[ClutchFans] The numbers are clear: Patrick Beverley deserves to start over Jeremy Lin

There really should be no argument here, Lin is clearly the more talented player offensively than Bev. And Bev is a defensive energizer bunny.

The difference on their current level of play, it's just that Bev has that x-factor thing I guess, while Lin has sort of lost his.

Hey, Jordan thought no one could stop him. Payton thought he could guard anyone too. They have this mind-set really. Bev has this mind-set too. You'd call it confidence, maybe swag, or whatever. Bev clearly has it. He could play poorly one game, but he is throwing his all.

On the other hand, clearly Lin has lost his version of that x-factor. He had it in a few games called Linsanity, and it saddens me that he has lost it now. He still shows it from time to time, but most of the time he is just not there mentally. It is sad really because we all know he has it too, and he plays great when he shows this. My question is where is it now?

 

There was no direct comparison between those 3. Even if there was, your statement is just sophomoric. If you learned to think before your wrote, you wouldn't sound so ignorant.

 

I really think it's just a matter of time til he regains his form/confidence. Not sure if the injury thing is lingering or if it's all mental, but we've all seen him play great many times - he will persevere.

 

Watched the game on replay and I was surprised that McHale actually hid Beverley away from Thomas for a while after Thomas had 8 pts and 4 asts in Q1 and put Lin on Thomas instead when Lin entered the game in the first half (Casspi played him too on switches). Lin played him pretty we'll btw. Lin would've been benched for that kind of defensive performance. I also thought the Bev 'staredown' of Cousins was a punk move. On the replay, Beverley didn't even make contact with Cousins. Lin got in front of Cousins to disrupt his momentum and Cousins stepped awkwardly on his foot and was yelling in pain even before he went up in the air as he approached where Beverley was standing. Had Cousins not turned his ankle, Beverley wouldn't have affected Cousins' shot.

 

Hmm, have to watch that again - GIF anyone?

 

Your actually helping reinforce my point in that one of the things that I mentioned was that there were a lot of variables that affect Netrtg.

But having said that. Since Perkins is in the starting lineup, most of his minutes are still against starters, whether Westbrook or Jackson is in. So, I'm not sure how that would make a huge impact on the 16.8 spread in netrtg. Or why Westbrook is at a negative in that lineup.

 

it's mental i think.... Lin has lost his early season swag for an unknown reason.

 

Well, he and Bev are friends - maybe he can borrow some - Bev has enough for what, 2 1/2 people.

 

So when Lin is traded who's our next whipping boy?

 

Whoever he gets traded for? no wait, how about Dmo - he seems like a nice guy.

 

The next whipping boy will be a player that's not especially good at basketball. Just like Lin.

Probs Garcia when his shots not falling.

 

Good points. I would add that if you don't actually live in their city, players and playoff success are what draw you to a team. I'm not from Houston. I became a fan of Hakeem's and then the team's during '86. If we would have had the labels back then, I guess I was an HOF (or AOF to be more accurate) for a while. Had he gone to another team in his first two years of pro ball I might not be a Rocket's fan today, but he stayed and I became a Rocket's fan even as players later came and went. (Barkley was hard for me to take as a Rocket though.)

I wish everyone would just let the guys play and enjoy the Rockets. Both players are going be great at times and both are going to suck at times and the coaches are going to go with the rotation they think gives them the best chance to win. If both play their best and the team wins then everyone should be happy. (I know, totally unrealistic expectation.)

 

This post is far too even handed and agreeable for this thread.:grin:

 

As long as Lin fans understand that this is a ROCKETS forum and not a Lin worship fansite and act appropriately, most of us won't have a problem with them. It's when idiots come in saying things like Harden should come off the bench and we should run the offense through Lin instead or that Lin is somehow equal to Harden or Howard that we have a problem. There is no room for that crap here.

 

honestly, bev is just a great fit for this rockets team...hopefully our team has it figured out by the playoffs and earn a top seed

 

I think most people (Lin extremists aside) have no issues with Lin taking a backseat as long as he is judge fairly base on his performance. However, some "rocket fans" here like to magnify and nit-pick every little mistakes that Lin made. Even long time posters on clutchfans noticed this phenomenon.

Looking through the game threads, it is frankly amazing to me how many of our losses are due to a backup point guard instead of the more plausible reasons. E.g. lack of bench production, injuries, poor game scheduling, poor performance by our superstars, lack of effective plays being called etc.

Base on Lin's current performance, Bev should definitely start. However, should Bev regress and Lin's form improved to his early season production, will people here be objective enough to reassess the situation?

 

I've read the article and I have to say, it's just one person's opinion. It is very easy to put numbers together to make a certain player look better than they really are. To put simply,

Milicic Darko - 1 NBA championship
Charles Barkely - 0 NBA championship
Patrick Ewing - 0 NBA championship
Reggie Miller - 0 NBA championship

If we're just comparing JL and PB, you don't even need stats to determine who is better. Most people around the NBA believe that Lin is a better player. You can tell by how they guard him!

Brooks was probably a better player than both of them 5 years ago, but he is no longer the same explosive player he once was. Worst is that is he is not yet 30 and may have reached his limits. I'm a fan of Brooks by the way. I don't really want to see him drift around on NBA teams but help lead the team with his leadership and experience. So far, I haven't seen much of that at all.

Beverley has played better than both of them in just one game, but that doesn't mean he is a better player. He has a potential to become a better Patrick Beverley. I mentioned once before, Toney Douglas was a similar player for the Knicks and Rockets (now drifting off on another team) except he was a much better shooter. Both were not playmakers. When teams started to expose Douglas' playmaking weakness the Knicks had to find another player to yank him off the starting lineup. His downfall after that was so bad it just made him into a shadow of himself. It seems that some people are just trying to throw PB in as a short term solution like some kind of pawn only to be dispose later for another up and coming player. I know I'm certainly not that kind of fan thank God, I tend to be loyal to the guys who give their all for the game.

I knew very little about Lin until recently when people started complaining and posting stuff (you'd think they were actually supporting another team). So I decided to watch his highlights and Bev's and I was definitely more impressed with Lin's, and I now know why Lin plays the way he does.

By NBA standards he is quite raw as a player. Everything that he has done have been based on talent and sheer will. He did not get the training or lead up like what most drafted players had. So he's still playing like a college kid who had to grow up real fast to adjust not just to the NBA game, but to the people and culture. That is one hell of a steep learning curve. He hasn't really had any veterans or coaches to teach him, he played on a college team not known for basketball and he's played on teams that gave him very little opportunity to develop.

The kid has done great so far. I think if everyone tried to put on his shoes and go through that kind of journey I think most of us would appreciate him more. It's no wonder his confidence tend to go up and down, and I can see why his fans are so loyal. Hey I just watch the game, I want the team to win with the same group they started with because that would be bittersweet. Teams who keeps trading are just looking for the easy way out.

 

Great post!

 

have some rep.

 

I dont dislike Lin, i dislike all his lovers. Thats be being 1000% honest.