For a moment, I would like all LOFs/LOHs to be objective about Rockets basketball. During the course of the past season, we saw some incredible basketball and being an avid Rockets fan from 2007, it really has been difficult to see someone step out on our team and lead the way. It was heartbreaking to see Yao/TMac leave us early in their tenure, but as Red Nation, we kept loyal to our team. I honestly feel blessed to be part of one of the greatest fan bases in the world, and I'm excited for the future. Hell, we were projected to be a lottery team this year, and we took the #1 seed in the West to 6 games. We fought, and we showed a lot of potential of what could happen if the team gets 1 full offseason to practice and play together. I can only be hopeful of what damage we will do next year. Now, I've been disturbed this year to log in to CF and read all the bashing and/or unnecessary praise that JLin gets from the board about his performance during games, but I feel that it's really fickle. During my break times, I watch Blaiyan vids of the team, and I can honestly say that Jeremy has the potential to do big things in the coming years. He has the determination to get better (exit interview), and I really do think this dude will deliver. I'm banking on us getting Dwight this year, and if we do that, I really do think we'll have potential to do some monstrous things in the postseason. But I guess it's tough to read that so many people feel like Lin can be simply replaced by Beverley and that we'll fill the PG need easily. I disagree. So many games during the season, in the game threads and chat, we've complained about Bev not being able to consistently produce offensively the same level as Lin. However, I do feel like that energy off the bench is needed and I really want Bev to be the 6th man. I'm cautious about projecting us getting CP3, b/c I think the dude will honestly stay with the Clips. While he is a better PG, I find it hard to see the team mesh well. I think Jeremy will meet and exceed our expectations for the PG position next year and his ability to make teammates better will be great. I know his contract is killer, but I think it'll pay off in the long-term. I guess what I'm getting at is I've been so invested in the dynamic of our team this year: Chandler, Harden, Lin, and that the addition of Howard (goofball) will work so well here. I don't want to lose that, because I think outside of these guys playing around, I think they can be dangerous next year. Their individual skillsets/improvement will be unfathomable. I really don't want to mess that up. That being said, here's my hopeful 2013-14 championship lineup. Lin/Bev Harden/T.Allen Parsons/S.Jackson/Garcia Howard/TJones/Smith/DMo Asik/Howard
sounds like you just needed some therapy and had to get that off your chest. What, exactly, is the 'serious' inquiry?
I think it has to do w the fact that he was undrafted. Whenever he does bad (every player has bad games) ppl like to fall back to him being undrafted to say he's a fluke that is unproven since nba didnt recognize him, but there were factors like race&harvard that led him into being undrafted. Players like Wall who are drafted high is given keys to the team's offense, given trust again and again which helps him and positive performance results are shown which reaffirms the belief that he's s great player, while undrafted players like Lin are told to play supporting role(spotup shooter) and heavily criticized after few mistakes and pressured enough to stunt growth (or even negatively grow worse) When Lin was allowed to play his style as main offense and got screens, he exploded into linsanity. Frankly we're not giving him any chance of that happening again
Yeah, but he's not needed here to be Linsanity. He's here to contribute as a PG, and that may mean passing more, making teammates better, etc. Why should he be Linsanity? Linsanity can't carry a team into the playoffs. A team carries a team. The thing is, I think he has contributed and can only get better being just a role player.
I don`t think people hating on him has anything to do with him being undrafted. I think it is a combination of two things: 1. Linsanity hype - people are annoyed by all the media attention and when the player doesn`t live up to the hype they judge him a lot harsher than they would other players 2. LOFs... at least on this forum a lot has changed to the worse with the arrival of Lin ans his fans. When people on here blindly talk up one player and always give somebody else the fault of his shortcomings (the coach, Harden, Asik, Beverly...) it annoys people. And the whole discussion culture was a lot better before Lin (due to both LOF and LOHs...) Lin is a promising young player with good talent, a great work ethic and a good understanding of the game. He probably won`t ever be a superstar, but he could be a top 10 PG in this league. I am rooting for him, but I wouldn`t mind to trade him for the right player. In the end it`s only about the Rockets, not about one player...
Linsanity hype and contract. If he were drafted he would still be on his rookie contract and have had time to develop with a cheaper salary. But alas...
If Lin can improve one aspect of his game he will go from being a mediocre PG to a vital component on a championship contender. All he needs to do is increase his 3pt percentage to 36-38%. I don't get on him for the turnovers bc that's just a function of the style he plays. If you want fewer turnovers run the PnR thru him less. That will improve as soon as we have better options such as Dwight in the post or on the roll to finish off our alleyoops. All Lin has to do is improve his shot. Then I will be satisfied.
Let's be real, that lineup is not good enough to win a championship. Simply adding Dwight won't win this team a title.
I guess, Lin and Rockets will be best served by playing the right way. Team concept is better than ISO, all the time. That's why I still doubt McHale. Too much ISO results in players being injured or too tired to play defense and/or move without the ball and this is not only for Harden but for all the Rockets players. That said, Lin should sink more of his 3s so that for those time that ISOs are warranted, Harden can be more effective.
Its got alot to do with media hyping him up even freaking Magic Johnson said he played like Stockton and Nash. The way people project his development has been skewed somewhat because of his record-breaking start in the NBA. They assume that he 'had it all' (monta stylez) straight away, when in actuality the system DA put him in, the lack of another option offensively in the Lin/Shump/Fields/Jefferies/Tyson makeup FORCED him to control and run everything, the way that DA system needs to PG to operate, and the way Lin likes to operate. It was simply the perfect storm. Then you have the Lakers demolition, the 28/14 Mavs game, gamewinners etc. And as such you have this IMMENSE ESPN/Media coverage of an undrafted, asian, christian kid with some cinderella like story who is straight up ballin' and lending everyone to think he's the second coming of jesus. Well almost everyone. As such, you have this player that is overhyped. But amidst this circlejerk of underdog triumph people ignore the fact that he has near no NBA experience, relative to other college prospects developed in a weaker league, actually was a student-athlete, and might actually have some weaknesses in his game. He has a decent first year as an NBA starter. But the people who are calling for Beverley to start have really short memories. Lin was very good post ASG, and dare I say they're probably the same people that waive off his NYK time as a fluke.
But McHale doesn't want ISO ball. He's always preaching ball movement, he doesn't like it when the ball gets "sticky". If you listen to his post game interviews, or even during timeouts he's always talking about better ball movement. It's just hard to get a a bunch of young players that were thrown together right before the regular season starts to play the "right way" all the time. All things considered, the Rockets and McHale did an amazing job. In regard to J. Lin, I really don't think all that many people dislike him. It's the legion of annoying Lin fans that flooded Clutchfans that are disliked. Any Rocket player that has a bad game will get criticized on Clutchfans, its always been that way.
Jlin is overpayed but if there's anyone I'd bet on to improve it would be him. I saw it happen throughout the season and I have no doubt he'll be even better next year.
I've also read/seen post game interviews where he talks about plays implying (or explicitly stating) that the clutch play drawn up was 'give the ball to Harden and see what happens.' I think in reality it is probably a little combination of both -- he preaches ball movement, but in clutch moments, still defers to Harden too much and lets him play hero ball. Whether Harden chooses to move it or shoot it, McHale I think over-relies on Harden in those moments.
j lin needs to become a little more selfish..and by that I mean..only defer when someone is open or if someone is hot and cannot be stopped. If coach doesn't want iso ball, then don't give it to the iso man. keep facilitating the ball and find the best option for a score. That's how we blew out teams, that's a pg. and practice that j all day.
He shot 44% FG% for the whole season, including his HORRIBLE start. Post all star break it got better. His season 3 pt avg. was actually 34%, so not that bad...but his first couple of months really sucked and weighed him down. I don't hold those months against him because they were so uncharacteristically bad. Post allstar break, he's consistently shot much better from everywhere, esp. behind the arc, where he averaged like 38% over the last 3 months. People just had (unfairly) high expectations because of Linsanity, assume everyone on the Rockets team must out perform their contracts (as if TRUE Linsanity numbers could be bought for $8.3M lmfao), and only remembered his first few months. Combination of expectation and poor first impression screwed Lin, even though he actually had a pretty good second half of the year.
