The poll results are a nice little quantification of the Lin skew on this board. He's overrated here and Asik is underrated.
Third best player definitely would be Lin. Parsons can't create his own shot and Asik despite great defensively also can't do much for offense. Lin is a guy who can create his own shot and for others. Therefore third best player would be Lin. For those who say Asik is the best player, think about this. Who is the better player between Harden and Dwight? Pretty much the same scenario. Harden creates his own shot and create for others while Dwight is dominate in defense and not much else.
Tony Parker says hi, guess you didn't watch the Finals. Also he says he's still pissed at Pop and Manu for f**king it all up.
Same can be said in argument about Harden or Dwight being a better player. Also Lin was the 10th best defender at his position.
The Dwightmare was Defensive Player of the Year three times. You're saying that in terms of defense Lin is in the 33rd percentile of starting PG's? Seems right on the edge of average. Harden is far beyond Lin regardless of defense and I dare you to deny it. So that takes care of Howard and Harden. Now as to whether Lin's offense if more valuable than Asik's defense, I don't think so. Now you're going to say "He makes everyone better." So does Asik. Look at his +/-.
I can't find it now, but according to the great Morrey the players who contributed the most wins were Harden > Asik > and then it was a near tie between Parsons/Lin.
These guys are ALL young, and all will grow so tomorrow may be a different story, but where I see them today (I voted Parsons by the way): Best basketball player at their position: Asik > Parsons >> Lin > Beverly Parsons has the best all-around game with his only weakness being he can’t create for himself, but he does EVERYTHING else well. Asik is a top 5 defensive big which makes him a top 10 center overall and best at his position, but he does have weaknesses like his hands of stone, free throws, limited post moves, etc. Lin is an average point guard with a lot of weaknesses that he seems to have worked a lot on over the summer. Beverly is NOT a better or more skilled player than Lin, but he gets a lot more love because he’s RIGHT behind him and does what he does at a fraction of the cost, which brings us to the next category. Best contract value: Parsons >> Beverly >> Asik >> Lin Parsons and Beverly get a lot more praise then the other two because they do what they do while costing the team almost nothing. Parsons’ and Beverly’s contracts are almost untradeable they’re so good, and every team needs guys like them. Bargain basement guys who play above their contracts are crucial to a championship team’s success. Asik has played above his contract and is a guy that could be moved at the deadline and bring great value back. Lin hasn’t played above his contract yet and as such may be harder to move but the jury is still out on him. Most important to the team: Parsons > Asik >>> Lin > Beverly Parsons gets top billing because he plays a position where there’s not a lot of depth and will most likely play some stretch 4 as well. He’s a guy who makes everyone better and is the third member of the “big three”. On this team in particular his importance increases as he can stretch the floor better than anyone. He’s the only guy of the four who’s a lock to start and finish games. His leadership is crucial and without him we don’t get Dwight. Asik is important but there is another center on the team who’s kind of good. That said, quality big men in the NBA are at a premium and we are blessed enough to have two. Asik gives us 48 minutes of paint presence which can’t be overlooked. He also was supposedly a big factor in landing Dwight. Lin and Beverly kind of hurt each other here because if either were traded (say for a quality 4) the other could play 35 minutes with Brooks picking up the rest. Lin gets the nod over Bev due to his ability to create for himself and others. However, his difficulties playing alongside Harden hurt him as much as his potential with Dwight helps him here. Replaceability: Parsons >> Asik >>> Beverly > Lin If Chandler were gone, no one on this team could do what he does (that includes Garcia) and we’d have two legitimate holes in our offense instead of just at the 4. Looking beyond our roster, Chandler is replaceable, but to find someone with his skillset we’d have to pay 5 times what he’s making. If Asik were gone, he probably could not and would not be replaced by anyone in the NBA, but Dwight makes having him a luxury rather than a necessity. Trust that if a Bosh, LMA, Love, etc. gets dangled in front of us, Asik is gone. Not because we’ll find another Omer, but because Dwight can hold it down for most the night and you can find someone serviceable to play 5 for 10-20 minutes a game. Again, Lin and Beverly hurt each other here as either COULD step up if the other were shipped out. We’d definitely hurt losing either one, because neither is the complete package and they complement each other so well. Lin is more necessary to the team’s success as built due to the above mentioned playmaking, but is also easier to replace due to Bev’s contract being so good. Off-court importance: Lin > Parsons >> Beverly > Asik Lin is probably the most coachable, he works hard, never complains, is a leader, and will play any role you give him. He also makes the team a ton of money and gives us press due to his popularity overseas and in the U.S. post-Linsanity. Right below him is Parsons who is a team leader and glue-guy off the court and again one of the biggest reasons we signed Dwight. Beverly is a defensive leader and energy guy and let’s face it probably the best trade chip we have behind Parsons who will never get traded. Right after him is Asik who is also a good trade chip, but his rumblings and whining, no matter how justified, don’t leave a good impression on anyone. So I went Parsons ultimately- best all-around game (Asik is best at his position), best contract, the only guy guaranteed to start and end every game, leader, hardest to replace and least likely of all four to get traded. He’s that good. He’s that important.
Those of you putting asik before Lin understand that yes he plays great defense, but without Lin he would look even worse offensively, Lin always found asik when driving, I'm pretty sure half of asik plots were assisted from Lin, that's why he is #3 because he makes his teammates play better
My calculation based on xRAPM. All minutes played(MP) are based on a season total. <PRE> Players MP Wins Harden 33.6 15.85 O Asik 30.0 12.13 J. Lin 32.2 5.43 Parsons 33.6 4.69 Delfino 20.6 3.06 P Bev 8.7 1.49 G Smith 13.5 1.3 Others 67.8 1.05 Total 240 45</PRE> Edit: On a side note, each win is roughly worth $1.6M (average NBA team salary/42 wins).
This is my favorite "fact" brought up by Lin supporters. Players could never be what they were without Lin. I really can't believe anyone basing their decision on last season could pick Lin with a straight face. The only reason it's even possibly a question for THIS season is Howard being here and the unknown role a Asik will have. All sorts of win based metrics will show Asik was miles ahead of Lin.
Apparently he then said good bye soon after LBJ guarded him. But he came came again after LBJ left, then waved bye again once LBJ came back. Then Ginobli came just noped the hell out.
I think some people are starting to overrated Parsons, he's a great role player but he can't lead our 2nd unit the way Lin can. And since Asiks minutes will be so limited he's not as crucial to us either, although I would vote Asik if that wasn't the case.
Honestly, that's a tough one. I wanna say Lin because he's the only playmaker. Asik is so essential to our defensive plan this year... even with Dwight.... and he's underrated as an offensive player. Parsons fits with Harden-Dwight the best though, which is why I'm inclined to side with him and his improvement this year is perhaps the most crucial. Beverley though... I gotta say at this point is a clear 6th.
Think about the role Parsons plays.. Garcia can play the spot up 3 and lockdown D just as well if not better. Asik is a top 3 rebounder in the league, 10 and 20 threat (there are so few players who can be a threat to rebound 20+ a game) Lin isn't in the conversation, its debatable that he is even better than Beverley (i think skill-wise he is) Asik is 3rd best, no doubt about it. Parsons has potential, but Asik is a beast.
