Carl is right here. Lin is definitely slumping, but he's got sixth man qualities that are not that easy to find. I'm sure he'll snap out of it before the end of the season, but I have no confidence in him keeping his groove during the playoffs. His playoff performance can change though. If we have the right matchup for him in the first round, maybe he finds that extra gear you need to play low-turnover ball, good defense and get a few key buckets needed for your team to win. So I have doubts, but I'm happy to be surprised. Keep playing him, but maybe give a few minutes to Canaan to pressure Jeremy to step up like Jones is being forced to by DMo. I agree with trying to find rest minutes for Bev. He's a high energy guy and needs to be spelled to be effective. Good luck, McHale! We all see the problem but it's your hand to play!
i feel like his biggest weakness is somebody quicker playing hard press on him all game. Lin wont be able to beat him with his dribble and if he does, he will pick up the ball midway on his drive, pump fake and then pass it back out to harden. his biggest weakness is his below average ball handing skills that hamper other aspects of his game.
You are correct that it doesn't matter what we think. But, I wouldn't be shocked to see Canaan make the rotation, especially if Lin continues to struggle. McHale has proven time and time again that he will play someone even if it's not popular with others. I find it hard to believe that McHale will stick with Lin if he doesn't snap out of his cold streak soon.
Can't bench him yet. If Canaan shined in his few NBA minutes I might be on board with giving him minutes, but since he looks at least as equally lost out there as Lin, I wouldn't do it. I don't think he'll play as well as he did to start the season (unfortunately, I think that was just a temporary hot streak) but I know he's better than what he's been doing lately.
I want to believe you. I think Canaan will definitely be a steal, but we won't know it until, of course, he gets to play. Which will only happen when McHale's hand is forced.
I'm a mchale guy,but this has been his worst attribute as a coach. He just doesn't realise when to push kids.
No. I think Jeremy Lin is on the level of Ariza and Rafer as the worst performing Rockets that are cringe worthy to watch. But even still, no. You don't throw a late drafted rookie point guard into the fold for a high ranked playoff seeded team with 1 month left until the postseason.
I thought he turned the corner earlier in the season around consistency. I don't know how to explain how bad he's been the last few games. I do wish he would work with D-mo on the pick and roll. That is one facet of his game that is well above average, and he doesn't do it enough.
lol im more talkin about his overall self-deprecative attitude bc he gives all his accomplishments to god.. hes too political with his christianity stuff and it ruins his ability to be loose and just hoop and ball out... he did that in NY like a fugue state tounge hangin out and stuff jeremy.. now hes like an old asian man and they usually suck at hoopin.. yao is a native chinese and he had way more nba-caliber swagger than this guy
If Lin continues to struggle, McHale may not have a choice. The next 7 games will make or break our season. I'm hoping this is just one of those slumps and he comes out of it soon. He was playing so well when Harden was out and we beat the Spurs and Mavs on a B2B.
He's still averaging 12.5 points per game in only 30 minutes of play with a .568 TS% and a 14 PER mostly as a bench player. Yes he is slumping lately, but it happens. I think it's VERY unlikely that Canaan exceeds those numbers and I think Lin will go back to his season averages once he breaks out of this slump.
I say 'Yes' because Lin's struggles involve a crap load of turnovers. No way Canaan (or anybody) can do much worse.
Lin is in a slump. He may not be 100% physically. If Lin plays like he did at the beginning of the season, he makes us much better (not to mention it makes it much easier for us to trade him, if necessary before next year's trade deadline). I say we stick with him.
I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect him to play like he did at the beginning of the season. He's been pretty bad since coming back from the injury in mid-December. It looks like his hot shooting in November was more a mirage than a sign of real improvement.
There could be occasions where McHale may need to dig deep in the bench for some scoring if the team is in a huge drought, and guys who could get hot from the 3 point land will always be helpful. The team just needs to win big so Canaan gets more opportunities.
I said "yes", but it had nothing to do with anyone else's performance. Canaan needs game time pt with his teammates to be effective in the playoffs, if he's needed period.
