That display of frustration was surprising considering it was expressed at both Amare and Carmelo. That took some balls from a ex-benchwarmer to call out the 2 franchise players. Probably one reason why Lin is no longer with the Knicks. Lin showed a passion for winning and will get on you for doing the wrong thing. Will be interesting how things turn out this year, I'm super optimistic this team will go far.
Harden was a leader in college, was a vital piece of a team that went to the NBA finals and is by far the most talented player on the team. It's a no brainer. I think Lin could be a good leader but he still has people (unfairly before you kill me Lin fans) questioning whether he even belongs in this League, he's yet to earn the respect for his play on the court from his peers. Chandler would be a better captain at this point in time.
Totally agree with you. It's learning process for him for being the leader on the court. However, his love for the game and care for the team will never go away. Lets pray for the kids stay healthy and enjoy the games.
I think Lin was probably disappointed in himself for losing his temper at Amare and Melo. In interviews, he's said it's important to him that he plays in a godly way, not just winning. He said when his parents watch him at games, they never comment on his play, winning or losing, but instead call him out for being impatient with teammates or not treating opposing players with the upmost respect. Still, it must be frustrating to play with Amare and his lack of defense.
I'll dispute that. It remains to be seen who will be the go to guy, the pg or the sg. I don't know why there's so much hate around Lin and all the snarky comments being made, but it's downright idiotic and r****ded. AND NO IT'S NOT BECAUSE HE'S UNPROVEN!! He led his team to a State championship and received the Cali State Player of the Year and HE WAS RIDICULED ALL THE TIME back then too. Later, when he led his college team to the most wins ever in their history, HE WAS RECEIVING SNARKY COMMENTS THEN TOO. And when he broke records in the NBA and led his teams to wins, PEOPLE COULDN'T WAIT FOR HIM TO FAIL THEN TOO! Call it what you will, but those of you who are getting bullied into doubting your own team's young new pg off a great season by ijuts like Spiegel or Gil are part of the reason why so many threads get tarded out. Harden may be the best player on the court, but in high school and college, although he was clearly the best player, he often deferred leadership status. Lin, on the other hand, was the clear leader of his team in high school, college, and will be so in the NBA as well. Plus, he's the point guard!! I've been in plenty of teams with sometimes 1 or even 2 guys better than me, but I was the clear leader as the point guard. I guess if you haven't played the point, you can't really understand. I've played with now coach Vaughn (Orlando) and with Arthur Lee from Stanford back in my younger days in Cali and I've held my own against them in the playground and scrimmage and believe with all my soul that the PG is in the best position to lead a team.
I am also flabbergasted by this. If anything, Lin is too vocal and assertive on the court. Somebody who had watched a lot of NYK games last year would know this. Lin barks at everybody from Novak to Jeffries to Stat to Tyson Chandler and waves Melo off, and they all respond to it. Everybody on NYK seemed to react well to it except Melo and JR. The thing is, Melo is no alpha dog. He just likes to think he is. When Melo gets barked at and waved off he doesn't have the balls to object on the court. He just takes it and let the resentment fester, then he goes off and cries to mommy. Melo just wants to play on a team with no alpha dogs so he can be the leader by default, then not lead. Harden does not talk; Harden just minds his own business and destroys people on the court.
JLin hands down There is no question that JLin has become the leader of this group even in a short 4 weeks of preseason. That is who he is. He was captain of his High School team and the 109th captain on his Havard team. The guy has always proven he can lead.
Is LOF crashing our site? Or he is just a popular player? Wait, the Chinese voters are still sleeping in China!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>RT @<a href="https://twitter.com/rocketsjcf">rocketsjcf</a>: @<a href="https://twitter.com/jharden13">jharden13</a>wastes no time setting tone: tells teammates to tuck in shirts & go to work to start practice; runs sprints</p>— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/263043784173043713" data-datetime="2012-10-29T22:24:59+00:00">October 29, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Count me as another believer in Lin's resilience and ability to perform and lead. IMHO last year Lin only showcased a small portion of what he is capable of. Harden compliments Lin, being unselfish and a worker, and will only bring out the best in Lin. His experience will keep Lin grounded when he gets down. Team chemistry is going to be off the charts this year.
The problem is leadership has 2 different definitions to basketball fans. Some think it's the most talented, highest paid, the goto guy on offense - while others believe it's the person that rallies/motivates the troops, organizes chaos, points out a direction, the floor general. Personally I feel it's the latter. Today's NBA stars are not all leaders like they used to be in the age of Magic/Bird/Jordan - Prime example being Melo, franchise player if you place him on virtually any team in the league, but the guy can not lead anyone outside of his immediate family. A leader is someone the mass chooses to listen to and follow. We may not ever find out who the leader(s) is as we are not in the locker room. On the court, Lin always yaps a lot. I think he would have the perception as being a leader on the floor. Harden strikes me as someone who doesn't talk much but people would listen when he does. Parsons may turn out to be the real vocal leader in the locker room. Without a real veteran presence, most likely it would be a tri-captain thing (maybe a quad if they let Patterson get his wish too). During Shaq's Orlando years, the team leader was Scott Skiles.....
Tinman: Please close this poll. It is obvious who the fan elected Houston leader is. No need to keep the poll open!
