I'd rather have Lin and Harden grow together. Harden is on track to becoming the best shooting guard in the league for years to come. We should make the most of it.
This is what I was saying before. This team can still score a lot of points without James. So the whole James is carrying the offensive burden stuff so therefore has no energy to play D is nonsense. If the coaching staff urged him to focus a little less on O (because someone would definitely pick up the slack) & focus that energy on D this team would be so much more dangerous.
Everyone plays better when Harden is out cause they KNOW they will get opportunities based on team ball and ball movement. The flow is there when Lin runs the offense. Harden is more TMac/Kobe style, which sometimes works, but sometimes is too predictable and is stoppable; teammates would rather be involved than watch Harden.
Dude, I like Lin but this is a bit far. Harden is the superior player on the offensive end and it's not by a little bit. That said, he does go through brain farts where he stalls the offense. I don't think that's necessarily at the coach's instructions as opposed to his instincts. When you play as the 6th man you don't have the same role as the team Superstar like Durant. One of Durant's strengths in recent years is that he has learned that sometimes it's best not to dominate the ball too much even if it hurts his stats. That said, it's not an easy balance... even Durant goes too far in terms of passing up offensive opportunities sometimes. What I do put on McHale is that he hasn't found a way to curb Harden when he overshoots or isn't getting foul calls. Harden needs to learn (like any young player) how to change speeds when the defenses and officiating don't play into his strengths, or just when his shot isn't falling. Why is this happening? No idea. Perhaps McHale doesn't take a strong enough stance with Harden, perhaps McHale is trying too hard to win individual games in the short term, perhaps McHale lacks imagination, or perhaps Harden is young and just isn't good at listening yet (common amongst the young) or is too focused on trying to prove that he's good enough. One can never know what someone else is thinking. Lin has his strengths and one of his best strengths (and occasional weaknesses) is his reluctance to call his own number. This is good in that it motivates his team mates to move aggressively off the ball and pass (it's easy to pass to Lin when you know that you'll most likely get it back if you can get an open look), however Lin too is still finding his balance. Sometimes Lin needs to call his number more, but like anything it's a work in progress. If Lin can legitimately be criticized as not playing sufficiently aggressive sometimes, then I think it's not unfair to say that Harden is sometimes over aggressive to the detriment of the team. Harden is still far and away the best player, the trick in the future will be trying to be that best player and *still* keep his team mates involved more actively than just spotting up and shooting 3's. This is the lesson that Wilt Chamberlain eventually had to learn as well. Being the best player on the Team isn't enough. Being the best team mate AND the best player is what gets you where you need to go.
I have to disagree. These past few games have shown what this team is capable of without Harden, and the future looks very bright. Now all we need is that star like LMA manning the front court.
The Lin Mafia will never stop moronic threads like this until he is off the team. NO, not even close to better.
Excellent analysis as always but flaming was being sarcastic. Hardly anyone thinks that Lin is better than Harden, and those few that do are afraid to admit it publicly for fear of being laughed at and mocked.
Its the same exaggeration as, LOFs thinks LIN is better than Harden, thinks Beverly sucks, McHale hates Lin not his game etc.etc. Get this in your head. Here are some facts We LOFs don't hate Beverly, I actually like him a lot and all for him replacing Lin if he is playing better that night, but NOT when Lin is on his game. And no McHale doesn't hate Lin, he just doesn't think highly of Lin's game, big difference. Finally, Harden everytime over Lin, no ifs and buts. So stop this straw man argument. What is truly funny though is how LOFHs create sarcastic exaggerated threads and posts like these, which in turn gets picked on by other LOFHs who ends up dissing on their own, thinking its coming from LOFs. Hilarious.
Jeremy Lin himself said in the post-game that this team is BETTER with Harden and Parsons back. That they just have to figure out how to keep it going, play great defense still and have good spacing and ball movement. Lin has basically been spot on in terms of the truth. He's just said it in subtle ways all season. This team can be even better than the past 2 games, with Harden and Parsons back, IF they can get all 5 guys to commit to great defensive energy and proper help D, and also stop the ISO-ball on offense.
here's where your reasoning seems flawed to me in the moment, although I agree that harden IS superior and Harden IS the best player it's not because he has better God given talents or genes or whatever but BECAUSE he is allowed the freedom to play as he likes and Lin was shackled and curbed and forced into unnatural roles and not given the green light to make errors and shoot as much as he likes... Imagine what would happened if Lin had that freedom in last 70 games and harden being forced to play say stretch 4? Of course Lin would developed all the confidence in the world and all the skills he needs...and would be mvp candidate perhaps...
Agreed. The only reason Harden gets the freedom to stat pad is because of the affair he is having with McHale that was reported by several reliable sources. Honestly, what other reason is there to explain why Harden gets the most shots and the most minutes? Lin doesn't get as much freedom because McHale is racist and hates him. Give him freedom and he goes 25-10-5 easily. In fact, assuming Lin is allowed to perform at Linsanity level, this team could arguably go for 70+ wins (The Knicks went 7-0 with Lin leading the charge, and guess who wasn't on that team? James Harden and Kevin McHale).
No Harden got the freedom from the same reason all the scouts prefered others less talented and skipped on Lin...
