Race wasn't the only reason. Yes it played a part. But Lin wasn't as good then as he is now. If you watched some GSW games he wasn't as thick (muscular as he is now) his jumper wasn't very good and his ability to finish at the rim wasn't as good as well. He got better during the lock out while other players were getting fat. But a lot of people don't realize that he literally transformed himself overnight. Yes he was always adept at the pnr and he was always good at splitting the defense and such but he also worked his ass off as well during the lock out.
I agree here. The talent was definitely there from the beginning, but he put in a lot of work last offseason during the lockout. This is what he was doing 8 months ago. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CLzrLXQIbwM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
GSW changed coaches, and that's when Lin got waived. The previous coach liked him, the next coach had different plans. That kind of stuff happens all the time... it's not necessarily a total rejection of someone's soul or something.
Lin and Asik will be OK for the time being. However, Asik does not appear to be a starting center that an NBA finals team would have. I could see Lin captaining such a team, but only after several more years in the league and surrounded by a number of players that are better than him. Lin and Asik are transitional players. If they both grow into players that are much better than they are now, maybe they continue to start over the longer term. But it may well be that the Rockets draft a center and a point guard to eventually replace both of these guys as early as next year. Lin and Asik just need to be ready to fill the gap for three years while the Rockets rebuild.
I feel that Morey played moneyball on Asik and it came down to the level of his statistical impact for his cost, but what worries me is how they projected his stats over more minutes, ie a larger sample. Same risk with Lin and projecting his stats over a larger sample of games...I guess time will tell
Of course were going to BASH anyone who doesn't have something positive to say about OUR Rockets! The only ones who can talk about them is us!! :grin:
So he can't be a Ben Wallace, bounced around the before finally finding his spot and winning with the Pistons? From that same team don't you remember the pg Mr big shot Billups, labelled a lottery bust, being also bounced from team to team? We don't know what they'll become but Morey's track record specifically on PGs deserve a little optimism, won't you think?
These would be the same talent evaluators who never thought lin could play in the nba to begin with right? Laughable. And im not a fan of asiks contract because i have dpubts about his longevity with increased minutes but the guy can obviously play and closing out games for the bulls. Also yhe same evaluators who keep saying lin doesnt look fast or athletic when workouts showed he was one of the fastest pgs. Maybe if both guys were a shade or two darker, these evaluators would change their opinion.
Yes and no. Steve Nash would be a good example of what you point out but I can see the other side of the argument this article raises. Lin will most probably become a solid starter but for now he's somewhat of a flash-in-the-pan. I want to see what happens when he's facing defenses setup to stop him and I want to see how he fares physically for an entire season. He's right about Asik. Asik is a one dimensional player (read NOT a stiff - a stiff would be Serge Zwikker) but I feel he can successful if utilized properly. For example, if the Rockets use him in the same manner as the Mavs did with Chandler - for defense and protecting the paint - then he'll be just fine. The key to his success lies with McHale and I lack faith in him as a teaching coach. Also, I'd want to see how he handles playing longer than 14 mins a game as the starter and I want to see improvement in his offensive game as time passes.
if McHale isn't a teaching coach, then what is he. a great tactician? his communication skills and teaching skills are the things i'd trust the most.
co-sign everything you said, especially about the asik/chandler comparison. Chandler was that missing piece in Dallas because they already had a post scorer and a lot of other skilled players. All they needed was a physical/defensive presence. Asik will be good as long as he can play his role the problem is right now we don't have other players around him. The key word you said as far as lin being a "flash in the pan is" RIGHT NOW and thats exactly what he is right now. What he will become can be debated and there are valid arguments on both sides.
we're gonna find out exactly what kind of coach Mchale really is this year. The development of our young talent from the beginning to the end of the year will do more to convince me that McHale and his staff know what they're doing than anything else. Homeboy better be a "teaching coach"; our roster demands it!
I agree with you on the Tyson comparison. I don't know about the offensive game though. Some guys have it and some guys don't. Yes I would like to see improvement in it. But if you surround the squad with sufficient talent over the next few years it may become less necessary for him to develop that aspect of his game to the fullest. We will see over time. I disagree with the flash in the pan comment. To me it isn't what your stat line is but more so how you achieve that stat line ie your style of play. Lin's style of play isn't the sort that can be deemed "flash in the pan" because it has been consistent since HS and college. But we will all see soon enough once season starts. Also people have to remember he played 25 games. It isn't like the NBA let him do whatever he felt like for the entire 25 game stretch. After the ASB teams worked to stop him ie Bulls, Sixers, Raptors, Celtics etc. This notion that he was never scouted and teams never actively tried to stop him is absurd.
