Fair enough. I have more Harden jersey's than Lin's though I think that it's great having both guys on the team. I still think people are premature with their doomsday predictions that the duo can never play together. It takes time to build chemistry and Harden was focused on becoming the superstar this season, not the guy who can mesh as well with his team. I think that if you put this team through a summer of practices together we will see Harden's game evolve and Lin's game improve. PS- always good to have more Rockets fans so glad you will still be here either way.
First of all, the "we" was meant for SF3; but come to think of it, also many other Rockets fans who do not think Lin is a good fit for the team. I am very much into talent development and management and it is all about good fit, of which I see none for JLin but tons for Harden on the Rockets.
Lmao You really think the Rockets held Lin back? Lol. Did you watch any of the games this season bro? Lin SUCKED early in the year and couldn't hit the side of a barn. All season he's been indecisive and sloppy handling the ball, but yet its somehow the Rockets fault? Man you are in DENIAL my friend. If you think Jeremy Lin goin to another team will all of sudden make him a good shooter & efficient ball handler, then PLEASE pass whatever it is your sippin on
exactly thank you, how many great backcourt duos were established in just one season? both Jeremy and James still have a lot of improve on , we've seen glimpses of what they are capable this season with games like the first two against the Pistons and the Hawks or the last regular season game against the Thunder , I remember one game they even combined for 60+ points and at least 10 assists, they just have to figure out how play like that consistently.
Nice post, but I must say I don't hold the same view on the future. I think this type of situation is only going to help him. It's quite obvious that he can't be playing THE star on any great team and have a long career. He has to change his game from recklessly driving to the basket to become passing oriented and then pick his spots penetrating. I believe that his willingness to sacrifice for the team, his flexibility and his willingness to defer are his assets and not weaknesses. We heard that he used to play SG in college and had to learn to play PG in the NBA. Think about it, how many great SGs in college didn't make it in the NBA as PG? Dixon, Bogans, etc, or even as a scorer? Learning to play off the ball is only going to be good for him, his elite court vision wouldn't leave because of that, it's only going to make him more efficient. In light of this, I think that McHale and the Rockets have actually provided a good environment for Lin to mature into a more steady and consistent player. Having a deadly three would be huge for his career; learning to better fight through screens would be nice; improving his ast/to ratio would do wonders. I do agree that he has been misused this season and that has cost the Rockets some games because he wasn't allowed to play as well as he could have, that really pi$$ed me off but maybe it's good down the road. Nothing has come easy for him in his entire career and one shouldn't expect it to be forthcoming. We don't know whether the Harden/Lin combo would work but I think it just might. Harden never had a training camp with the Rockets and it was his first year starting. He was playing well at the beginning of the season but apparently either got worn down or figured out, declined later in the season and got shut down half of the time when driving in the post-season. I think he is a smart guy, unless the People's elbow from MWP affected him, he will figure out that it's best to have Lin play more PG and himself focus more on scoring. Then he would have more in the tank at the end, less wear and tear and most importantly more energy on the defensive end. It has become common in the media to say that he needs to play both ways to be considered a true winner and he probably takes note. In the playoffs, Harden shot below 40%. In his most dominant game he shot 7 of 9 from deep. That's where he's most dangerous. Relying on ref calls could win you many regular season home games but won't win you any championship. Lin doesn't have to play like he did in NYC and probably shouldn't. It was very exciting to watch but that is not a champion's way. He was playing a little bit like AI and that's very dangerous. I hope Asik learn to catch better and Jones grow into a very capable starter. Then the team could run better PnRs (double PnR?) and that's best for Lin and Harden. I don't think there is a way of Rocket basketball set in stone, it's not like McHale has any kind of rigid system or anything; being quite new as a coach, he has much room to grow and develop new tricks. I hope they would observe how Parker/Ginobili, Thomas/Joe D, Billups/Rip, are/were able to win together along with a scoring big man. They have to understand that Melo ball, Stack ball or T-Mac ball wouldn't take a team far; Harden is just not as physically gifted as MJ, LeBron or Durant. Even Kobe needed a big like Shaq or Gasol. Unless the extremely unlikely event of CP3 coming, https://twitter.com/Ohmeomy/status/330796875093524483they will grow, work together and have the opportunity to be great. It is tremendous news to hear that they are going to work out during the summer in Cali; to build on what they have accomplished this season, developing more confidence, chemistry and stability.
Gee, thanks. Nice post and hope you are right. In bball more so than in regular career, the fit is very important and time is short. Opportunity belongs to those who are not willing to settle and keep trying until they find what works the best for them. This goes for Lin and the Rockets.
He has a lot of improving to do. Was not happy with how he played. Injured or not he was pitiful towards the end of the RS and in the Playoffs.
He's gonna soon start accusing you of "stalking" him. Maybe he'll also accuse you of being unattractive or gay or something. Watch for it! :grin:
Because the haters need something after Lin put together a pretty decent regular season. It's the reverse sample size "logic" again: When Lin plays 50 games well, then it's too small a sample size, but when he sucks in just 1 or 2, then it's solid evidence.
Look, Lin is going to have to learn to adjust his game. He was awesome during Linsanity, but that style of play is NOT sustainable. Better players than Lin have ruined their careers by not developing their games beyond just their biggest strengths. Lin is a good player, but he's not a superstar whom you can build a team around. So Lin has to be offer something more than being a potential focal point of a perennial playoff bubble team. He needs to learn how to be a good player in the context of a very talented and competitive team. A lot of players could probably put up good numbers if they were focal points on bad-to-mediocre teams that were built around them. If Houston's not a perfect fit for Lin, then he needs to learn how to MAKE it a perfect fit for him. He's young and talented enough to do that.
yea i men if he could average maybe 14 points and 6 assists and under 3 TO's a game he would be a pretty good PG and team player, right?
Np. Cheers! That's true, sure, but a lot of times it's good to wait a little if the situation isn't real bad. Two more years seem fine to me. I would rather have him shine less than to have him ridden like MDA did or like McHale did Harden. Bev is great but he is surely not a championship caliber starting PG. Morey is pretty good and I am looking forward to seeing Lin develope chemistry with TJones, DRob and DMo.
I agree. At the beginning of the season, if you told people that Lin would essentially replicate his Woodson stats, then they would've probably been happy because many were willing (or wanting) to believe that he was a complete fraud. But with Lin, people frequently move the goalposts. Now that he's put in a solid regular season, that's not enough. He has to have an amazing playoffs. He needs to play above and beyond his salary right away.
Well, nothing has come easy for him and there will always be doubters. Let's hope he'll come through again and again, keep improving and raising the expectations! :grin:
He's a better defender and shooter than Beverly. The problem with Lin is he's very inconsistent and Mchale puts Harden as the point guard most of the time.
Seen that over and over this year alone, let alone last year with the Knicks. And every time this year when Lin hit a goal (like improving his 3pt shot) they kept saying it's not enough. Which, true, Lin should never settle. But it's still frustrating. And honestly I'm liking that Lin's forced to become a more well-rounded player and picking up more skills; not only does that make him a better player as a whole, but it'll extend his career.:grin:
