I love Jeremy Lin during the games, but then I come on here and I resent him for his fans because they make every topic about a bench player. Then a game comes on and I love him again. Then more arrogance and entitlement from his fans, repeat. Why do his fans drain so much out of the excitement of having a great backup offensive spark plug? I mean, this is our Sam Cassell! Why can't I just have my Sam Cassell and be happy for having him again? I want to go to my restaurant and have my cake and it would be cool if I could eat it in bliss. And then when it's a lemon cake, I want to say it's sour and not have fellow patrons jump down my throat for not liking sour sweets. How sweet it is...
Lillard is a future superstar and someone you can build a franchise around. Lin is serviceable, a borderline starter.
Don...on this team you're right. Lin is the Backup PG/SG and is asked to be a sparkplug. What his fans see is a starter that is forced to the bench because of the makeup of the Rockets roster. Harden is a top 5-10 player in the NBA. He HAS to be the focus of the offense. With that said, a ball handling 2nd guard (let's face it, the position is not a PG) is unnecessary. Instead a defensive - ball hawking energy guy who disrupts the opponent's flow is a better fit. While all this is true, it doesn't make the fans happy. My analogy is when Barry Sanders used to get pulled at the goal line. Was it the right move for the Lions? Sure! Did his fans like it? One of 2 things will happen. Lin develops in his role and the Rockets get a GREAT 2nd line of attack or Lin gets traded. I think either way should make Rockets fans happy.
Position is PG for Beverley. He guards the opposing PG, brings the ball up in non-transition opportunities, and has the best assist/turnover ratio on the Rockets. Beverley plays like most PGs that aren't superstars and have a star on their team.
While his name (as well as Lin) has PG next to it. Pat is 28th in the league in scoring among PG's and 42nd in assists. There are only 30 teams. He guards the opposing PG because of his size and defensive ability.
To clarify my comment about PG's on the Rockets, it's not meant to denigrate him, Lin or the team. Harden is a unique player in that he passes extremely well and SHOULD have the ball in his hands more often than not.
So similar efficiency #'s (Lin slightly higher TS% and eFC%), AST% Similar Lillard 25.4 Lin 22.6 (2.8% difference), Better defense # for Lin (108,Lillard 110), Higher #of steals per game (Lin),Higher defense win shares ='s blowing out of the water. A bit Hyperbolic. Don't you think? Lillard is seen by most BBallers as better than Lin, and I concer. But blowing out of the water!
So you agree by saying he can guard PGs. There is a philosophy that has some merit that you are who you can guard. His scoring and assists are very close to what Chalmers did as PG for the Championship Miami Heat the past two years. Heck his scoring and assists are comparable to (a.k.a. a lot better than Lin's do to Lilliard's) or significantly better then the starting PGs for the Lakers, Rockets, and Bulls Championship teams since 1990. Beverley's box score stats hold up very well to Chalmers and Hill , the non-star PGs on Championship contenders this year plus he gives great defense. Leads all starting PGs in turnovers 2nd in offensive rebounds 10th in steals Rockets list him as PG The only place he isn't a PG is in the minds of people that want to prop up Lin or old school basketball minds that think a PGs only job is to throw assists. For a Championship PG in the last 25 years, the vast majority were either all-stars or guys like Beverley that were low usage players that passed the ball to the team's superstar players. Lin's problem as a PG is that he plays like an all-star PG, but isn't efficient (a.k.a. too many turnovers for too few assists) enough for him to be the primary creator over a superstar non-PG. JVG said it best while Lin was on the Knicks when he said something to the effect, "It is not Melo's responsibility to adjust to Lin, it is Lin's responsibility to adjust to Melo". Lin either needs to become an all-star or very close (in talent not voting), he needs to learn to play like Beverley, accept that he is a backup PG on a contender, or a starter on a non-contender.
It is my understanding that a PG assits, and set up the offense. Pg's score Eg. Irving, Lillard, Paul, Parker, Curry,ETC. They ofcourse assit . Thus, the rockets have ,IMO, created a new position or new definition for the rockets starting point guard, but not the other Rockets point guards. This appears to be a rather creative solution that no other team in the NBA has adopted. McHale can come up with creative solutions when he wants, like going small and playing a zone defense against OKC in last years playoffs. Perhaps we are in for more surprises from McHale.
Do you even read my comments??? I've more than once stated his defensive ability is the reason for his starting role. "Instead a defensive - ball hawking energy guy who disrupts the opponent's flow is a better fit." "He guards the opposing PG because of his size and defensive ability."
Joe, I'm just going by the traditional definition of PG. "Point guard (PG), also called the one, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. They are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. Above all, the point guard must totally understand and accept his coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football."
Nothing ironic there. LOF's are known NOT to be smart. Probably the least basketball knowledge amongst all fans of any sport.
If you consider defensive rating a valid stat, you must consider WS and WS/48 valid stats. WS says Lilliard is twice as valuable as Lin. WS/48 shows that Lilliard is 50% more valuable per minute played than Lin.
Please site your link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_guard From that same link: In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-orientated game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the point guard position...Even so, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to as) On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for his own team. I accept that when you say PG, you mean the traditional PG that outside of Rondo tend to not win championships in the last 25 years. As it is 2014, I will go with the Rockets definition of a PG. Here's a link from the Rockets that states Beverley is a PG. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/return-junkyard-dog.
