i love goran and his game. i was really upset when he didnt ink him to a deal. only way he gets in, IMO, is if CP3 cant go due to injury. Otherwise, there are too many other guards...TP, Harden, Curry, Dame, even Monta
Lowry and Dragic having incredible years. I'd like to give credit to the Rockets for their success. Glad they're playing well. Happy for both.
To be fair, a part of it is what the team asks each of them to do. Lin was more aggressive playing for D'Antoni in NY (since they really didn't have another option) and handled the ball more. The role is different now with Harden being (rightly) asked to take on the high usage job and pretty much everyone else on the team playing a more complementary role. I think the difference is that Dragic has developed a more mature and efficient game with a higher skill level than Lin has right now. Dragic is able to play a highish usage role (24% usage rate, and assist on 28% of teammates baskets) while remaining highly efficient (only 13.8% Turnover rate, 58.5% TS%, 117 ORtg). Lin is still somewhat less efficient (mostly due to high TO rate, his TS% is quite high) while playing a lower usage role. The thing is that Lin is two years behind Dragic in experience, and Dragic has definitely improved over the last two seasons. The Dragic from two seasons ago, and even the one from last season, was closer to where Lin is now. Given that the team is in "win now" mode, I certainly prefer the guy who is better right now as oppose to a younger guy who may get here if he keeps working hard. But if we are looking at their comparative career arc at the same age/experience level, they have been on a similar path.
When we play the Suns, the cameras always catch Goran talking to Mchale before the game. Maybe Mchale is recruiting him for when his contract is up??
I maintain Dragic is clearly the better of the three I thought Lowry was good for us until I saw the way Dragic played Although I think Lin can certainly play at that level with more aggressiveness and experience down the line.
Dragic has always been better than Lin and I'm a huge Lin supporter. One of advantages that Dragic has is control. The way he controls the game is way better than what Lin does. It's something you just have to watch them play and not by the box score. And since I've been watching both of them play a lot in the past 3 years its evident that Dragic just has that feel for the game that Lin doesn't. Lin is a good player too and can be under appreciated. Dragic is just more proven, can count on him and more reliable. I honestly wished we could have re-signed Dragic, it would have made our team a lot better.
If the Suns put him on the block, he's going to be in demand... player option and all. [youtube]z2lRfUXn7DQ[/youtube]
Man I miss Gogi, was so heartbroken when he left. Really wish we had a pg like him again. Too bad that 4th year was the killer for being able to keep him. I don't care what stats him and Lin put up Dragic is a better player.
Barring a particularly juicy offer, the Suns would be stupid to trade him since they don't have Bledsoe locked up BTW, It's incredibly bittersweet that two former Rockets PGs have become embraced by their new squads (Gogi + Lowry). Nice to see that we weren't just blinded by our fandom.
We should have never let him go. It was a stupid move on the part of the Rockets. Goran, Harden, Parsons, and Howard would have made an excellent core.
Goran has been balling this year. It sucks that he's in the talent stacked West, but I still think he should be getting serious all star consideration. With the comparison to Lin, Goran is definitely better right now. But if he were here I think it would only be a marginal improvement for our team given what his role would be. And I would also contest that if Lin had three years more experience and was a first or second option on a team I dont think his production would be that much lower than what Goran is doing currently
You may be right, but it all depends on team direction. If you are looking to the draft, then trading him can change your salary situation and net you pick considerations. Lin has the ball in his hands plenty, but I definitely think he would put up numbers on a team where he is the primary option and has a few shooters to work with. It's one of the big reasons he'll go back to the bench soon, where he can run his own unit for a dozen minutes or so while still playing significant minutes with others. I wonder what the Rockets' view of Dragic's player option is now. I tend to think it still is a problem for them since Goran would control Houston's cap situation (to an extent) beyond 2015 to 2016, but at the same time, at this price, trading him for an expiring in February of '15 wouldn't be an issue. Just thinking out loud. I don't think it would happen, but he would be a good fit here.
I think, even with Hindsight, the Rockets still let him go. Even if we strike out on the big names in 2015, we can pursue both Dragic AND Milsap in free agency. We might need help with a sign and trade but we should have about ~16 million in cap room: Dragic Harden Parsons Milsap Howard would be unbelievable.
Amen, over a 1 year player option, sometimes you just need to let some small deals go for the good of the team. DD
