[ESPN] Jeremy Lin Humble but predicts Rockets will contend

Finally glad to see a good portion of Clutch Fans starting to accept Lin as the starting PG for the Rockets.

 

Where do people come up with this stuff? The other day someone was talking about how Lin can only marginally improve from this point forward in his career, and now this.

Here are the regular-season performances for the last 5 championship-winning point guards:

2009 Title = Fisher -------------> 10/2/3 on 42% FG with a 12.1 PER
2010 Title = Fisher -------------> 08/2/3 on 38% FG with a 09.3 PER
2011 Title = Kidd ---------------> 08/4/8 on 36% FG with a 14.4 PER
2012 Title = Chalmers ----------> 10/3/4 on 45% FG with a 13.0 PER
2013 Title = Chalmers ----------> 09/2/4 on 43% FG with a 13.3 PER

2012-13 Lin --------------------> 13/3/6 on 44% FG with a 14.9 PER

So, based on PER, Lin's 2012-13 regular season was better than any of those five seasons. And it is generally accepted that Lin had a "down" year last year. And it appears he will come to camp healthy this year, unlike last year, and that he's been working on his game all summer.

The point isn't that Lin is as good as Kidd or as clutch as Fisher. The point is that in the current NBA, it appears that you don't have to have a great point guard (or at least not a great point guard in his prime) to win a title.

Perhaps this part of the above article was missed?

After the Knicks declined to match the three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet Lin received from Houston, he averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists and started all 82 regular-season games before getting hurt against the Thunder. Lin acknowledged that he was burdened by expectations, and that he got down on himself while failing to duplicate Linsanity in Houston. But Olajuwon said Howard's presence would allow Lin to play pressure-free basketball this year.

If you have great players on your team, not everyone has to be a superstar (at least not one in his prime). Which is basically what is shown in the stats of the point guards above who won the last 5 titles. Those players were hardly carrying their teams. For example, in the 2011 Finals Kidd was the 6th-leading scorer for the Mavs. In the last five Finals, none of the point guards who won the championship was better than the 4th-best scorer for their team in The Finals.

I know Lin wasn't good in the playoffs last year. Going against a force like Westbrook and then getting hurt in the second game can have that effect, I'm sure. It's not like Lin hasn't had any success against Westbrook. Russell was guarding him when Lin put up 29/6/8 in a thrilling win on February 20, 2013.

Additionally, it was mentioned in a recent Chron article that Beverley may finish games rather than Lin. So if you think Lin's not up for the job, you may not have to watch him finish games.

I fail to see the crisis here.

 

You guys are stupid if you keep saying Lin is the reason the Rockets win/lose.
Its the PF position,coaching, Harden being able to not iso and share the ball with Howard, defense, and experience that is the key issue right now not 1 person but the whole team.

 

Lin needs to be our back-up SG as well as our starting PG. It's like others have said: stagger his minutes with Harden as much as possible, ensure one of them is on the floor at all times. The PnR possibilities with this team are now unrivaled in the NBA. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

 

We all love asik, but some of his finishing was terrible last year. Both Harden and Lin will benefit immensely from Dwight's presence on both ends. Asik was still better offensively thn I thought he would be at least.

 

Great post.

 

Thanks.

Lin could be something that holds back the team this year from achieving playoff success, but we don't know that yet.

He's got plenty to work on, for sure. But I want to see how things play out this year before coming to any conclusions.

If Morey thinks things need a shake-up midway through the year, I'm sure he'll be ready to pull the trigger.

 

You have countered cherry picking with cherry picking, here.

 

For us to be a championship contending, we just need a PG that takes care of the ball, play D, and hit the open shot. Lin can do this as long as he shoots at the same percentage as the second half of last season. So if he shot improved at all from last season, we should be set. He's going to be our 4th option, and he's plenty good enough to be that.

 

Calls people stupid. Says something just as stupid. Solid argument

 

It's great that they are thinking so confidently and have their sights set so high!

In the end, I think it will come down to chemistry and how they play as a team. I am a bit concerned with the chemistry between Harden and Lin. Their games seem to be incompatible/not complimentary.

 

My prediction is that by mid-season, Jeremy will come off the bench. He will play a lot of minutes, like Ginobili in San Antonio, but Jeremy and Asik will play together a lot as second team. I hope this does not come true but something tells me that is what will happen.

 

Yep. I feel the same.

 

Where do you get this? We ain't the Knicks, Nets, Lakers, Heats... we are too young to be labeled win-now while still have chips to upgrade. That doesn't mean we can't win now tho.

 

Its actually a great situation that we have Lin and Pbev as our PGs. Add to the fact in small ball lineup both of them play well together.

 

What is logic and sense doing in a Lin thread?! Evidence backing up a point rather than just opinions based on nothing? Ridiculous; I don't know what to do with this.

 

basically what lin mean is they will most likely be able to aim for a championship in 2-3 years time but they will still try to go for it it next season nonetheless?

 

YESSSSSS!!!

 

Jeremy has only 2 more seasons with the Rockets, if that much. So the time is NOW!!! Let's go!!!!!!

 

Win-now mode? I mean I guess... but also win for the next decade. We just had the youngest team to ever make the playoffs, if you recall, and that was so many of these guys' first playoff experience. Our core hasn't changed that much, either. Our oldest key player is now Howard, who is 27.

I think that Lin could well be a starter on a championship team. He couldn't be the one of the best 2-3 players on a championship team, but he could start. He is a solid player who will probably only get better over the next couple years.