This is another point Linsanity addicts either don't understand or won't acknowledge. Once teams took him seriously and got a good feel for how to exploit Lin, his effectiveness would decline. D-Will kicking his rump the 2nd time around is one example. The real test of this guy will come next season after having valuable time this year to gauge himself. If Lin is legit, he'll take it up another notch. Otherwise, he's probably a flash in the pan. I want him to do well because of the positive buzz it creates. The more good storylines in the NBA, the better. I also think Lin is a great guy who appreciates his opportunity and sets a good example for others. But I still haven't sipped the Kool-Aid. Hope he proves me wrong.
Maybe they would have if they went through a stretch where a slate of easy opponents knew nothing of their game and didn't even have them on the scouting report. They haven't been getting it done this season, but it's kinda funny how Lin isn't as much anymore either since: - The SOS got tougher - Teams have tape on him and can plan for him A 2-3 week stretch is just that.....a 2-3 week stretch. I don't think that's enough to conclude that he can get it done and established dudes that have been doing this for multiple seasons now can't.
boston, dallas, and SA are understandable losses but milwaukee and philly should have been wins and i think if they stuck with chemistry over what looks good on paper, then they could have won those. Lin is still scoring in the double digits and handing out at least 6 apg. it isnt a stretch to say he would be at 20+ and 6 with melo out. he's actually been one of the most consistent players on that team. unfortunately, his turnovers have been consistent as well. chandler and jefferies being out didnt help either. they are a huge part of the knicks ability to close out games. melo n stat have been playing like crap this season. it's like when i used to argue that hou was better when tmac was in the lineup. and that just wasnt true. maybe melo and dantoni's system arent a good fit. and stat just really needs to play better D.
Not since the SOS improved and teams have had a chance to scout him. Look at his past 8 games or so. Bad game, good game, bad game, etc....actually more bad ones that good. He hasn't been consistent in this stretch (look at what he has been shooting).
Philly is better than Boston so I dunno how you think Boston should be a loss while the 76ers should be a win.
Expectation is set way too high for him. If we just consider him as an undrafted player who produces 14pts, 6 asts at any given night, I think most of us will agree he is overachieving. But he is treated like a super star, so obviously ppl gonna criticize him for not being able to produce super star numbers night in and night out. Look, it is what it is: he is a good pg who is doing quite well in his first season playing major minutes. But he is not a star. He has some major holes in his game he need to fix in order to go to next level. I am more interested in his off-season and how he will do next season. By then we will determine if he is a hit or bust.
I'm not saying he's a bust. Just that statements alluding to him producing more wins than all-star pros that have been doing it for multiple seasons are a little far fetched based on a 2-3 week timeframe. He had a great 2-3 week run which coincided with playing bad teams and no one scouted him. Now he is playing subpar to average against better teams that have a chance to scout him. I can't determine that one is resposible for success and one for the recent struggles, but I will conclude that I don't think he can help you win more than Carmelo Anthony based on 2-3 weeks of basketball.
The fact that teams have to take him seriously enough to actually game plan for him is already a testament to how good he is. He is, at the very least, a capable starter. He also has a good head on his shoulders and he looks to be willing to work on his game and get better. Not sure about becoming a bona fide star, but I bet he'll be a good player for a long time.
I hate the Knicks. I celebrate their losses right up there with Dallas' and Miami's...mainly cause we own their pick. But still..
For about a month early in his rookie season, Luther Head looked like a bonafide starter. Then he got figured out. While Lin is much more versatile, I'm not yet sold he's a sure thing as a good starter. He'll certainly work hard enough to be one.
And again, you are making that determination off 2-3 weeks of basketball where the SOS wasn't tough and teams didn't have any film on him. Since the SOS has improved and teams have film he hasn't played as well. I can't base a conclusion off either because the timeframe is just too short. We aren't even talking half a season of basketball here. But if the Knicks are dumb enough to give away Melo based on 2-3 weeks of Lin I'm sure 31 other teams would happily trade for him. FYI, teams plan and scout for every player that get's time on the court. There is nothing special about teams suddenly scouting for Lin. It's not a testament to how good he is. They do that on every player that plays significant minutes. The difference is before teams had no idea what he could and couldn't do and now they have somewhat of a clue and plan to take those strenghts away, just like they do with every other player. If we were to throw you out there for heavy minutes teams would figure out what you can and can't do and stop the things you can do well. Him still getting those heavy minutes is a testament to how good he is and his coach believing in him, but scouting to stop what he does well is nothing special.
I'm saying it based on 1 1/2 seasons of Carmelo Anthony having almost neglible positive impact on the Knicks. As I said, this is more about Melo being totally overrated, for which there is ample sample-size. There is no doubt in my mind that the Knicks would be much worse right now without Lin than without Carmelo. That doesn't mean give away Carmelo for free. He just needs to play better.
Huh? The Knicks won 51% of their games last season prior to trading for Melo. After gutting their team for him they won 52% of their games for the remainder of the season. Having a slightly better win % after gutting your entire team for a guy is not a positive impact? I won't argue that Melo isn't overrated, but his true sample size is 7.5 seasons in Denver (where he never missed the playoffs and made one WCF's) and 66 games (not even one full season) in NY (where he could possibly miss the postseason for the first time this year). Yet you have somehow concluded that the Knicks will be better with Lin than with him based on 2-3 weeks of basketball, against poor teams when he wasn't even on the scouting report? 66 games in NYC show that the Knicks would be better off without a guy that never missed the playoffs and had one WCF trip in his first 7 seasons? And 2-3 weeks of basketball tell you that the team would be better off with Lin than that guy? Edit: All I'm saying is we sure are drawing some hefty conclusions based on very small sample size of basketball. 66 games is not even a full season. That's a small sample size. The 2-3 weeks of Linsanity is definately a small sample size, especially considering all the other factors that went into NY winning at that time.
The Knicks had one of the league's easiest schedules to start the year, and they weren't exactly blowing teams out. The Knicks played their best ball this year with Jeremy Lin and without Carmelo Anthony, irrespective of the opponent. They had quality wins against LA, DAL, and MIN.
FOR 3 WEEKS!!!!!!!! Again, if you can conclude that the Knicks would be better off with Lin than Melo based on Lin's 3 initial 3 weeks (with tons of other factors) and Melo's 66 games in a Knicks uniform then more power to you. That's not a large enough sample size to conclude anything IMO. I'd rather go with the 7.5 seasons in Denver as a better guage of Melo's value to a team.
