Best way for Lin to break out of his shooting/scoring slump would be to hit FTs. I mean, this is so obvious that I refuse to believe that the coaches don't realize this. They must still be worried about Lin's durability.
The coaches can't grow cojones for him, he needs to be more aggressive, even Douglas is looking to get to the basket more. The fact that he only attempted 2 close range shots is unacceptable.
Guys aren't packing the paint against douglas though. They just let him do whatever the **** they want because if Douglas get's a wide open lay up he will just turn it over in the next possession.
Well, this team is poorly constructed then. Harden and Lin = excellent PnR players Team = no PnR bigs
Well, you can't exactly get all your pieces at once. I think they're trying to establish Asik as an offensive threat. Obviously, going for a double-double against Miami is a good way to start. I'm sure they're looking at free agents and stuff for the long run.
Erm, Lin is currently shooting 90.9% from the FT line. I don't think he's lacking confidence in that department. I doubt durability is the issue unless the worry is about the back up PG position. D'Antoni for example would instruct Lin not to play overly aggressive defense as the Knicks had no back up PG for weeks at a time (Davis AND Bibby were out with injury). If Lin wasn't dropping off the ball to Harden BEFORE he even reaches half court, I might buy the confidence argument. However, since he's passing the ball to Harden BEFORE he even reaches half-court, that seems to point to a specific strategy on the part of the coaches. Whether this is temporary or longer term, we just don't know. I'm hoping it's just a temporary situation while they work out the offense.
Agreeing with pretty much everything here, glad to see someone else is seeing what I see. This game was a good start as far as getting respect on the perimeter, I hope Chandler and Mook can at least hit near a 35-38% clip, from here on out. I don't mind criticism on this site, but if you are going to criticize something, then drop some knowledge also, like this one so we can all learn. Good post.
In the meantime, Harden and Lin's confidence just plummets... it's just bad for their development. I don't know why nobody on this team can set a ****ing proper screen for Lin.
I meant that Lin could restore his confidence in his FG% by getting to the FT line. I know he's only missed 1 FT this season, and that he's pretty automatic from the line. I think Lin lacks confidence in his shot, but not his playmaking abilities. That's on the coaches, as you said.
Lin will shake it off. I mean, this is a guy who would've had a triple double last week if Asik were a better finisher. Good thing about playing for the Rockets is that you can shoot airballs and nobody around the league really notices. :grin: Ugh, imagine if this were a Knicks vs. Heat matchup and the same thing happened. That would've been a nightmare for him.
Jeremy's FT stat prior to this game is 18/19= 95%. If I remember he made 1/2tonight. If anything, his FT shooting is one of his strengths right now.
Few things: 1) No go to post player. 2) PG not setting his teammates up for good shots. 3) Lin is dumping the ball to Harden and he does not drive to the basket, instead he settles for a contested three. 4) Bad coaching. 5) Not playing the way we want to play. Still have not found an identity, therefore no consistency.
Who said otherwise? My point was that the Rockets' gameplan needs to maximize his strengths (passing, driving, getting to the line) and minimize his weaknesses (spot-up shooting, 3pt shooting).
I disagree with number 2) HOU is 2nd in attempts at the rim, 2nd in 3-point attempts, and last in 16-23 foot jumpers. Basically we are taking the most efficient shots in the NBA we just aren't hitting them. I don't know about bad coaching I think we are just implementing things on the fly.
best scenario: 1 coach dont want lin to make too much drive which may easily end up injury, considering he is just come back. 2 To develop mid range or 3 is a must to do for Jlin for long term, since its rookie season, nobody expect nothing, why not just develop...
Strangely I don't think it's confidence in his shot, as it's noted that he and Parsons even continued to shoot after games after they struggle. As mentioned before, Lin is a rhythmic player. He's never really been great playing a spot-up shooter role and usually hit his shots as the primary ball-handler. Teams already know he wants to get to the FT line, so they're going to leave him open and focus on Harden since they know he's going to get his.
Just let Lin handle the ball, not Harden. ARGH, I'm going to have a stroke. I have no idea why the coaches are doing this.
Problem starts when Harden just stands at the perimeter asking for the ball. What can you really do but give him the ball since he is such an integral part of the offense ? Harden should be at the corner three where Lin usually and come off of screens on some plays. On some plays he should just come to the perimeter and ask for the ball and play the point guard, but not on EVERY play. This is something that both the coaches and Lin have to address. And to be fair to Harden, he is a very unselfish player. So I expect things to change a bit as we go on. Sometimes Lin has to waive Harden off when he asks for the ball, like Westbrook does with Durant on every play. Westbrook only gives Durant the ball when he is almost in tears.
That would make the most sense. I just hope the coaches have given him a long leash because in the end, both the Rockets and Lin will look bad if he turns out to be a failure.
