[ClutchFans] The numbers are clear: Patrick Beverley deserves to start over Jeremy Lin

No they don't.

The problem the Rockets have is that they lack a bench and three point shooters. There is nothing wrong with the system they run. There is a lot of ignorance about the Rockets system, for example they play more PNR than people on this board seem to believe.

 

If the problem were just the bench and shooters, then people wouldn't be calling so hard for a 3rd star and/or a coaching change (the latter of which would probably make more of a difference now than any roster change). There's also a problem with the "system" being run. In this case, it would be the lack of one, which is contributing to the huge amount of inconsistency we're seeing.

 

Nope.

People are calling for a third star because that is the goal for every team, Morey has put the Rockets in a position financially where it is possible. Further, the Rockets need an upgrade at PG and PF.

As far as people wanting McHale fired, most of them are LOF's (but not all) and people wanted Adelman fired before him, Van Gundy and Rudy T as well... it goes with the territory. Whenever a team loses or has problems, the blame goes to the coach.

There isn't a problem with the system being ran. Further, there is not a "lack of system", it is something parroted by people that do not understand the subtleties of NBA offenses. For example, the Rockets run PNR more than people think, and the Rockets also have set plays.

 

Agreed on all counts. This is the most rational post I've seen from you

 

+1. I know Lin can do better than standing around. When he attacks, things open up. He should remain aggressive like in the beginning of the season. But I guess all the benching and uncertainty of his role and up and down has destroyed his confidence. He needs to man up and just go HAM. Seriously. Otherwise he will find himself out of a job because of motivation issues.

 

Well 3 stars isn't the only way to het to an elite level. Who are the 3rd stars on OKC, IND, POR? The point is we are underachieving with the stars we do have so just adding another star won't make us elite on it's own. The system/rotations/player roles etc need to be refined/revamped.

 

Totally agree. Also, using Lin as a roleplayer when he has starter talent is a huge waste of money. Too bad he's gonna be hard to move with that balloon payment.

 

when he's aggressive and turns the ball over a few times, he's gone for the rest of the game, especially now with bev back in the lineup. you saw him finishing games because there were no other options, and not because he was aggressive. bev was hurt, and brooks was ineffective.

you admitted that the guy is on a very short leash. you play aggressive and commit turnovers even if they're "good" turnovers, you're gone. you play ball control offense and don't take any risk, you're gone. remember the knicks game where he was super aggressive and scored 15 in the first half? a few turnovers in Q3 and he was gone for the rest of the night, and we needed JR to bail us out.

but anyway, i agree with you though that regardless, he should just play his game of aggressively attacking the basket whenever he's in the game, and look for his own shot first, just like earlier in the season. mchale isn't going to stop yo-yo'ing with his minutes, so might as well make the best of every minute you got.

 

To me it doesn't matter if Lin starts or not. It'll be the same. Lin is just being used as a spot up shooter even when he is being used as the 6th man. How often is Lin in the game when Harden is taking a rest so he could really run the point?

 

Lin does NOT lack confidence. He just does NOT want to play hard for McFail. I would do the same if I were him. Who wants to play for a coach that does NOT trust you at all. He will start as point guard after he leaves Houston. Who says he will be out of job??

 

Lin is loving the trade rumors.

If he gets traded, he's probably gonna party like its 1999.

We should send McHale in the trade with him. BWAAAHAHAHA!

 

It will never end. A player can not average playing 2/3 of agame if he is consistently benched after mistakes. Not possible. Does he get benched every once in a while? Yes, but not even close to an every game thing.

Also this notion of minutes be erratic. Go look at the game log from game to game. I'm not seeing this yo yo distribution of minutes people keep talking about. It's generally pretty steady. The main culprit to highs and lows in minutes has been injury, great play from the other PG or just downright bad play by Lin. All in all though month by month it's right at 30.

 

You know. That's pure speculation. But from watching every single game last season and this season. That is highly possible.

But that is just business. Lin is still very raw, he does have potential, but the Rockets do not have time to develop him since the Championship window is pretty small. Lin needs to adjust his role to a "ready to contend" now mode. Which is the 6th men (not right now he is not, he is just a role player now). The Rockets could not afford those dumb turnovers or inconsistencies during playoff so playing off the bench mitigate that risk. Its probably the safest thing to do.

However, form what i've seen so far even he is coming off the bench he is not playing "his brand of basketball". He needs to man up and demand the ball. He also needs to earn the trust from his teammates

 

The Lakers is a perfect fit for Lin w/o any need for detail explanation. But that is only true if the Black Mamba comes back next year wanting to do less iso due to his 'advance' age. He should take it easy. One more injury he is done. LOL.

 

Clutch is a genius. He's created a thread for all the LOF's to run to. It's like bugs and a light. The rest of the GARM (aside from the twitter thread) has not been quite as infected with LOF annoyance recently. You guys keep arguing in here about why a pg who averaged 15 and 7 in half a season is relegated to the bench.. "boo mcfail he's ruining him". Let us Rocket fans enjoy the rest of the site. Thanks!

 

Per Synergy only 16% of their plays are pnr. That's not a lot. What makes that bizarre is they're one of best pnr teams in the league, and the team has quite a few guys that could live in the pnr if they had to.

They rely mostly on spot up 3's, which is fine if the 3's are falling. If they're not, their assist % is 26/30 in the league, which means they're just gonna keep shooting 3's instead of sharing the ball. That's when McHale complains about the ball getting sticky... even though his offense pretty much requires them to keep chucking

22% of their possessions go to isos and post-ups even though stats show the team sucks at both of them.

And there's your Rockets championship offense

 

And for Linsanity too. And for a few other games in spot duty.

See where I'm going? I don't think Lin, Pat OR AB are consistent enough to be key parts of our team. Notice I didn't say "good enough". Consistent. Lin's highs have been higher but if we're using half of a season as the largest sample size and hanging our hats on it I'm not sold. Just like I wasn't sold that Lin was a 25/8 guy after Linsanity. Or that Pat was a 15pt 10reb guy.

If any of our PGs played at a level that's 80% of their best 10 games I would be thrilled. But it's not happening.

 

I think that answer is fairly obvious. If your system is predicated on either scoring at the rim or from the perimeter and (1) only two guys in the rotation are shooting more than 35% from 3 on the season, and (2) you come up against teams like OKC and Memphis who can comfortably pack the paint to force bricks from 3 -- you will see plenty of games like that and likely a first round exit.

That has everything to do with Moreyball and not much to do with the PG rotation, IMO. Except to support the conclusion that we need an overall upgrade at the PG position if this is the system we are committed to, given that both Lin and Bev are shooting abysmally from 3 (33.0% and 32.8%, respectively).

 

What's been happening is the Black Mamba is willing to iso less but only if he can play PG instead. This ends up forcing the 1's to play out of position (first Nash then Blake) and gives him record TO #'s

 

If those aren't excuses for his play I'm not sure what would qualify. However I agree with some of what you say. Lin clearly is affected by how he's being treated. In NY he had nothing to lose. Zero. No pressure. He played free and loose because he had nowhere to go but up. Now he has a big contract. Pressure to perform. Fluctuating minutes and roles. Night and day situations.

But he's a grown man. This isn't his first test in a bumpy road to the NBA. If he's as good as some think he is he'll prove it regardless of how he's treated. If he is too unstable mentally to perform when the chips are down then he won't succeed at a high level. THAT is where I think people see a difference with Patrick. Have you ever seen Pat look shaken or lose confidence? He's had some awful shooting nights and game mistakes and the guy just keeps going. You have to respect that. I'm not saying Pat is the better player. Based on equal samples I've gone back and forth on who's "better" but if pressed I'd have to give it to Lin even with his post injury slump.

As for your last comment, this isn't high school, college, the D league or European ball. This is the NBA. Few coaches are going to hand hold players just because they get their confidence hurt. I outright disagree with what I bolded. It's the players job to prove to the coach that he deserves minutes. Trust. Money. That's how players rise to the top.

Even MJ and Dream had to prove themselves.