Monday, March 25, 2013

Rockets vs Pacers Game #71 Pre Game Thread

Rockets won so all's good but if they had lost…

207 comments:

  1. I haven't seen any of his game Hopefully he gets a little more playing time.

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  2. just want to ask ive seen this in youtube....chandler says houston dont have set offense?really?off topic sorry....really no set offense
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5erIPJN8d7A

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    1. a "hit it or miss it" coach ... sigh.. :<

      'just lucky to have 'talented' players.

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  3. If they had lost, try again next time until it's successful?

    It's not like what happened last game hadn't already happened before.

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    1. I begin to feel the same way. But for sure there will be major uproar and questions if we lost. Given the magnitude of that win, I'm so what appeased for now, but will never trust McGail, ever. He gave major kudos to Bev, which is deserving, just asking for the same for Lin, after great plays especially in critical moments

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  4. The 3 year contract was deliberate. Short term investment. Its a gamble same with Asik. Parsons wl probably get a better deal that can lead to a multi player deal in the summer.

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  5. With Jeremy Lin's NBA legitimacy fully secure in my mind, I of course will be rooting for my man Tyler Hansbrough.

    Normally I don't get excited seeing players dunk, but I do get excited with Psycho T's dunking because it debunks the incorrect notion that he's a slow clumsy white guy.

    I enjoyed seeing Psycho T dunk on Garnett and Stoudemire.

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    1. Lol not a difficult prediction!

      Psycho T will school whoever Houston have at PF. Paul George will school Parsons. Hibbert is better than Asik at everything except rebounding.

      With Psycho T in the lineup, the Pacers arguably have the best and most balanced starting 3-4-5 in the league. They also have prefect defenders in George and Stephenson and shot blocker in Hibbert to neutralize Harden.

      If Lin is not allowed to play PG again and get the best of the average George Hill, it's not hard to imagine nothing but a Pacers win.

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    2. @KHuang, I will look for your man's poster! Not.on.Lin.

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    3. Tyler Hansbrough has been playing absolutely great as a starter.

      I actually want Tyler to go off against the Rockets.

      I kinda wish that Indiana had used its other 2010 2nd round pick on Jeremy Lin instead of Magnum Rolle (a promising talent until he tore up his knee). That way I could've watched three of my favorite players in Lin, Psycho T, and Area 55 Hibbert all on one single team!

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    4. Thanks, man. Now you give me some hooks into this game to get me going.

      Any comments on his stats:

      http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4618

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    5. The 1st year stats were messed up because Hansbrough battled inner ear vertigo that gave him concussion syndrome and knocked him out for almost the entire season.

      The 2nd year, he started out being barely played by Coach Jim O'Brien. But then Bird fired O'Brien and installed Frank Vogel. Vogel benched the nonproducing starter and promoted Hansbrough. Indiana went on a tear with Hansbrough as he immediately became a guy who often went off for 20 points and 10 rebounds. So Hansbrough's season stats are skewed by a full half season where he was barely being played.

      Then the Pacers got David West. Hansbrough's minutes went back to the bench while West played most of the minutes. This year, Hansbrough has been benched for West the entire season.

      Now that David West is injured with that back problem, Tyler Hansbrough is putting up double doubles every night in Pacers wins.

      Tyler Hansbrough is even more underutilized in Indiana than Jeremy Lin ever was. I'd take Hansbrough over any of the Rockets current power forwards and would actually prefer him over Josh Smith, Al Jefferson, or Paul Millsap.

      Psycho T has an incorrect reputation for being a clumsy dorky player, just like Lin has an incorrect reputation for being a slow unathletic scrub. The truth is that Psycho T is probably the most fundamentally sound athletic young power forward in the NBA.

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    6. Thanks for this - his wikipedia looked much better than his stats, so I appreciate your explanation. Nice ... another guy to watch out for.

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    7. Hansbrough: 15 ppg, 10 rpg as a starter

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  6. McHale's usage of Jeremy is predictable, vs Pacers I'm expecting Jeremy will be benched early in 1st quarter because of a shot that didn't go through, a bad TO, or because Jeremy will play damn good McHale will bench him for no absolute reason.too bad the Pacers wasn't Jeremy's old team. McHale gives Jeremy more minutes when he is playing vs his old teams.

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  7. Just to throw it out there, lin is not the only one being mistreated by an organization. If they choose to waste 25m that's their choice. He's a pawn in this organization so to them he's expendable. Only thing he can do is make best of the situation and move on. People that want him to buy or his own contact is just insane. You are gambling with your own money if you do that. Money is not an issue only when you are financially stable. From his 25m, he probably meet 12m which is not a lot. Everyone wants to play for a good organization but you know what it doesn't always happen.

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    1. I totally agree! We should all enjoy the games to come, because JLin is banking $12m after taxes and that's 2 generations of resources with philanthropy included.

      Maybe we fans grind because we want JLin to have a great run to avoid our own limits with the organizations or people we are with. I instead celebrate his overall success, and I take lessons from his struggles. Being much older than him, it's a privilege to find a younger person with more energy to follow.

      As a buddy and I used to say, we just hook our water ski rope to your belt loop, and say "Hit it!"

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    2. Jeremy Lin can ask for a trade, which would be BETTER than a buyout. But if they don't trade him next summer, THEN if I were Lin, I would do the buyout. I NEVER thought a buyout should be the first choice, but because it seemed to me that the Rockets were going to keep him and misuse and mistreat (including verbally & PR) him for the duration of his contract, I thought about a buyout would make Lin TAKE CONTROL of the situation (And this is coming from someone who values money for survival and hobbies, BUT does NOT LOVE money). HOWEVER, if I strictly go by logic (they wouldn't be mistreating - even in PR - a player that they intend to keep), the Rockets should be trading Lin ASAP. I hope that's the case, rather than just dangle him for sponsorship reasons (that is STUPID marketing any way). The earlier they trade the better, because of the fleeting prime age for pro athletes.

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    3. Don't think it's as simple as you think. He would have to buy the remainder of his own contract, money that he does not have Since he gets paid biweekly. I think they would have to nullify his contract but that would require agreement on both sides. So the best possibility would be a trade.

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    4. JLi,

      In a contract buyout, the player DOES NOT OWE any MONEY. The player and the team negotiate the divorce settlement, in which the player typically settles for a small portion of the contract for which he has YET to render services for (a bit of free money, if you will) or in Lin's case (because he still has a lot of VALUE), the two parties would agree that neither party owes anything to the other (cancelling the rest of the contract). A buyout process involves waivers, in which case Lin can ask teams to NOT to claim him (like Billups did when the Knicks waived him, so that he could choose the Clippers), so that he would become a Unrestricted Free Agent.

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    5. @ztrta: as KHuang has said in the past, there's no guarantee someone will pick him up given this is his only big NBA contract. I'm not saying JLin has to settle for 3rd best, but that's a few lifetimes of money and it buys a lot of 'platform'. So, it's not even plausible that he would do that. He's no sell out, but he respects blessings to not steward them well. It's not likely he's going to make a fuss, and I doubt if anyone here would either, faced with the same choices.

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    6. JoeTeam,

      Lin's stock has risen a lot (it's been reported) because he has now played a full seasons worth of games. It shows that he's knee is fine and that he's no fluke (he never was, but the haters used the 28 games - which was a lot! - and the production decline under Woodson era, as an excuse), so SOME TEAMS will want to claim him (if bought out and subsequently got waived), but Lin could ask them to NOT claim him, so taht he can be a FREE agent (a la Billups)...... However, Lin is HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE TRADED (a good thing, barring a few teams), going by the Rockets behavior and words, including Morey's most recent SPIN that Lin is the next player most likely to be a long term Rockets, LOL SMH. I don't believe that - I would bet $$$ on it. Just 2 days before the trade deadline, Morey issued the misinformation that the Rockets will stand pat until next offseason; THEN on the day of the deadline (Feb 15) Morey trade away 4 players !!!!

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    7. edit.

      It wasn't Morey's spin directly, but through the assumed "insider" at Clutch, which made it "appear" all the more "legit" LOL.... I haven't visited Clutch for a long time, but some relayed the spin here.

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    8. Okay should've read up on it first but basically he asks the owners to call it even. Now why would they do that? They will get nothing out of it. Wouldn't it be better if they did a trade, or a multiplayer trade? Especially if they can get more. Even you said that his stock has risen. From a investment standpoint, if my stocks rose from what I purchased it at, why would I sell at the same price?

      Asking for a buyout or a trade is not beneficial to Lin because it would make him look like he's not loyal. Furthermore it will make it appear that he had something to do with Knicks not matching in the first place. From a organization standpoint, I wouldn't want a player that stirs up things by asking for a trade. Besides, He's not in the league long enough to have track record.

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    9. Agreed. Lin will be traded most likely - and as soon as next Summer, which will be good for all, imo. A trade is MUCH BETTER for the Rockets, so it will happen. If they don't wind up trading for some reason, Lin will have to suffer though it and make the best of it. But everything points to the Rox trading him in the next offseason. UNLESS the revenue from China's sponsorship and TV rights happens to be worth shackling Lin. But marginalizing Lin is a poor marketing strategy to China, I'd be confused. Also, China should then cancel any sponsorship/TV rights - but then Alexander could have secured a multi-year contract already (;~/) - but then - after the NY debacle - China may have smartened up and may have given Alexander ONLY a one year deal for now..... Ehhhh, whatever. Only time will tell.

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    10. The TV rights are with the NBA I think so it doesn't affect the Rockets bottom line. I'd be worried about a trade as well because you don't know if its a good team. We were all saying thank god he got of NY but look where are now. Basically in the same situation. So I don't mind giving him another year, since the third year might be his highest trading value.

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    12. @ztrta: ok, I see your point about Lin having open market value after this year. It's been a good year.

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  9. I was surfing the net for info on new philosophical ideas on management and found a paper by Ed Weymes on the topic. Most of you have probably encountered some form of management structures in your jobs and have had personal understanding of the effects of it on productivity. Jeremy Lin's problems with Mchale stems from the 2 major differences between traditional hierachical management and new flat systems management.

    traditional management is still used in the military and government institutions and some businesses. it is still considered to be a very east coast style of management.

    "Traditional management theory has been built on the command and control model developed by Frederick Taylor and based on the work of Max Weber. For Weber the purpose of business was to maximise shareholder wealth. This strategy could be achieved by viewing the organisation as a closed system, subdivided into discrete units with each unit focussed only on its own activities. Staff were required to follow specified procedures and INNOVATION was not encouraged. Systems and processes, rules and regulations, dictated the pulse of the organisation"

    "Fear, most of the time, becomes the main reason why employees obey their traditional managers, which is bad. Fear is far very different from the word respect and it doesn’t correlate with each other. You just can’t have respect if you don’t give respect to others. Just like if you show and ask your employees to fear you, you can never have respect, but surely they’ll fear you. These managers never talks to their employees, unless they need something from them. If these managers feel some silent grudges going on against them, they will do what it takes just to make their people obey them. They offer sanctions, and even pile up the job to the staff that shows signs of inobedience. And after a job well done, nothing! As if nothing happens! And if the employee fails them, staggering words of failure from their superiors will be heard and planted into his mind."

    if this sounds too much like how Mchale coaches to you, then how he has used Lin becomes understandable.

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    1. And how do you combat fear management? There's a solution to all..his faith will have to get him through these times

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    2. @a fan: if you are faced with fear management, find another job. Or, enjoy the ride by transcending the fear tactics and helping people out on your way out. Most people can't get above fear driven bosses, and we're lucky in a free society we can abstract ourselves to move on, and then move on. Even prisoners find ways to abstract the situation to something survivable, so your idea on faith is a key one. Faith, spirit within, etc. Key is not to pass on the stress, like we tend to do.

      On a christian front, you absorb the stress and pass it along to God. In secular life, you absorb the strife and are always in control of yourself. Not sure if you work out or yell at the dog.

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    3. For JLin , this is what keeps him grounded -

      Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God."

      During his early season struggles , he posted this in his FB.

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  10. Team performance or lin's thinking is contrary to individual performance or Mchale's thinking.

    Mchale' traditional style of management is based upon hierarchical control, individual performance, the strength of its indivdual parts, accountability / blame, and compliance. It is a very east coast traditional model

    Lin's west coast, silicon valley new model management isn't hierarchical, it's holistic and network building. its about interdependence of its parts. It's about teams and self organized systems. It's not individual performance, but team performance.

    In the matter of being selfish, it's semantics and relative from whose point of view. Looking at Mchale's management model, you can understand why he sees Lin as being selfish, a home run hitter and wanting to make 29 points and 9 turn overs. He has a system in place that basiclly replaces the PG's creativity. He has a hierarchy of performers, 1/ Harden, 2/ Parsons. Lin is a wrench in his wheels so he puts him in the corner where he can't get in the way.

    Lin's model is not about individual performance and that model is very modern. Team performance is used by modern manufacturing facilities in order to empower its employees. This has engaged every member of the team into finding improvements in process of the production for their area.

    This is why Lin continues to be in Mchale's dog house. His ideas and the way he plays is contrary to the traditional individual performance model that Mchale understands. When Lin tries to be unselfish to involve everyone of his teammates, he is seen by Mchale as being selfish.

    Given the parameters of his situation and that Mxhale is his boss, he has no choice but to comply within the structures of that system. Lin is NOT asked to be unselfish. He is asked to improve his individual performance the way that Mchale's hierarchical system demands. For Lin to move up to number 2 option, he has to perform within the system Mchale provided. That is not being selfish, it is called meeting targets and being accountable.

    Most of us believe that this hierarchical system can't win. Lin must defy Mchale's commands for Lin to move the ball and not to dribble in order to involve the rest of his teamates. is it possible for Mchale to see tha values that Lin's west coast new mnagement model? Everyone on this board can see that Mchale repeatedly reverts back to his way or the highway with Lin.

    Jeremy has improved this year, but I submit that it is more inspite of Mchale and less because of him. in fact many believe that Lin would have developed much faster under a system that allows him to use his creativity as a PG. i believe that Lin should tough it out with this contract and continue to build his individual performance in order to excel under Mchale's hierarchical grading system. For Lin to become relevant in Mchale's system, he must produce more points than Parsons in order to be the second option. Jeremy will then be able to comply within the system and increase his own value for the Rox as well as the league in general.



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    1. Old school, new school. Interesting. I find it hard to imagine NY beating out Silicon Valley for what we need in society to come. Even So SF is to me a fad so far compared to boring industrial parks in the heart of the valley.

      To bball, which team is managed in a new school way?

      On fear as a leadership tool, I've experienced that with old school bosses. Interesting the kind of environment and team you create, from the same good people. Nasty, in fact. Lord of the Flies, etc.

      For Rox, I think each of us takes our view and imprint on them our ideas of what is wrong. Something for sure is wrong, because the fact pattern is inconsistent and it's not just 'young, team, indiv' stuff. It's leadership, rewards, etc. Maybe really Les is getting old and he's not on top of a vibrant organization. Who knows. Key is, we all interpret these inconsistent facts with what we know, and I've gotten busy and just scan these posts now because it's not clear anymore even if Lin does well it matters to him or the team.

      So, just like people are saying, that he should take his shots and get his stats, I'm just enjoying each game for what it is and ignoring hopes for Lin + Rox, because it's clear the facts indicate some incoherence in Rox. I don't have life energy to devote to that dysfunction, so I'm following the Buddhist path of enjoying the moment.

      Wish you all a good day.

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    3. @Bob,
      Superb points made. May I also add that in McHale's system, Lin's selfish to get his teammates to run high pick n roll for him to excel. That explains why McHale allowed for PnR and PG centric offense in some games but in other games, he reverted to freestyling, everybody-is-pg motion offense.

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    4. I'll just say Lin is victim of double standard rather than conflicting philosophy with McHell.

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    5. Problem is that nba promote stars and that makes it a star's league where stars would get all the foul calls to make them good and win.

      That's why star individuals aka the McHale's model as you mentioned win in this league. And most people believe Lin's team work model (see Denver for example) cannot.

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    6. How does one get start treatment from refs if he's treated like a scrub by his own team?

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    7. McHale is a basketball talent trapped in a low IQ body. NO doubt he’s a HOF but the truth is, he’s just a substandard NBA head coach who doesn’t have a knack for coaching. Pour aggraver les choses, McHale practises favouritism and it’s pretty obvious to anyone half-blind that Lin is a scrub to McHale. The NBA refs know about it and they always rob Lin’s foul calls and award some of Lin’s calls to Harden so that Harden can be the NBA FT leader. It’s just hilarious to see McHale get a technical from complaining to the ref about Lin’s bogus foul call as McHale is the main culprit of the refs’ discrimination on Lin. But that one complaint made by McHale could be a PR move to appease Lin’s fans after a massive uproar over Lin’s benching and misuse.

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    8. McHell is also horrible in player-relations: McHale had to have created DISSENSION among this good group of young and impressionable Rockets (bless their hearts) with his terrible examples of blatant public favoritism or hatred. McHale also outwardly revels with a sense of POWER that's apparently empowered by his boss Morey. I think these young Rockets play and get along fairly well DESPITE the WEIRDO COACH. Imagine how much better they would gel with a more decent coach.

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    9. "Teammate Danny Ainge once called McHale "The Black Hole", joking that when the basketball was passed inside to McHale it disappeared because he rarely passed it back." - still visible with his coaching skills lol

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    10. @ joe team
      Thanks for your response. It is tiring to rehash the same dysfunctional issues over and over again with Mchale and Lin. This epiphany with how Mchale thinks has given me some peace that at least there is no malice in his actions. People always act by what they believe to be truth.

      If you believe, the mind will follow.

      I wrote an article 3 years ago that had a closing remark about how our world's problems are a macro manifestation of our individual actions. Some examples are as simple as recycling or car pooling, or just helping someone in need. I proposed that no big institutional fix can ever solve what amounts to each of our own individual responsibilities. Isn't this how most religions work! It got cut out by the editor.

      Last year I happen to catch a National geographic program on "Swam theory and bee intelligence". Low and behold, the author pretty much said the same thing I had proposed at the end of his show. What they had learnt from the bees is that their selfless individual actions to the hive is a pretty good role model for humans to follow. The transcripts are available on the net so check it out for a nice positive lift to our sometimes difficult existence.

      I believe that our forum is also an example of this swarm theory. Each of us bring our minds together in order to make sense of our reality. Collectively we gain some swarm intelligence that helps us all to deal with our lives.

      I hope to continue to see you on this forum and share positive reenforcements to each of our lives!

      I suppose that this means that Jeremy is our queen bee!

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    11. @isabelijane
      that joke about the "black hole" Mchale was too much. Had a good chuckle.

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    12. Jeremy Lin has adhered faithfully to what McHale said in his playing days:

      "When two guys are on you, shoot. When three guys are on you, pass".

      Actually, we've all seen Jeremy Lin shoot when he's had FOUR guys on him!

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  11. Bottom line is change will only happen if they have a loosing record. Otherwise no change, that's the reality with most organizations. Unless expectations change that's when you have restructuring.

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  12. I don't think the sky's falling. I actually believe in Jeremy's skill and tenacity. A truly gifted player put in Jeremy's position would rise to the occasion? And let me clarify: When I say put in Jeremy's position I'm only saying that it's not ideal for him: This happens all the time in the NBA.

    Now, as I was saying... a player as gifted as Jeremy will still rise to the occasion and end the year stunningly well even with the current situation. I am not worried at all. And moreover, even if he didn't do as well as I'm hoping this year, I really don't buy that next year will be exactly the same. Lin will be much better as a result of experiencing this year: He will be a different player and Mchale will not ignore that.

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  13. Lin will be gone in the off season. He'll have a better situation.

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    1. The blatant mistreatment is the writing on the wall.

      Morey tried to spin by saying Lin's knee wasn't well and that he needed more rest, BUT the Rockets didn't follow the normal NBA Team protocol for a STARTER not yet up to speed from surgery.** PLUS - Morey's explanation and excuse for McHale and himself doesn't explain the bad PR and VERBAL jabs against Lin; NEITHER does it explain the 4th quarter benchings.

      **
      1) Announce that he'll be coming off the bench to get acclimated again.

      2) Later, he starts but announce that he'll be limited to 20 minutes to begin with.

      3) He becomes a normal starter.

      What other teams (and the Rockets too, when it comes to any player NOT NAMED Jeremy Lin) DON'T DO is WHAT THEY DID TO Lin: No announcements, just blab that Lin hasn't done enough to rehab his knee; and then start him BUT treat him LIKE a BACKUP; bench him in the 4th and OT; verbally dismiss him and condescend him; treat him like a starter who has performed so poorly that THEY WERE FORCED to relegate him to being a BACKUP once he was introduced as "defacto starter". THE WHOLE DIABOLICAL SCHEME MADE JEREMY LIN LOOKED LIKE AN OVERPAID SCRUB THAT THEY WISH THEY HADN'T SIGN, When in reality, he was a surgically repaired starter who was on his way to being fully healthy from it.

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    2. Plus Jeremy had quite a few quite a few 35-40 plus minute games. This is how you play someone who is still not recovered from surgery and whose knee is still swelling not just after each game but during each game?

      The minutes during first 3 games of the season: 35, 40, 37

      And, Lin had to chase the opposing teams PG through each and every game which is one of the toughest assignments for someone with ailing knees.

      The low usage because knee weren't 100% excuse is bunk.

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    3. Plus have Lin be a spot up jumper, which depend on the knee mechanism.

      AND - after initially playing Lin a lot of minutes and then later cutting his minutes to 25ish minutes, for a short stretch of time in late December and early January, McHale had jacked up Lin's minutes to equal or higher than that of Hardens! For absolutely no reason! Like 40 to 42 minutes! People were rumbling about lin's minutes, so McHell was trying to make Lin's average playing time look more closer to that of other starters (probably for the team owner and the pundits when they review stuff). This worked too, because people keep saying Lin's average PT is 32.5 minutes. OF COURSE Lin's AVERAGE PT ISN'T AN ISSUE: It's EVERYTHING (minus the average playing time), including the kitchen sink!

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    4. has it ever occurred to you that they have no idea how long he recovers in the beginning of the season unless they play him? no one recovers at the same rate.

      early on they played him a lot and gradually, realized that he needs more rest and less playing time because the knee, fully healed, is still not there 100% in terms of stamina and strength. so they cut back on his minutes, then gradually increased it as the season went on, depending on how lin is reacting to longer minutes.

      i don't think you'll see lin with more than 35 minutes now, since that seems to be the length of time they're comfortable with, unless it's a tight game and they really need him on the court.

      it's very normal for players to take a year to fully recover, and with him coming back from surgery AND playing a full season for first time, i'm cool with 35min a game. and based on his performance in Feb and March, it seems like a good number of minutes for him.

      he had a bad game last game, in a game they really needed to win and got subbed out in last few minutes after parker went off on quick 6 pts. this still doesn't effect the overall trend of what we're seeing.

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  14. I also want to say that when I say "not ideal for him" it means that it's not ideal for him to reach his greatest potential *in reference to stats*. However, a very strong argument can be made that this year will develop his game much more than had he been given *that* ideal circumstance that I referenced in the very beginning of this paragraph.

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  15. You people are in a fantasy world if you think Lin with the McHale Rockets next year will improve. His talents are being wasted and needs to be set free.

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    1. Lin's had to work on aspects of his game that he wouldn't have to do had he been in a different system and on a team without Harden. This is not fantasy land. This is reality. Let's not forget he's still getting starter minutes. Let's put some of the pressure on Jeremy Lin to rise to the occasion in spite of it all instead of focusing all our attention on outside forces. At least, that is my philosophy!

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    2. And isn't that the true meaning of greatness, anyways? I like having pressure on Lin, I want to see what he can do!

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    3. Realistically, Lin definitely can work to improve his weakness in the short term as a spot-up shooter and not having the ball much in his hands, less bad TOs, and most importantly play in multiple gears to have a long NBA career.

      But ideally in the long-term, Lin needs to play in a system where he is allowed to have more freedom to be creative, more trust and more structure in order to unleash his true potential.

      Linsanity is just a glimpse of his potential, I believe his ceiling can be higher with more consistent shooting.

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    4. I agree, OP..... I hope Lin isn't fooled.

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  16. 1. Big ups to Beverly! Amazing block. hitting threes, and actually hit some timely layups. Played good D.

    2. Jeremy has shown he's clutch. He will rise to the occasion, if/when they get to the playoffs, Jeremy will start and get his chance to shine, and he's shown to be a late game closer, clutch, and steps up his game for better opponents.

    3. Lin is going to benefit from being on a winning team, he's a team player, and the Rockets winning even with stretches of him not on the court is a good thing. A godly man is selfless, and I would keep that in mind because it makes me feel like some of you wish the Rockets to lose for Jeremy to get more playing time.

    4. Jeremy is young. Tony Parker and many others see his elite potential, elite acceleration. He's going to get tired and will need a backup. Acceleration uses sprinters muscles and is tiring, and lowers his efficiency.

    Jeremy being being succeptible to being tired from quick acceleration will improve as he gains his experience on knowing to position himself and timing to utilize his bursts for higher percentage shots for the team. Sometimes he uses them and doesn't get layups or assists. I expect him to improve his efficiency as he figures out strategies and confidence in his floater.

    5. Teammates matter because they will play better defense, hit shots. All of this takes time to develop trust. Having Bev is great, so GM can focus their resources on frontcourt players. For exampe, I wish they had Tyson Chandler.

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    1. I stopped reading at number 2. What makes u think after all that has happened this year, Lin will get his chance to shine? In fact given that Morey and McHale seem to be so high on bev as the difference maker, it's more likely that Lin is going to have a shorter leash ( if it can get any shorter) in the playoffs.

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    2. I hope McHale slips on a banana and breaks his scrotum. I hope Harden Euro steps his way to two torn ACLs and never plays another game. I hope coach Sampson chokes on a ham sandwich. Then and only then will Lin get his 40 plus mins a game and his freedom to be as creative and as free as possible on the court. Then and only then will you see change and the Jeremy Lin we know and love. Otherwise nothing will change!

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  17. Yeah, I don't see the Rocket's looking for any more point guards. They now have 3 good point gaurds, JLin being the most superior one, obviously. It's the power forward position that they are lacking the most in regards to starters. And for depth, they are lacking in a bigger way on all positions except the point guard one. That's my novice assessment, at least.

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    1. Yes, Rockets need more depth at power forward. I liked the idea of dumping Marcus Morris but I wasn't a fan of trading away Patrick Patterson. Patterson was only a third year player and was one of the few Rockets who had any post moves. Thomas Robinson is undersized, has no offensive game, is poor defensively and isn't a great rebounder. D-Mo and Patrick Patterson sharing the power forward position would have been nice. Patterson is one of the reasons why the Kings are playing better. IMO the Kings got the better end of the deal.

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  18. Maybe Lin is happy where he is - just being able to play basketball for a living, which allows him to have a platform to promote his Christian faith - the most important thing in his life. Maybe he just wants to be a solid starter for a team and doesn't have the aspirations of becoming an elite pg. Maybe out expectation of him are greater than what the expectation he has for himself? I sometimes wonder if Jeremy's aspirations are in line with what we expect of him - if not, it wouldn't be fair for him.


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    1. Time will tell. JLin is in charge of his own career. I didn't follow him before Linsanity, but I bet the situation he was in before Linsanity was a lot worse than he is in right now. Despite McHale's coaching, he is still the starter and will get his opportunity to play basketball. Will he rise to the occasion or not? I'm willing to bet that it will be the former rather than the latter.

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    2. If Jeremy is happy just playing basketball as an average NBA point guard for a living that's fine. However Linsanity did happen which shows he has the potential to be elite. I just hope Jeremy hasn't lost the fire to become great. I see that fire and attitude in Beverly who has that same fearlessness Jeremy had last year. Remember when Jeremy used to attack the opponents bigs and get fouled and still finish? That rarely happens anymore. You can see it in Beverly's eyes that he wants Lin's job. Just like Lin used to want TD's job.

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    3. Solidz,

      Even after he went undrafted, Lin made a statement to a few confidants that he believed he will be an All-Star someday.

      "Asked in a phone interview Tuesday night whether he still believes he will become an All-Star, Lin told ESPNNewYork.com, "At some point, for sure. Right now I have a ways to go, but at some point, yes. I try to get better every year, and if I do that and work on the things that are problems for me right now, I definitely think I'll have that chance."

      So I don't think we can doubt that he has the self-belief that he has the abilities to be an All-Star someday. But he won't compromise his character and faith in accomplishing his personal goals. He won't turn into a spoiled brat demanding PT and trade like many NBA stars.

      And I'm glad he chose this path because if he changed his humble characters and work-hard-against-all-odds attitude to be a self-serving spoiled NBA star, many people will lose faith in him and he would just be another rags-to-riches story that gone bad or into a nightmare (i.e. Micheal Ray Richardson).

      The current season in Houston is just another chapter of Lin story trying to improve himself basketball-wise and maintain great characters in overcoming less-than-ideal job situation. That's what's inspiring to a lot of people including me.


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    4. If I never witnessed Linsanity perhaps I wouldn't have such high expectations for him. However I think it will be a complete waste of potential if he is just happy where he is. He is young and may not realize the opportunity he has. He doesn't want to look back at his life and regret his decisions - like Royce white inevitably will.

      I agree with smoovie.. Lin doesn't have that fire I see in pb or saw in himself last year. I absolutely detest the fact that he points out that he didn't do much of anything when in fact it was never that bad and he wasn't even prompted. I hate the fact that he continues to praise the coaching and bev when bev never returns him the favor. I hate the fact that he is even afraid to say something to the effect of "I know I can make contributions to the team if I'm given the chance" - which is not even calling anyone out. I hate the fact that he feels it was okay bev played the crunch time because he was playing so bad.

      There is definitely something missing from Lin this year... And it has a lot to do with loss of his confidence. When I hear Morey praise bev as the mist surprising rocket of the year.. U can't help but wonder if Lin's days as a rocket are numbered.

      U guys can prop him all u want with what a great inspiration he is and all that. But I can't help but think that he is headed towards being a great disappointment.

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    5. Why did McHale call Lin a big game hunter?
      What's the biggest game of all?

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    6. solidz,

      I understand the missing Linsanity basketball part matters to you more than his inspiring story or high characters in his current minimized role in Houston.

      From basketball perspective, Lin is unable to recreate Linsanity playing in a new system where it is not PG-centric and the worst of all he is supposed to play Harden role if Harden was not traded to Houston in the beginning of the season.

      I'd say Lin is improving tremendously especially his 3PT shooting (29% in Nov to 40%-43% in Feb-Mar) given a minimized PT (32mpg), a new non-PG centric system and a role player (not future star) without much room for mistakes.

      It's an unrealistic expectations for us to expect consistent Linsanity performance given all these minimizing factors in Houston.

      If Houston trades Lin next year, I would be ecstatic because it can be a win-win for the Rockets and Lin. Lin can grow to make plays or learn from mistakes while handling the ball most of the time ala CP3.

      For the time being, he just needs to be patient and do his best in the current system to improve his aggressiveness, 3PT shooting, individual scoring skills and perhaps seize the moment in the playoff when his teammates struggle.

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    7. Psalm, u got it wrong. It's not that I'm expecting Linsanity this year.. Not at all. I'm just saying I feel like we saw his potential and if Lin is just happy with where he's at, it would be a great waste. Of course I realize the external factors that makes it literally impossible for him to achieve it. But watching his recent demeanor, especially after seeing his reaction in the pg interview, I wonder if he is just satisfied with the status quo, including how he is utilized - esp if things are not going his way.

      Do u see bev ever complimenting Lin recently? They may be on good terms but bev is trying to take away what Lin has. Bev has his own life story of being overlooked and having to earn his keeps. He is hungry. He is that Jeremy who almost got cut before he broke out.

      I miss that Jeremy who when interviewed during the laker half time said he is going to look at some tape. That kid who was not going to waste the pportunity he was finally given.

      I find Jeremy's willing public acceptance of situation quite disturbing. Sure we can all gets our hopes up saying how he will break out in the playoffs, how there is no way McHale is going to sit him after three straight 20 point games.. Etc etc. However, being misused against your wishes is one thing, but just passively accepting what is being done to you is sometihing I can't agree with.

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    8. Not disturbing ... Disappointing is much more apt.

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    9. got u, solidz.

      I had a different take listening to his recent post-game comment about him not doing well. I'd say he said all the right things as a good PR that won't bite him back like last season's "85% healthy knee". Media interview is just for PR and never a good avenue to make changes to the system without being labeled a selfish whiner.

      To me, it looks like he's definitely unhappy with his own performance that gave a reason to play Bev in the crunch time. I think he's past the current situation of his minimized role and he'd would never and should never complain to the media, especially when none of his teammates complain at all (Royce White is not a teammate). That would be a PR nightmare ("Lin is a Diva", "Ungrateful Lin Wants More PT", "Jealous Lin blame Coaches").
      I have no doubt his minimized role will play into a big part of extending his future contract. He definitely is the happiest playing his Linsanity style and who wouldn't want to recapture and build on that?

      IMO, It would be a foolish decision for Lin to extend his contract to play second-fiddle to Harden unless he can play his style and achieve his goal to be an All-Star

      We can just tell how unhappy he was sitting on the bench at the end of the game when the game was close. He was seething inside but mostly for not performing well enough in his mind.

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    10. People think that expressing dissatisfaction means that Lin has to act like Royce white, for whom by the way the Rox are admittedly "bending over backwards"

      First Lin doesn't need to volunteer that he played badly. I realize he is his worst critic but really he didn't play that badly in the second half. Unless asked, stop putting himself down.

      Second, saying something like "I feel that I have a lot to contribute to this team and I hope that I get more opportunities to help this team win" would be vague enough to not gather any rebuke from the public. He is from Harvard, there ckearly kniws there are ways to hint displeasure without soundin like diva like Royce white.

      IMO, perhaps due to the way he has been treated, Lin appear to think that' if he is not playing well, he deserves to get benched. That's a d leaguer attitude. He needs to eschew such attitude and act like the rightful starter. That way McHale will think twice about benching him. Lin's acceptance of his role has made it too easy for McHale to use Lin whatever way he wants to.

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    11. Well, Christianity, some would say, became an official religion after the fall of the Western Roman empire and was used as a tool by emperor Constantine to unite what remained of the Roman empire by forcing all citizens to follow only one religion hence made it easier him to control an otherwise spiritually and geographically scattered populace.

      So, maybe Christians in general do not fight their masters because their religion by virtue is by design one of patience in face of diversity instead of action.

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    12. I agree with your 1st point. He doesn't need to volunteer he didn't play well. He can rephrase it positively by seeing "I need to come in with more energy".

      I disagree with the 2nd point. Everything Lin says nowadays are under the microscope and will be spun by medias ("Lin admitted he's not All-Star") to sell news.

      Especially when all his teammates (TD, PPat) have said, "It's up to coaches if I play. I'm ready when my number is called". To give any ammunition to the media to spin "I'd like more opportunities to help this team win" as "Lin is dissatisfied with current PT/opportunities".

      You know how media can be. Lin can only prove them wrong by playing well in the next games. Even when he was joking ("Bev gave a lot of energy from the bench"), there was suspicion that McHale benched him even more. So there might be possible retribution from coaches for even joking about the lack of PT.

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    13. Eff the media. Jeremy has carried himself well enough in the public eye to gain his fans respect. Even when he carries himself well, the media tries to portray him as a selfish person. People who think badly if him will think whatever they want. He has done more than his share to not cause any drama when he clearly has reasons to.

      And saying that " I know I have a lot to contribute to the team and hope that I get more opportunities to help this team in the future" is really that bad?! U serious? That is as professional as he could get. It makes seem sound confident and a good teammate IMO. I'm sure there are even better ways to say it.

      The only time where I thought Lin said "something"
      was when he was asked by an Asian interviewer what the reason was for his excellent game after Utah win. After pausing, he said " i dont know.. gtting more playing time?" .. He said what he wanted to say but it came across weak and no one even picked up on it.

      Lin needs to man up - I'm hoping this happens in the offseason.

      .

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    14. :) Lin always had his own ways of doing things.

      I thought the way he made fun of McHale after the big DAL win by doing his own imitation was quite brazen. ("Patrick Beverley gave a great energy...from the bench" with dead-panned face) although he corrected it later but it might have not gone over well with McHale in the next few games by giving 1 more 4Q benching.

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    15. Lost in the playing time debate is the hard truth that Lin has had MANY Linsanity level games this year.

      Right now, Linsanity seems like a distant memory to me because Lin has had so many outbursts against so many good teams.

      What's scary is that Lin has had Michael Jordan level games in Jeremy Lin minutes!

      Nobody seems to realize how incredible an accomplishment that is!

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    16. I didn't miss it and noted it in my post yesterday (below somewhere) that Lin's been performing at Linsanity-esque level since January, and this makes it even harder to swallow of Lin's continued treatment as a first year scrub.

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  19. Becoming elite in the NBA is no easy feat. Look at Aaron Brooks: He averaged 20 ppg in the 09/10 season and now he's no where near that level.

    Bear in mind, when Linsanity happened they had no scouting reports on Jeremy and that gave him an advantage. Also, bear in mind, as the conservativenewmedia guy brought to my attention: backup's like Beverly have an advantage because they are not scouted. I don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, it just goes to show you that being a starter can be much harder than being a backup for this reason alone.

    Can Lin become elite? Maybe. But I don't think there is any way to know for sure. If there was a way to know for sure, it would take credit away from the amazing accomplishment of reaching that level of play on a consistent basis.

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    1. You know, Bamboo ... you just watch his game with unbiased eyes, and you see the amazing exciting beautiful game he plays. It's like watching Brazil play soccer compared to the Italians clogging the box.

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  20. But given Lin's youth, I think there is a legit chance he can become elite. And if not elite, a very strong, way above average point guard.

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    1. Like most people here, I believe Lin could be elite if the Rockets simply gave him the ball a bit more.

      I forgive the Rockets limiting Lin's role because of their winning record and Lin's injury history.

      If Lin could get his season scoring average just over the 15 ppg hump, the rest of his game would follow.

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    2. He'll be 25 in August. He's not exactly young.

      Damian Lillard had four years of college bball and the media calls him "experienced" for a rookie and "poised" bc of it. Yet, with Lin, we keep using the excuse that he's inexperienced and young.

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    3. Seriously. When his contract is up, he will be 27. He should be in the prime of his career by then, but no way in hell the way he is being used. Foundational piece my ass, Morey!

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    4. Well, Damien Lillard isn't Asian and is thus not hated by the racist media.

      He doesn't have Lin's game impact either, and that's a big reason why Portland with its humongous salary is so much worse than Lin's minimum wage Rockets.

      I believe that when an athlete like Lin comes into the NBA after 4 years of stellar college play, he has more skill than the typical lottery pick underclassman who gets beaten to death in the NBA trying to learn the game.

      I don't see Lin's athleticism as being inferior to anybody's just because he wasn't an early entry candidate. If anything, the 4 years of college seem to have prepared Lin well for the rigors of professional basketball. Lin will be making his spectacular highlight reel plays for years to come.

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  21. The first thing I ever posted on this board was that Jeremy Lin had to develop a spin dribble.

    While Jeremy Lin obviously can execute a 360 degree spin on the drive (see last season's spLin around Derek Fisher), I'd like to see Lin develop these two aspects:

    1) Be able to turn his back, butt, and shoulder into opponents when they crowd him on the perimeter while keeping the dribble alive. Once Lin feels that bump, he can dribble in either direction or elevate for the jumpshot off either shoulder. The few times Lin's done this, he's gotten easy baskets.

    2) Dribble hard toward a corner and then suddenly spun pivot in a different direction while still dribbling. This would allow Lin to sucker the trap toward him in one direction and then leave it behind him with a quick drivvle reversal.

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    1. KHuang - on 1, he did one in the SAS game. Check out the highlights. He came out of it pretty good, but he got fouled on the shot and it looked a little ugly. On any amaaazing night, people would have raved, but you know how it went with SAS. To me, it was and continues to be ok. I correct myself to say Lin's 4th Q early run was really nice. Overall a great thing for him and Rox to have won that one, in spite of bricks by everyone.

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    2. Lin was immediately benched after the spin move in the SAS game.

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    3. Yep ... "incoherence" if my new word for all this stuff. I kind of like thinking that way about Rox these days.

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  23. Sometimes I wonder if we are expecting too much from Lin in his first full-season with all new system, random system, young teammates, lack of trust from coaches and playing second fiddle to an All-Star who took his job in beginning of the season?

    Why not focus more on his improvement as a player?

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    1. I think it's not so much that Lin's not performing to expectations rather we're just pointing out the organization's blatant dysfunctions?

      Well, maybe it is high expectations to expect an organization to treat someone of Lin's caliber without bias and just let him play.

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    2. True that the organization failed to utilize Lin as we think they should leverage his strength, Etane.

      Idk if Houston thinks Harden to be a perfect fit for their system more so than Lin due to his better and consistent offensive skills at this point and failed to develop plays to leverage Lin as a second threat, it will only change from the inside if it's proven not working against upper echelon teams in the playoff.

      Who knows what Morey and McHale really think of Lin at the moment? Is he redundant with Harden or will he be a complementary attack to keep defenses honest? Do they think Lin will be as good as Harden offensively in 2-3 years?

      My guess is they're waiting to see how the team plays in the playoff. The little time that they have now would be spent on improving defense as they should be. Hopefully they prepare some PnR plays for Lin/DMo/Asik for surprises in the playoff if Harden gets triple-teamed.

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    3. It's not so much that Lin is not used optimally by Houston. Rather, there seem to be motive by FO to purposely use Lin in the least effective manner possible as well as killing his confidence in the way he's handled. I know it's not correct to point motive out as it will always be an assumption, but the motive thing seems to be the only thing that fits the model of what's going on with Lin with the Rockets.

      I don't see any other team screwing around with their PG trying to make him feel like a ball hogging scrub when he's obviously the hardest working guy and probably the only team player on the entire team.

      And, as explained above, the team obviously doesn't care about Lin's health either.

      So, in each and every way, Lin's game is destroyed by the organization.

      The only thing we don't know is whether this is intentional or just incompetence with bias.

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    4. I'm not sure I'm ready to see that the Rockets conspired to destroy Lin's confidence intentionally, Etane.

      That would also be foolish to do by Morey because they definitely want to win and trade up his asset value.

      For me, it just means that after Harden took Lin's job to be the main playmaker, Lin is relegated to a PG role player. Both Lin and Bev are supposed to give energy to attack the rim, move the ball and make open 3PT-ers. If neither one can provide the energy, then they sit on the bench longer.

      3 times already that McHale played Bev over Lin to close the 4Q. His record was 1W-2L with him being right in the last game. Only in 2 games Bev was playing hotter than Jeremy, so it made me think that they also experimented in the DAL game (Bev with 0 pts but played the whole 4Q) to see if Bev can be the starting PG next season if Lin gets traded for an All-Star.

      It's just business as usual in the NBA. No loyalty.

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    5. I don't know whether Rockets intentionally destroying Lin either. Just saying that's what's happening which is either by design or happenstance who knows.

      Just trying to explain that it isn't the matter that Lin isn't used optimally rather he's being destroyed by the organization is my point. Whether there is motive or not is circumstantial.

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    6. I'm actually a bit happy that McHale's move to let Bev close the 4Q resulted in a W.

      Never mind that Parker also socred over Bev easily as Parker also scored 6 pts on Lin without any help D (questioned by Drexler), both Harden and Parsons had ball-handling TO but Bev saved it with a great block.

      Perhaps there is hope that Lin will be traded for an All-Star next season so he can play his style in another team. It's win-win.

      I had a little hope that Rockets envisions Lin as the primary playmaker and Harden as the primary scorer but it's clear by now that's not the direction of the team now.

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    7. yeah, I see what you mean, Etane. It would be a tragedy if there is a deliberate motive behind it.

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    8. You know, psalm and others ... that famous Bev block ... I like that we won, but isn't that a foul to just knock the shooter to the ground by not jumping in the vertical cylinder? I watched it over and over, and I saw a tackle/block. Am I missing something? I honestly don't give him credit for that one. Just like letting Lin get fouled, that one seemed like a foul. Correct me if I'm not understanding bball rules.

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    9. JoeTeam, I haven't rewatched the block again but I remember it to be a clean block.

      A block is clean as long as there is no contact the shooter before and during the block ("all ball") so the blocker doesn't have to go straight up. They will allow small contact after the clean block as long as there are no intent to injure the shooter. At least that's my understanding. You might want to verify with NBA definition.

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    10. @psalm234 ... here you go:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME8LZJyQTa8

      Do you think that is a clean block? I don't. At 10 seconds, you can see for yourself Bev ride Green's shoulders down, landing on his chest. Anyway, you get to see Parsons TO, then redemption. But the point is, something is amiss in all this chit chat about Lin/McHale/Rox if people aren't talking about this non-block. It's clearly riding Green's chest/shoulders down to the ground, at a >45 degree angle where Bev lands horizontally. This is not small contact, but poor refereeing. You can almost see Green beat Harden, then have not room to lay it up right because of the flying-in Bev. The announcers were caught up in the drama, so anyway, everybody else was too.

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    11. I watched the video, JoeTeam. I think the reason the Spurs and the refs didn't dispute it as a block was because the actual block looked clean and Green's body was far away from Bev (see the slo-mo at mark 00:31) as he was fading to his right to avoid Harden. After the block, Bev almost rode Green down as you said.

      If it were at the Spurs, they might have looked at it again :) Hometown discount.

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  24. Did anybody watch the Jazz-76ers game yesterday? Jrue Holiday was benched early the game by Doug Collins for poor play and only played 24 minutes. Jrue Holiday is in his 4th season and just made the All-Star team. So I don't think what McHale is doing to Lin is out of the norm especially for a player that is starting for the first time in their career.

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    1. I don't think starters getting benched down the stretch is as rare as some make it out to be.

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    2. I don't have a problem with Jeremy (or anyone) getting benched sometimes.

      There are 4-5 games this season where I AGREE with his extended benching -- ice-cold shooting, too many dumb TOs or foul trouble. The Spurs game benching is mostly fine...though I think he was froze out early by his teammates.

      But most of the time, Jeremy is playing perfectly fine and he still gets benched. To be fair, early in the season, it seems they really were concerned about his knee. But there is no excuse in the past 2 months.

      Anyways, Jrue Holiday is a good example to keep in mind though -- he didn't get full control of the offense until this season (his fourth). Jeremy will get a lot more control in the coming years. He makes $15M in 2015, so that'll probably be "the big year" for him.

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    3. Problem has to do with him getting his teammates going but his teammates are not doing the same when he does not get it going. Sometimes a little trust goes a long way when a teammate is not in his game. Sometimes its not confidence more than the trust and bond you build with your teammates. Harden does what he has to do to get a win but for selfish reasons.

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    4. My problem is that Jeremy has the shortest leash. Parson may be shooting horrifically but McHale still gives him the green light. Harden as well. When Lin makes the slightest of mistakes, McHale brings bev in!

      There is a fundamental error in the way McHale views Lin as a player. Remember that one game ( was it Phoenix home game) where Jeremy really played well especially in the second half? McHale said that Jeremy played really poorly in the first half when he didn't? McHale seems to only notice the mistakes Jeremy makes and forgets the rest.

      I understand that some of you still believe things will turn around.. But for me, this is a recurrent cycle. McHake never learns from Jeremy's good games and treats the same.

      McHale is not going anywhere. Lin can't say anything right now because its too late. If he doesn't try to resolve this this off season and blames himself for not gaining McHale's trust, Lin can kiss his all star aspirations good bye.

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    5. I don't have a problem with McHale playing Bev over Lin when Lin struggled.

      What's unusual was when Beverley played the whole 4Q in the 3/6 DAL loss although he had 0pts/7asts while Lin had 12 pts/3asts. That's when we should ask if the coaches saw something that they like in a player to test how they closed the game.

      We can make an educated guess that perhaps coaches value Bev's energy, offensive rebounds, assists or defense in a PG role over Lin's points, assists, defense in the current system.

      It's not wrong to consider that Harden took Lin's role in the beginning of the season and they're waiting to see if Lin can contribute in other ways or just become redundant so he can be a valuable trade asset.

      The sad thing is we have yet to see a game this season like the NYK-76ers game where Lin struggled to shoot all game long but Coach Woodson trusted him to play in the crunch time and he delivered with 10 straight FTs to win the game and broke the 76er player's heart in the process.

      To me, it is clear that the Rockets don't allow or trust players except Harden to make many mistakes but still played in 4Q. Lin, Parsons, Asik got benched if they all struggled. It's just a different system that might be good or bad.

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    6. Wrong. Harden, Parsons, Asik, Dmo, Delfino.. they all get to continue shooting after bricking all game long.

      Even the some non-starters are treated better than Lin in terms of letting players shoot through their funks.

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    7. What's more, how often does Harden enter 4Q with lower than 20% FG% but allowed to go ISO so he can end up leading the team in points?

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    8. Etane is right. Lin has the shortest leash of them all. Lin tries to take matters himself and bricks a few shots? u can bet McHale will bench Lin for extended time.

      I'm telling u guys. That "Jeremy played really poorly in the first half" comment shows how McHake views Lin. Not only does he not trust him. But lin's every mistake or poor play is remembered and magnified 1000 folds by this moron. How do u expect Jeremy to improve without making mistakes. Argh..I dread the playoffs cause u can bet that Jeremy will be on a shorter leash the more important the games are.

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    9. Parsons also got benched in the Clippers game with 2 min left. Asik was also sitting out the whole 4Q in the Dallas game with Lin despite playing well when McHale tried Bev and TRob combo in 4Q.

      But it's true Lin got the shortest leash of all starters (Asik might be a close second).

      Only Harden got the free pass to make 3-5 TOs in just the 1Q (@Phoenix) but will come back due to his offensive prowess and the franchise status.

      I believe Lin will overcome whether it's in Houston or any other place. I prefer the latter to unleash his full potential.

      Hey, at least Houston was the only team giving him the offer in the offseason. That should count for something, right? In this economy, we all are glad to have a job :)

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    10. I agree with you, AlbinoSwordfish.

      In the NBA, the hot hand gets played - and often that hot hand is Jeremy Lin!

      Considering that this is Jeremy Lin's first year as a full time starter, I find it perfectly reasonable that the Rockets staff limits his minutes in order to ensure that he plays all 86 games.

      Lin is doing very well. I'm very pleased with his current role at this stage in his career.

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    12. Good perspective, KHuang!

      Despite all the adversity, Lin is on target to play all 82 games which is the most important goal.

      Eh, I see you counted all 86 games. Does it mean you think Houston will be swept 0-4 in the playoff? :D

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    13. If you believe, your mind will follow.

      Mchale believes in his hierarchical management and his movement offense. His mind tells him that Lin is defying his system and his will. His ego tells him that Lin is being selfish by dribbling into the paint and not moving the ball. That's his logical analysis of lin's play even when Lin continues to prove how successful iit can be.

      With this understanding of Mchale's mind, I can see that Lin is fighting the wrong battle by trying to play his unselfish game. I suspect that most coaches use the command and control hierarchical management mode. Perhaps the closest Ideal coach would be Phil Jackson because of how he professes to be the zen master. Knowing this at least has given me a sense of peace that Mchale isn't doing this seemingly irrational treatment of Lin out of malice and that there is a logical reason for it. It is now up to Lin to see through mchale's logic and solve his endless cycle of confrontation with Mchale. Lin has to accept the manner in which 99% of coaches grade their players. He needs to adapt to that grading system in order to raise his value to a point where he gets enough respect that he then can then play his unselfish game.

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    14. Benching Parsons with 2 minutes left in a game that was decided after the second qtr is not equivalent to the way Lin gets benched.

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    15. When Harden played poorly, making TOs and poor shots, he is the only one who will not be benched. That's a fact. He just won't be benched.

      I think Morey plans to trade Lin before his final year.

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    16. "I don't think what McHale is doing to Lin is out of the norm especially for a player that is starting for the first time in their career."

      Uh, Lin started 25 games last year. Lin had way more career starts than Harden (7 games) before this year. So by that rationale, Harden should be the one getting benched in the 4th quarter.

      Again, I don't have a problem with that coaching strategy (even though I feel it is an inferior one) as long as McHale applies it fairly, which he doesn't.

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    17. real-dsb, Harden was a rotation player for 3 years, culminating in a 6th man of the year award.

      Jeremy Lin has not been even a rotation player for a full season, let alone a starter.

      McHale is taking a rookie approach to Lin, which I still find justified.

      Delete
    18. WAKE UP FOLKS. DON'T BE SUCKED INTO McHale's CAMP TROLLS.

      IT IS NOT OKAY TO BENCH any stating players FOR THE ENTIRE 4th quarter on MANY occasions (only been done to Lin) when the PLAYER IS PLAYING WELL AND FOR NO GOOD REASON !!!!!

      My problem with Morey and McHale is simply that Lin isn't treated like any other player in the NBA - He's been treated unreasonably badly from every angle. But Lin will be traded in the offseason, so the ill-fit with Harden and the Rockets' "basketball minds" (the same group that keeps leaking timely and biased misinformations occasionally) will be addressed. Morey has talked about (paraphrase) weeding every player that doesn't fit Harden and bringing in any player that fits Harden. Thus it (ill-fitting pieces - Lin particularly, because Morey & McHale will be there long term) will be corrected next off-season, as well as signing/trading for 2 more established superstars.

      Delete
    19. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    20. before someone pretends a selective understanding of my post above.....

      I want to clarify in no uncertain terms (though I've implied it in my post above): IT IS NOT ONLY OKAY, BUT AN OBLIGATION for a coach TO BENCH a STARTING PLAYER WHO ISN'T PLAYING WELL, which surely will happen a number of times during the season. BUT IT'S NOT OKAY TO TREAT ANY PLAYER SO DESPICABLY ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS FOR NO GOOD REASON - including verbally in the press. That's not normal.

      Delete
  25. Sometimes I wonder why they bother bringing Lin in in the fourth quarter. I mean, he comes in the 6min mark most of the time and by 4min mark, it's iso Harden. So he literally has 2mins to go linsanity mode.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To give Patrick Beverley a break, duh.

      Delete
    2. PB don't need a break... You should know that by now.

      Delete
    3. I thought Beverley gave a good energy.

      That says it all and at any time, including if he ever gets the flu or sprains his ankle.

      Delete
  26. Lin has to develop a quick first step going left this summer. Forget all those fancy crossovers for now. This most effective move is his first step going right. Develop that left and he will truly be hard to guard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That and shoot better from 3pt range, develop mid range shots(floater and stop and pop)and better moves to take his man off the dribble. Gotta work on that crossover.

      Delete
    2. Lin goes left just fine, plus he shoots accurately.

      What he needs is a SPIN DRIBBLE so that he can "stall" while dribbling.

      Delete
    3. He goes left fine but not as strong as his right. He needs to develop that first step going left. I don't think I've seen him do that. Normally he does a crossover and then go left.

      Delete
  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Maybe Jeremy should have kept #17 or even #4. #7 not a good number.

    #17 - Knicks and Bighorns
    #7 - Warriors and Houston


    ReplyDelete
  29. JEREMY AT PRACTICE TODAY

    a nice Jeremy fan translated the text for me as "Jeremy was training in shooting & Harden was training w big guy". looks like Mc wants Jeremy to work on his jump shots to avoid Hibbert's blocks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny how the use the worst defenders for practice... Is harden and Gregg smith practicing defense?

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. The rockets is changing the whole team for Harden. Harden is going to be the one running the rockets outstanding in all statistics by design. Lin's role is going to be reduced to catch and shoot at the last seconds. In other words, the team will live and die with Harden by design.

      Delete
  30. The performance of a player depends much on the game plan.
    If the coaching staff wants to use Lin as a cat and shoot SG instead of setting up other guys as a PG, or if the coaches want to set up picks for Harden and wants Lin to stay away, or if the coaches actually wants Harden to run the show and have JLin to receive the ball only at the last seconds, Lin has to comply. You can lie with statistics and you can also use statistics to upgrade or downgrade a player's actual contribution.

    If I want Harden looks like a PG, I would have him control the ball and only pass at the last seconds. Before long, he could still be playing ISO and pass the boy when he absolutely can't make a shot, but his assists will increase because his teammates has to take up the last shots. The shooting percentage will not be reflected on Harden.

    If I want Harden to collect more rebounds, I will have Lin move up the court, and Harden stay back, he will have a better chance receiving the rebounds. There's a lot of tricks to make a player look better than he actually is.

    JLin is a much better defense player making plays for others; he receives respect from other teams than his own. With his limited exposure, he can still flashes his intelligence in making plays and he has such a court vision and play making ability that Harden can't match. Lin draws offensive fouls and create TOs for the opposite team owing to his anticipation and court vision. He just needs a team who can use his talents like the Knicks.

    The Knicks offer Lin a chance not because of charity but because he scored a triple double once he was sent to the D-league. He was then immediately shipped back and played in the Jets game and the rest was history.

    Morey torn apart a team and create statistics to facilitate Harden but at the end Harden is still a scoring guard fond of making shoots rather than making plays. Once he received the ball, others tend to stand and watch him shoot. Yes, there are set plays for him to make assists but he is not the one who do pick and roll. He's a lone wolf on the court and that's how he plays. He may be the best scoring but he guards and defends nobody in his forty minutes of play time.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hope Harden breaks his legs or tears his ACL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol. thats a bit harsh. pbev will start as SG and abrooks as PG. lol

      Delete
  32. In the only game Harden was out, Lin picked up beautifully with 38 points against the Spurs but substitution and rotation screwed up and they lost the game.

    The rotations has had problems because the coaches made poor decisions all along. The experience that Lin gains from the rockets will make him a better player but he has to pick up lots more skills than his year with Knicks with teammates setting up picks for him.

    The moment that the rockets released him, the moment he will rise again and be a true superstar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That Spurs game was not the only game that Harden was out. There was also a game against the Clippers before the all star weekend. By then McHale already learned not to make the same mistake

      Delete
    2. That clipper game was where McHale inexplicably took out his entire frustration on Lin, when he was the one player who was trying to do something.

      If I think back, I just wanted to take those blinders off his gigantism face and shove it up his ass. The way Jeremy has been treated in this organization, esp by this moron if a coach is quite shameful.

      Delete
    3. Solidz, I shared similar intention during that game. Then I remembered McHale is halfway around the world from me, I ended up spending the day being depressed instead

      Delete
  33. The rockets coaching staff has not put their stress in team building, rather they have been spending time in marketing Harden; star making in exact through game plans and fudging the statistics.
    Their path of success is to buy superstars in the market and hopefully they won't sit on the bench and win some games in the playoff. I guess Chandler Parson won't be staying in the team for too long because he would have a fat contract offered somewhere else. Perhaps the rockets would be led to the same situation with the Lakers suffering now. The only difference is that they won't win any championship without the team chemistry. The coaches have and the General Manager have an attitude problem towards the game.

    ReplyDelete
  34. The only message that I would send to the rockets in the next game is
    "Break a leg"

    ReplyDelete
  35. So cp3 had 33 points with 7 TO's tonight in his attempts to bring his team back against the mavs. Wonder what McHale will say about that.. Cp3 trying to pad his stats? ... McHale is such a moron..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. McHale would say, "C'mon Chris, we're trying to win a game here."

      Delete
    2. disagree with real-dsb, McHale will be all over Paul showering praises and dancing whilst singing kumbayaa because CP3 is black all star

      Delete
  36. Jeremy Lin's Diet. Lack of consistent minutes and lack of a consistent rotation may not be the only reasons behind Lin's inconsistent play. From comments Lin made earlier during Linsanity, I suspect that his diet is inconsistent and that he goes on junk food binges. Unfortunately, this will affect his level of play. Steve Francis and Lamar Odom also ate a lot of junk food and their play was very inconsistent at times. They have publicly acknowledged as such. Lin is a great player and I believe he can be one of the best point guards ever. However, he will not get anywhere near his full potential if, as I suspect, he keeps going on junk food binges. He needs to control and optimize his diet. For someone making $25 million in three years, there is no reason why he shouldn't. If anyone has more information on this point, I would appreciate that they post it.

    http://traderblog888.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Junk food is good for Lin , he is facing more stress than anyone in NBA , if he can not have any food he want that will make his case worse , may be you can suggest him taking less junk food after have a great game.

      Delete
    2. I dont think this is true at all. I'm a health freak and was on professional sports long time back.

      Yes, diet is very important, but I dont think JLin's diet is bad, looking at his physique I could definitely say his diet is in check. You could easily observe his veins, that says alot.

      I know that he is working on weights as well, but probably during his off season he would work alittle bit more on it.

      Lately, I think he had but on a little more size (muscles and a little more fat= bulking); so i trust he is gearing up for off season.

      Delete
    3. Junk food ain't what it used to be either.

      I actually liked it a lot more in the 70s and 80s when real animal fat products were used.

      My thing is that let junk food BE junk food! Fuggetabout this "health conscious" silliness!

      Delete
    4. Jeremy,
      If you are reading this site, I strongly recommend this diet. No fast food, ice cream and cookies. You will be the next Steve Nash for sure.

      https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=91414362951&ref=mf

      Delete
  37. --Sugar Free Diet--
    That's the answer. That's what Jeremy Lin should try it. Kobe has been doing it start it from the summer by following Steve Nash's instruction. He is playing like 24 year old this season. I Personally started it 3 months ago. I feel so great that I can not go back to my old eating style even you sacrifice a lot of good taste by give up fast food and cookies. It's like you are drinking 5 hour energize drink every day but in a nature way. Check out the link below, a testimony from Kobe.

    http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_22718729/lakers-star-kobe-bryant-continues-feast-thanks-diet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With Kobe Bryant, I suspect performance enhancing drugs have more to do with his energy than a diet does.

      It's just like how Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the kings of PEDs while they were winning those Bulls championships.

      I seriously doubt that changing diet has anything to do with these ripped hulking NBA players looking so different from NBA players in the past that ALSO did PEDs.

      Delete
    2. Alan, I think you are onto something and appreciate the link that you shared. Lin should also do the same thing, i.e. eat a diet of lean meat and vegetables. Not only would it help Lin out physically, but I also think that eating better would make Lin mentally tougher and more resilient.

      Delete
    3. Nobody knows what Lin is and isn't eating.

      You guys don't know if Lin is eating poorly.

      Delete
    4. Lin is well aware of the importance of diet.
      Let's get down to some facts about the Real J. Lin:

      • He is the consummate teammate, and then some. Magnarelli was often injured, missing their entire junior season with an ailing knee. "[Jeremy] went and asked the team nutritionist what foods I should be eating, to recover better," he says.


      http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201202/jeremy-lin-harvard-basketball-new-york-knicks#ixzz2Ol17lvSc

      Delete
  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. I know that jlin is a winner. While I am disheartened by the disrespect he has been treated with by McHail and Sampson, I know he is tenacious and will continue to work to become a better player. I have watched all the games this season and I find jlin to have really great court vision and speed. If u watch him, you will see most of the time houston ends up with a good shot from his distributing. Yes, sometime there will be turnovers or simply a teammate missing east shots and u can say the same for other great pg like Westbrook or nash. . So why is he delegated to the corner spot up so often is beyond me and quite frankly many so called basketball experts such as hof calvin Murphy. And really being taken of the court for defense? They have really gotta be kidding! First of all no one can guard players like Parker or Westbrook one on one without help defense, was Beverly able to guard Parker the other day? I seem to recall toward end of the game he backed off his "on ball" defense on Parker because I m guessing he knows he will get beat off the dribble, so Parker pulls up n drained it. Really if defense is the excuse for the disrespect, then Harden and parsons are going to be on nba all defensive team this year.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Contrary to what we have thought, the coaching staff doesn't seem to mind players making mistakes.

    "I kind of got away from what I was doing when I first got here: trying to make things happen, trying to be aggressive and all that stuff," Beverley, 24, said. "Before these last few games, those three or four games, I was looking to pass instead of just playing basketball. The coaching staff just wanted me to be aggressive, telling me it's OK to make mistakes, just play my game within the system. These last few games, I'm just trying to be super aggressive, and it's paying off. I guess I'll just stick with that."

    Rockets' Beverley reverts to effective aggressive style

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Jeremy just needs to be always aggressive. He wasn't that aggressive in the Spurs game.

      Delete
    2. The difference is that PB is allowed to play if make mistakes. Lin? Do I have to elaborate it. This is exactly the difference. Also, When PB played aggressively, the team offense tended to be stagnant. It is not a good way to play team basketball. Lin and PB has very different style of playing.

      Delete
  41. Interesting what Parsons said. Maybe Jeremy needs to let McHale know he wants to play more too. Sometimes Jeremy is too reserved.

    "Easing the workload

    The emergence of Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith can help limit the workload for Lin and Asik. If Thomas Robinson can hold down the backup power forward minutes and either he or Donatas Motiejunas can finish games there, Delfino might be able to take on more time at his natural position behind Parsons and Harden.

    But for now, McHale has to fight the urge to keep them in the game - and their preference to stay in.

    "He knows," Parsons said. "I would never tell him to get lost, but my facial expression might. He knows I want to play a lot and I want to be in there as much as possible. But he makes the decisions."

    McHale considers juggling Rockets' rotation

    ReplyDelete
  42. I really want Lin to play for Dallas next year ! Under Rick Carlisle!! Go Jeremy !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They just know how to run an organization.

      Delete
    2. I've been saying every year since 3 years ago.

      Delete
  43. In short, Lin will be a better all around player soon. He's a competitor even when the rockets is not using his strength.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Forget this diet stuff. It's not Lin's fault. t's McHale.

    People saying Lin is a better player because if McHale. Well, . I just wonder where Lin would be right now if he was allowed to play to his strengths as the primary playmaker this year.

    Like some of u, I really hope we can chuck it up to this being Lin's "rookie" year .. But I've seen nothing from McHale to believe that things will suddenly change next year. And when the Rox inevitably get a second superstar to cater to, it is more likely that Lin will end up being an afterthought.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Whomever is complaining about Beverley's usage, or why McHale is using Beverley the way he is, needs to stop.

    http://www.thenbageek.com/faq

    < 0.0 WP48 A player who actually costs his teams wins (i.e. this player is actually worse than a player who contributes nothing)

    < 0.100 WP48 A below-average player

    > 0.100 WP48 An above-average player

    0.175+ WP48 A "star" player. If WP48 were the metric used for choosing all-stars, most players with 0.175+ would make the cut (i.e. these players produce twice as many wins per minute as an average player)

    0.225+ WP48 A "superstar" player. These would be All-NBA 1st-team and MVP candidates.

    Lin ranks 29th in WP48 and Beverley is 3rd behind CP and Calderon.

    Lin's WP48 of 0.100 is an above average player whereas Beverley has a 0.232.

    http://www.thenbageek.com/players?direction=desc&positions%5B%5D=PG&sort=%22WP48%22

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bev is a superstar. Why don't they just start him?

      Delete
    2. Bev has been playing well but to cite stats per48, whether WP48 or whatever, is very misleading without context. Lin plays with another heavy ballhandler, Harden. If he played with the second unit just like Bev does, he could put up great numbers too.

      Delete
    3. Stop cherry picking stats. Do you know how those numbers are calculated? The WB48 you are referring to happen to related to how many winning games a player was in. Skills have little to do with it unless the player happens to be a real superstar. Luck has a lot to do with where a player is rank. If a player has a good game when their team is on a winning streak, they can rank easily as the best player even if he only played ONE game. You want proof? Just sort player by everything else except WB48 and you see Pat Beverly is always behind JLin in every category. Include game played, minutes played, and WP, etc.. If you don’t understand statistic, please don’t use it to confuse other. Just because you read it somewhere else written by a bias blogger that also cherry picking don’t make your statement true. If you go to NBA.com and go check player stats by adding filter with 10 or less game played, you will find a lot of bench players as if they are superstars. This is only one or many ways you can use numbers to manipulate the end result.
      I am a Lin fan. I have to admit LOF can sometime be very annoying because a lot of them are very Lin focus. They sometime even give Lin a bad rep. But I hate LOH more because their purpose in life is to preach hate, and in return hopes to make themselves feel better by putting other down. These are usually very negative people that never see anything good in life. I know Lin is not greatest basketball player that ever lived, but he represent more than just a good or bad NBA player. His fans love him for who he is and some of them want him to succeed over the expectation. (just like a parent). But at least they are not hater.

      Delete
  46. This stats seemed skewed.

    When you have someone like Prigioni, Pablo top 5 in WP48 then why is he not being used up more.

    What are they stats are they using to base their WP48 score?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How do you know Prigioni is not being used up more. He averages 15 mpg and Beverley averages 16 mpg. They both played about the same amount of time given a backup.

      Delete
  47. Tong,

    Does this stat adjust at all for who the player is playing against? say first units vs second units?? If the stats of one player are mostly against second unit bench players then how can you compare against another player whose minutes are mostly against say starters? A lot of the stats do not adjust for this. You have to be careful when comparing players if this is the case.

    Then of course you have situations where a player is playing against both starters and bench players each to some % and it gets really confusing to compare that player with others.

    also sample size is important... each player you are comparing should have comparable game time minutes...

    Oh the joys of statistics and how much fun it can be to adjust and adjust until you get the answer you want. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Last year was linsanity, this year is lin's sanity... Sigh

    ReplyDelete
  49. Thought I was the only one felt that way.

    John Schuhmann's NBA Hang Time Blog on AIR CHECK: HOUSTON EDITION just further confirmed how dysfunctional an organization the Houston Rockets is.

    "Unfortunately, the Rockets’ crew of Bill Worrell, Matt Bullard and Clyde Drexler made the broadcast a difficult listen, with several shake-your-head comments over the course of the night. So, we’re dedicating an entire edition of Air Check to this one game."

    "Led by general manager Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets are the team most invested in analytics. And it would be great if that was apparent when you watched their games. But unfortunately, the broadcast is well behind the curve."

    ReplyDelete