Yes, when you lose your starting point guard, and his backup has a terrible game taking over, the 3rd string point is a rookie who's shown us little in the NBA, and this is a team that has not only been playing extremely well, but is considered a team contending for a title, it is that bad.
Lin can play well with Harden. The Portland game is a good example as well as a number of other games. After a promising start to the 1st and 3rd quarters he just got lost trying to figure out where to make plays and the Clips were pretty stingy in the paint and he didn't adjust well enough. I liked his aggressiveness...8 pts off of free throws and 8 attempted shots, but he needed to dictate to the defense and to some extent his own teammates after he got past his man (with ease). I was kinda worried about this game as the first one to have Lin and Harden playing as the starting back court at a moment's notice because of how good the Clippers are. At the end of the day, had he converted 2 or 3 more shots from the field, it might've changed things for him and the team. He can close that gap by studying film, working with Harden a bit more, and looking at setting himself up for more easy baskets. In this role, he has to score first in order to open up the game for others and to get the ball back when it swings around the court.
Lately it seems as if Lin has been more upset after games than before. I wasn't surprised he didn't do well against the Clippers. He rarely had a good game since the start of New Year. His play has gotten worse and his decision making is just terrible. Sloppy passes, bone headed plays and indecisiveness have been a regular consistent part of his game lately. He can't get into rhythm shooting the ball, he even shoots a low percentage while being wide open. His game has just taken a huge dip and it will get worse by playoffs time. I can't wait for the Rockets to ship him out during the offseason and find someone who is reliable as a backup or even a starter. The Rockets need a veteran PG who can play defense, make open 3s and play smart basketball, similar to a Kirk Hinrich or even Jarrett Jack. Daryl Morey has a ton of work to do during the off season. He needs to find a new PG to replace Lin. He needs to find players who can bring consistency off the bench. Otherwise this will be a somewhat repeat of the Yao-Tmac era where the Rockets doesn't haven enough talent surrounding their top two players. If the Rockets wants to have any type of chance at a ring, Morey needs to be aggressive and find some tough veterans and young talented players to solidify our bench. Because right now, making it out of the first round is a long shot now with the way our bench and Lin is playing.
It's going to cost us a lot to ship him out. I don't see how any team trades for him unless he goes on some miracle playoff hot streak.
I've been ranting on twitter the whole time he's been a Rocket about his careless jumping, and getting stuck in the air with no where to go. He jumps to pass so much it's absolutely atrocious to watch. Keep your dribble, and have a plan to backup your backup plan. I know McHale didn't want Lin from the jump, so I gave him as much of a cushion as I could, but McHale was right from the start.
You're absolutely right. That's why he's still here. We need the assets we would have to give up to lure a possible third star, or to just build a better roster in general. He's a mistake we just have to deal with.
He should be . A chicken with it's head cut off wouldn't make those stupid turnovers. As usual these days, JL jammin' it to others where there's no chance or with 2 seconds on the clock! Send him to the D league. He's in need of point guard training.
he got confidence issues...if he's getting it, he'll be having durability issues...both of these result to inconsistency
Isn't that what some of you guys said last time when he was in a huge slump, which we found out had a lot to do with his bad back? At least last time you guys had the decency to wait a couple of games before proclaiming he go back to the D-League
Regular season is almost over, can't afford to let him get out of his slump this time. If he sucks it up next game, I wouldn't mind if Canaan started or Lin was D-Leagued.
There are only so many times you can own up. If this were a video game, he would be running very low on life right now. With Bev out, Lin needs to man up, limit his boneheaded plays, take care of the ball, and be a consistent positive influence on the Rockets. The playoffs are coming up. There is no hiding anymore. Unless he decides to sit out with another injury.
Dude had a bad game. It wasn't like he wasn't playing aggressive. He was attacking the rim pretty relentlessly but his shots were just not falling. Lin will bounce back from this as he's already putting in some extra work in the gym after the game. Wouldn't be surprised if he came out swinging against the Nets.
Playoffs performance for Lin is as matchup dependent as it is for the team overall - against Portland I have no doubt he'll be a solid contributor - and I like us in that series - Spurs, almost same story. Against Clips/OKC, he may struggle but will probably have at least a couple good games - the team will also obviously struggle overall.
Lin will continue to make high school fundamental basketball mistakes among superior competition in high pressure situations like last night and playoffs. It is what it is. Lin is the only one that can change that and post game interviews won't.
Well, if that headless chicken was named James Harden it might - I know Harden got his points last night, but just about all of his 6 turnovers were horrendous to watch - trying to force pass after pass where there was nothing or dribbling straight into traffic and coughing it up easily. Anyways, yes Lin played very poorly by his standards last night but I think the biggest deal was the shooting - people would forgive the boneheaded plays (3 turnovers) more if he could make a shot last night.
