I'm not crazy and saying that he could be another Steve Nash, but you don't think that a 24 year old player that can do this to a top NBA team does not have at least a slight chance at becoming more than a role player? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4BwCVbVFMo All I can state as a fact, is that when Lin is the primary ballhandler playing major minutes without a ball dominant, high usage rate wing player (Harden, Melo), he's 10-3 and averages around 23pts/7.5ast/60%TS. I don't know if that means anything, but I do know that means there might be a chance that he could be more than a role player during his career. Most likely not a HOFer, but maybe a legitimate all-star for a couple years during his prime. To think there's absolutely no chance he could be anything beyond a role player I think is an unfair assessment.
Because even in that SA game, you can just see his flaws so starkly. I'm sorry - he just doesn't have it. He's no steve nash. It doesn't matter if he scores 40 in a game or 4 points. It's his play. Some nights you get hot, some nights you are not. And you can see the talent not in the numbers, but in the way he plays. Lin has some talent. He has good instincts, and can develop into a strong player. But greatness? No. He is never going to pass like Nash. He is never going to defend like Payton. And he is never going to score like Parker. He'll have his games. And he will get craftier and better with age. But great players show themselves long before they turn 25.
People have been telling Lin he's never gonna be anything great all his life and he's overcome his critics at every level. The reason I believe in Jeremy is because of his intangibles, such as a ridiculous work ethic, good natural playmaking abilities, high basketball IQ, and his resilience in pressure situations. He often plays best ball in the 4th quarter and has shown the leadership ability to bring a team together. These are inherent traits every great player possesses. Lin may not become the next Steve Nash, but he can definitely become a big contributing factor on a championship team.
Great players show themselves before they turn 25? 1996–97 Phoenix 65 2 10.5 .423 .418 .824 1.0 2.1 .3 .0 3.3 1997–98 Phoenix 76 9 21.9 .459 .415 .860 2.1 3.4 .8 .1 9.1 1998–99 Dallas 40 40 31.7 .363 .374 .826 2.9 5.5 .9 .1 7.9 1999–00 Dallas 56 27 27.4 .477 .403 .882 2.2 4.9 .7 .1 8.6 Guess who that is? I'll give you a hint. He's 39 and that 1999-00 was his 4th year in the league, right around the age of good ole 25.
Dude, don't be silly. Nash played behind KJ, Cassell, and Jason Kidd. He didn't get a CHANCE until he was 25 and he rapidly developed. He was clearly TALENTED the whole time. He was a great college player. His passing was always good, and he always was a great 3 point shooter. So don't kid yourself. You don't know what you are talking about.
Believe what you want. I already said he can be a starting pg for us and be a solid role player. But work ethic can only take you so far.
Yeah for Nash. Nash was averaging 15/7 shooting 48%/40% after having that many starts so he was right on the cusp and actually made the all star team the next year. Tony Parker was only a 20 year old second year player at that point so it was harder to tell.
Apparently all we have to do to make Lin great is disregard the better players on the roster and just build the offense around Lin dribbling around. Great. I'm so sick of the Lin nonsense. Oh my goodness. We could win 60 games and all we'll hear is how McFail isn't using Lin the right way.
How old were you in 1996? Did you ever watch those teams play or are you just reconstructing history by looking at stats?
Old enough to start loving basketball. I understand he was behind a stacked team, but the poster that I was replying to said that he had already passed the "eye test" for him. I have watched games in his old days, and he didn't really look that "good." I didn't see "greatness" personified in his style of play. Sure, he threw nice passes and had a nice shooting stroke, but "greatness" before he hit the age of 25? I didn't see it. I saw a solid, capable PG who could shoot. Then again, that's probably why I'm not a scout for NBA teams. I'm not comparing Lin to Nash, hell I'm not even saying that he'll have the same career projectile. But, I don't think you're giving him a fair shake. Not many people did, and he gave us one hell of week to say "take a look at me now." A star was born, not in the way I was hoping though. Hype and story took over what should have been an acknowledgement of skill. Now, it seems like whenever his name comes up in any type of basketball related discussion, it's a bit tilted if you know what I mean. So, call me crazy, but I don't believe in the "eye test." I have a pretty crappy one myself. But, if yours is as good as you say, maybe you should apply to be an NBA scout.
That's just one big fat generalization and you know it. I admit, I do get tired of people who use the term McFail, it's stupid and I don't acknowledge it. I doubt those people want Lin to succeed at the teams expense, I would rather believe that they think that Lin can be better utilized to help the team succeed. I honestly believe that Lin just needs another year under his belt before we get ready to ship him out. If anything, if he still gives us sub-par performances, then by god ship him out so we can enjoy Harden and Dwight in their primes. I'm just one of those guys who would hope Lin could be apart of it, if not then so be it.
No one is saying that and you know it. Also, Linsanity would be a max contract player and we would be favorites to win the title. Lin was not some Melo-type chucker during that span - and the team won and turned their season around. I doubt Lin can reach those heights again. Very few players can. I would think Rocket fans would want him to perform at that level again.
One possibility I've never seen mentioned is that Jeremy has requested a trade but has managed to keep it confidential. It's not a ridiculous thought. Jeremy was lured by the money, but also the promise the Rockets would be his team to run. It's possible he can see that his development will be stunted with Harden doing most of the playmaking, and he wants out. Obviously any decent GM would want to get the most of any bargain, and general knowledge of a trade request would not advantage the Rockets. It's a possible explanation for the lack of welcome tweets to new players. It explains the general sense that something doesn't smell right. I think there's an assumption that Jeremy is too nice to be assertive like this. Personally, I don't even believe my own theory. I don't see the benefit of walking away from a championship calibre team. Even if the coaches are high on Beverly to start, I think if Jeremy has any self belief he would be confident he could play his way back to the starting five. But if he's been told unequivocaly that Harden's usage will increase not decrease no matter what, I can understand that Jeremy may prioritise his long term development over team success, standing in the corner and riding the pine. This is the same guy who said he wanted to be an all-star sooner rather than later and stood up to Melo in the locker room and told Melo to change his game to improve the team (much to Stephen A Smith's outrage). Maybe Les and Daryl are trying to do the right thing by Jeremy considering everything changed when Harden arrived. Maybe I'm spending too much time on Clutchfans...
