The offense is scoring a lot of points....LIN is in the top 10 of most catagories in the NBA...assists, steals, turnover to assist ratio...hes in the top 40 man on ball defenders....hes playing pretty well. Now hes not shooting well but i expect that will improve. If he were scoring 5 more points a game and was shooting 10% better he would be playing at an allstar level. PLUS his assists would be much higher if his teammates could just make a layup...Missed shots down low... But overall the offense is scoring...its the defense that just isnt playing well and that is not Lins fault.....hes a player....wait till hes 100% and is shooting the ball....he will be fun to watch
The probability of Nash being the two time MVP Nash when he first entered the NBA & was in Dallas was pretty small too back then. Your not really saying much of anything. The same goes with Rondo & Parker & every player who is now elite but wasn't when they were first starting out. Remember when people said Kidd would never be a great shooter? Well he is trolling us all right now.
Sigh, the homers in here... Nash was always a great shooter. Entering the league he was always lauded for being a good shooter. Lin's never been a consistently good shooter. I do see some similarities in their games but I really don't think Lin will ever be of Nash's calibre. I'm a Lin fan too, but some of you guys need to temper your expectations.
PhiSlamma, you have been defending Lin vehemently in the last few pages. If you joined the site in 2012, idiots like Spelgel would have called you a LOF. But since you have been a member since 1999, these pathetic idiots are too much a chicken to call you out.
8 games into the season he is definitely not worth a 3 year contract. Got it. Did anybody ever say Lin will definitively be a player of Nash's calibre though? Sigh this is why I hate these conversations in the first place, inevitably end with people putting words in your mouth.
He isn't actually top 10 in assists or as/to ratio. He is close to the top 10 in assists (13th). He is 22nd among pg in as/to ratio, and the team is 16th in offensive efficiency. This team hasn't been very good, but hopefully Lin can step his game up.
He is not a very good player. He is at best an above average player so no need to expect him to get alot better.
Well... Comparing him with Nash, a HOF's candidate, is just insane (I'm not saying Lin couldn't be one in the future, but right now, he is definitely not in that level). Most of us knew it from the first day, he wasn't even as good as Dragic (referring to the poll in this forum). But, Lin is only 24, and he still has a lot of time to prove his value. Personally, I believe he has the similar ceiling as Dragic.
I think the key here is that he is averaging more assists than last year with less TO's. That is big. Putting that into context with the NYK he had a lot of players who could create shots for themselves. In HOU the only other player that can do that is Harden. Averaging 7 assits on this roster is pretty impressive. If Omer had better hands Lin would be averaging a lot more than 7 assits. Also if Lin was top 10 in A:T he would be getting paid a lot more money than he is now. Biggest thing holding him back is his shooting (his shots are falling short) once he gets his legs back under him those should start falling & that will open things up a lot more for him.
Yeah, we all call a player's ceiling when he's 24 and plays less than 100 games in the league. All a 24-year-old player can do is going down hill from here on out.
Patterson is only 23 with 126 games played and I don't see him as being anything more than average. I doubt there will be much of an argument about that statement and I won't be labeled a hater or racist for it either. All young players have a chance to get better, but it's rare for players to make a Nash like jump in their careers. Sometimes they just are who they are.
Had Morey not lucked into Harden, his head would be on a stick now. Lin was a sht idea in terms of basketball, PR good, but basketball wise, complete sht. Asik is turning out to be another Morey steal. Harden gives me hope for the immediate future, but Lin, while he belongs in the league... Is NOT a starting point guard! Come on guys, he's fine, but he's not our starting P-guard of the future. You're simple is you think otherwise.
I think every player has the potential to be great. The difference though is that some WANT to be great & are willing to work hard to be great. Other players are cool playing there 15 minutes a night getting paid or not playing at all & getting paid. You would be surprised how many players are top prospects coming into the NBA but lack that fire & never realize there potential. Some players can't even do the one thing it requires to be a good athlete and that is staying in shape. Nash hasn't eating candy in over a decade, simple things like that tell a lot about a persons work ethic. I think what separates average players from great players is just that work ethic & that want. That want to be great. The NBA is just like life fans don't realize this. These guys are humans too, some are lazy, some are selfish, some are racist, some are thieves, liars & some are just great great people & hardworking. Often fans put these players on a pedestal unnecessarily. Just like in real life there are people that want to be the best at there jobs (teacher, parent whatever) and there are people that don't. Something that also holds players back is coaching. There are a lot of great players who never get there chance because there coach never believed in them. There a lot of players out there who are incredibly talented but never getto show it because they have yet to get there opportunity. The NBA in many areas imposes a glass ceiling on a lot of players with great potential we see that all the time. At the same time there are players who get that one opportunity & they blow it because they aren't prepared. Right now Patterson is getting his shot, let's see if he makes the most of it. Just some thoughts.
