Sorry, I guess I should have compared Rubio to Michael Jordan instead. Rubio the hard worker has been playing professional basketball for the past 7 years and after all that "hard work", he's still shooting 35% from the field. Ok....
heh. i'd love to hear how DC and Lin are the same type of player. or Lin and Flip. or Flip and DC. Fascinating.
Don't tell me that you understand Until you hear the man But since I gave you all a little something That we knew you lacked They still consider me a new jack Some writers I know are damn devils For them I say, "Don't believe the hype" Yo Chuck, they must be on a pipe, right?
it's often not a question of how long and hard you work as much as what you focus on and who you work with. "7 years pro" isn't really fair, unless you know he had NBA level coaching staff on those teams. there's not much difference between pro and amateur otherwise. I'm sure there are high schools in the US, and certainly colleges, with much better coaching staffs and methods than most Euro teams. And Joventut is just one of "most", a mid-tier farm team. Even Barcelona --- considering how they misused Rubio during games, I don't dare to think what they might've been asking him to focus on during practice. In the end, he's still 21 years old even now, he was just a kid and did what he was told to do. And even in the NBA, it took Jason Kidd a decade to go from a streaky jump shot to a reliable jump shot. But Rubio is clearly talented as a shooter. It's just that his shot is broken. Again, I have no idea if he had any good shooting coach in Spain, but his shooting form is inconsistent. It's amazing he made so many 3s with that shot, that's pure talent.
Here are Rubio's FG% stats in Euroleague and NBA: 06-07 0.348 07-08 0.300 08-09 0.370 09-10 0.310 11-12 0.340 (NBA) If he's working so hard to improve, I don't see it. LOL. Not being down on him as I like watching him actually. But after 5 years of playing professionally with no improvement, you have to wonder when it's going to happen.
hell, Valanciunas has been in Lietuvos Rytas' pro system one way or another since 2008. Still hasn't learned a reliable offensive move in the post. He just sets a pick at the FT line, splits and dunks. Because Lietuvos Rytas' idea of perfect basketball is Monta Ellis playing hero ball.
Rubio can ball, it's not all about scoring. And yes he can improve his shooting. Playing 5 yrs professional doesn't mean he can't improve, it's no different from him playing in a college season. Jlin is way ahead as far as scoring, but Rubio's PG skills are way ahead of Jlin. Jlin scoring+Rubio passing would be a future HOF PG.
Rubio can still be effective even without a jump shot (look at the wolves' record after his injury), but a guard who can score as well as dish is going to be even more effective. As others have noted and as I've noticed, defenses can sag off of Rubio, allowing them to double team and clog the paint at will. In addition Rubio seems most comfortable in the half court set rather than getting out on the break. Lin can create his own shot at will, and he is quite comfortable scoring and passing in transition. His upside/potential is far greater as a result, and his crazy work ethic sets him even further apart. Lin also has that rare clutch gene. He has absolutely no fear and is absolutely willing to take the last shot. As we have seen, he insists on it. Even now, Lin is far more productive, averaging nearly 20 ppg to Rubio's 11 or 12 per 36. Then there is Lin's superior winning percentage as a starter, even without Amare or Melo. It's not a contest really, although I still like Rubio as a player. I liked Pippen's game too, but he wasn't as good as Jordan. Barring injury, look for Lin to distance himself from Rubio rather easily.
it's very generic. if you look at the splits (and ignore single digit game competitions), you'll notice how he goes from a layup scorer with no jump shot early in his career, to a high volume jump shot shooter with a solid jump shot around draft time, to losing his confidence last year in Barcelona's system. but again, his shot is broken. no idea if he was taught it properly, or how he managed to become a fairly ok 3pt shooter.
Their assists averages are basically identical per 36 min.: 8.6 vs. 8.3; Lin was able to score about 20 ppg per 36 in addition however, while Rubio managed only 11 or 12 ppg. And Lin was getting his assists from role players like Fields, Chandler, Shump and Jeffries early on, and still averaging about 8 apg. The rubio hype is not based upon facts, it's a great white hope mythology in large part.
In fairness to this comparison, Lin owns the record for having the most number of turnovers in NBA history in his first X number of starts. And he's had this problem since high school and college. I read somewhere that he's working with his coach this summer to try to minimize this although honestly, I'm not that convinced it can be fixed that easily.
It was high: 4.8 tpg vs. 3.4 tpg for Rubio again for 36 mpg. Lin also produced record numbers for his first 7 starts as well, as well as leading the knicks to a 7 game winning streak. It's unlikely the knicks make the playoffs otherwise. Just putting it in context. Lin is more aggressive and takes more chances than rubio, and garners superior results overall: more points, more wins.
Nash Rondo Rubio Kidd all turn the ball over at a greater rate than Lin does. Nash finished in the the top seven in turnovers each of the past eight years, including five different times in the top three. Turnovers are also related to Usage Rate. During his first x starts his usage rate was one of the highest in the NBA. When his usage rate went down his turnovers went down as well. Also, just being familiar with your teammates and having a training camp to get to know there tendencies helps with things like that. There were a few times when he got turnovers because his team-mates weren't anticipating the pass or the ball slipped through there hands. It will be interesting to see how it all develops.
Quick question: If Lin struggles this coming season and really does stink up the joint (not saying he will or that I believe he will), will you still be sitting here smoothing over all his flaws and touting his "hard work" and abilities above the likes of Rubio?
