Rockets players must improve individually for the team to improve. If all rockets players above 25 yrs old cannot improve then how can the rockets improve? Trade them with players below 25 of age? McHale is also improving as a relatively newer coach, the players are all making adjustments, thus consistency is difficult for every one. IMO consistency issues are too be expected for a young and newly formed team. I think for a team with a new nucleus with dh the rockets are doing great. I remember during Yao and Francis then tmac came, we would lose 4th leads so often with jvg, it pisses me off so badly. Tmac era was always inconsistent, add broke back tmac injury prone, it was difficult to watch. At least this rox team was able to hold leads while still being new.
Dragic was never a joke. He was an okay backup to Steve Nash. We traded a disgruntled Brooks for him. It was mostly seen as a fair trade, and neither players were thought to be anything special at that time. (except for some high volume posters here.) After he was traded to the Rockets, he was also an okay backup to Lowry. He showed flashes of brilliance sometimes, but not very good some other times. It was when Lowry got sick and the rein was turned to Dragic did he really shine as an NBA player. Like I said elsewhere, Dragic's career trajectory has many similar points with Lin's.
I doubt Dragic had historical numbers and impact the way Lin did his first 7 starts. Lin's accomplishments are something out of a Disney movie over that Linsanity span. I mean not event the best of the best did what he did.
Which is why people call him a flash in the pain. Seriously, what is more realistic; that an undrafted PG is as good as the greatest players in history or that he hit a streak at a time when emotions were running high? NYK was a perfect situation for him: - Injuries to players, including Melo - Pringles's desperation for a competent PG - Lack of proper scouting done on Lin - Playoff push by a team desperate to get back - City desperate to embrace any postseason success after all those dark Isaiah Thomas years I think Lin has to improve in a ton of areas before one can consider him a good PG; decision making, avoiding dumb habits like picking up his dribble and jump passing without a plan, and defense. Dragic and Lowry are IMO superior to Lin in pretty much every aspect and neither of them are really considered stars, just good PG's.
The trade was Dragic+1st for Brooks and it was considered a fair trade. He was definitely considered no more than an average backup PG. He did have that insane 4th quarter performance against the Spurs in a playoff game though, but his stock had dropped significantly the next season.
Do you even know what the definition of peak is? It means they play their best ball around this time and steadily head downhill afterwards. Around the age of 30 is when athletes usually reach the apex of both physical maturity and mental knowledge of the game. Jordan was around 30 when he won all those championships and Lebron is also nearing 30 now and at his peak.
What caliber of players are those names in comparison to Jeremy Lin? No one will say that Brandon Jennings is going to peak at 30. No one is going to say that Monta Ellis is going to reach his "peak" at the age of 30. No one in their right mind will argue that given enough time, "O.J. Mayo, when he's on the right team, given the #1 option, with the right coach, with the right wife, and the perfect jersey and the day of his horoscope which states that he's lucky..." will peak when he hits 30. Only Lin gets that benefit for some reason and its stupid. I once tried that argument with the whole "Lin can be Nash" ordeal. You can check my comments. I feel stupid now for doing so. Until he learns to stop doing all the mind-numbingly-stupid things that he does on the court, then maybe I'll acknowledge this argument.
So what caliber players should Lin be compared to? Are there similar players to Lin? What statistical normal curve does he fit it? Lin can be Nash - why not? He still has time and he is not lazy. But I think his style is actually closer to a scoring PG much like Tony Parker.
Lin is comparable to jekyl and hyde. Never know when a good nba player or rec league player is going to show up. Except when the hotties and Lin thread pulls thru that is...
That's kind of like saying "I can win the lottery, why not? Other people have done it". It's not impossible that Lin could become a much better player. It's just unlikely.
At least there are glimpses of Nash before. His growth curve seems pretty good. But some believe it is unlikely, how so? What data or facts shows lins lack of potential. Who or what can foretell his performance and potential? I think lins chances are closer than winning a lottery. His numbers are only a few points less and he is only in the 4th year playing from a bench with dominate sg. Oh I think he already won the lottery. His asian genes took him to the nba.
People are simply saying that assuming Lin is at his peak is stupid. He's only been in the nba a few years. And he's improved every year. And he'll continue to improve to probably around 30 barring injury. A third year point guard who averages 13/14 and 5/6 is on the correct path, especially if he had to keep adjusting to different roles each year. I don't believe his is or will ever be a superstar. But I think he is a good starting point guard who will get better over the next 3-4 years given his work ethic and intelligence. He's got some crazy fans and crazy haters none of which are his fault. He handled his demotion with class (unlike Asik). Hate the haters and the crazy fans but give the man his due.
Maybe Nash in terms of passing. Lin sees a lot on the court and can be very creative, but struggles with decision making (which comes with time). I don't think he'll be even close to Nash in terms of shooting. Nash is one of the best ever so that's no disrespect. The good news is he's already equal or ahead of Nash defensively...
Depending on where he ends up, Lin will largely control what type of guard he evolves into. I don't think he is going to start many other places, but that gives him the opportunity to be more of a scorer. I think he prefers to be a pass-first guard, but because he is not a starter, being a scorer off the bench suits him well for now. It would be nice if he could be Jamal Crawford, but that's not happening. I feel like it's an insult to Steve Nash to put Jeremy in the same breath. Not yet, not even close...don't go there. Jeremy hasn't hit his peak, but the type of guard he turns out to be will define his peak. Will his peak be related to points or being one of those wise floor generals? He could be an Avery Johnson or a Sam Cassell. He could be a Jason Kidd type (still seems insulting to JKidd) or a scoring guard. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. I hope he can evolve on the Rockets in some role where he's comfortable and can contribute more consistently.
Because he's nowhere near as good as Nash or Parker. Its ridiculous to even make the comparison. Hell, he's not even close to Jamal Crawford. I'm not even ****ting on the guy either. You LOFs have set a bar for the kid that he can't possibly achieve. It's ridiculous. How about just accepting the fact that he's an average player and will have his good and bad games coming off the bench?
go tell that to Tony Parker. He said this last year after Lin scored 38 on him last year. No one forced parker to talk about lin. "Tony Parker says Jeremy Lin reminds him of a young Tony Parker." “It’s his first full year,” Parker said. “There is a lot of attention on him. I think you have to be patient with his growth. When I first came into the league, I was a little raw. I was very aggressive. At the same time, I had to learn the point guard position and when to score, when to pass and try to find that happy middle, find the balance. I think Jeremy Lin is at that point. - Tony Parker “He’s trying to find his position on the team. And he needs to fit with another guy who is very aggressive with James Harden. I had to do the same thing when I had Manu Ginobili being super aggressive. You have to find your spots. He will.” - Tony Parker http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....eremy-lin-reminds-him-of-a-young-tony-parker/ http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocke...similarites-with-lin-at-same-stage-of-career/
