Kenny could shoot the ball well, he was afraid to drive the lane but he was a good match with Dream because of his shooting.
And if Shaq had really worked on his free throws, he would have been better than Stockton at the line. Sure. Anyone can dream. What separates the realists from the dreamers is hard data. The fact is that Kenny never did average 20+ points per game in his career, before, during, or after his Houston stint. Whereas Lin came very close to doing that. Face it, the numbers that a really young Lin has already put up are better than Kenny's career best. You cant avoid that fact.
Kenny wouldn't have averaged 20+ points a game. He scored like he did because the other team was worried about Dream. He couldn't drive the lane he was a jump shooter.
BBall IQ: Lin Team Chemistry: Lin Leadership qualities: Lin ...and I loved Rafer Alston's game, but truth be told, Alston's game was better suited to the blacktop and And1 than the pro league.
Agree on most, except that Lin gets the nod on defense, and also don't forget rebounding and loose balls--highly underrated but key ingredients to a good defense and fastbreak.
he was fantastic driver when he joined the rockets. in his late years, he was more of a shooter, but when he was a young rocket, he ran the break well.
+1 Kenny (one of my all time favorites) was a great open shooter (from all distances, 3-point, midrange, and free throw), very low turnover PG/SG, but not a slasher/creater despite his dunk contest appearance. Consistent 20-point scorers get keyed on, and he would not have been able to score at a 20-point pace.
no, i was there in the 90s and remembered his game. you want to see drop some kenny knowledge on you?
Just want to say that I am enjoying this thread, brings back so many good memories, Kenny, Cassell, Rafer, etc. I watched them all, some more than others. Let's all continue to keep the comparisons positive. Really enjoy it when we can talk about players without instinctively trashing others.
who's saying he was some super scorer, he was a great point guard for the Rockets and played well for his team. no full court press would scare him.
I hate to let the facts get in the way of a cool story bro, but Kenny Smith averaged 17pts 7ast per game on two occasions, also had a 15ppg, 14ppg and two 13+ppg seasons as the third or sometimes fourth option on offence. Jeremy Lin's best season was last year 14.6ppg & 6.2. I am a Lin fan, not only for his play but also for the way that he carries himself off the court. I believe that Lin will be a star in this league, but contrary to your beliefs Jeremy Lin hasn't produced on Kenny Smith's level just yet...Soon though. It's coming.
I agree with you. I was responding to the 20-point scorer comment. Kenny held up despite the horrible handchecking of Derek Harper and the Knicks. Man, I really couldn't stand that Knicks team. I still remember Ewing shoving Olajuwon with both hands in the back, and Hakeem still finishing, with no foul call. Back to the topic, in my opinion, Lin will hold up to the rough play as well after he gets a few more games under his belt. I think his knee was already torn when he faced the Heat last year. We'll see how he fares this time around. The NBA this year is now being officiated alot more like the rough and tumble 80's.
Great post. Lin has lots of room to grow. he's not complete like other think he is now. Let's also remember Kenny's great play in the playoffs too! Game 1 Western Conference Finals http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199405230HOU.html <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=bbr&url=%2Fboxscores%2F199405230HOU.html&div=div_HOU_basic"></script>
Great memories. Is it only me that can get happy just by seeing a box score? It seemed that either Kenny or Cassell would get hot in every game, and that guy would play the bulk of the game.
Rafer was a very good on ball defender. He was one of the better defenders in the league at his position.
Rafer was a very good teammate.Also his IQ on both sides of the ball was high. Outside of few bad shots like his tear drop tear bricks he was a very, very good playmaker.His leadership qualities especially at creating good shots for others and controlling the temp was very good to.
