Jeremy Lin vs. Goran Dragic

[Dbloc123]

When Jeremy Lin's agent, Roger Montgomery, said earlier this week that he doesn't have "assurances" from the Knicks that his client will be back with the team, perhaps Goran Dragic has something to do with that.

Lin and Dragic are viewed as the most attractive young point guards in the 2012 free-agent class -- and Dragic appears to be the clear favorite in NBA front-office circles.

ESPN New York asked six GMs which player they would choose to be their starter, and all of them picked Dragic. Lin's and Dragic's averages were nearly identical as starters -- 18.2 points, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals over 25 games vs. 18.2 points, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals over 26 games -- but GMs and scouts compare Dragic a bit more to Steve Nash, especially because he grew under the tutelage of the two-time MVP in Phoenix from 2008 to '11.

While Lin is the favorite to sign with the Knicks, don't count out the Rockets' Dragic. Even his agent, Rade Filipovich, thinks the Knicks would be a "first-class organization" for his client.

To find out more about the point guards' similarities and differences, ESPN New York consulted with a veteran NBA scout from the Eastern Conference and another from the West. Their insights about the two players were nearly in agreement.

Attacking (Advantage: Lin) -- When Lin penetrates, he's able to get lower and keep his defender out of position. "[Legendary coach] Bob Hurley Sr. always used to say, 'The low man wins, whatever sport it is,'" one scout said. "Defensively, you can't get into your stance well enough. Lin, for his size and height, is pretty impressive at being able to get low to the ground and keep his balance."

Competitiveness (Even) -- One scout was impressed with Lin's game-winner in Toronto on Valentine's Day, saying, "When you have the confidence in yourself and ability to make those shots, that's big." Regarding Dragic, another scout was taken aback by a move he put on Jamaal Tinsley in Novemer 2009, saying, "For him to go right back through Tinsley's legs, after he did it to him, was impressive. It proved to me his fight and how skilled he is."

Craftiness (Advantage: Dragic) -- While Lin has a nice left-to-right crossover, Dragic is quicker and has more lethal moves: a spin, crossover, double cross, behind-the-back and even a "Dream Shake" like Hakeem Olajuwon. "Dragic will drive baseline and then fake up, get the defender in the air and then he'll come back the other way and lay the ball in with the other hand," one scout said. "You can call it the Dragic Shake."

Finishing (Advantage: Dragic) -- They have the ability to take contact near the basket and kick the ball out to a teammate or score themselves. Dragic is slightly more explosive at the rim. Also, this past sesaon the heavier minutes impacted Lin's finishing ability. "I think his stamina was down because he was basically a backup guy playing about 35, 40 minutes," one scout said. "Stamina is definitely a factor, especially when teams are trying to trap more."

Hands (Advantage: Dragic) -- Both have quick hands defensively and play passing lanes well. On offense, the lefty Dragic can finish better with his opposite hand. Also, being a southpaw gives him a slight edge. "I think when there's a sudden change, whether it be a reserve coming into the game or maybe he gets switched on to someone who doesn't normally guard him, there's that instinct you're expecting a right-handed guy," one scout said.

Pick-and-roll (Even) -- They have a bit of Chris Paul's ability to change speeds and directions utilizing screens in pick-and-roll situations. "They can walk their defender into a screen and then explode off the screen," one scout said. "They have the ability where they actually can speed up into the screen and yet still get their defender on their back. They've got a lot of good thrust coming off the screen and then the ability to sink their teeth into the defense."

Shooting (Even) -- They're not great 3-point shooters. "They're both around 33 percent from three," one scout said. "That's still good to me, but when you have guys like Steve Nash shooting usually above 40 percent from three, that kind of raised the bar. If you get a point guard that's up around 37, 38 percent, that's really impressive. The consistency in their 3-point shooting is where you want to see a little bit of an improvement."

Transition (Advantage: Dragic) -- Not only does Dragic put pressure on the halfcourt defense, but he also constantly does it full court. "The thing that struck me was his knowledge of getting the ball inbounds, getting it up the court quickly and attacking," one scout said. "He put pressure on the defense in terms of as soon as the ball went through the hoop, he got the inbounds and he was pushing it right back at you. One of the best guys at that is Steve Nash."

Overall, both scouts said ball control is the biggest reason why Dragic is the better player right now. Lin's turnover rate was a reason for concern last season.

Will Lin -- a restricted free agent and the driving force behind the Knicks' midseason resurgence -- return to New York?

"The Knicks almost can't let Lin go," one scout said. "They would piss off so many fans. Barring something really odd, I think they have to bring him back. In the Knicks' situation, I don't think Dragic would ever fly."

Now, if Lin is granted Early Bird Rights in mid-June, the Knicks would still have a mid-level exception of $5 million to spend on someone else. That could be Dragic, who would likely get the starting nod over Lin in New York. The question is: What will Dragic's asking price be? Insiders predict he'll be in higher demand than Lin.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks ... ran-dragic


I know see a lot of post on hear about dragic compared to lin but its good to see how other teams view lin.... This could still be good for the knicks if other teams dont value Lin that much and we can get him for the MLE without that back loaded stuff... But if Lin and novak get their bird rights, what kind of salary can they get?

[blumatic]

Good thread. Learned something.

[Dbloc123]

Good thread. Learned something.

Good i will be testing u on it later......

[JBreezeNY]

Love this article, good thread fam. Personally I've wanted Lin on this team since around 2010 after he left Harvard, thought he could be a SOLID sixth man for us but Dragic? Oh boy he sealed the deal for me after that showing in the playoffs against the Spurs.

Once again this is a nice little write-up to see the comparisons between two.

[Tim Horton]

and Dragic is 2 years older..

2 years under Nash worked wonders and review says NOW they're almost even. imagine Lin under the same circumstances! Lin has more potential.

[adrenaLINe]

there is 1.3 billion people and a reason, why Lin has value off the court...and is the hottest all be it restricted free agent out there right now...

Lin has already shown he can move the price of a stock and get TV deals done...

for owners the fact that he can at least be a second stringer on a team is a big plus....

[moocow007]

But why even bother bringing up Dragic if he's not going to be available in most likelihood for the MLE (and let's be honest, he'll get a lot more than the MLE)?

As far as the 2 go, yes, I agree, Dragic is arguably the better point. But both guys are terrific.

[Thugger HBC]

We can't afford Dragic at all, so really I see no purpose in this.

Sent from my Asus Transformer Prime TF-201

[Kampuchea]

interesting comparison but i guess it kind of pointless. With such a low sample size you dont know how good these players will be.

Dragic is not coming to the Knicks. Lin is not leaving the Knicks.


I do find it funny that the article references Dragics agent being complimentary of NY. You dont hear about many agents trashing teams when asked if they could be a good home. Hey Mr. agent, what about Dragic in NY? Nah, NY sucks

[thebuzzardman]

I hope the Knicks get Dragic and keep lin so the Knicks board here can have 40,000,000 threads about Lin vs Dragic.

[Woodsanity]

Rather have Lin. Dragic demands more than the MLE so we can't afford him. He will probably be overpaid and get 10m+. Lin is 2.5 years younger. Dragic has performed well but his sample size of starting is almost as small as Lin's sample size.

[dantian]

Good analysis of the differences between Lin and Dragic. But inclusive and illogical conclusions. Dragic is not going below 7 mil a year and hence is not coming to NY. Also, his advantage over Lin mainly stems from much more experience, i.e. 3 years more of NBA under Nash plus some professional experience in Europe. In that sense, Lin's numbers come across more impressive because it's his rookie year. Otherwise, they are very similar indeed, so much so that Lin himself listed Dragic as the player he was most alike in an interview at early stage of Linsanity. Both will be very good starting PGs for years to come.

[islanders11040]

I like any post that is positive and brings up the value of my starting b.a.t pg:-)

[greenshoes]

OMG, the VS again

I do hope Lin go to a team where

- the coach won't publicly state Lin's starting not guaranteed
- he can get MDL without feeling like it is sth wrong

[Sideline Story]

The fact of the matter is Dolan would rather have Lin, not Dragic.

And that's the end of that story.

[carayip]

Lol. I think the bigger reason why Dragic is in higher demand is that he's unrestricted while everyone knows that we will match any Lin offer. Of course as a GM, you have to pursue someone you have some chances getting instead of someone with no chance. Why not asking the owners who they rather have? Bet 30 out of 30 rather have Lin.

[gamby]

Dragic is so much better.

[Kampuchea]

Dragic is so much better.

Lin to dragic is like Durant to kobe.

[carayip]

Dragic is so much better.

Having a lower season scoring and assist average on a worse team = better?

[Huey Freeman]

I don't think you can favor Lin in any regard to Dragic RIGHT NOW because MDA gave Lin the greenlight once Lin-Sanity took over, the number averages comparison are unique in that MDA's system was so free for Lin. Dragic never had that freedom in the offense the way Lin had in that stretch of games before MDA was fired. Who is to say that Dragic couldn't have put up similar numbers if HE was the PG during that same stretch of games?