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@  Dan G : (17 April 2014 - 10:17 PM) That is some interesting news. We gotta get past Portland first, but I like that stat for the next round.
@  feelingsuper... : (17 April 2014 - 12:45 PM) So yesterday during Truehoop TV Amin said the teams that win any season series 4 to 0 go on in the post season with a 51 and 4 record versus the losing team. Hmmmmmm...
@  Buckko : (15 April 2014 - 05:22 AM) Hope we can get him back in the offseason, he was just signed for the rest of the offseason.
@  jorgeaam : (15 April 2014 - 04:16 AM) Bulls release Tornike Shengelia and sign Greg Smith, well, that didn't take long
@  Cooper : (15 April 2014 - 02:39 AM) nice win. Dwight looks like he's ready go. Bev's still a little rusty but he should be fine.
@  Sir Thursday : (14 April 2014 - 10:24 PM) Thanks huang, that's useful knowledge :).
@  08huangj : (14 April 2014 - 01:15 AM) I've watched a lot of his games
@  08huangj : (14 April 2014 - 01:15 AM) Guys, I live in Guangzhou. Just in case you didn't notice, Powell was in Guangzhou playing with the tigers before he came to the Rockets. No midrange shot. Good rebounder. Bad defender. Good at attacking the rim. This is my summary for his time at Guangzhou.
@  Cooper : (13 April 2014 - 11:16 PM) hes 6-9 so id guess more of a pf but it doesn't really matter either way I guess.
@  Buckko : (13 April 2014 - 11:02 PM) Not really, you seen his season averages? Not pretty.
@  Sir Thursday : (13 April 2014 - 10:18 PM) He's more of a PF, I thought. You could always make the specious "RINGZZZ!" argument, since he won two with the Lakers...
@  Buckko : (13 April 2014 - 09:04 PM) Waived Pittman, signed Josh Powell. I don't really get why they signed a scrub SF.
@  Drew in Abilene : (13 April 2014 - 02:41 AM) In the postgame interview, Bev said he was alright, but it looked iffy...
@  08huangj : (13 April 2014 - 02:40 AM) Not watching the game. Just looking at the play-by-plays.
@  08huangj : (13 April 2014 - 02:39 AM) Rockets win!
@  Drew in Abilene : (13 April 2014 - 02:39 AM) Oh gosh, I hope Beverley isn't hurt again... He was taken out in the last few seconds limping after falling and looking like he hurt his right knee...
@  08huangj : (13 April 2014 - 02:39 AM) yep
@  Drew in Abilene : (13 April 2014 - 02:35 AM) Harden, Lin, and Beverley all coming up big in these last few clutch minutes.
@  08huangj : (13 April 2014 - 02:01 AM) And why is Parsons missing?
@  08huangj : (13 April 2014 - 02:00 AM) If Rockets don't get better soon, they are not going to be the fourth seed in the western conference.

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What's wrong with Jeremy Lin?


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 30 January 2014 - 03:15 PM

    New post: What's wrong with Jeremy Lin?
    By: michael pina

    Jeremy Lin’s season began with less attention and lower expectations than he's probably used to. Dwight Howard’s seismic signing and legitimate sights on a championship will do that.

    Lin lost his spot in the starting lineup but the presumption was he’d be a little better than last year, thanks to fewer responsibilities in a role more suited to boost his skill-set.

    He entered December shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 40.3% from deep, commanding Houston’s second unit with fearless drives to the basket and unstoppable pick-and-rolls with Dwight Howard and Omer Asik (remember him? Good times!).

    There were no legitimate criticisms to be had about his performance. Over the past few weeks, things have been less...better.

    Lin is missing wide open three-pointers on a regular basis, forcing drives into the teeth of the defense, and scoring nearly all his points in transition. In his defense, Lin was yanked in and out of the starting lineup with various parts of his body aching at any given moment, but since New Year's Day he's made just 26.2% of his three-pointers (out of a mushy 42 attempts). Lin's per game numbers shouldn't be better than last year, but his jumper is a critical weapon in Houston's offense; for it to stall out is very troublesome.

    On a team built around a dominant low-post scorer and his killer pick-and-roll partner, all members of the supporting cast need to be snipers. Lin can be as dynamic off the dribble as he wants, but if defenses don't respect his shot everything and everybody else is affected negatively. Most players (such as Jeremy Lin) have a difficult time functioning with the ball when the defense is one giant Weeping willow across the paint.

    They need space and room to operate and breathe. What you need then are sharpshooters, and without falling too deep down the rabbit hole that is Houston's lack of capable three-point shooting, let's just say Lin appeared to be apart of the solution earlier this winter. Today that's uncertain, and the more he plays, the less his game looks suited for the half-court rigors of a playoff series. Houston's net rating with Lin beside the four regular starters is 8.1 points per 100 possessions worse than when Patrick Beverley is in there.

    Lin's effective play earlier this season also diverted attention away from his unsightly contract—the exact same deal Asik, a better player who failed to draw much interest on the trade market earlier this season, signed. Right now Lin's deal looks worse than ever. He holds an $8.3 million cap hit next season, but whichever team has him will have to pay just under twice that figure in actual money. ESPN.com's Amin Elhassan analyzed a hypothetical trade Houston could make with the Toronto Raptors to land former Rocket and legitimate All-Star Kyle Lowry, and yesterday our own Rahat Huq expanded on the idea. Lin would be the biggest name going out in that deal.

    This trade probably won't happen, but it does speak to where the Rockets are, and just how expendable Lin really is. He's far from the worst point guard in the league, but Houston is in an extremely difficult spot as a franchise. They're trying to go from capped out pseudo-contender to champion, the most difficult leap in the league.

    In two years Dwight Howard and James Harden are essentially the only players guaranteed money, and Chandler Parsons could very well join them with a lucrative/deserved long-term contract. (Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas have team options, and Beverley is up for a qualifying offer. None of the three are guaranteed to be around by then.)

    Recent struggles aside, it's difficult to envision Lin as a heavy contributor on that team under the type of contract he's sure to draw on the open market.

    His skills are evident. Few guards in the league are better taking the ball from their own free-throw line to the opposing rim. But he's inconsistent with pronounced weaknesses. Lin can still throw a mean no-look pass, but his overall court vision is patchy. He'll miss cutting teammates on drives to the basket, making him somewhat too predictable coming off a pick-and-roll. All that said, he's unquestionably the team's second best passer, and has a better effective field goal percentage than Harden.

    With Dwight Howard behind him on defense, Lin doesn't need to be Tony Allen. But despite having lateral quickness and fast hands, his play on that end appears to be getting worse instead of better. There have been no improvements defending guards in the pick-and-roll, and his effort heading back in transition can at times be inexcusable.

    Here he faces the Memphis Grizzlies with an unenviable task: contain the fabulous Mike Conley Jr.

     

    Lin under 2

     

    Some of Lin's problems aren't an isolated disease, but instead a team-wide epidemic. Last weekend there were several mismatches forced on Lin (and a few other Rocket guards) by the coaching staff. Lin's already a poor defender, and when Houston goes small (aka without Howard) things get much, much worse.

    Here's a strange situation from the same game. This isn't even Lin's fault, and his role in the play ultimately proved inconsequential. But it should still be highlighted for no other reason than to point out how ludicrous some of Houston's lineups were in both those excruciating losses.

     

     

    The Rockets missed James Harden in their past two games, but both were still wins against the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. Lin was a fantastic replacement in the starting lineup.

    From night to night Lin can be a dazzling force. The way he finishes at the rim—so often amid utter chaos—is hypnotizing. But as an integral piece on a team trying to win the title, he doesn't deserve his price tag. Houston would love all the cap space they can find trying to build a championship team around their two center pieces. A trade over these next few weeks is unlikely, but Lin and Houston will part ways sooner than later.

    Michael Pina flips cars at Red94, CelticsHub, The Classical, Bleacher Report, Sports On Earth, and Boston Magazine. Follow him here.


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    #2 Kckc

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      Posted 30 January 2014 - 04:18 PM

      I wouldn't disagree that he has been a little patchy on his 3 point shooting recently but you also have to recognise that a good number of those 3's are a result of last minute dumps from harden isos. I like that you have recognised that there is a lot to be said of the bad rotations and lineups Mchale/Sampson are employing. Being a good coach necessitates that they know how to get the best out of their players and if they are employing Lin as a role player then they need to use him as just that. There seems to be a bit of confusion on their end on how to use him. Sometimes he is asked to be the PG running the offense, sometimes he is there as a spot up shooter, sometimes he is asked to play with "pop" and "energy" with no clear defined role. I can imagine how this can do a players head in. I think given the circumstances with that extreme lack of consistency, he is doing well. You can also see that the point being run by non-PG players is not very effective. I remember seeing a stat somewhere about when Parsons or Harden get more assists than the PG's as a total, they tend to lose many more games.

       

      I totally agree on what you have said about the chaotic D. The general coaching has been a bit atrocious in certain games as well. It doesn't look like they employ good lineups sometimes and its very chop and change ragtag. This I think is the big problem with the "flow" that they constantly talk about.It also doesn't help that the backcourt often loses their assignments (Lin makes mistakes definitely but Harden is much much worse). Often we are seeing opposing SG's have amazing shooting nights as they are getting wide open looks after A) Harden is caught ball watching and walks into a screen B) they are playing double screens on Harden because the defense again looks they are not set. I do have to point out though, when Lin is switched on with D, he has been able to limit the score lines of even star PGs (with the help of Dwight of course). I am not trying to bash harden but there are still many elements where it becomes difficult for the team, if he slacks off on any department of his game (i.e. distributing, playing good team D). When watched you can see the energy being sucked right out of the team.

       

      On another note, I still am fuming that we lost that first game against back to back memphis (not to mention there wasn't any "adjustments" employed in the second game to limit Zbo). Especially, that last play after PB won the ball back with 8 seconds to go. I am still surprised they didn't sub PB off for Tjones, they didn't go for a 2 pointer instead of a 3 (2 points would of won it and could of hedged for a foul in the paint) and they didn't camp howard inside. 


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      #3 rocketrick

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        Posted 30 January 2014 - 04:29 PM

        New post: What's wrong with Jeremy Lin?
        By: michael pina


        [size=13]The Rockets missed James Harden in their past two games, but both were still wins against the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. Lin was a fantastic replacement in the starting lineup.
        From night to night Lin can be a dazzling force. The way he finishes at the rim—so often amid utter chaos—is hypnotizing. But as an integral piece on a team trying to win the title, he doesn't deserve his price tag. Houston would love all the cap space they can find trying to build a championship team around their two center pieces. A trade over these next few weeks is unlikely, but Lin and Houston will part ways sooner than later.
        Michael Pina flips cars at Red94, CelticsHub, The Classical, Bleacher Report, Sports On Earth, and Boston Magazine. Follow him here.

        Michael,

        Whoops, kinda bad timing with your article I would say. This should have been posted on Sunday Jan 26 or Monday Jan 27 before Lin had 2 solid back to back games against the Spurs and the Mavericks.

        I agree that Lin and the Rockets will likely part ways eventually. However, keep in mind, Lin is only under contract for about 17 more months going forward so in my opinion that is the most likely exit. In the meantime, I am pretty certain Lin will be a solid player for the Rockets and a positive teammate to the very end.

        Your article articulated well the positive impact Lin can have on this Rockets team yet you immediately downplay that by stating the Rockets would be better off trading Lin.............for who? The Rockets are in very nice financial shape going forward even if they are unable to unload Asik's contract (Asik is a terrible teammate especially in comparison to Lin) much less Lin's contract which happens to be identical!

        Edited by rocketrick, 30 January 2014 - 04:32 PM.

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        #4 rocketrick

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          Posted 30 January 2014 - 04:35 PM

          Keep in mind the entire Rockets team 3 point shooting is well below par especially in comparison to last season. To blame Lin for his shortcomings on his 3 point shooting without mentioning the obvious fact that the entire Rockets team are underperforming to date on 3 point shooting seems to me to be over-blaming Lin for the Rockets predicament on the 3 point line this season.
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          #5 rocketrick

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            Posted 30 January 2014 - 04:49 PM

            I like that you have recognised that there is a lot to be said of the bad rotations and lineups Mchale/Sampson are employing. Being a good coach necessitates that they know how to get the best out of their players and if they are employing Lin as a role player then they need to use him as just that. There seems to be a bit of confusion on their end on how to use him. Sometimes he is asked to be the PG running the offense, sometimes he is there as a spot up shooter, sometimes he is asked to play with "pop" and "energy" with no clear defined role. I can imagine how this can do a players head in. I think given the circumstances with that extreme lack of consistency, he is doing well. You can also see that the point being run by non-PG players is not very effective. I remember seeing a stat somewhere about when Parsons or Harden get more assists than the PG's as a total, they tend to lose many more games.
             
            I totally agree on what you have said about the chaotic D. The general coaching has been a bit atrocious in certain games as well. It doesn't look like they employ good lineups sometimes and its very chop and change ragtag. This I think is the big problem with the "flow" that they constantly talk about.


            Welcome to Red94, kckc, although I have to admit right away I disagree with a lot of what you stated in your virgin post.

            It would have been beneficial if you would have acknowledged the fact that the Rockets have been undermanned for a good part of this season. Which is why Lin and other players responsibilities on this team are still in flux. Because seemingly every game, or every other 2-3 games, Coach McHale is forced to use different starting lineups and/or different rotation players (combinations on the floor with necessary substitutions to allow starters to rest during the flow of a game).

            It is very easy to blame deficiencies on the coaching staff. Amazingly though, I'm surprised that you failed to mention how happy you are as a Rockets fan that the Rockets have the 7th best winning percentage thus far this season and are only a couple of games away from moving up in the standings. Hopefully you can see that the coaching staff has dealt with the constant lineup shuffles this season in addition to introducing D12 and other players into this season's rotation.

            Still, please continue to come back to this forum and provide your insight. Although you will find quickly that not everybody will instantly agree with your opinions, the longer you contribute to this forum, the more you will be hooked to continue coming back and making your personal contributions.

            Edited by rocketrick, 30 January 2014 - 04:52 PM.

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            #6 SamC

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            Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:04 PM

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            Based on your title, I thought the content of the article would focus on what is wrong with Jeremy Lin. Instead, you map the history of Lin's up and down season and conclude that he's not worth his contract and he'll be gone sooner rather than later. Your numbers backup your conclusion.

             

            I'm not an analytics guru but I've worked with a lot of people and help them deal with emotional issues so I tend to look at this from a human perspective. I think the simple answer to your question is that Jeremy tries too hard to be a team player despite not being happy with his role on the team. I remember a reporter quoting him on that but I can't recall where I read it so I don't have a link. Some players have a chip on their shoulder and want to prove people wrong and I think at the beginning of the season, we saw a little bit of that. Then he had some bad games, then some good games, but never looked emotionally invested after coming back from his knee injury. We expect athletes to be mentally tough but the reality is, they're human, just like us. To put it bluntly, he was in a funk.

             

            On a brighter note, I'm happy to finally see Lin show some passion. You can see by his expression that he's having fun now and that's effecting his game in a positive way. It's even more important when Harden is back for him to make the most of his minutes.


            Edited by SamC, 30 January 2014 - 05:06 PM.

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            #7 RollingWave

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              Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:04 PM

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              Rockets overall winning percentage : .646

               

              Rockets winning percentage with Lin as backup : 8W-6L .571

               

              Rockets winning percentage with Lin as starter :  17W-7L .701

              Rockets winning percentage with Lin sidelined : 6W-4L : .600

               

              Rockets winning percentage in January, with Lin shooting like crap from 3 :  10-4 : .714

               

              Some of these things don't add up do they?

               

              But yeah, let us trade Lin, if only so we might start holding guys that should be held accountable... accountable. and stop pretending that the team's fortune rest on Lin more than you know... it's stars, let us keep ignoring that for all it's ups and downs, Lin's season so far is actually still somewhat better than last year, and certainly EONS better than where he was at this point last year, meanwhile, James Harden is having a considerably worse year than last year, but let's ignore that and keep focusing on Jeremy Lin.


              Edited by RollingWave, 30 January 2014 - 05:05 PM.

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              #8 rocketrick

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                Posted 30 January 2014 - 05:31 PM

                Good stuff, RollingWave. Difficult to disagree with your take!

                So just exactly who do the Lin detractors believe will take over the valuable 6th man slot for the Rockets if their wish is granted and Lin is traded next month?

                More importantly, can the Rockets return to health such that Lin returns to his natural position (6th man on this particular roster) and a consistent rotation of 8-9 players be employed by Coach McHale and his staff? I would have to add that D-Mo is beginning to earn more time in that rotation with his play lately.
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                #9 Charles B

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                  Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:25 PM

                  I will like to agreed, but how do you explain this:

                   

                  1-Beside Howard, Lin is the only other regular player in the Houston team that registered 47.3%  Opp FGP at Rim? That is the best defensive impact for a player not name Howard!!

                  2-Lin has the highest Points Created by AST Per 48 minute in the team while having 12% less touches than Harden and lower possession time per touch?

                  3-Lin PTS Per 48 Min on Drives is the highest in the Rocket? Note: Lin Drive benefit teammate while Harden's drive create for himself?

                  4-Lin catch and shoot eFG% is 58.9% while Harden is 54.5%?

                   

                  The only actual skill Harden is better than Lin is drawing foul. and making close up pull up!!! In order to answer your question "What's wrong with Jeremy Lin?" all you need to do is look at the speed and distance stats for the Rocket. The slowest two are Harden and Howard; with Harden being the most lazy. H&H is killing the pace which Lin depend on to excel with his skill sets. With Howard often stand far away from the Rim while wait for the ball, no wonder Asik, Dmo, TJones whom are more aggressive under the OPP rim actually are doing much better than Howard playing with Lin. This obvious if you look at Howard rebounding stats. He is better on def. Reb than off. Reb. Howard do not roll and play P&R with Lin like Asik, Dmo, TJone, Parson, Casspi, and everyone else. Just rewatch 2012-2013 games and compare 2013-2014 games you will clearly notice the difference. I maybe wrong, but my conclusion is Houston matchup and lineup is what wrong with JLin. Trade Lin only if  the Rocket don't plan  to adjust playing style according to players skills.


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                  #10 thejohnnygold

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                  Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:45 PM

                  Welcome to the forum Charles B.  Interesting stats.  Can you post a link to the source you used for those?


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                  #11 rocketrick

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                    Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:45 PM

                    .... with Harden being the most lazy. H&H is killing the pace which Lin depend on to excel with his skill sets. With Howard often stand far away from the Rim while wait for the ball, no wonder Asik, Dmo, TJones whom are more aggressive under the OPP rim actually are doing much better than Howard playing with Lin. This obvious if you look at Howard rebounding stats. He is better on def. Reb than off. Reb. Howard do not roll and play P&R with Lin like Asik, Dmo, TJone, Parson, Casspi, and everyone else. Just rewatch 2012-2013 games and compare 2013-2014 games you will clearly notice the difference. I maybe wrong, but my conclusion is Houston matchup and lineup is what wrong with JLin. Trade Lin only if  the Rocket don't plan  to adjust playing style according to players skills.


                    Welcome to our forum Charles B and I hope you continue coming back and contributing your thoughts and opinions.

                    However, I have to admit I disagree with you on a couple of points. First of all, anyone calling Harden "lazy" when he is clearly the most effective player in taking the ball to the basket and getting clobbered time after time after time, sometimes drawing a foul, sometimes the foul is not called is hard for me to undertand.

                    Secondly, the times D12 (Howard) is placed away from the rim are when the Rockets intend to run plays attacking the basket. If Howard is standing under the basket or in/near the lane, then the Rockets (Harden, Parsons, Lin, etc.) wanting to attack the basket is nearly, if not completely, impossible. The Rockets are beginning to feed the ball to D12 more and more at and near the basket, especially with Harden missing games due to injury. So I just don't agree with your take that D12 is always standing far away from the basket.

                    Lastly, there are significant roster differences and different players playing this season in comparison to last season. D12 was in LA, Terrance Jones rarely saw any game action, Casspi was playing for the Cavaliers if memory serves, Beverley and Garcia joined the Rockets mid-season last year, AB joined the Rockets later than that last season, D-Mo saw even less time on the floor than TJones, etc. I just don't see how anyone can compare what the Rockets were doing last season with a lot different lineups on the floor compared to this season.

                    None of this is meant in any way to demean Jeremy Lin. In fact, Lin is one of my favorite Rockets players this season and I wholeheartedly want him to succeed in the NBA. Lin has had the unfortunate disadvantage of having to go back and forth between the starting lineup and coming off the bench as the vital 6th man this season due to various and sometimes lengthy injuries to other guards. Still, I expect the Rockets will eventually settle into a regular rotation once all the players (well, maybe not Asik, who the heck knows about that dude) return to health then after 20-30 games, more definite opinions can be proven on certain players, plays, rotations, etc.
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                    #12 rm90025

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                      Posted 30 January 2014 - 06:48 PM

                      I think Lin's defense this year has improved a lot.  He has handled match ups against a number of elite guards in the league.  So much so that McHale has played Lin against guys like Isaiah Thomas, Mike Conley and Tony Parker in order to hide Beverley.  His defensive 'errors' have a lot more to do with poor team work. I don't understand how he keeps being switched onto a guy like Dirk Nowitski so many times for example. As for his contract, he counts only $8 million against the cap this year and next.  That's not an outrageous price.  When he goes on the open market at the end of 2014-15, he'll probably get something in the $6-$8 million per year range. Lin's alleged inconsistency has more to do with the coaching staff's ambivalence towards him more than anything else. If Beverley were as good as say Kyle Lowry or Isaiah Thomas, Lin would be on the bench.  


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                      #13 thejohnnygold

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                      Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:09 PM

                      I think Lin's defense this year has improved a lot.  He has handled match ups against a number of elite guards in the league.  So much so that McHale has played Lin against guys like Isaiah Thomas, Mike Conley and Tony Parker in order to hide Beverley.  His defensive 'errors' have a lot more to do with poor team work. I don't understand how he keeps being switched onto a guy like Dirk Nowitski so many times for example. As for his contract, he counts only $8 million against the cap this year and next.  That's not an outrageous price.  When he goes on the open market at the end of 2014-15, he'll probably get something in the $6-$8 million per year range. Lin's alleged inconsistency has more to do with the coaching staff's ambivalence towards him more than anything else. If Beverley were as good as say Kyle Lowry or Isaiah Thomas, Lin would be on the bench.  

                       

                      I appreciate your goldfish-like memory.  Rather than re-post everything I have in the past to refute assertions such as this I'll just presume everyone else still remembers.  It wasn't that long ago.  Lin's defense is perfectly fine.  I don't know why blowing out Beverley's candle makes you think Lin's will shine brighter.

                       

                      As for your last sentence, thanks for the laugh.  :lol:


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                      #14 rocketrick

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                        Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:20 PM

                        Lin's alleged inconsistency has more to do with the coaching staff's ambivalence towards him more than anything else.


                        I disagree. Why? Because Coach McHale and his staff made the decision prior to the start of this season that it made much more sense to have Lin come off the bench as our vital 6th man. Most every good team in the history of the NBA has had a strong 6th man. Even Coach McHale played the role of 6th man for several seasons with the Celtics and that was when everyone in the league believed he was good enough to be in the starting lineup. Yet, the Celtics realized the importance of an energetic 6th man coming off the bench and McHale bought into it. Much like I believe Lin is buying into it this season. Except, oops, Lin has started about half the games this season due to Beverley and Harden injuries.

                        One of these days, the Rockets will return to full health and then more people will begin to realize and understand the importance of having Lin come off the bench.

                        I believe Lin is fine with being the 3rd or 4th option when he is on the floor, yet many of his supporters seem to be rebelling for some reason. For the Rockets to succeed and go farther than most expect, everyone will have to settle into and accept their roles wholeheartedly. I am quite certain Lin will. I'm just not so sure about his supporters!

                        Edited by rocketrick, 30 January 2014 - 07:22 PM.

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                        #15 Charles B

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                          Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:35 PM

                          No disrespect intended. The subject was about "What's wrong with Jeremy Lin" therefore I have to assumed we need to be aware of Lin's skill sets in relation to the other players. I am only pointing out why I believed what is wrong with JLin playing for the Rocket. Regardless if the players Lin has played with were different this year. Lin excel in P&R and driving. His 3's comes and goes. Lin are at his best when he drive and kick. You will notice Howard rarely roll to the rim from close range compare to the rest of the players I have mentioned, and he start off much farther away from the rim compare to others when he is asking for the ball. He actually drive toward the rim more often than he is receiving the ball during the roll. Just pay attention to the position where Howard is receiving the ball. I may be wrong, but at least that is what I noticed.

                           

                          Meanwhile, I said Harden was lazy is because I  define work as W=Fd. To simplify the formula, it is translate to distance travel in relation to energy used. In this case, Harden played the most minutes, while traveled the shortest distance at the slowest speed compare to the rest of the regular players. Making him the laziest. Again, no disrespect to Harden being the most effective player. But effective do not mean  he is hard working. Matter of facts, that is the main reason he is "effective"!!! He does less but accomplished the most. 

                           

                          Final note, I am not a die hard Lin fan. I only love to express my view on this matter because I felt people offend are too focus on a single player instead of on the team as a whole. I believe each player has his own skill set and it is the coaching job to play them effectively together as a team. Instead of debating on why a player is a good fit for a team, why can we be more productive and discuss how player can be better playing together as a team? Talking about trading a player because we don't believe he fit into the system is just an easy excuse for the Rocket's problem. No trade can ever guarantee a better result. We can only hope. I find it easier to work with the known compare to the unknown.  That's is my 2 cents worth. No disrespect to the author in anyway. 

                           

                          @thejohnnygold

                           

                          you can find the information under player tracking at nba.com

                           

                          http://stats.nba.com...&rowsPerPage=25


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                          #16 SamC

                          SamC

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                          Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:38 PM

                          The question was, what's wrong with Jeremy Lin? Some of you seem to think there's nothing wrong with him and it's everyone else's fault. McHale has said numerous times that he likes Lin and he thinks he's a great kid. There are vids posted of Lin joking around with Harden, Howard and Bev. These guys are trying to build team chemistry and the last thing Lin needs is an overzealous fan blaming every single person but Lin. I bet he's so embarrassed to read some of the stuff people write.

                           

                          I look at AB as an example. When he gets PT, he takes his shots but also tries to get his teammates involved. If Lin takes less than 10 shots in a game, it's because of him, not someone else. Maybe he's not confident in his shot that day or maybe he's trying to get his teammates involved. Who knows. But at the end of the day, when he has a bad game, it's because of him and if he has a good game, it's because of him. Blaming Lin's 3pt % on Harden because Lin gets the ball with 3 seconds left on the shot clock happens to other players too and I bet it only makes up a small % of his shots anyways. Lin's been cold lately and that's a fact but he's had two good games and let's hope with the time off, everyone has a chance to get healthy, practice more, and develop more team chemistry.


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                          #17 marvelman821

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                            Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:43 PM

                            i think Jeremy is doing ok so far based on how he went from being a starting point guard last year to 6th man role.  then from pg to sg most of the time harden is in the lineup with him. it is evident that Lin has what it takes to lead the offense if Harden is not playing.  look at the last two games against San Antonio and Dallas (plus Toronto game and Philly when he scored over 30pts).  Lin to me is a rhythm player and if he is given chances to run the offense for longer minutes he can produce.    

                             

                            it seems too many people keep looking at his contract and expect his numbers to be better this year.  how can Lin have consistency when his roles keep changing each game? Lin starts the last 2 games and when Harden gets back he'll be back with the bench and trying to adjust. T-Jones and Lin seem to have some good chemistry and it would be nice if they had more minutes playing together once Harden gets back. it would also be nice to see everyone healthy (including Asik) and see how they develop their chemistry through a few weeks of playing together with roles defined.

                             

                            for now this year has been a year of adjustments for Lin and the entire team and coaching staff. let's see how everyone does after the all star break and hopefully by that time we can have players back healthy and know which players we have (after the trade deadline) heading into the playoffs.


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                            #18 marvelman821

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                              Posted 30 January 2014 - 08:02 PM

                              The question was, what's wrong with Jeremy Lin? Some of you seem to think there's nothing wrong with him and it's everyone else's fault. McHale has said numerous times that he likes Lin and he thinks he's a great kid. There are vids posted of Lin joking around with Harden, Howard and Bev. These guys are trying to build team chemistry and the last thing Lin needs is an overzealous fan blaming every single person but Lin. I bet he's so embarrassed to read some of the stuff people write.

                               

                              I look at AB as an example. When he gets PT, he takes his shots but also tries to get his teammates involved. If Lin takes less than 10 shots in a game, it's because of him, not someone else. Maybe he's not confident in his shot that day or maybe he's trying to get his teammates involved. Who knows. But at the end of the day, when he has a bad game, it's because of him and if he has a good game, it's because of him. Blaming Lin's 3pt % on Harden because Lin gets the ball with 3 seconds left on the shot clock happens to other players too and I bet it only makes up a small % of his shots anyways. Lin's been cold lately and that's a fact but he's had two good games and let's hope with the time off, everyone has a chance to get healthy, practice more, and develop more team chemistry.

                               

                              i have to disagree of when he has a bad game its because of him.  it is because in Houston's system with all the players in their current roles. Lin is the usually the 4th option on offense after Harden, Howard, Parsons if they are in the lineup together.  Lin's game is about controlling the ball and manning the point and attacking.  Look back at his days when he played in Harvard, NY Knicks (linsanity period), games when Harden was not playing those games and see how he produces.  he scores and increases his stats since he is controlling the ball which is his strength.  i don't believe he was ever known for his spot up shooting abilities. Lin tried to improve his shooting over the past summer and he does have better form than last year but of course he still needs more games to adjust to actual game speed and opposing defenses.  let's see how he adjusts the second half of the season.  i believe he will improve.


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                              #19 Freebird

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                              Posted 30 January 2014 - 08:07 PM

                              Lin coming off the bench is fine - it avoids the duplication of skill sets on the floor (his and Harden's) and minimizes any drop off in our attack with the second unit.  So, I agree that once our team is no longer among the injured, things will settle down and become more consistent.

                               

                              The one item that really addressable IMHO is the defensive tactics we seem to be taking.  It just seems to me that the defensive side of the game is not a priority for many - including the coaching staff.  I understand our limitations, due to injuries and whatnot, but there are entirely too many times where they look confused about their roles - Jeremy included.  Each of our first 8 have defensive ability, but they don't seem focused on using it too often.  Harden is a prime example - he MO in college was a good ball handler with above average D.  In OKC, he played D quite well for extended periods.  He comes here, and it evaporates?  I understand the hit from last year, being the offensive focus, but now his touches are down, so he should be making more of an effort.  Jeremy still has nights where he does very well defensively, but there isn't any consistency from night to night.

                               

                              I can understand that Lin wants to start, but he has accepted that the bench role is best for the team.  This maintains a level of aggression that few teams can adhere to, or handle defensively.  When he and Bev are on the floor together, they play very well.

                               

                              Also, shooting is contagious.  Everyone has been below par from the 3 this month.  Just a community lack of confidence there, with the occasional OMG game from Parsons or, to a lesser extent, one of the bench guys.  Again, once the band is back in full, much of this irons out in the end.


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                              #20 SamC

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                              Posted 30 January 2014 - 08:26 PM

                              i have to disagree of when he has a bad game its because of him.  it is because in Houston's system with all the players in their current roles. Lin is the usually the 4th option on offense after Harden, Howard, Parsons if they are in the lineup together.  Lin's game is about controlling the ball and manning the point and attacking.  Look back at his days when he played in Harvard, NY Knicks (linsanity period), games when Harden was not playing those games and see how he produces.  he scores and increases his stats since he is controlling the ball which is his strength.  i don't believe he was ever known for his spot up shooting abilities. Lin tried to improve his shooting over the past summer and he does have better form than last year but of course he still needs more games to adjust to actual game speed and opposing defenses.  let's see how he adjusts the second half of the season.  i believe he will improve.

                               

                              By your reasoning, when Lin has a good game, it's because of the system. That doesn't sit right with me. I don't think McHale is very specific with the guys. He wants them to push the ball, get in transition, find the open shooter, etc. I'm sure there's a pecking order of some sort but the reality is, when he finally does touch the ball, he has the option to shoot or pass and if he passes, then that was his decision. I remember when Lin was shooting a high % from the 3pt line, Harden was passing to him a lot. These guys want to win games and when someone's hot, they make every effort to get them the ball. But I do agree with you that Lin is a hard worker. He knows his weaknesses and he's working on them.


                              Edited by SamC, 30 January 2014 - 08:31 PM.

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