U8
1:21 TWolves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQo93nlacu4
Not sure that's a lot, but it's memorable and he can do it well. You might be right about the knees thing earlier this season, but I think it's more the 'no short j's allow rule".
It is no secret that Rockets shot selection limited to 3 pointers, layups, and free throws
DeleteJT:
DeleteThe no short J rule definitely did handcuff Lin since he's not a spot up 3 shooter and his drives are much limited compared to last year.
I think eb5 was specifically talking about this move to compliment his quick first step?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y932jIh6IA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0OC5K0WsYU
I saw Lin do it once last year but can't find it on youtube.
Notice in the Manu video where he's jumping back with his left foot? That's a lot of lateral torque on the knee.
I think moves like these and the spin moves are rather no nos for him at this point cuz of the knee.
Most if not all of his drives this year are pretty straight now either to the right of the rim basic layup or left of the rim reverse layup.
Lots of his "crazy" drives he did last year involved a lot of lateral movement. Those are pretty much gone this year.
So, due to the knee and the no short J rule, Lin's arsenal are down to only a handful.
I also attribute a large part of Lin's seeming lack of arsenal to the game plan itself.
DeleteIn New York, Lin had several high quality big men who would set screens for him and play decoy. That spaced the court and allowed Lin to pick his spots.
In Houston, Lin doesn't have a big man that is regarded by opponents as an offensive threat. When Lin runs anything with a screen, opponents ignore the big man and collapse on Lin. Lin typically outruns the opposition, and the speed needed to do that does limit Lin's repertoire of moves a bit.
I think that in a more conventional offense with average level big men, Lin would show more moves. On the other hand, it's hard to argue with the results especially since the trades of Morris and Patterson which have freed up the perimeter.
Yup that lack of a PnR partner continues to be Lin's bugaboo in the paint.
DeleteLet's hope that Motiejeunas keeps developing then, Etane.
DeleteI don't think anybody is telling Motiejeunas to camp out at the 3 point line, but then that's because I don't think the Rockets coaches really tell anybody anything!
I'd like to see Motiejeunas get closer to the basket. That guy can score, and opponents have not yet figured out that he isn't strong enough to hold position in the post. Lin and DMo should take full advantage of that while it lasts.
Rockets should fine Dmo each time he even thinks about running away from the rim instead of running towards it.
DeleteDmo probably steps out of the lane to clear driving lanes for James Harden.
DeleteWhat DMo needs to do is HOLD HIS GROUND and let Harden utilize him as a hand-off decoy for easy dunks.
This is another problem with a pure motion offense. Just because a guy like Harden wants to drive doesn't mean that he SHOULD have an open lane every time he starts his isolation up top.
Dmo can be the poor man Amare since he has a decent J and a baby sky hook.
DeleteI don't foresee Dmo as the long term solution as Lin's PnR partner unless he can double the size of his quads over the off season.
I have always believed that Tyson was the linchpin in Linsanity. Without Tyson, Lin couldn't collapse the defense with a credible threat. The alley oops to Tyson made it possible for Lin to kick it out to Novak.
DeleteThe Mchale offense is being pushed out to the perimeter by defenses sitting high on the key. Teams are making it hard for Rox to score with 3s and slashing attack by Lin and Harden by stuffing the high middle with their bigs. They have exposed the Rox's lack of low post attack.
Many wonder why Lin kept feeding Asik in the paint earlier in the season and continue to force it. I credit him with the foresight to "pay it forward" by making Asik develop the offensive skills needed to be a credible threat for the Rox in the future.
Until the Rox can get a big man to play the role of interior threat, they are going to have to live by the 3s. Mchale is so dense that he can't see how valuable the PNR is to their playoff run. As many has noted, only Lin and harden can create their shots. Unless Mchale let's these 2 run the offense through the PNR and not the motion offense, the Rox will continue having shooting woes because Parsons and Defino won't be able to shoot easy open shots. The last game in particular when Harden was doubled up, Mchale should have opened up Lin on the other side of the court.
Yes, Etane, that's the move I am talking about, however you create that spacing, whether by behind the back dribble or forward dribble and stepping back. I really think Lin needs to add this arsenal to complement his driving to the rim weapon, so he can score without hurting his body. I have not seen Lin do this move, or if he did, I have not seen it.
DeleteRegarding solidz comments about lins injury.... Its a leak by the rox on purpose to mask the misuse of lin. I dont trust it.
ReplyDeleteThat's possible too in this day and age.
DeleteTo be fair, it was clear Jeremy was not himself in the first 6-8 weeks. He was a step slow on both ends and didn't finish at the rim consistently.
We'll just have to see what happens the rest of this season and next. Only time will tell what McHale and Morey really think of Jeremy.
mt,
DeleteAbsolutely. It's a propaganda. Spin. Damage control.
Notice, the leak via the Clutch site came out just as the following article was published by a Houston writer no less (and many people reading and commenting - for a smaller site):
http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-18-13-jeremy-lin-shackeling-hurts-the-rockets-almost-treated-with-tim-tebow-disdain/
Jeremy Lin shackeling hurts the Rockets: Almost treated with Tim Tebow disdain March 18, 2013
ALot of article do come up and we should not be summing up based on one or two article. Time would tell, how things are rolling, either UP or DOWN?
DeleteThis is what I posted in the earlier thread...
Jeremy Lin: Houston Rockets Must Lean Heavily on Surging PG
Quote
Prior to that, Douglas was the preferred option at point guard in the fourth quarter. He had more experience, and clearly more trust from the coaching staff.
Hi-res-163781533_crop_exact Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Now, that trust must be placed in Lin. It has been a journey for Lin this season as he learns how to play with Harden, but he is certainly acclimating.
Over his last three games, he is averaging 19.3 points, six assists and two steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field, and he has been coming up big for the Rockets when they have needed him.
If the Rockets are going to continue to evolve, they are going to need Lin to be play at an All-Star level. Lin is carrying a hot hand right now, and Rockets coach Kevin McHale should milk that for all it's worth.
Not only will this help the team in the immediate future, but it will help build trust in Lin, give him confidence and allow this team to start building an identity worth building around.
I didn't get any sense that he was trying to justify rockets benching of Lin. As a matter if fact, no one asked if his limited playing time was due to him not being at 100%. He didn't even bring up the playing to e issue.
DeleteIf u so venture, go check out the thread yourself. He doesn't just talk about Lin. Unless he is a professional fraud just pulling our chains, he sounds legit. U can decide for yourself if his posts have an ulterior motive. Personally, I thought everything he said was believable.
Agree with Solidz. If the knee injury was bothering Lin, they would not have him play at all. This is the NBA and you can't limp around on one leg or else you will get killed out there. Lin's quickenss was never an issue. It was his explosiveness that took time to come around. And shooting too.
DeleteAgree with Ger. If Lin's knee wasn't 100%, why the hell is he on the floor fighting through all the picks chasing the opposing teams' pg all over the place?
DeleteSure, Lin was shackled on offense. But, he was 110% on D.
solidz, I had a previous discussion with alcsd regarding the credibility of cyberx to provide insider leak. His one valid objection was the leak on choosing Lin over Dragic because Dragic was released a day before the 1st $19M contract was offered to Lin so there was no guarantee to know NY wouldn't match Lin. Rockets can be left without Dragic and Lin.
DeleteSo it could be a different interpretation of what he heard from the Rockets executive but there is always a 5%-10% chance of inaccurate information from the executive even if he's credible. Or even worse, this is an "intentional leak" to diffuse the heated situation over Lin's usage.
At this point after monitoring his CF posts, I would believe the guy does have Rockets connection probably 80% because of previous track record with Asik's Bulls contract, small minor details on meeting Harden backstage in concert and most of all no conflicting lies so far.
And if it were true that Lin is 100%, does it mean that they will trust him more with more PT and Q4 role in the crunch time? I guess we are about to see how a 100% Lin will be used in the last 15 games and the playoff.
Note: There was always a chance of 85% truth and 15% lies in an intentional leak to calm Lin fans down and even persuade Lin to stick with the Rockets in his reduced role behind Harden.
BTW, there was a supporting information that Lin's knee was not 100% back in Nov-Dec(?) during one Morey's radio interview. If I remember correctly, he could accelerate but was not able to stop on a dime, perhaps also affecting his lateral movement.
DeleteWhile it might be true that Lin's knee is just back to 100% recently and it somewhat explains Lin's limited 32min/game PT, it's not a valid reason to explain how Lin is not the primary PG over Harden as Calvin Murphy and many people called out.
I still believe that there is no conspiracy to underutilize Lin from the coaches but they simply erroneously believe in the current system of featuring Harden/Parsons/Lin to be main playmakers. Harden and Parsons mostly just attack on the first opportunity but Lin is the more cautious pure PG to probe and retreat if there is no easy score or assist. Lin is simply having a hard time to adjust to play in this flawed system.
Psalm, with respect to cyberx's credibility.. Yeah your guess is good as mine. But he is really a messenger of a messenger, so he is only good as his source. I just wonder if the executive he spoke to is okay with him divulging all these info.
DeleteIn any case, I thought it was also interesting that they got rid of Morris because he is not too bright and that harden is feeling a lot if pressure to get the Rox into the playoffs and hence his reaction last post game. Wonder if harden is someone who wilts under pressure like he did against Miami in the finals.
Interesting thoughts. Whether true or not, it was nice to at least hear that Lin is viewed as an important asset in the organization.
Solidz, yeah I had the same exact thought if the executive gave the green light to him to leak this insider information as long as it reflects well for Houston Rockets.
Deleteoh, he also talked about Morris not being bright? wow, I need to keep up with the latest news :)
True, the silver lining is Lin being an important asset whether it's any combination of marketing or basketball talent.
I wonder if Lin's agent would express a desire for a more traditional PG role in the future contract negotiations. On one hand, Lin could feel indebted to Houston for making the only offer to steal him from the Knicks but on the other hand, Lin can't get his All-Star numbers easily in the current Houston system due to lower number of assists. And we know being an All-Star is one of his goals. Just thinking out loud here.
For now, the playoff push is definitely in both Harden's and Lin's mind.
psalm,
Deletei believe whatever helps the team win will be the role that lin will want to play, and will be the role the team will want him to play.
whatever system they run doesn't trump winning. les knows that without winning, all the money from lin will dry up. and if making lin more of a traditional PG will help this team win, then that will be his role whether or not it's written in his contract.
and frankly, i wouldn't want that in the contract. it would insinuate that he's not willing to sacrifice for the greater good, which is far from the truth. he might have better numbers but i'd rather him win games and possibly championships. i suspect he would too.
anyway, they're still figuring things out and the way roles are played out this year may be very different from how they will play out next year once they've had a whole year of data to digest and saw what everybody brought to the table.
yes, fighton. I also wasn't thinking about writing a requirement for Lin's contract to have at least 60%-70% of playmaking in the contract. I don't think it's ever been done to tie players' preference of play in the contract because coaches and systems can change, right?
DeleteAnd it will definitely reflect badly to Lin as a selfish player.
I was wondering how Lin would contemplate his choices in 2-3 years when his personal goal (All-Star) might conflict with the current system.
But yes, a lot could change in 2-3 years with the system especially it the current system is not a winning playoff style. I'm just having serious doubt of the current system in the playoff but perhaps more experienced players will make it better. A bit too early to make any worthwhile discussion.
psalm,
Deletei do think the current system could work with a few tweaks. i think a team with its bread and butter of a fast break system could work, but also need a decent half court game with a good pg to win it all.
i look at the lakers of the 80's, and to me, they're mainly a fast break team with magic leading the charge. but when forced to play half court, they have kareem.
with a stronger inside game, i really think this could work.
I certainly hope the Rockets will get their dominating big man.
DeleteThe biggest tweak will certainly be to sell the idea that they also need to sometimes trust Lin be the PG during crunch time in the 4Q even if the ball doesn't necessarily find Harden for the last shot.
That's the predicament of having 2 ball-dominant guards. It should really be 60%-40% once Lin and Harden learn to play off each other.
So I get it. It all makes sense now. The constant benching of Lin was because of his knee problems. Puuuuuuhhhleeeeze! you misinformed fans!
ReplyDeleteAgree!
DeleteIt's no coincidence the "info" on the subject FINALLY leaks NOW, after all the chatter on the net. The article by the Houston writer. Harvey, is the FIRST of it's kind by that type of legit writers.
JEREMY TUESDAY SHOOTAROUND
ReplyDeleteCOMPILATION OF JEREMY'S LINCRIMINATING STEALS
I have noticed that KHuang's boy Hansbrough started in place of David West yesterday and put up 14/14 in just 27 minutes in a win for the Pacers and his opposing PF scored only 6 points too.
ReplyDeleteCertainly looks like starting quality numbers to me.
Not to rain on the parade but Hansbrough was 4 or 14. He's not a good shooter, not just from this outing but in general. He did grab 14 rebounds, 9 offensive ones btw. Rockets would welcome those types of rebounds. West had a sprained lower back and sat that game.
Delete*4 of 14.
DeleteThanks, Cara.
DeleteNow they're talking about leaving David West on the bench when he returns - which will NEVER HAPPEN.
I am rarely disappointed in Larry Bird, but I was VERY CRITICAL when he went out and got David West because the Pacers supposedly needed "more athleticism" at the 4 spot despite Psycho T having games like this as a starter.
I keep writing that the same racial bias that called the ultra athletic Lin "unathletic" is the same incorrect bias that calls a running dunking bruising winning brute like Psycho T "a big slow white stiff". The same guy who jumps up and dunks over a healthy Amare Stoudemire is "unathletic".
I am not kidding or talking big when I say I'd rather have Tyler Hansbrough as a running mate for Jeremy Lin than Josh Smith or Paul Millsap or any other "available" power forward in the NBA.
Psycho T, with proper minutes, could become a Charles Barkley type of player.
Here's a recent Insider article. I can't get the full article here's a part
Deletehttp://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nba/rumors/post?id=4471
"Apparently some fans of the Pacers feel Tyler Hansbrough should start ahead of David West at the power forward position and Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star says that kind of talk needs to stop.
Wells writes: "West gets injured, heads to the sidelines, Tyler Hansbrough steps in, has two good games and all of sudden some people are saying West should come off the bench when he returns. Are you serious? Is that an early April Fools Day joke? ... Put a stop to it. There’s no way in hell it’s going to happen. There’s no way in hell it should happen. How quickly some people forget, it wasn’t that long ago that Hansbrough was struggling so bad that an argument could be made that Jeff Pendergraph should back up West at power forward."
Wells is right, Hansbrough is at best a backup power forward in the NBA and when healthy West (lower back injury) will assume his position in the starting lineup.
West becomes a free agent in July and one of the top priorities for the Pacers will be to re-sign him."
This is what some Pacer fans had to say about TH
Delete"If anyone suggest a that west come of the bench for Tyler they need to get their heads checked. I've never seen an uglier offensive player under the ring then Tyler. Some call it a bulldog I call it ugly... West is a beast. Don't be so quick to forget what he does every game. Love the pacers. All the way from Sydney."
"Tyler Hansbrough is a different kind of player...that's for sure. And, maybe a little bit ugly. (You remember Charles Barkley). But he is a valuable commodity coming off the Pacers bench. Opposing players cringe and say... 'OH NO!!! Here comes Hansbrough'. And Vogel says, he could start for a lot of NBA teams. But he can't replace our David West, and I believe he understands that. But West won't be here forever. Maybe he'll be our Jeff Foster for several years, with the ability to score ever so often...and hit free throws."
Well, people have short memories.
DeleteIt was Tyler Hansbrough that SAVED Larry Bird.
When Bird was hired as Indiana president, he boldly predicted that the Pacers would make the playoffs in his three year tenure.
If I recall, the Pacers finally did make the playoffs with a weak 36-46 recored that was an 8th seed in the Leastern conference. But the key to their late season surge was Hansbrough who went from DNPs under Jim O'Brien to starter under new coach Frank Vogel.
Hansbrough had several games that were MORE impressive than this one. He led the Pacers against a full strength Bulls team and gave the Bulls all they could handle. The Bulls just could not do anything to slow Hansbrough down.
----
By the way, Hansbrough faced off last game against a quality Orlando front line.
The other guy who I follow is Andrew Nicholson, a player the Rockets easily could have drafted instead of Royce White or Terrence Jones.
Nicholson had 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in only 15 minutes!
When Nicholson played the Rockets, he MURDERED the Rockets front line.
This is why I don't consider Daryl Morey a good evaluator of talent. I was writing BEFORE the draft that Nicholson was one of the top players and had more upside than #1 overall pick Anthony Davis, and so far Nicholson has dominated despite very low playing time.
Excellent links, geronimo.
DeleteTyler Hansbrough "could" become the next Jeff Foster? That's as utterly insane as saying that Jeremy Lin is worse than Charles Jenkins and Acie Law!
The reason people consider Psycho T's game "ugly" is because he's SUPER ATHLETIC. He knocks people around, makes key plays, is extremely cerebral, and scares opponents.
The Barkley comparison is very good. Hansbrough has range out to the 3 point line and can really put the ball on the floor. At UNC, he was an inside outside player unlike West who's strictly an outside guy. Hansbrough also plays flawless pick and roll, thus making him the ideal Jeremy Lin partner.
If Tyler Hansbrough were black, people would be like "Psycho Chuck!"
Well if Hansbrough was a starter and no longer one, it does say a lot about his game. He's determined and a high energy dude, or psycho, but that's probably it.
DeleteHm, perhaps Morey can put wool over Larry Bird's eyes to trade Psycho T for the Winnebago Man (aka "Royce White").
DeleteThat would be the trade of the decade!
No prob KHuang. I know you're a psycho T fan and I'm not hating on him. Just showing what others have said about him.
DeleteNo one wants Winnebago. Pacers are not going to give up psycho for Winnebago. Just as recent as a couple of days ago White went at it again. He said the NBA, GMs, and Rockets wants him out. The dude is insane. Just get on a plane and everything will solved.
DeleteYeah, if I were the Pacers, I would certainly consider not re-signing West. Not only West is not getting any younger and is historically injury prone, they would better save some money for a future big extension for Paul George, especially considering they are already tied a lot of money to Hibbert, Granger, George Hill etc.
DeleteOn the other hand, Hansbrough is not only younger but cheaper as well. He also looks like more athletic, a better rebounder, better defender than West.
I guess it depends on the team need but as the Pacers coach said, Hansbrough looks like he is good enough to start.
I don't think you're criticizing Psycho T at all, geronimo.
DeleteIt's just that I can tell who has real NBA ability, even if he's unfairly buried on a bench.
Geronimo, you shoulda seen the FLAMES that were fired at me when I posted in January 2012 that Lin had "All Star ability" and could "average the same kinds of stats he averaged at harvard" and was "a cross between Steve Nash and Jason Kidd". THOSE were flames.
I am just not the type of guy that believes people when they say things like "Jeremy Lin is unathletic and doesn't deserve to be in the NBA" or "Tyler Hansbrough is at best a backup". Given how critical I am of guys that supposedly can play, I am very firm in my beliefs when I see guys like Lin and Hansbrough making NBA All Star level plays every time they step onto the court.
I'd go so far to say that if the Pacers utilized Hansbrough as a starter, he's be the best player BY FAR on the Pacers.
DeleteJust like Lin came in and saved the Knicks singlehandedly, Hansbrough came in and saved the Pacers in midseason. It literally was "Psychosanity"!
Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and Danny Granger are very good All Star players. But Psycho T can become a GREAT player.
I was talking in jest about stealing Hansbrough for Royce :)
DeleteLarry Bird definitely wouldn't touch Royce even if his numbers are promising.
I compared Hansbrough's advanced stats compared to David West's and what stands out is definitely Hansbrough's Offensive Rebounding prowess (PER36 4.1 vs 2.2 this year) but West's definitely is slightly better scorer (PER36 18.7 vs 14.8).
I'd say Millsap still fits the prototypical stretch PF that the Rockets covets with his 3PT shooting. But perhaps Psycho T will be the next experiment for an inside -presence PF if TRob's experiment doesn't work.
Psycho T is simply a better PLAYER than Paul Millsap, by a large margin.
DeleteIndiana under/misuses TBone, so it's hard to compare statistics.
What I can see by my eye test is that Psycho T is a bruising jumping jack dunking shotblocking dribble driving forward who runs like a guard and scores inside like a center. This is one of UNC's top 5 players of all time and had a complete skill set from the minute he entered the NBA.
The Rockets will undervalue Psycho T just like they undervalued Andrew Nicholson and Jeremy Lin (the first time around).
psalm234, I think the Rockets value Royce White more than they would value Psycho T!
DeleteI say trade one crazy for another!
That's also what I'm getting, KHuang :) but unfortunately Larry Bird is not linsane enough to acquire a distraction into his team.
DeleteLarry Bird retired from the Pacers, so it's now Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard making the calls.
DeleteBesides, Larry drafted Lance Stephenson who had legal trouble and threw his girlfriend down a flight of stairs while a Pacer! Larry got "Born Ready" Lance Stephenson at #40 in the same year he could've drafted Jeremy Lin.
I think that if Indiana had drafted Lin instead of "Born Ready", Jim O'Brien would still be head coach and Roy Hibbert and Paycho T and Danny Grangwr and Paul George would be the best starting 5 in the NBA right now.
Khuang...I tend to agree with you player assessments. I love Omar Samhan too, I think I posted way way back under the weird moniker "4d2p3432". I also love Psycho T, great face up, good enough post game, and gets after the boards. He has a limited wingspan but he makes up for it with a super high motor.
DeleteI have to disagree about Lance though. I think in hs he was a ball dominant selfish guard. But now I think he has grown up a lot and has learned how to play off the ball while putting up decent stats.
I'm not faulting Lance Stephenson for his game ON the court.
DeleteIt's his game OFF the court that was troubling. However, he seems to have turned himself around and is playing very well.
I won't fault Larry Bird for getting Stephenson, though I think Lin would have been a far better pick than ANY PLAYER in the 2010 draft!
----
Psycho T's lack of wingspan bothers me as little as Jeremy Lin's lack of wingspan does.
That "motor" that Psycho T has? It's actually super athleticism that NBA personnel refuse to recognize just because Psycho T is an unathletic white guy in their eyes.
Psycho T is a guy who doesn't have any holes in his game. All he needs are MINUTES.
The problem with Rockets management (aka Daryl Morey) is that he values 3-point shooting in power forwards FAR far more than rebounding, defense, interior scoring, etc. Which is why they'll probably end up with a Steve Novak/Ryan Anderson type player who "spreads" the floor, but does little else to affect the game.
ReplyDeleteThe T-Rob experiment and DHoward long-time pursuit are also interesting in how Morey want to have play two types of stretch PF and brute-force PF so the Rockets won't be one-dimensional.
DeleteWith Lin and Harden as the main playmakers, it certainly would be a waste of talent not to find a dominating presence inside the paint, at least like Tyson Chandler as Bob F Chan mentioned above.
Ho Chen: "Rockets' day off therapeutic to the players"
ReplyDeleteParsons' day off = Alicia Key
Lin's day off = Another Gym's Key
How is practicing shooting getting your mind off basketball?
DeleteSolidz, when he practices shooting, he gets to handle the ball 100% of the time.
DeleteVery therapeutic :)
I don't know playing basketball lets him keep his mind off basketball but I'm not faulting him. Just nitpicking.
DeleteEveryone is different. Some people enjoy routine and repetition. If Jeremy didn't practice on his day off he would probably expend more energy getting back into rhythm the next day. Jeremy may not like the business of the NBA but he loves basketball.
DeleteSome athletes are process oriented and others are result driven. No one is just one way but Lin is definately more process oriented. Result driven athletes use winning as incentive. Process athletes focus more on improving each day. I subscribe to the process method because they tend to be more even emotionally in dealing with pressure. Result driven athletes can allow the importance of a game become about their own self worth. Process types look at the game as a marker of their own process on a long journey. Each marker is a test of how they have improved and where improvements are needed.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLinsanity movie -> US distribution handled by CAA?
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linsanity_%28film%29
How ironic :)
Well, why not?
DeleteSince CAA's Stephen A Smith has been giving Jeremy Lin tons of FREE ADVERTISING by talking smack about Lin to national audiences, CAA might as well make whatever money they can in order to recoup SAS's airtime, right?
Anyone here watched the film already?
DeleteThat explains SAS?
DeleteHis change of heart on Lin that is.
Deletenah... SAS's apparent change of heart has nothing to do with CAA. and i really doubt he does have a change of heart - he just doesn't want to be embarrassed anymore. the minute the lin screws up he'll be "telling it like it is" again.
DeleteCAA is a HUGE company. and i doubt their film representation/distribution group has any idea what the sports management group is doing. in a company this big, the right hand rarely knows what the left hand is doing. it's a great selling point but much harder to execute.
LoL - you guys could be right. As long as they dont sack but distribute the movie - Im good. I was wondering - do you guys know anything about the distribution yet? How, when and where?
DeleteFortisimo is handling the distribution outside the US but so far -> nothing.
There's been a clamour of opinion about Harden's pathetic lack of defence. However, it must be borne in mind that opposition coaches target Harden to foul him out of the game. They realise that Rox's chance of winning plumet when Harden scores poorly. An example is Rubio's repeated flops against Harden.
ReplyDeleteSo this is what happens when a team is not that good. Rox coach has to have counter tactics against this obvious attempt to foul Harden out of the game. But I do agree with those who criticise Harden for just letting his man drive to the basket, and make a pathetic attempt to jab the ball out of the driving player or just high tail it to the other end, assuming that they will get the rebound and that Lin will feed him 2 easy points.
Sad but true -> he can play solid D - and he does - at times :)
DeleteSpeaking of an ideal big man PnR partner for Lin and Harden, let's hope it would never be Andrew Bynum.
ReplyDeleteSixers' Andrew Bynum not remembered fondly by former coaches
All the previous coaches (Magic, Kareem, etc.) and an anonymous Laker player commented on his lazy work ethic to practice fundamentals, pain tolerance and #1 player in the league who dislikes basketball. SMH
This is terrible.....How come he got more money than Lin did.
DeleteWell if u go by what cyberx said before this article came out, Bynum doesn't really love basketball.. He views it as a way to make money... Kinda like Jamarcus russel attitude. So it looks like cyberx's assertion is confirmed.
DeleteX also said that he feels bad for what he has done in Philly and is willing to give them a little discount as well as his loyalty.. So hopefully he will not end up anywhere close to Lin. The guy is obviously a cancer.