[Y Sports Radio] Calvin Murphy: Jeremy Lin Needs The Ball In His Hands

6 games are large enough sample for anyone not named JLin to be at least starter consideration.

 

Agree, That's my biggest concern to Lin too.

 

Terrible defender, much older player, injury concerns. Not interested at all.

 

Jeremy Lin runs the offense of the rockets? You just said that Harden is the one that is running the offense for the most part and justify it via some absurd reputation argument that has got nothing to do with whether Harden has the nous to play PG full-time. And you ask when Jeremy Lin has played like a play off PG? When he will actually play PG full time like Murphy suggested?

And those starting PGs that " can put their team on their back & lead their team on the floor" are not your usual run of the mill PG. There are just a select few: superstars like Rondo, CP3 ( Curry if ceases to be a sicknote) and WB or HOF veterans like Nash and Kidd.

The fact is that Lin may well be traded for a lesser Harden so that Hardenball may live on for another day, but it will be a big fail, just like it was a big fail for an SG infinitely more talented than the Beard in the 80's. Then he met PJax who gave him two choices be a celebrated TMAC or give up the ball so that you may win. Harden is not a PG and the quicker he learn to be effective "without having the ball for 8s" like Murphy said by adding more to his skillsets, then the better it will be for him and the rockets.

 

DUDE, post more. With this one post, you have become almost at the level of torocan (that is a very high compliment). Wish I could give you props.

 

You speak the truth right there! Keep in mind though harden is the one under all the pressure wether his teammates perform or not. The only reason Lin is even being mention is because of linsanity last year. Harden is going to have build trust in the other guys but that takes time and that take going thru some wars and actually seeing his guys step up and be willing to do whatever the team needs that night on a consistent basis. It took Hakeem almost until the end of his career to find that. Who knows how long it will take Harden.

 

^^^ THIS.

Very interesting points - never thought of the possible differences in the way the teammates think of Lin versus the way the coaches think of Lin. What you pointed out however is consistent with Lin's track record with his teammates. When he was in high school, the story was that initially Lin was not allowed to run the team's offense (sounds similar?) but it got to a point his coach finally conceded and told Lin to take full charge of the team offense while the coach himself focused on the team defense. The result was the team won the state championship.

History has a way of repeating itself...

 

Being aggressive, having energy on defense, pushing the ball in transition and not being hesitant is something Lin says he has been working on. This was in a Rockets piece a few days ago:

To that end, today Lin addressed his feelings regarding his recent play; a downturn in performance, in fact, that has largely mirrored the slump the Rockets are trying to work themselves out of. And, as is the case with the team as a whole, the 24-year-old says his primary need for improvement comes on the defensive end.

“(It starts with) being more of a pest on defense,” he said following this morning’s shootaround. “For me, it’s just finding a way to be effective every game and to be consistent. One of our weaknesses, one of my weaknesses, is just the inconsistency of everything.”

Lin continued by saying he can actually take several things from having watched Beverley’s performance on the defensive end. He labeled his new teammate a “spark” while adding that Beverley’s hyper aggression on defense has been huge for a team that can too often be passive and tentative on that end of the floor.

“Once you get tentative, then everyone starts to do it,” Lin said. “And then when everyone starts to do it, then you stop trusting your rotations and your help-side and your weak-side. For us, that’s what we tried to rebuild in practice yesterday: getting back to being in the spots we’re supposed to be at, so the guys in the pick-and-rolls can be their normal, aggressive selves knowing that the backside is going to be there and vice versa.”

As for the offensive end, Lin has said several times over the course of the season that, like many young players, his confidence has a tendency to soar when he sees a couple shots fall through the hoop early. And it’s no secret that Lin is at his best when he transitions into attack mode, penetrating and probing the defense in search of quality looks for both himself and his teammates. Again, however, the primary issue holding him back has been one of consistency and passivity. That’s not unusual in a young point guard, especially one with a scorer’s mentality. For Lin, then, the battle he most frequently fights is one of finding the right balance between making sure he gets himself going while simultaneously ensuring he is taking care of the point guard’s prime directive and spearheading his teammates’ scoring as well.

“As a point guard, the last person that needs to get going is the point guard,” he said. “But you know it’s different, too, because I’m also a scorer. I think, for me, what I just want to do is be aggressive, period, and just play-make and just let the game and their defense dictate what plays are going to be made; it could be an assist, or a hockey assist or it could be a shot.

“I think we need to do a good job of getting out and running again and getting those fast break points and a lot of that comes from defensive stops. I think when we do that we’re tough because everyone gets going. And once everyone’s touching it and feeling good, we’ve shown what we can do in terms of lighting up the scoreboard.”

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/controlled-aggression


Last night's game showed that the struggles haven't been about McHale and Harden as much about all the players having breakdowns on defense, in transition, and in running sets. Harden's ball stopping, often a product of his role as bailout option/instant offense, is easier to see. We don't observe as readily the off ball action that didn't happen or the spacing that isn't there. Harden still has to do a better job of knowing when to go into Like Mike mode, though.

Lin has a lot of responsibilities in this team and is Learning to balance them with his need to see his shots go down. He is young. The team is young. They are all learning.

Despite the deep faith in the numbers of our junior analytics crew, Lin's struggles aren't something stats are gonna capture. Stats capture the effect, not the cause.

The Hornets game opened with better defense and a wickedly fast transition game. Everything else just flowed from that, especially what Lin did with the ball when it was in his hands.

 

Dude, first of all Nash, JKidd, CP3, and Rondo, Dwill are floor generals because they get everybody else buckets first and if you back off of them they look to score second.

PG that can put the team on there back(meaning they look to score first) are Drose, and RWestbrook, Kyrie Irving(I put him here for now because he has no help but is the perfect balance in my opinion) .

Learn the terminology before speaking.

The scorers are more hard to find, most teams have somewhere in between to much lesser extent because as guys move around the league each team needs something different. I my opinion the Rockets need a bonafided floor general/leader who can spot up and nail the open three and rebound.


Secondly every team runs there offense thru a position on the floor regardless of position. Harden is shooting guard with some point guard attributes. I never said he is a point guard so i don't know how you and flacao got that. He is just the person the rockets coaching staff choose to run the offense mainly because of his versatility and decision making ability to score. Jlin is in the corner waiting on the ball and on the bench because he is just as much of a turnover machine as harden, but who is the organization going ride or die with. I give you 80 million reasons why it's Harden. Until Lin grows the balls it's takes to play the pg position full time on a nightly bases his game will always be questioned.

Thirdly, every player in league builds a reputation for something. Why you think Terrence Williams is out of the league. Young with loads of talent and upside but his reputation became booty. So you may think it's absurd but ask Calvin Murphy if it matters and I bet you he will tell you it does.

Tmac and Yao had a floor general in Rafer who knew what job is, they could not over come injurys.
Another history lessons for you

Actually andersongo I think you are pretty smart, because you see the writing on the wall for Lin if he doesn't get it together.

 

You basically say JLin needs to be a good sg first to qualify pg

JHarden is good sg and pg, and should do both duties.

We need good sg for pg next to JHarden.

Then we have one or two pg already--TD and Beverly.

unless you meant you want to those superstars you named above.

then we are back to discuss run #0 again.

 

I'm just speaking from what i've read that the players say in interviews vs what I see going on, on the court. The rocket decided to play uptempo, mainly because they don't have the personnel to play a structure half court offense. What I mean by that is on most nights based on position by position, we are going to be over matched in a half court set. The way you counteract that is play fast and catch teams off guard and make them keep up with your tempo.

One of the things that the rockets have stressed in there style is that anyone who get the rebound look for the quick out let or bring it up themselves quickly.
This approach lessens the point guards(jlins) role in the offense and makes everyone a decision maker on the floor. Also like anything else the ball will go to the position that gets the best results. It also means that the person manning the pg spot must be a all around player, not a specialist or limited. That was then. At this point jlin's game is limited.

I think lately teams have forced the Rockets to play more half court and the players have forgotten what they need to do to win. There halfcourt set is just a ISO for Harden because he is your best one on one player off the dribble, in the fast break, or on the court period.

Anyone else is a distant second.

 

last night game jeremy lin got to be the pg finally. calvin murphy is right.

 

harden is a good player who can pass a little but to calling harden a pg .. no way. he's a 2 guard.

jeremy is a pg.

 

No what I mean is we need a DOMINANT pg to balance out James hardens touches.

I don't think that person is currently on this roster.

The PG position is the quarterback, they have to have intangible leadership skills so that the organization trust him with the keys to car.

Right now the organization does not trust jlin to tell harden were to go and what to do on the floor and know with certainty that it will be carried out efficiently.

When jlin figures out how to do that whether his jumper is falling or not then he will be starting to become the floor general we need him to be.

 

**** no

 

Bonafide floor general that can spot up? Does such a thing exist in the current NBA? And why would you want a bonafide floor general to spot up? By all means, if you've got a bonafide floor general, you give him the ball and let the 2 guard spot up. But I guess it's a scheme to go back to Hardenball.
And Harden is not playing the point guard position? Then who is the guy pounding the rock at the top of the key on most possessions?

LMAO, Lin is not playing SG because he does not have balls to play the PG position full time, it's on the coach (like Murphy has again said) who is trying to win at all cost in a REBUILDING year at the expense of player development by riding Harden, unquestionably the better scorer but not the better floor general, because he fear that he is going to be fired. And speaking of having balls, it takes a special kind of courage to come in as an end of the bench scrubs and light teams up night after night under the bright light of MSG in the circus that is NY. If there's something I will definitely grant Lin is balls of steels.

And finally, I criticised Hardenball harshly because I just can't believe that people can defend this strategy. It's a failed one, is failing now and will lead to even more fail. Harden can facilitate but cannot run an offense efficiently. He does not has PG instincts and lacks the decision making and trust that comes with this position. This guy will win something the day he learns to be more effective without having the ball all the time and this means developing his skillsets so that it consists of than eurosteps, 3-pointers and jumping to draw fouls ala Kmart. And we all know he can as he is athletically gifted and has excellent handles.

As for reputation...are you kidding me? This is Lin's first year as a starter and you are going to marginalize him because he's got no reps? When he was brought back here to develop along with the other young players on the team? SMH.

 

Again, back to square zero. where is this dominant pg? can we get him?

if not, we just need to trust what we have. just becuase coach or harden do not trust Lin, doesn't mean Lin is not capable to be pg.

of course he needs to improve his jumper and almost everything else. but we don't just wait until he become another harden to use him. we need to unitize everyone's strength. this is the whole point of CF.

 

Chauncey Billups!

 

Before I forget lol at Rafer Alston being a floor general with reps and no, TMAC won ***** all because, channelling my inner Tinman, he is a born loser.

 

Agree completely. The game is evolving so the players have to as well. There is such a thing that's called "a good fit" and it goes both ways and all around. If the fit is not there, the growth will not be there either.