I think McHale should give Bev a few "trial" starts towards the end of the preseason

I've been as critical of Lin as anyone that wasn't just trolling and I think this year Lin will cement himself as a solid starter for a contending team. During his interview, he addressed my biggest criticism of him. To paraphrase, he said "I just need to be confident enough in my shot to take it when left open". As long as he can do that while shooting around 37 percent, we are set. The only other thing he can improve upon is maintaining his dribble in the paint. Sometimes he picks up his dribble and gets himself stuck, but it doesn't happen that often.

 

The preseason is a period of risk-free experimentation.

I would argue however the last few games before the actual season starts is the final line up.

If this Bev experiment is to happen, it would be better done mid-preseason for a 2-3 game stretch.

Doubt it will, Bev is the best player off the bench, and Lin is the best starting PG.

 

Lin's struggles

It seems to me that Lin has struggled with a lack of confidence for some time. Here is an excerpt from an article in the Christian Post (Sept., 2012) :

 

No choice in this team it's sink of swim for him. what you guys think of his handles so far?

 

actually BEV whats out there with the starters , for a couple of rotation. What don't we pull up those numbers and compare?

 

I remembered Lin was doing pretty well against Westbrook, and Westbrook went off on Beverly after Beverly messed up his knee.

 

I'd rather Beverly come off the bench as a whirlwind instead of starting and trying to control his fouls.

 

The only fair trial for Beverley would be a consecutive 10 game trial at starting PG during the regular season. Since it is agreed that bev has shown remarkable athletic skills, and that he did excellent during the playoffs, and during the first preseason game, it is highly likely that he is ready to take over the starting PG spot. A 10 game trial during real game will convince people that he is the best man to start.

 

Lol, not happening

 

a) Beverley already gets/will get time with the starters. Minutes are minutes for judging purposes, and it hardly matters where he gets them.

b) Lin's confidence problem seems more related to "am I getting pulled because I suck" than "I'll stop shooting because I suck". His NBA career consists of being pulled whenever he is not doing well enough, except for his time with the Knicks. Whatever D'antoni's coaching problems, he managed Lin's confidence pretty well because Lin kept shooting even when missing.

So, c)
In what world does it make sense to start Beverley to test out the theory he'll do a better job than Lin when you can just slide the minutes around with different lineups?

 

I don't know about this game, but last year:

Lin + Harden + Parsons + Asik + ?, no Beverley

Poss: 3061, Rockets EFF: 107.7, Opp EFF: 104.5

Beverley + Harden + Parsons + Asik + ?, no Lin

Poss: 346, Rockets EFF: 115.7, Opp EFF: 101.5

 

Lin's confidence issue is not trusting his own shot. It has nothing to do with McHale.

 

You are right about Lin not trusting his own shot; the question is what he does as a result of not trusting it. I think coaching impacts that.

I am fine with McHale's coaching of the Rockets. I think he is doing a good job coaching the Rockets. I don't think he is doing a good job managing Lin, but Lin is not the Rockets, he's just one player on the team. McHale is balancing more than just making Lin comfortable with shooting the ball.

 

Addendum: This is referring to last year. Who knows what this year brings.

 

Well if Lin is technically a rookie last season, then McHale will treat him like one (he himself said Lin was basically a rookie).

D-Mo, Greg Smith and Jones all got pulled last season whenever they played poorly. They were on an even tighter leash than Lin.

I also disagree that Lin was mismanaged. A mismanaged player would be underperforming, but Lin did not underperform. He put up good numbers for his first official NBA season, and McHale had a hand in that.

 

There was obvious improvement in Lin during the course of the year last year, and it was more than just recovering from the injury. So clearly some of what the coaches were doing was right. However.

The biggest annoyance I had with Lin's game last year was that he wasn't taking the shot when he should have. I think that was some confidence related, and some trying to learn his role on the team. If he was taking the shot more often, he would have been performing better; therefore he was underperforming what he could have done.

Unless, of course, he would have missed all those shots and was right to not take them. As a guy watching the game, I thought he was wrong.

 

Doesn't matter who starts, but who finishes. Coach isn't afraid to go with the hot hand.

 

Not uncommon with young folk. Being under so much scrutiny doesn't help either. He'll get tougher with time and experience. Having Mchale as coach will probably speed up that process. lol

He's doing great so far. I hope to see that killer instinct resurface every now and then.
Philippines= perfect opportunity to go HAM.

 

Yea he has confidence now, confidence with his knee.

 

Lin didn't trust himself at the very beginning oflast year's presesson. He certainly didn't trust his shooting, and he shot poorly. McHale responded by reducing his minutes. This is understandable.