Agreed. You mean he has to prove himself? Well, of course. Lin fans often say that Lin is basically a rookie and/or hasn't played a full season as a way to excuse some of his poor performances. This is a fair and legitimate line of reasoning. But it is also the reason why he doesn't get the respect that Lin fans think he deserves - in the eyes of most, he's still so new to the NBA that he hasn't earned the type of respect Lin fans think he ought to have. He won't get that league-wide respect until he consistently plays at a high level, and this is true of all NBA players. People didn't respect that stick of a kid, Kevin Durant, until he started beasting. People didn't respect that oaf Yao Ming until he started getting 20/10 in his sleep. People didn't respect that spoiled kid out of high school, Kobe Bryant, until he turned it on. Yeah, this just isn't true. When he had a great game against San Antonio, I'm pretty sure he was praised pretty loudly. I don't remember anyone saying anything like "Holy crap. This no-name scrub had a good game! Whodathunkit!" ala Stephen A Smith after Parsons' big game against the Knicks. Parsons, like Lin and all other young players, is still earning that respect league-wide. He doesn't have it yet. And it's not because he's white; it's because he hasn't done anything A) consistently for years and/or B) in the playoffs. I wouldn't even argue against this. He is being under-utilized, but for a good reason: the team is being shaped around a player whose playing-style currently limits Lin's opportunities. I say currently because Lin could always improve his jumper and become a great fit alongside Harden. To oversimplify it a bit, the Rockets can either run the offense through Lin or run it through Harden (when they're both on the court at the same time). They have chosen to run it through Harden because he is their best player, hands down. This comes at the expense of Lin's shot attempts and stats, but that's just the way it is. Again, not about his race. It's about earning respect through consistently great play. I agree that he'll be an all star soon, but again, I'm not going to blame his shortcomings on his race.
You're offended by this? You'll never be able to move on if your ability to understand english is poor.
If I may, and I'm speaking this as a Lin fan, the way that some other Lin fans speak about race reminds me of how Royce White speaks of his anxiety. Yes, the race issue is difficult, yes it held him back and possibly still holds him back. But are fans doing him ANY service by constantly use it to excuse Lin? Is Lin helped at ALL by people trying to make excuses for him in an effort to bypass areas where he honestly needs improvement? Let's reword this: Is Royce helped at all by making excuses for himself and demanding playtime and respect? The answer to both is no. If you're a actual fan of Lin, have faith that it'll work out. Believe in this young man's skill and dedication to the game and his work ethics. Don't insult him by making excuses for him unless it's to temper your own or other people's expectations, rather than letting it be a blank check. Just because a toddler can't walk properly right now doesn't mean that you shouldn't expect them to walk right eventually; but it also doesn't mean that it'll walk right just because you want them to. Patience.
Rose, Lillard, Wall, and Irving are on a totally different level than Jeremy Lin. Its ridiculous to even compare. And saying they are just using Lin as a spot up shooter is just as ridiculous. Half the time Jeremy Lin acts like he doesn't even want the ball. But I don't see the Rockets trading him.
That's where you and I differ in opinions. I mentioned those four players because they are some of my favorite pg players and I've been following them as well as JLin. To say that they are at a different level as JLin, to me, it shows your confirmation bias against JLin. Their games are different but not at different levels. The chief difference is most of them have been allowed to be the primary ball handlers on their respective teams, something JLin only had for a brief but spectacular month last year.
Ugh I hate it. Too many Lin fans tend to sensationalize everything they observe and most of the time it's imagined .
What you can conclude is that he will thrive in a system that is pg centric. He is pg in name only in this offense. There is really no arguing that. Harden is our pg. Lin is not a spot up shooter. He is used similarly to Steve Blake or Mario Chalmers and does not have the skill set for that role. Its not complicated. He's shooting 43% from the floor but 28% from 3. He's taking a ridiculous amount of 3s when you look at his numbers last year and his free throws are WAY down. You can't ask Steve Blake to play the role Lin would excel in, just as you can't ask Lin to play a role Blake is suited to.
Its not complicated. Pgs with good numbers control the ball and the offense. Then, you have the luke ridnours and Mario Chalmers of the league. They can shoot the three, Lin can't ( whether he develops one or not remains to be seen, it won't magically happen this year ). The problem is our expectations. He's not used the same as he was last year. Before the harden trade, maybe, not now. He needs the ball, harden needs the ball. Only one ball, Lin can't shoot from deep. Simple
If the Rockets fall out of playoff contention, I can see the Rockets try to trade Lin for a guy like Calderon (expiring contract) just to have the cap space to play with next offseason.
This is common when engaging topics of any complexity. We are often not very equipped to work through anything that remotely triggers our emotions. If Harden doesn't come on board, it is likely the Lin show all day erryday. But a significantly better player came a long and now Lin has to learn to play second fiddle. Last year, Lin tailed off when Anthony came back into the line up and I don't think that was just Anthony oppressing poor Lin. Lin needs to learn to balance being aggressive with being a floor general. Right now, the only untouchable on this roster is Harden. Lin is gone if it gets that legit second star to run with Harden. I would rather Lin develop a complete game than get traded, though.
I almost hate to say this because it probably labels me a LOF, but I don't think the offense has to, or should be run by harden. Its probably the main contributing factor for his drop in fg% and definitely for the increase in turnovers. Yes, harden should get his shots and be the number 1 option most of the time, but an offense focused on ISO ball for a wing player has proven to be generally ineffective, especially against good teams ( unless that player is lebron, even Kobe fails doing this but his numbers are sexy as **** ). Everything is more difficult for harden like this, defenses focus on him, shot selection drops and turnovers go up. Why they don't run the harden and Lin pnr, which has proven to be ****ing effective every time they run it, confuses me. Gets a good look for either of them or, at the very least, someone else on the team. They should be the#1 and 2 options, but the way the offense is, its harden, then anyone but Lin because his outside shot is pathetic at this point. They were playing amazingly well together for a stretch of maybe 10 games, and the team/offense looks completely different at this point. Coincidentally, this coincides with the losing streak. Harden is an amazing player, anyone that argues that is ridiculous. There are going to be games where is lights out and wins by himself. Unfortunately, he isn't going to shoot 63% on the season and that probably won't work against the better teams. Kind of like the tmac era.
Actually, you're wrong. The Rockets made the right decision to run the offense through Harden. What they need to do is trade Lin and free up the cap space.
Can't say I agree. The ISO with no player movement hasn't been very successful at all. Yes, it certainly helps harden ( his scoring numbers at leat ). He should definitely be the number one option and he's a solid playmaker, but there isn't any reason that the ball can't move around to other players. I think they make for a very deadly backcourt duo, trading him would be a bad idea unless they can get a better spot up shooter than they currently have and something more valuable in return. If it was a good system, they would be better than 22-21. They have the talent.
Well said. But I am pessimistic about the current coaching system being able to do it consistently. If you read some posts from last season you will notice that the current system has no clue about how to PGs, and it's not a coincidence people have been complaining since last season that our offense is too predictable.
