Kendall Marshall shut down Kendall Marshall. Though truth be told, Lin doesn't get any credit on players he does shut down.
DeMoor was fired from the bleacher staff because of an articla that was essentially propraganda bordering on irrational hatred. All of his articles have denigrated Lin's skills.
i've taken up for lin more often than not. i understand he is learning and sometimes it appears he is thinking too much which i guess he has to until things click and become automatic as PG. Right now he really is a good 6th man but i don't think Bev is all that much better as a starter. We need a legit proven PG over the summer who can go through camp and start the year off right. I suspect Lin and Asik will be gone by next year and this is their plan and put Bev as 6th man.
Two things that bug me: 1) This whole "Player A shut down player B" based solely on player B's output. Defense is rarely about one on one shut downs. P&R defense, zone schemes, post and perimeter rotation and about 50 other things I've forgotten since high school all play a role in defense. How many times do you see a single player consistently shut another single player down one on one? It just doesn't happen like that. Of course when you DO see Lin, Pat or Chandler cut off a drive and stop the ball handler it stands out in your mind as great defense. The fact is those instances are just a small percentage of a defensive game. 2) I hate to say it, but Lin. He's grown on me in the past year and I think he's a good player but there's one thing that drives me nuts. It's not the missed shots. It's not just the unforced turnovers. It's not even the inconsistent play. It's the hesitation. Sometimes he just seems timid. Afraid to take open shots. Is he getting an earful from coach? Is he less inclined to shoot if his jumper isn't falling? Whatever the reason this kid needs to have more of a kill or be killed mentality. He needs to shoot that open 3 ball like he's hitting 75% even if he's missed ten in a row. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of, "But McHale will bench him if he starts missing shots" replies, but I'm not so sure. McHale was a player. If he sees Lin struggle, but still attack and not hesitates, is he going to pull him? He's on a short leash now, but I can't help but think that McHale might respect or trust him a little more if he had that shooters mentality. When Lin is in full attack mode and has his confidence going he can be a very dangerous scorer. I saw very little of that last night. He even was quoted as saying he was just trying to "get out of the way" on offense. Personally I don't think the teams third scoring option should be thinking that way.
You guys have these expectations that far exceeds anything I've ever read in a fantasy novel. Jeremy Lin is a serviceable point guard in the NBA no more no less. An addition to Dwight Howard before the season started some of you psychos even stated we're already a "championship quality team?" They were the youngest team last year, doesn't this **** take time? Are we still rebuilding?
I agree with the expectations. I'd like to see a first series win this year. Anything beyond that is gravy to me. This instant gratification stuff is so blown out of proportion that people forget it takes times to build greatness. The Bulls were bounced by the Pistons two years in a row with basically the same team that won three titles in a row. The Heat took a season and change to learn to play together and they have the best player on the planet. Patience is a lost virtue. I don't know if I'm with Drexler on his 3-5 year statement, but I would say two full years is a good start, big trades excluded.
I'd be happy if Lin can be as serviceable as a Kenny Smith, lol.. Some of you bozos thinking he should be in elite status territory in the likes of a top 5 point guard ready to explode right out of the gate. Now clutchfans wants Rondo another point guard when we have 3 serviceable point guard that does the job already, COME ON!!!! We're deep at the point even Harden can play the point at some point, lol.. We don't need to upgrade at the point, a stretch 4 or even a back-up center if Asik gets traded out is more logical at this point.
Lin is what he is. Some nights he has the ability to go off and some nights he's going to struggle. it's why he makes a good 6th man. All the upside talk and ridiculous projections are meaningless. It's only his legion of delusional fans who believe that he's the next Nash or Tony Parker. It's not even fair to the dude.
Lin himself knows he is nowhere close to being an all star on merit. It's only the delusional LOF's who claim that Lin can be an all star in another team LOL. Lin is what he is - an average starting PG in the league (not top 15) but a good 6th man off the bench.