ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Pacers 10/10/2013 in Manila, Philippines (PRESEASON)

D-Mo played well.

 

CSN didn't but NBA TV. They had the Pacers announcers and the image was pretty low res so it made the game hard to watch though.

 

People who think playing in a 6th man role is a demotion don't understand basketball AT ALL.

You can be a Hall Of Fame player by coming off the bench.

 

And what if "they" recognize both Lin and Beverley to be pretty good players? Kind of throws a wrench into your argument, doesn't it?

A better explanation is simply that it would be strange to call it a "demotion" when, in effect, he'd be asked to take on the role that James Harden had in OKC. I mean, if you asked a player to go from a Mario Chalmers type starting role to a Harden or Jason Terry-in-his-prime type role off the bench, is that really a demotion?

Its really a matter of whether we want to look at it in black and white terms (starter or reserve?), or if we want to consider the actual particulars about the player's shifting role/responsibilities on the team. His defensive fans will be very upset, undoubtedly, but Lin would be better served not thinking about it in such simplistic terms and consequentially getting all huffy-puffy over it if he's asked to play off the bench. I think he's mature enough to see things from his coach's perspective and fulfill his role as best he can, whether or not he fully agrees with it.

 

Case in point.

Kevin McHale.

 

And John Havlicek.

And Manu Ginobili, who will eventually get into the Hall.

 

7am (1am Honolulu)

 

He already said he was fine with 6th man ala harden in his exit interview last season.

 

**** the starters!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BENCH NOW!


Lin, Garcia, Casspi, Motiejunas, Asik.

just look at that bench! got scoring, 3pt shooting, defense and rebounds. the bench has everything!

Lin and D-mo will run PnR to death. Garcia and Casspi as snipers. Asik as defensive anchor. Let's Roll!

screw the starters!

 

Do you think McHales gonna play Lin at the end of the game? I don't think so unless Lin absolutely kills it. I knew never to trust a Celtic. Growing up, I never wore green even on St. Patricks Day cuz I despised the Celtics so much, lol. With Bird in attendance I was having horrible Celtics flashbacks.. Yuck.

 

McHale will frequently go with Beverley, Lin, Harden, Parsons, and Dwight to close games. You can count on that.

 

If Lin is not the starter, it's a clear demotion. Stop fronting y'all. Whether that's good or bad we shall have to see but with how well we've been playing so far (Howard/Harden) it wouldn't even matter who started. When Harden starts missing a shot or two, then we will see who's a better fit. Either way, it was clear to me that McHale doesn't like Lin with the first unit.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/stor...-from-start-to-finish-versus-pacers-in-manila

Lin-led-rockets-cruise-from-start-to-finish-versus-pacers-in-manila

 

Only thing I didn't like about this game was, I wasn't able to watch it live.

 

Thus perpetuating the superficial thought.

Hypothetically speaking, if Lin has the best season of his career coming off the bench, is he still demoted?

Hypothetically speaking, if Lin wins 6th man of the year, and helps Rockets win the championship, is he still demoted?

Or are you saying that Beverley's role is more important than Lin simply because he is starting and Lin is not.

 

There is no 6th man in McHale's eyes. I don't see why people think he will play 30+ minutes off the bench. I don't see it happening at all. Last year Patrick averaged 19 minutes off the bench. Our best player off the bench, Carlos Delfino, averaged 25 minutes and thats with him finishing games because we had no PF.

I see him averaging 20-25 minutes max. If he finishes games it will be WITH Patrick.

Lets not kid ourselves. People are already seeing Beverly as comparable talent to Lin, and if Lin is benched then they would think Beverly> Lin. This isn't Manu Ginobili coming off the bench for some scrub where everyone knows why he's coming off the bench. Manu is clearly better than the SG starting in front of him. For Lin it IS a demotion, but the team will be better off for it. Lin will have to take one for the team, even if he is "better" than Beverly. Our bench and championship aspirations depends on it.

 

I'm not sure you know what "bench warmer" means. Usually it is referred to someone who never gets in the game.

It's preseason dude. If the coach wasn't open minded about trying new combinations, he wouldn't be doing his job.

 

James on Jeremy after the game.....

"His feel for the game is different"

 

Case in point.

How many HOF were bench warmers in the history of the NBA? You seems to make it looks like normal.

 

And you seem to be missing the point, badly.

The point is not whether you start, but what your role is. You can be a Hall of Famer and still come off the bench.

Go ask any Spurs fans if Ginobli was a benchwarmer when he came off the bench.

Go ask any Mavericks fan if Jason Terry was a benchwarmer.