I'm sorry to bring in Lin into the discussion but I didn't get a chance to address the whole "McHale is biased against Lin and doesn't play him enough argument" in the last thread and want to share my 2 cents.
When Lin was going through his terrible stretch prior to the last 3 games, he absolutely deserved to have his minutes dropped. He was playing awfully and was a detriment to the team. The Rockets are a championship contender and don't have the luxury to give a negative player minutes on the hope that he would play his way out of a slump. Nevertheless, the way Lin played during those games is not indicative of his career to this point. Saying nothing of the Linsanity stretch, we've seen how good he can be in multiple games for the Rockets, particularly when Harden is out.
Quite a few posters have complained about the "short leash" that McHale supposedly has Lin on. I have to say that I think there is come credence to the argument that Lin would play better and become better if he was allowed more leeway. Players improve more and play better when they are given what Thrope calls the "royal jelly" treatment and know that they won't be benched for every mistake that they make. (Royal jelly is what turns a female bee into a queen bee.) See
"Playing time is the first part," says Thorpe. "A coach's support is another thing -- it helps you grow as a player if you know you're not going to get yanked the first time you miss a shot. That gives you the confidence to be creative and expand your game..."
Now, if Harden and Howard had never joined the team, Lin absolutely should be given the "royal jelly" treatment. Teams give lottery pick players (like John Wall) years of opportunities to develop into a great player because they have shown their talent and ability prior to the NBA. During Linsanity, Lin played like a superstar, not in high school, not in college, not in the D-League or Europe, but the frickin' NBA! In most cases, it is hard to tell which players will succeed in the NBA. You see #1 picks going bust all the time. Unless you are looking at the next LBJ, Linsanity is as good as an indicator of success as you are going to get. (On top of Linsanity, almost every time Harden is out, he has shown he can play at that level.)
BUT things changed when the Rockets acquired Harden and later Howard. Suddenly, they didn't need to invest in a player that might develop into a superstar, they had superstars on hand. The team is in win NOW mode not give Lin a year or two of royal jelly hoping that he develops into an all-star. It's not that McHale has something against Lin, it's just that given the present situation, it is not in the Rocket's best interest to give Lin that kind of leeway. In fact, I think McHale has shown that he is very willing to play Lin when Lin is playing well. After his horrifying slump, it only took one game (vs. Pacers) before he started giving Lin heavy minutes again against Portland.
(That being said, there were some games last year that McHale inexplicably benched Lin for. The loss to Orlando being a prime example. However, I do think he has been quite fair this year.)
Not that it should matter, but I am a Lin fan...
Edited by bluemars, 14 March 2014 - 05:20 PM.