Right on the money. If the Rockets wants to win right now with Harden and a bunch of 20-somethings, then keep Dragic or Lowry. This team would get more than 41 wins. Is that enough? The Rockets is planning for the next 2-4 years. Lin has a higher ceiling than Dragic or Lowry not because he will score more points but because he has many intangibles including disrupting defenses with his offense. In 3 years, Lin will be a very good PG. With a more experienced Harden, Asik and supporting cast, and with Morey signing a franchise SF or PF, the Rockets will have chance to contend for a few years. Who knows, Lebron could be the one. Imagine, Lin PNR with Harden, Asik and franchise SF/PF. Current contenders are ageing . In the next few years, the West could be a Thunder-Rockets show down.
Dragic was a very good defender and Lowry was a very, very good defender. Lin is a solid defender, but his steal numbers are because he gambles alot and thats why he gets killed off the ball on defense.
Here are some numbers Lowry Overall Defensive Plays 0.67 PPP (28th 34.4 FG%) Dragic Overall Defensive Plays 0.8PPP (104th 35.5 FG%) Lin Overall Defensive Plays 0.76PPP (68th 36.8 FG%) So actually your assertions are wrong. Lowry is one of the best defensive players at his position it is no surprise that he has the overall better defensive numbers. Lin is also a superior defender to Dragic which doesn't come as any surprise to me. Also it is incorrect to say that his steal numbers come from gambling, which he does do. A lot of times he just picks the pockets clean of the man he is guarding we saw that when he did it twice against Conley & several times against Westbrook. Just a thought.
They do shoot pretty well, but their regulation basketball is 1 inch smaller than men's. Maybe all that practice went for nothing because Lin's coach had him shooting with girl size ball!
I actually disagree with this. The biggest reason why his TO's are down is because he hardly turns it over in transition anymore. Transition TO's was the reason why they were so high last year. His decision making in transition has gotten a lot better as we have been able to see. So even if he were to continue to dominate the ball like he has been over the last few games his TO's will likely stay the same because of improved decision making & better handles. Also many people are turning the ball over right now. Lin, harden, Parsons, Asik etc. I think it all comes down to not fully having that chemistry yet with each other. Just a thought.
whisper Psst, roxxy, he doesn't believe in advanced stats. he thinks those numbers are pulled out of thin air and are as real as elves/fairies. He only believes in the eye-test and box score only. whisper Also, he's an uber level troll.
Will Lin be next Nash? I hope he will, but that's not the point. The point is that it's only 8 games into the season, the kid is probably asked to do a lot. You can see he is timid out there, trying not to make mistakes. Give him some time and then call him a joke if you will. However, I will give you - right now he is not performing at the level many expected him to.
I think most fans are just upset about his $25 million deal. However, most forget that it is backloaded and thus easily unloeaded if he ends up being a dud in the third year IIRC. Also, i dont believe morey and co. really expect too much from him as they just need him to be a solid PG in the NBA and one that can draw some crowds and help with merchandising sales. So, lets just focus on his development this year and i think wait to make a final judgement next year. You can all b**** all you want, but nothing is gonna change. It is also obvious since the last game, that we do need one premier big forward to handle rebounds and scoring. Just have fun with this group for now and i think we will all appreciate next years playoff run all the more when it does happen!
Doubt it bro. It's a mental thing. Jeremy shouldn't listen to outside noise & just shoot every shot as if its going in. Just play basketball & stay aggressive and everything will work out. It's not the coaches (shooting coach or otherwise) fault, it's not racial, & its not the money he's being paid. Anyone who's ever seriously played the sport knows that shooting slumps happen & are of the mental variety. Lin has to stay confident and his shooting will improve.
that and only that...there are a lot of folks that are hating on the fact that this kid got this kinda deal based truly just on a phenomena....And because he isnt delivering at the same clip as what was seen in NY, he automatically is a bust...He is just doing his best...and eventually his shot is gonna fall...and if players can knock down shots...maybe his assist numbers increase...he is such young kid...he has so much more to learn...Lin was never paid like a top tier PG...he was paid as an average PG...and so far...Lin is doing average...he is only gonna get better...
He's not going to continue shooting at 34 percent. He's never shot that badly. Even after the all-star break, he shot 40% and this while he had a torn meniscus. I think it is definitely mental or maybe his leg strength is just not there yet.
stop talking about Dragic and Lowry... they were gone from here before Lin even inked a deal with the Rox... Morey stated he went after Lin and upped the offer the Knicks were gonna match, when you lost Dragic and Lowry if your going to talk what ifs... then I would have rather Lin be the passive spot up shooter on a New York team that is 8-1 not a team blown up so you could get Howard... and got lucky to get Harden
I think hes actually doing better than average... top 10 in steals top 14th in the NBA in assists. His turnover to assists ration is also in the top 10 defensively hes in the top 35 in total man defense. If he were scoring 5 more points a game he would be an allstar and mentioned as one of the top PG's in the NBA He needs to make shots....i remember last year watching Mello not making anything for a month....
IF he were scoring 5 more points a game he would be an allstar easily and might get in as it stands.... hes getting bad press...no one is talking about all teh good things this guy does,,...he can play and im confident he will get his scoring numbers up, its early
I just dislike the long time Rox fans revisionist history... as if Lin was your primary goal this off-season... Lin was a band aid on a bad situation... he was offered 25 million because you couldnt get Howard and you lost 2 point guards (within a span of hours as I was on REALGM watching the headlines)
If this is his slump...then his norm is pretty decent...people just need to relax...JLin will play better...after a while those shots will fall down more frequently...
I will say this much for lin. If he has no other two big games this year, he had BETTER FRIGGIN bring it Friday against the Knicks and then in MSG as well in december. Unfortunately, that will pretty much decide whether he is the real deal or just a flash in the pan for most casual fans. Rockets dont need to win, but lin needs to put up some big numbers and show at least a passing resemblence of his former linsanity. The whole world will be watching those two games to see the drama unfold. let alone, felton, who is sick and tired of being compared to Lin. And felton is on fire recently which wont help. That will the THE matchup to watch of course.
It is important to remember that Jeremy Lin has started only 36 NBA games in his entire career. People need to cut him some slack. Here are the numbers of a certain Hall of Famer, who Lin shares the same body type with, in his full rookie season: 11.7PTS/G 7.7AST/G 1.9STL/G 3.2TO/G 0.385FG% 0.272 3P% Not saying that Lin will be a Hall of Famer, which is very unlikely. But the kid needs some room grow in what is essentially his rookie season.