Dunno. I felt a bit of diva with him during his stint with NY. NY is loud, of course, and I think he fed off that.
MSG is always sold out and the fans are into the game even during the bad years. MSG was rocking when Linsanity took over the world. Every player on that Knicks team felt that energy. How could you not?
I believe the reason Lin was so keen on coming to Houston was because he wanted out of NY. Melo couldn't stand sharing the limelight and having gotten D'Antoni fired he wasn't exactly treating Lin as a team mate should. Woodson didn't consider him to be starter material (despite being present for Linsanity) and you could see that in his attitude. Lin himself said that 'things changed,' which in nice, christian guy talk translates to 'they treated me like ****.' Then you had Les and Morey going out of their way to woo him and promise him that he would be much better treated by the Rockets. Yet ironically, joining the rockets, Lin now once more finds himself with a coach who didn't seem to value him, jumped to criticise him at every opportunity rather than support him as they might other players while limiting his role and opportunities on the team. To put it another way, all I think Lin wanted was to finally be able to play without having to prove to everyone that he was good enough because their 'eye test' said otherwise. He thought he did that with Linsanity, but he's going to have to do it all over again at the Rockets, in a less conducive environment than he had in New York. Because it seems he's judged by a different standard to every other NBA player. Since the 'eye test' often underrates everything on the court. The myth of him being a 'defensive liabiility' a perfect example of the kind of fiction that was being bandied around about him quite liberally. Now it's a question of whether he is a good or very good defender, though those who previously considered him a liability are grudgingly calling him 'average.'
It is still mind boggling to me how many of the middle seats near the court are regularly empty at the Toyoto Center. Makes me wonder if the reason is really the size of the Houston market or the fan base -- is it perhaps that many of the best season tickets were purchased by corporations that rarely use the seats? Attendance and crowd noise levels are just sad.
I'm saying he might actually be a player that needs that rather than being a player who just goes to work.
I can't say i agree with you. Sure the eye test is not a sure thing but i'm pretty sure a NBA coach has better judgement than you or I. Regarding sampson's benching i view it as a positive learning experience and i am sure Lin does as well. All the reports i've been hearing say that the rockets are in fact very keen on Jeremy's development and coach sampson wants nothing more than Lin to succeed. And little by little i see progress.
This is the same eye-test by these same coaches that despite Lin performing and succeeding at every level caused him to go undrafted out of college? The same eye-test that caused the Rockets to cut him in favor of... who was it again and where is that guy playing again? Sampson's benching in the Portland game was moronic and there are no nicer words to say that. On the last part... I sort of agree with you. I think Morey's had a word with Sampson and there's been a definite shift in tone from him in the last week or so. With Woodson it was the opposite. Melo was the star who got his last coach fired by refusing to play defense or put any effort in the court. So Woodson knew which side his bread was buttered on. A fact Sampson is now being acquainted with in Houston. He's not going to get very far if he contributes to making the owner and manager look like fools in having signed Lin.
Why don't you give it some more time? Lin's minutes have gone up the last few games. That shows Sampson is gaining trust in Lin. Remember that Sampson is basically a rookie head coach in the NBA who just got thrown into the job due to circumstance. He made some mistakes but he can get better too with experience. Kind of like Lin.
I'm happy to give it time, not like I have a choice anyway. But yes... Sampson LOOKS like he is starting to warm towards Lin a little. Like I said... there's been a definite shift in tone. Though I think someone's had a word with him and that's as much the cause as Lin's improved performances.
I agree. Lin is an emotional player and he feeds off the crowd's energy. My question is since I can't attend the games, what home game(s) was the crowd the loudest? Knicks game? Raptors game? Will it be loud for the Lakers game?
Nah. If the Rockets had a top level star and were winning games, it would be packed like it used to be. Pair a top level star with Harden and watch the stadium be full every night. It will probably be in a few years when we have a PG and a PF, one of them being the "Star"
Great observation youngshev! that's why the star-filled Bobcats, Wizards and Hornets have better attendance than the Rockets. Now that I think about it, some insist the only reason Lin is here is not because of his talent, youth and upside but only to sell tickets. I guess without him the place would be damn near empty
This would give LOHs something to cheer: CBSSports Nov. 30, 2012 1:20 PM ET: The Linsanity is over, the truth is Jeremy Lin just isn't that great http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/...-the-truth-is-jeremy-lin-just-isnt-that-great I am not sure Lin's stats he mentioned even correct. LOL.
Same guy that was Lamount Hills segment on Huffpo http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/is-linsanity-gone/50b3d80878c90a5915000051 Dunno why ppl want to compare Lin to Tebow. Lin actually put up elite stats while Tebow won ugly.
Then that's a problem. We're never gonna have the same crowd here. We didn't have it when T-Mac was here. When Yao was here. Nor Ron. If he needs a full crowd cheering for him just to get going, he might not be a right fit for this team.
