Expanding core competencies

Just FYI. Have fun watching videos and know your limits instead of Lin's flaws.

Pre Linsanity (1/24/2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mMZ3Mdr0M

Past Linsanity (3/21/2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubnkjfpubio

During Linanity (2/6/2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuFen-_k5yo

 

Could anyone post this full Insider article?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/stor...mes-harden-jeremy-lin-houston-rockets-offense

 

Post makes a lot of sense.....but, it could all be explained by the Harden addition, so i'd say it's more of a coincidence. Take Harden away and Lin wouldn't be a spot up shooter on the team, despite it still being a weakness for him.

 

If you go by the OP's reasoning, then yes, developing Lin's game is certainly a luxury due to the Harden trade. Without the trade, the Rockets likely would've sacrificed Lin's development. And have him facilitate the development of other youngsters.

But with the addition of Harden, everyone can work on their weakness. Harden learns to be more of a playmaker, Lin work more on off-ball play, and forwards still feed off of guard play.

 

I completely disagree that the Rockets are trying to develop Lin as a spot up 3 point shooter on purpose. Lin is camping behind the 3 point line by sheer necessity.

I posted this in another thread:

With no low post presence, the only way to get points in the paint is with dribble penetration. To get dribble penetration, you need to space the floor by putting players behind the 3 point line. Rockets have no choice but to throw up this many 3's even if they don't have the shooters for it. That's why Lin keeps getting the green light even though he has been missing.

Thoughts?

 

Harden is a career 36% 3pt shooter. Lin 32%. So if the team wishes to maximize effectiveness, Lin would spend more time driving, and Harden more time spacing the floor. But right now, the ratio of who starts the play between Harden and Lin is decidedly in Harden's favor. That has to be by design.

 

This.

And remember people, this is the team that has Morey as a GM. There's no way that he wouldn't have the same stats, or even more complicated numbers breaking down *exactly* how effective each player is at different spots on the floor and at what point in the game/quarter/shotclock/etc.

 

is anyone else amused that Rocket's 'tank mode' looks like 4-4?

And close losses via good teams?

Because I certainly am.

 

First line got eaten:

Is anyone else amused that the Rocket's tanking looks like 4-4?

 

But remember also that Harden is new to this roster as well. Likely they started off intentionally wanting to get him familiar with his teammates as the primary ball handler. Now it should be Lin's turn. From what Sampson said hopefully they started yesterday running PNR plays for him & some semblance of screens to get him free from the defenders. They can use some of Dantoni's sets for Lin just like they implemented some OKC sets for Harden. It isn't a matter of want.

 

I agree this situation is by design. Harden may be a better 3 point shooter but Harden is also a better PNR player in terms of points per play. Also, Lin doesn't look like he got his explosiveness back in his first step or in his ability to finish plays yet.

Just like I wish some people on this board would give Lin more time before making a judgement on him, I hope you will delay your judgement until the coaches implement the whole playbook.

 

Nice idea, but really... people can't even agree on which rookies to keep, whether Morris is great or sucks, whether Harden is worth his contract or not, etc, etc, etc.

The amount of complaining about Wins should make it clear that some people are always going to look for something to complain about.

 

Seriously!! I have been extremely impressed with this team so far this season. Every game has been close and they have played experienced playoff teams for about half the games! Plus caip room for a max player. If this is rebuilding, sign me up.

Hopefully, there will be more level-headed posters like yourself posting on this board to counteract the knee-jerk reactions here.

 

Even with the acquisition of guard James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder, theHouston Rockets still are flush with assets that will help general manager Daryl Morey bring more talent to his team in the future.

However, let's break down what he has today, namely Harden and how he will mesh with Morey's most recent free-agent acquisitions -- point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik-- as well as the rest of Houston's offensive roster.



From an X's and O's perspective, Morey might have found an ideal trio that will develop over time. But as Bradford Doolittle pointed out, Morey's wheeling and dealing has turned over the roster so violently that just 13.5 minutes (per game) return from last year's team. And only one player accustomed to starting -- second-year man Chandler Parsons -- returns this season. The team was trying to develop chemistry during the preseason, but has to reset with Harden.

Backcourt blend
Now that the Rockets feature Jeremy Lin at point guard, they could not have found a better fit for him at the other guard spot than Harden. Lin is a ball-dominant guard with average passing skills at best, but he is a willing passer who does not see the floor like the prototypical point guard. Instead, Lin is someone who can, just as he did for that crazy stretch last season, score points in bunches. So pairing him with a brilliant passer, someone who can find him in the half-court or full-court game, makes perfect sense. That is Harden.



As he illustrated with Russell Westbrook, Harden is clearly comfortable playing alongside a score-first point guard, and is used to playing between two monster scorers. So it makes sense for him to be a great complement to Lin, and together they could form a good combination of scorers/passers as the top guards on the team.



I'd expect most of Houston's offense to revolve around Harden with the ball in his hands on the wing, in isolation or more often in the side pick-and-roll game, allowing Lin to set up on the opposite wing. This will create lots of shots for Lin off the ball reversal, where he can catch and shoot or use a shot fake and drive. Not being forced to create most of the offense himself will be a huge benefit to Lin, who to my eyes has not fully recovered (mentally more than physically) from offseason knee surgery.



It will take time
However, the potential of this pair comes with some caveats, as Houston's offense has some visible concerns. First, consider what Harden has been able to accomplish. He's done it alongside two top-four picks, both top-level All-Stars. Now he'll share the perimeter with Lin, a previously undrafted guard with very little experience, and a second-round draft pick in Parsons (though Parsons has excellent potential, and his passing skills should work well with both Harden and Lin).



Of course Harden's not close to Kevin Durant in any way, nor can Lin match up to Russell Westbrook; as a result, Harden, for the first time in his career, is going to be the top threat every second he's on the floor.



That has meaning. It's quite possible that defenders will never help off of him. I mean never, as he no longer has Durant or Westbrook to attract the defense, and Harden hasn't had to deal with that before. As every NBA scorer will attest, it's a grind to have to put up points every night when you rarely get open looks in the half court.



I believe Harden is up to that grind, but it might take some time for him to get good at it every night. Consider that last year Harden scored 16 points or less 31 times in 62 games. And two seasons ago, Kevin Martin played 80 games for Houston and scored 16 or less points just 13 times. If Lin and Parsons both can develop a more consistent offense on a nightly basis, Harden won't be expected to do as much every night; however, if Houston hopes to be a top-10 offensive team, they must also have Harden consistently score at a higher volume.



The rest


Harden should love playing the pick-and-roll game with Asik, who I think has a strong chance to be the NBA's most improved player. Asik showed excellent hands this preseason, and he'll be enough of a threat rolling down the lane to occupy the paint defenders, allowing Harden and Lin space to make things happen.



Forward Patrick Patterson could also be a nice complement to both Harden and Lin in the pick-and-pop game. Neither big might be much of a scoring threat in the low post, which suggests that Harden, as his team's best scorer, should consider working on that part of his game. Head coach Kevin McHale began using Martin, before his trade to the Thunder, in that role this preseason for precisely that reason, with good success.



In sum, for the Rockets to become a top-third offensive team, they will have to rely on playing fast and hope their wings get most of the work done. By February, whether or not Morey makes additional deals, I think they can get close to that range, but only if things work out perfectly for them.



There are a lot of adjustments in store for this team: Lin has to get healthy and make a good percentage of perimeter shots; Harden has to acclimate to being the top defensive target each night; Parsons has to shoot better from deep; and Patterson/Asik need to finish a high percentage of their shots while also adjusting to being full-time starters for the first time.


It's not fair to expect immediate offensive greatness from a team that will need time to mesh and returns only one semi-starter who barely averaged 10 points per game last season.

 

That would be something Morey might do. Sampson though wants to win games as the coach. And if he doesn't trust Lin to be the main playmaker, which he clearly doesn't then what you're seeing with Lin camping in the corner is what you're going to get.

 

(Thanks for posting the article!)

I wonder what that means? Lin, with his pre-injury explosiveness, was kind of like a poor man's Westbrook, so I see the point the writer is making. (Of course Lin is less selfish than Westbrook and makes better decisions.)

 

His injury should take 4-6 months for full recovery, but that doesn't mean he can reagin all the athleticsim immediately.

 

Not sure if I believe the OP. But I still appreciate the thought that is put into it.