It looks like the majority of CF is in agreement that we're overall pretty happy with what we see...just need to give him a little more time.
I don't think happy is the word, when lin becomes consistent and ups his numbers some and fits in well with our offense, then i think CF will be "happy" with what we see. i think its that everyone is more neutral with lin. we want him to do good just like every other rocket, but everyone agrees he needs to improve
It's not a question of how good he is, it's a question of do his skills match our needs. He can play, shows at times he can play extremely well. But do we get the most out of him in the system we're using? I'm not so sure. He's putting in work to get better, that's all we can really hope for. I think it's going to work out this year but it's up to him. Maybe he's just not a good fit, thats ok. Maybe he's becoming the PG we need. Either way he's going to succeed in the NBA.
The following is what I voted: "I root for Lin to do well and generally like him as a player". Actually, I thought so much of him that I think " Lin is capable of being an all-star". But just not right now. He still needs two or three more seasons to improve. Thus, I think "Lin is a good basketball player and just needs time to continue to improve and find his niche". Unfortunately, if he stays here, we will be grooming him to be the next Derik Fisher, concentrating on defense and 3 point shot. Rather than getting him to improve on his handle, left hand finish, passing in traffic, floater and mid range shots, etc, we would just ask him to emphasize on 3 point shooting and defense. What a waste of talent on Lin's part and waste of resource on Rocket's part. Thus, I also voted for "Lin isn't a great fit on this team and would be better of playing somewhere else".
Your opinion is your opinion. You do not represent "everyone". You do not represent "we". He is a great team player for sure. He is a great team player no less than any other star player or any player in Rockets. His value or any Rockets player value is not based on any individual score record but the overall Rockets record. Just to make sure you do agree on it. The point was Rockets outperformed the expectation last season. They could have done better. No one can deny it. It is the team effort that made it happen and not any star or any player effort only.
Interesting thread Lou. You should come by and eat at the restaurant and catch Rockets game with me. It's been too long. Anyways back to topic. I just don't see the need to keep Lin. I was never excited about him coming to Houston and I would still rather see him on another roster. The ball will be in Harden's and Dwight's hands what do we really need an 8 and eventually 15 or so million dollar pg for? We're in win now mode again and the team still has other needs. If we can use Lin in the package to fill those holes then we should do it. my stance went from not caring that we got Lin to hoping every second he never puts on a Rockets Jersey EVER again.
I'm not altogether certain the "bad fit" argument is true here. 1. His 3-point shooting did improve 2. Lin did average 15/7 per 36 minutes. So he did not obviously just stand in the corner. Nor did his coach force him to just stand in the corner and deny him any ball-handling duties (as some of his fans suggest). Could he have handled the ball more? Yes - especially when Harden was hurt and tired later in the year. But that is not something to panic over. Also - Lin's best play occurred after the break - after Bev had established himself as legit. I like our 3 guards. They can all play point, are all very young, and will improve. Lin and Bev can also offer different types of energy off the bench if the rotation is changed. The only questionable thing IMO is Lin's contract. He is overpaid but not egregiously so. We have a max guy and 2 pretty good, young players - one making the minimum and the other who is arguably overpaid. Not too shabby at all if you stand back and try not to over analyze. Perimeter defense should improve now that there will always be a shot-blocking presence in the paint to funnel guys to. Also - Harden should not handle full-time pg duties. We will need another playmaker when Harden sits and even when Harden is on the floor. I don't want the guy to be run into the ground and he can focus more on defense.
If you are going to consider him a 15 million dollar guard in 2 years, then it is only fair to call him a 5 million dollar guard for now. Or go the 8/8/8 route. I do agree that he (and Asik to a degree) should be moved if the right deal comes along.
In 2011-12, Lin posted a usage rate of 27.6 percent and an assist ratio of 26.8 percent. During the 2012-13 season, however, Lin's usage rate dropped to 20.6 percent, as Harden controlled virtually every possession the Rockets ran. That 7.0 percent drop—an unheard of decline for a player as productive as Lin was in 2011-12—didn't prevent the mercurial guard from upping his assist ratio to 28.4 percent. Lin had his opportunities to facilitate, but we cannot overstate how important it is for a young point guard to have a sense of continuity.
That would be cool man. I need to check out the restaurant. Let me know when you are there and we can watch a game for sure. So listen dude. We have Lin as our PG. To me, how much he gets paid is irrelevant because it's not his fault we signed him to that sucker. No one is going to take that contract anyway, so we have him. He's going to put on a Rockets jersey. So we all have to just hope he improves and fits better with time. I don't get what all the complaining is about - he's here like it or not. He's got his challenges, but he has also shown improvement so why not just let it play out - it's not like anyone has a choice.
Oh yes my mistake he makes 5 million this year and 15 next year..... Gag! It is one thing for him to be paid a rookie paycheck since he continues to make rookie mistakes. But he gets paid a big boys contract. I truly hope the Rockets are shopping him out especially for some perimiter D and possibly a pf. If he is on our roster oh well... Hopefully like Lou says he'll improve... But I'm not bettin on it. I am hoping beverly and cannan or even Brooks's play improves so that we won't have to stress about it anymore. I don't understand some people's fascination for the guy to stay in Houston. He's not the guy we're building around. He's just another commodity that can be traded to fill in the gaps. Harden and Howard are the focus of this franchise. Quite possibly Parsons is one too. Lin is a "5 million and eventually 14+ million dollar" commodity that is replacable for cheaper.
People pushing Lin to come off the bench didn't watch Rockets game last season. Lin and Harden didn't rest together and his D is better than Beverley. Starting Beverley is taking the risk for a new starting PG who has never played the whole season and self-destruct Lin's trade value by reducing his role.
lol, did you even watch those highlights? 2 shots were open because Beverley was doubling on Durant 2 shots were PnR's where they purposefully sent him into Asik and he had to make circus shots around him to score, IE he was forced into tough shots. 1 shot Harden was guarding him.