[ClutchFans] Jeremy Lin after scoring 38 points vs. Spurs

I agree with most of what you said. But the part about people being LOF violates your own rationale. In a forum, what matters is the content of the post itself, not the identity of the poster, just as in games, what matters is the team wins not a single player plays great. Plus, who are the LOFs, anyone who asserts anything irrationally optimistic about Lin makes all of those who like Lin irrational. Stop the Labeling, please!

 

Yeah, why not make some new friends then?

 

This. Lin is a competitor, getting the win is more important for him. Lots of high school coaches have said this about him, and even in his shooting practices he refuses to lose to himself in 'beat the ghost.' He obv feels disappointed at himself for botching the last play. But tbh, Tony D brought his man over to Lin to try to help but ended up getting Lin doubled.

If Lin was happy about his stats and smiling, even tho they lost, there would be a problem. This is exactly Melo's attitude. "Oh we lost? rofl oh well onto the next one guys! "

 

Lin's highlights

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ts34fXuXzKc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

just about to ask for this ! ...thanks your the man...still cant watch the freakin games

 

5:12 mark. Does it look like when Lin tries to get the ball back at the end of 4th, Danny Green actually kicks the ball?

 

says the troll slobbering over lowry's 1 point performance last night.

 

Is there a highlights vid of him? Haven't seen JLin really all season BC of Comcast issue.

 

I hadn't wanted to say much about the Rockets this season, especially early on and certainly not immediately after the big trade for James Harden, becasue I wanted to be fair and give the team some time to find out what they were.

In my estimation: for all intents and purposes, this is year one of the Rockets rebuilding towards an eventual championship-caliber team. That's probably two years behind schedule from my point of view (I liked Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry and all those guys, too), but we we always going to be about average unless a major overhaul took place. And accepting that, for me, means that there would be other things to focus on other than wins and losses, as a matter of course.

I'll go on record right here and now and say that, even with GM Daryl Morey emphasizing that signing (or re-signing, depending on how you look at it) Jeremy Lin was not an imprimatur on how the franchise's fortunes would be tied to his performance, I was suspicious about the seriousness of it. And only because it seemed that the sample size (and subsequent attendant media frenzy) of Lin's performance for the New York Knicks last season was compressed and very small. But to Lin's credit, he has handled the last calendar year of his sudden good fortune admirably. Not to mention that he's improved a great deal as a player since he was last in camp for the Rockets. I'm pleased (even though it’s still very early in the process) that the Rockets have him.

Acquiring James Harden was like a lightning-strike, to me. I know there were all sorts of scenarios revolving around his situation in Oklahoma City, but I thought that, at the the minimum, Oklahoma City would play out the contract situation with Harden at least through this season. Sam Presti, however, is smart enough as a GM to know that, especially where team building is concerned, that you need to commit to a course of action quickly and decisively to give your team the best chance to move forward and compete. All in all, it appears to be a lateral move for Oklahoma City, and of course, a great one for Houston.

Early on, the comments about a Lin/Harden backcourt have centered on the obvious: how do you get the both of them playing at a high level TOGETHER and at the same time on the court?

Well, from my perspective, alot of that is being answered by the team around them right now.

Building a team, in my opinion, begins and ends with where you've placed the most confidence and resources in players. Having a backcourt tandem with the promise of Lin and Harden says that the Rockets’ future success will depend greatly on how well those two perform, both with each other and in team configuations. And that you need capable players at the other positions to do the other things consistently. Active bigs who defend and rebound, as well as wing players who are active offensively and defensively should be (and seem to be now) the priority in fielding a complementary team around Lin and Harden. Omer Asik, for one, seems to be doing that job nicely early on.

Way too early to make this comparison, but a good blueprint to follow in this regard would be the way the Chicago Bulls were constructed around Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Their front court was usually an afterthought because Jordan and Pippen were such a dominant pairing on the perimeter (particularly defensively, which made the front court an afterthought all on its own), but offensively, Pippen was the offensive facilitator and Jordan was the offensive scorer or finisher.

I think that distinction has to be made between James Harden and Jeremy Lin pretty soon. Both players are excellent with the basketball (as are most young players). Both players are remarkably unselfish, which is also rare for young players. But James Harden is the more accomplished and more polished player offensively between the two. To me, the best way to get the most out of the both of them, especially when they play together on offense, is to have Lin be the facilitator (i.e. ballhandler/playmaker/distributor―like a normal point guard, right?), and have Harden be the scorer/finisher. Harden can play offense with or without the basketball anywhere on the court offensively. Harden excels, obviously, with the ball in his hands, but he is just as dangerous wherever he is on the wing.

For me, with Harden, it shouldn’t necessarily be about giving him the ball, as it is making sure he gets enough touches at different areas on the floor to produce the points the team needs. A moving target is pretty hard to hit. And if a defense has to account for Harden wherever he goes (with or without the basketball) that opens up opportunities for other players all by itself.

Sometimes, less is more. In this case, less Harden WITH the ball in isolations and pick and rolls (particularly early in the shot clock) would lend itself to making a more comfortable (as Lin himself mentioned it) transition into the role he’s best suited for for the Rockets currently.

I have no doubt that Lin’s outside shooting will improve and become more consistent, to the point that both he and Harden will become truly interchangeable (meaning that that the situation, not necessarily the personnel) will dictate the best way for the Rockets to win games going forward. The ball will find its way into the hands of the guys who are supposed to have it. And then the players decide who wins and who loses.
Which is the way I like it.

But it’s going to take some time. But if were to set my watch on anything I’d set it on making sure that Jeremy Lin is your point guard (has the ball in his hands most of the time) and James Harden (going to score anywhere and anytime), and see how long it takes for that pie to bake.

I like pie….

 

Excellent post. We should send it to the coaches.....

 

love the new trend around here... let's block people who we disagree with and call them trolls... lol

 

New Grantland write-up:

"Could These Guys Be Traded?" (Featuring Lin)

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8734662/jeremy-lin-ryan-anderson-eric-gordon-nba-newly-eligible-trade-candidates

 

Hey to all the rational, non Lin only fans, actual Rockets fans who joined in 2012 I say please take the complaints about your year from vets with a grain of salt. Thanks for dealing with it. When I joined in 08 there was a similar issues with veteran posters complaining that all the rookies and new people didn't post "quality."

The truth is this board changes on a monthly basis because the team seems to bring out all sorts depending on their current roster and performance. That said, thanks for joining and I look forward to "quality" posts from everyone.

Back on the subject man Lin put crow in my mouth. A friend and myself were just complaining about how he isn't living up to his contract.

 

Right on Jedster! Poor Lin. He had to wait till Harden was out to get the opportunity to do what he has been best at.

I have been wondering why Lin had been passing the ball to Harden and running to the corners knowing himself that he was still in a shooting slump. Was it the 'play' required by the coaches?

 

most LOFs know Harden is being told to handle the ball more... play away from his comfort zone... being a SG and play like a PG

what there to blame him for? we know he is a great shooter...and great at driving the ball to the net...

and Id like to see him take 20 to 25 shots a game...

its just I want to see Lin break down the defense... and then pass him the ball for a easy 3 or a path to the basket...

 

Great posts. Both Repped!

 

I have pretty much lost all respect for McHale after last year and listening to him talk in the preseason.

McHale is just full of excuses. He really reminds me of Paul Westphal. I mean, no, it wasn't his fault that he left Toney "Stagnant Shooter Armflapping Fake Effort Defender" Ouglas out there for 40 minutes and giving him free reign to space out while guarding air and leaving his man wide open 15 times in 40 minutes killing the team defense. Nosireebob, Mr. McHale was just the innocent victim of a single play by a single player while Mr. McHale squanders plays by the baker's dozen with his own poor decisions.

It really is like watching Paul Westphal all over again.

 

Very objective and well delivered comment from mdrowe00.

Just let Lin be the point guard that he has proven himself to be good at since with Knicks, and let Harden be the shooting guard he has proven himself to be by becoming the Sixth Man of the Year with Thunder.

They can both play a little bit of the other role when necessary, but a clear job definition for both of them from the coaches would definitely help them play well with each other.

Really look forward to the day when they become one of the best duo guards, which seems to be in trend now.

 

As Les and Daryl are working to build a champion team out of the core of Harden, Lin and Asik, I am wondering if they think a better coaching staff is needed to go deep into the playoffs, let alone winning a title.

 

I know this is more of a thread about Lin's performance last night, but damn! Cannot the Rockets players stick to what they are capable of, or brought here to do, instead of reinventing themselves?

I'm one of the very few liked the Delfino sign when most called him garbage. But he needs to stick to his catch-n-shoot role, which he is pretty good at, instead of doing something he is not capable of, dribble penetration. Every time he puts the ball on the floor, I knew it's a disaster waiting to happen.