JLin, I hope that you're up to the challenge and have improved in the following areas: * 3 point shot * Finishing at the rim * Left hand dribble * Defense - ability to stay in front of the better PGs (Paul, Conley, Curry, Lilliard, and Westbrook) . If Dwight is constantly out of position covering for u and Harden our defense will be horrible. Good luck and welcome to a GM's (Grown Man's) world.
i'm excited about the Harden Dwight combination. This could really end up being the most deadly combination in the NBA. Russell and Durant rivals them, but in terms of fit and being able to play off one another, Dwight and Harden have the potential to fit even better. Russell and Durant tend to go one on one while the other stands around, Dwight and Harden could fit like a glove.
Harden was actually a good defender when he had a lesser role in OKC. Harden is going to be better defensively now that the offensive load is going to be shared with Dwight. He's done it before, i don't see why he can't now at the ripe age of 23.
I'm still confused by the premise of this thread and by your saying this... How "patient" will Houston be to do what exactly? Bench him? $15M to ride the pine and get 15 mins per game? Trade him? Lin is not going anywhere because no one is interested in his services for $15M in the third year of his contract. Morey bought high and now is trying to sell low. Houston has no choice but to play him, and not just play him, but feature him MORE in order to up his trade value. I think he is FAR MORE LIKELY to be traded if he plays well by mid season than if he plays lousy. Why do you think Lin's camp is scared of him being traded? You don't think Lin's camp sees his value and brand bottoming out this past year by being under-utilized and mis-utilized? Lin's brother was exclaiming on Twitter after the 38 pt Spurs game of "This is what my bro can do if he has the ball in his hands!" Lin might be disappointed on a personal level because he has expressed satisfaction living in Houston the city without feeling the constant press/media in his face, but basketball wise this is a bad fit, starting with the coach, and everyone could see that right from the get go last season, when his assignment was to hand the ball to Harden and hide in the corner.
Jeremy is hired to be a CEO, but assigned to do the clerk job, and was then get criticized of not living up the his salary and expectation. How can you expect a clerk to have CEO's productivity and influence?
this i can agree with to a degree, Lin has the capacity to score at a prolific level, the question is, for how long? That whole Linsanity thing caused him to tear his meniscus, how long can he honestly play at that level? And it's not as if he's an old guy, he's freaking 24. If Lin honestly wants to play that way, he's going to have to go somewhere and be a 6th man or a back up pg.
Boogus Harden came of the bench as a scoring punch for OKC. And Westbrook 40 minutes, a ball dominant PG. It works
Honestly guys, Lin is not a superstar, but he is a very good point guard. We don't need a superstar at every position, he can get the job done, and he carried the team at times last yr when he had to. Bev had not shown he can do that. But what I want to say is that everyone complains about their team. I kid you not, last tr thunder fans were saying things like "Westbrook needs to go, he shoots too much" (which personally I thought was obsurd, any team would kill for him), this yr what happens? He gets hurt in the playoffs (replaced my a more "true pg" who more than held his own) and then the thunder fans that wanted him out suddenly go "**** Beverly!". So let's just be content with what we have. We have a great team, we need to chill out with the Lin threads (both lof and loh) and just be supportive.
Response Rockets fans should want Lin to do well during upcoming season, so that Lin can be traded. Otherwise, it's going to be hard to trade him. In other words, some Rockets fans and Lin fans might actually want the same thing.
Here's a novel idea Why dont we hope Lin steps up and makes his doubters eat their words, which means we have a clear starter at the position that can help the Rockets win a championship...then nobody needs to get traded or worry about if teams will take his contract? Thats what fans of the HOUSTON ROCKETS *Should* be hoping for. Everyone else can eat crap and die for all I care.
Response I agree. I would say many Lin fans feel this way. Now, knowing Lin's character, he will try to fit in and contribute to the team and try to improve weak aspects of his game, which I think in a long run, will be good for his NBA career, because he does need to improve some parts of his BB game if he is to become a 18 points/8 assists per game player, which would make any player an All-Star.
This. If Lin plays well and increases his trade value, then why don't we just keep him? A lot of people here are under the assumption that our young guys are already at their peak and incapable of improvement. This goes for Harden as well who is already at a near superstar level.
Response I don't think if Lin does well with Rockets, Rockets will be able to afford him, because many NBA teams will want him. If he ever manages to average 18 points/8 assists per game, Lin is going to make a killing in NBA plus all kinds of endorsements because he's going to draw a lot of his fans to spend money. Therefore, Rockets will not be able to afford Lin's salary when the time comes.
Response I see what you are saying, but that's going to be very difficult. Two max players in Harden and Howard, and Parsons gotta get paid also. If Lin plays well, his value is going to sky rocket. And frankly, if Lin plays well, Rockets are not going to be able to afford him, with so many players who already are or will be getting paid.
This is ridiculous... you guys need to just stop this talk. The guy was NUMBER 3 last season in minutes played & was #4 on the team in Win Shares. Meaning he played A TON, and contributed A TON. If your a starter in the NBA, play a ton of minutes in any role, and that team is fairly decent.... you are hardly what I would call the equivilent of a minimum wage expendible night shift worker. If you MUST create some analogy to a real life company, he might not be the CEO, but he's definitely a C-Level executive or a Director on a very high level. There is more than just one C-Level executive in any successful company. Its a team effort. Lin might not be the last player introduced in the player introductions at home games anymore, or be the guy asked to take the last shot in a close game as much, but that doesn't mean he's just been sitting on the bench licking lolipops... The guy is still the starting PG on a playoff team with a ton of minutes and touches coming his way. So stop crying about Lin please... I can't deal with another year of this crap in the GARM. We all want this guy to have a great year next year and be the answer for the PG position, but you guys make it intolerable to even have a normal fan conversation about what the team can do to upgrade the PG play either through Lin or upgrade the postion entirely from outside the team.
This is true, Lin play well in coming season ==> worth every penny, good for keeper or trade. Lin doesn't play well in the new season ==> bad contract and hard to trade. Clearly it is more likely for Lin to play better than last season, after he has 1 full year of starter experience, played with the team and have time in the off season to work on his game.
