Lets be real here, with the way portland is playing now, Aldrige is not going anywhere... Lin+asik for Rondo? Celtics laugh... Lin + Asik for Deron will? Nets laugh... I agree, if there is a possibility to get a player with Aldrige's caliber, anyone (not Harden and Howard) can be traded... Yes even Parsons and Beverly... but right now there is no remote possibility of acquiring a player of that caliber so the next possibility is lin will complete his contract wearing a rocket jersey... once his contract is up, I predict the rockets will offer him a fair contract rather than let him walk away...
How many games did Cleveland win before Lebron left? Orlando before Dwight went postal? Does Portland with their awful defense (they make us look like Indiana) really strike you as a post season threat? They're this years Denver Nuggets.
Howard and Lebron have been contending for years before they left their organization... this is Portlands first year to be considered a contender... he will at least stay there for 2 more years see how it goes...
We are not talking about their postseason outlook this year. Portland has Lillard and also a young and improving supporting cast. Big difference from Cleveland and Orlando.
lol @ lock down D. Dude gets burned every other game. The only reason why they would keep Bev is because he would be dirt cheap to resign (because he would be a backup on every other team).
Initially I was all in concerning bev starting and Lin being the 6th man, but watching lin in the last couple of games he is fitting in nicely and making some really nice passes. He is sort of playing like Steve Nash pre Lakers, and it fits him. I like the alley oop passes to Dwight, u can literally see the joy in Dwight's face. Get the big man touches they say. Mchale should leave Lin in as a starter even when bev comes back, there I said it.
My honest assessment is that the Rockets slightly overpaid for Lin. Last year and this year, he's about a $6 million player because he's an inexperienced player with some great strengths but also quite a few areas for improvement. For better or for worse, the Rockets paid the Linsanity Premium. As for Lin's next contract, I think it'd be very fair if he got Mike Conley-type money if he keeps up his nice, steady progression. That's about $8-10 million a year, which is around what he's making right now cap-wise. Maybe Lin would be willing to take a cut to play for a contender, but that's what veterans do after they've established themselves. If Lin is already willing to take a pay cut at this stage in his career in his prime, then he's being a sucker. I'd love for him to stay a Rocket, but if they're gonna lowball him, he should leave.
FYI, Lin graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics and a 3.1 grade-point average. (From his Wikipedia page)
***Brian Roberts, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans all included for Pelicans. Harden and Lin traded off between Holiday and Evans. Lin only one on Roberts. I remember in SAS game, McHale challenged Lin to really defend Parker. Since then, he's held his opponents to some bad FG%'s. Then again, people will focus on the 3rd quarter against Udrih, 4th quarter against Isaiah Thomas, and late 3rd/early 4th against Wall. Unfortunately, seems like Lin's 3PT% has gone down, but hopefully that's because of the extra work on defense he's been tasked to do. Best way to resolve that is, of course, getting Bev back
Do remember this though. The first offer Lin received from Houston was $28.8 million over four years. However, the fourth year of the original offer was a team option at $9.3 million. But because Woodson said they would match any offer on Lin up to $1 billion, the Rockets had to change the contract. Making the contract into $25.1 million over three years.
I don't think money appeals that much to him. But, I imagine being a starter and being 1st or 2nd option does. He signed on to Rocket as the central piece of a rebuilding team, now he's on the bench even though he has proven he's at least an average starter, not to mention helping Rocket into the playoffs last year. And that's just the thing, given the whole benching controversy and Asik Drama, I doudt Lin would consider Rocket being "straight with him". He is loyal to his teammates, but if he knows he can get a starting position and more touches, not to mention more money, on another team, Rocket will have to offer some damn good incentives for him to say.
There is no way the Rockets will resign Lin for $6-9 mil per year if at the end of the 2014-15 season he is still relegated to being a bench/irregular starter, both because Morey couldn't justify it, nor would Lin want to waste his prime years being an afterthought.
The only chance the rockets have of resigning Lin is if Mchale is gone at the end of the season, and Lin remains the teams starting PG going forward once Bev is back from injury. Otherwise he will be traded this summer if not sooner. I doubt he has any faith in what the rockets tell him.People here might disagree but he is not going to want to re-sign. The Rockets made all sorts of promises when they woo'd him to come here from the Knicks. Some other team is going to promise him at least 2nd option and guaranteed starting PG role and he is going to go there.
A 3.1 GPA isn't that great, especially in Economics and at a grade-inflated school like Harvard. Still, Lin was working out and playing basketball all the time so it's still probably pretty decent.
Lol Economics is one of the more difficult majors, especially at one of the top Economic programs in Harvard
The average GPA at Harvard is 3.48. They have rampant grade inflation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation#Harvard_University.
I prefer Lin to stay as our 6th man beyond this season, but I don't value him enough to particularly care if he leaves or not. If anything I would probably be happy due to his insane worshipers leaving en masse.
Just checked and he's at 9.5FGA for him to average 16-18ppg he'll have to be in godlike mode every game especially being 4th option.
