You do realize that for the past 2 months, Lin's been shooting above 40% from 3 right. And that his shooting has gotten much better. Well, I guess you already answered that question. People are still stuck on what they're supposed to think of Lin rather than what he is actually doing out there. Do you also think Lin is a liability on defense? Or that he's not wicked fast?
Don't get me wrong. Lin's game has improved tremendously this season. I am especially impressed with Lin progress in defense. It saddens me that he is still fighting adversities after making such great improvement already. However, rather than complaining, what I think he can do to not give McHale any excuses to bench him any more is to shoot better and more consistent. Being this young, he can still grow tremendouly, and it's not a bad idea at all to focus on his shooting and get a lot better at it.
Great post. Lin's defensive rating was 96 last year, excellent, one of the best in the league. He was already a great defender. But people will say he's "improved" as a defender because that was the myth/prejudice that doesn't match up with the actual facts.
Harden CAN be a great PG if there is a finisher when Lin is out. But there is none. He cannot be a great finisher and at the same time a floor general. This is the reason why when Lin is out, Harden go ISO and get crap shots. He has to do everything when Lin is out.
:grin: Lin's defense last year was far from excellent. Your confirmation bias is showing already. This is coming from a guy who watch 75% of his games as Linsanity. Knicks fans were complaining about his crappy defense against Calderon until Shumpert had to pick up the load for him.
Pretty much every positive thing people have listed about the Rockets being surprisingly decent, are actually reasons for why Daryl Morey should be GM of the Year. The Rockets have succeeded because Morey pulled several good moves this year. But based on the stats, the Rockets should have won EVEN MORE if they had competent coaching. McHale and Sampson (defensive coordinator) should be fired for underperforming so much, and also for having an embarrassingly bad defense The Rockets are NOT "overachieving". They are actually the most UNDERACHIEVING team in the entire league based on differential power ranking or expected wins. Similar to baseball, you can calculate expected wins based on the stats of the team. The Rockets have lost 5-10 games this year they should have won, but lost due to terrible coaching.
You're silly. His defensive rating was factually 96 last year, which is excellent. He led the D-league in defensive rating with a 93 as well. He didn't magically become a good defender, he already has been for a few years. Sorry if it doesn't match up with your bias and expectation that he doesn't "look" the part of a good defender.
You're using anecdotes that he's a bad defender, I'm citing actual facts and numbers. Stop digging yourself into an even bigger hole. Lin's a very good defender, but he needs a good defending big to help him stop pick and rolls. ANY point guard will give up layups against a pick and roll if their big plays zero defense against the pick. If you're actually being earnest here and just innocently ignorant, go look at the old Knicks games. You'll see Melo and Amare playing "ole" defense against the pick and roll.
I get the feeling the Mchale uses his gut feelings and experience as a player more than anything else when making substitution decisions. And to be honest it probably works more than 50% of the time. We can't devalue his experience in a championship dynasty and all the subtle nuances he has been exposed to as a player being around such high caliber talent and coaching. But he is weak as a tactician. Looking at the Dallas game again, I got the impression for the first time that he really goes with the hot hand at each position with the exception of a couple of key players that he finds indispensable at the end of the games (i.e. Harden). Besides Harden (who has to be on the floor regardless of his performance) and Parsons who is another cornerstone for him, anyone else can be replaced depending on their heat level. It may seem simple or backwards, but his experience perhaps makes him base his decisions more on how well a player is playing on the particular night of play. We shouldn't dismiss this, because in truth the differences in the performance of players in the NBA are likely to be so narrow that streakiness is an important factor. Lin on a hot night can score 39. Beverly can also have his hot nights and contribute.
Calderon had a great game, watched it all, took advantage of Knicks D by running Lin off of picks with no help from the Knicks bigs (the big hole in the Knicks D last year, which they still overcame to become one of the best defensive teams). Shump played spectacular D (like an energized Beverly) in the 4th after Calderon had gotten a bit tired. Any Knicks fans who complained about Lin's D probably didn't understand the concept of team defense. Lin's calling card from the beginning has always been his defense. What has always been suspect has been his ballhandling and shooting, both of which have continued to improve.
As a Timberwolves fan, the agreement they reached with Batum is perplexing to say the least. Obviously, they’re trying to sign him to a deal that will be hard for the Blazers to match. But seriously, Batum is not worth that kind of money. He’s a solid player and I understand why teams want him, but 8 figures for a mid-level guy just seems ridiculous to me. I’m just crossing my fingers that the Pacers match the deal for Hibbert so the Blazers will be more inclined to match the deal for Batum. Will adding Batum help the Wolves make the playoffs? Definitely. Will it elevate them to being legitimate title contenders? Simply, no, in fact, it probably prevents them from becoming a title contender because of all the cap space locked up with him. If he does come to the Wolves, I would fully expect that Kevin Love will be preparing to opt out of the fourth year of his deal with the Wolves and go to a team that can actually compete for a title. David Kahn has made two good decisions in his time with the Wolves: drafting Ricky Rubio and signing Rick Adelman. Aside from those two bright spots, he’s been an utter failure in every way. And considering the shoes he had to fill (McFail’s), the fact that he’s failed so completely is laughable. No one wanted the Wolves to sign him in the first place, but unfortunately, he got the job and has has only proven that the fans were right in not liking the choice. I will always be a Wolves fan, but this deal going through will definitely make it hard to watch them linger as a lower-rung playoff team for the next 3 years. And when Love leaves and Rubio doesn’t resign, the next rebuilding project will begin and hopefully, this time, they’ll find a GM who can actually do it right!
i am surprised nobody has mentioned the rockets signed kevin mcfail as their new coach. this isnt going to be pretty. maybe the rockets can trade him for scott brooks. Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/bask...w-coach-draft-pick-coaches.html#ixzz2MyMGbA6J
Quote Originally Posted by HumanVictoCigar View Post Going to the game tonight, sitting within earshot of McFail. I will be harrassing him all game, but was wondering if any of you would like me to pass on a message to him? dont be too hard on him, i still like the hall of famer from minnesota...just call out the obvious stuff to him Jaric Trading Ray Allen Joe Smith Brandon Roy Mario Chalmers
If Finch is the offensive coordinator then he's the only one on the staff who has actually done a great job. The rest of them are not good coaches.
