Around the NBA part 2

[Bravery]

The rockets aren't building around James Harden or Lin or Asik or whoever. They are building around a philosophy. Fast pace, dribble penetration by there guards, PNR, getting to the FT line, shots at the rim & 3's. Rockets are essentially money balling there team. Only taking the most efficient shots in the NBA shots at the rim, FT's & 3's they hardly ever take long 2's or other inefficient shots. It isn't Hardens team if anything it is Morey's team because it is built around his analytics approach

Look at there main core

Lin parsons harden Asik. they are all good passers for there position, good FT shooters for there position, efficient scorers & proficient in the PNR in some capacity. Lin & Harden are both elite PNR ball handlers who like to drive to the basket are quick & can beat there man off the dribble. They arent building around Harden they are building around a philosophy & Harden is just one of there 4 main pieces. The Rockets owner said as much, they have a philosophy & they are only going to find guys that fit that philosophy.

Nice core, sure.

But this has always been a superstar's league. You need to have a certain type of player who can score at will and break some hearts in the process. Every Rocket fan I know will tell you that Harden is the man on that team. This is not meant as a slight on Lin by any means, he just has to understand that he has an important role on that team, just like Parsons and Asik. But Harden is clearly the guy they are depending on to strike it rich. He's a 26/5/4 player w/ playoff experience (WCF) as I am writing this.

The formula necessary to win is 1 or 2 transcendent superstar(s) and you surround him with good auxiliary scorers/defenders + competent bench. That's how winning is done in the NBA. Now, I'm not saying that Harden is a future HOF, because he has a lot to prove and just like Lin, he has his detractors. But why did you think Morey spent so much time restructuring the roster and stockpiling picks these past few offseasons? All these reports of setting themselves up for D12 and other superstars to come over? This was all methodically done pre-Harden/Lin.

You do make some fair points though. Harden and Lin (if he keeps up his consistency) is a nice dynamic backcourt for the future sure. But they must have a go-to player/scorer (Knicks/Melo), and so far Harden has defined that consistently.

I could not care less about Jeremy Lin. I want a detailed break down of Landry Fields and Jared Jefferies seasons.

Landry Fields is another guy that's underrated around here and I'm here to set the record straight. I think Toronto is totally using him wrong and he should really be avging something like 19/12/7. He has a textbook, ice man-like jump shot down cold and the court vision of a hungry, determined beaver. If he played 35+ mins instead of 20 and let him run the offense as a point forward, I guarantee you that his game will open up to everybody around him IMO... so much that Calderon would instantly win MIP. I also think TOR is going to make a HUGE mistake when they trade him for Special K cereal because I can see T-Mac part 2 all over again...

[Rasho Brezec]

I could not care less about Jeremy Lin. I want a detailed break down of Landry Fields and Jared Jefferies seasons.

[ORANGEandBLUE]

And no one called Lin an allstar??? really, no one? Not only on this board has he been called an allstar but apparently a lot of other people think so as well, since he's 3rd in allstar votes among guards.

Do people actually say they think he's an all-star? Or do they say they think it was dumb to give him up for nothing, and then you assume that somebody could only feel that way about an all-star player?

[fdr2012]

Do people actually say they think he's an all-star? Or do they say they think it was dumb to give him up for nothing, and then you assume that somebody could only feel that way about an all-star player?

1. How could the Knicks get anything for Lin? We couldn't do a S&T for him. Do how do you do you propose that the Knicks would have handled the situation in a manner that they could "get something" for Lin.

2. Lin is overpaid. Lin is set to get $25M over the next 3 years. He's producing 12/6 with 3 TOs per game. Dragic, who was also a FA last season is set to make $22.5M next season and he's producing 14/6 with much better efficiency and with 2.5 TOs per game. Basically Dragic is getting less money and is better at everything.

Houston was pretty much the only bidder for Lin with that kind of money. The contract is a huge poison pill and is untradable. Do you really think it made sense for the Knicks to match that contract? If they did, do you think they could have traded Lin at the deadline for some asset?

I'm really not getting where these things are coming from. A 12/6 PG is nothing special.

[Falstaffxx]

Do people actually say they think he's an all-star? Or do they say they think it was dumb to give him up for nothing, and then you assume that somebody could only feel that way about an all-star player?

1. How could the Knicks get anything for Lin? We couldn't do a S&T for him. Do how do you do you propose that the Knicks would have handled the situation in a manner that they could "get something" for Lin.

2. Lin is overpaid. Lin is set to get $25M over the next 3 years. He's producing 12/6 with 3 TOs per game. Dragic, who was also a FA last season is set to make $22.5M next season and he's producing 14/6 with much better efficiency and with 2.5 TOs per game. Basically Dragic is getting less money and is better at everything.

Houston was pretty much the only bidder for Lin with that kind of money. The contract is a huge poison pill and is untradable. Do you really think it made sense for the Knicks to match that contract? If they did, do you think they could have traded Lin at the deadline for some asset?

I'm really not getting where these things are coming from. A 12/6 PG is nothing special.

He's already playing at the level of his contract, he would be the best point guard on the Knicks, and he's only 24 and in his second season in the league. When this team gets blown up in a couple years we'll wish there were a few players on the roster in their prime that we could use as a starting point. Right now that'll be just Shumpert and Novak.

[god shammgod]

I could not care less about Jeremy Lin. I want a detailed break down of Landry Fields and Jared Jefferies seasons.

that's great.

[Wolfgang]

Nobody says Lin is an all star. He's better than Felton though.

[UnderdogKnicks]

He's already playing at the level of his contract, he would be the best point guard on the Knicks, and he's only 24 and in his second season in the league. When this team gets blown up in a couple years we'll wish there were a few players on the roster in their prime that we could use as a starting point. Right now that'll be just Shumpert and Novak.

When this team gets blown up I hope we are the worst team in the league instead of being in the middle of the pack unless we can lure star players to join here. I agreed we should have signed Lin but really for trading purposes when we are blowing the team up.

[j4remi]

Nobody says Lin is an all star. He's better than Felton though.

At what exactly? Felton before the hand injuries was playing brilliant basketball and he fits the Knicks offensive philosophy better than Lin. I'd hope people can accept that. Lin is a good young player. Not playing up to his contract yet, but building toward it. He's got flaws that hopefully he can work on in a healthy offseason and he's also got some strengths that make him a serious threat if you don't give him proper attention. But better than Felton...not this season.

[Falstaffxx]

Nobody says Lin is an all star. He's better than Felton though.

At what exactly? Felton before the hand injuries was playing brilliant basketball and he fits the Knicks offensive philosophy better than Lin. I'd hope people can accept that. Lin is a good young player. Not playing up to his contract yet, but building toward it. He's got flaws that hopefully he can work on in a healthy offseason and he's also got some strengths that make him a serious threat if you don't give him proper attention. But better than Felton...not this season.

Better vision, better at getting to the rim (better rebounder, better shot selection, but w/e). He's just a better point guard. The area he needs to improve in is 3-point shooting, and I think he will.

[Falstaffxx]

By the way, we could have had Kidd AND Lin AND Felton. Kidd was signed first. Then Felton. Then we still had the option of matching Lin's contract. For a team with a small window, that would have been a nice move.

[fdr2012]

He's already playing at the level of his contract, he would be the best point guard on the Knicks, and he's only 24 and in his second season in the league. When this team gets blown up in a couple years we'll wish there were a few players on the roster in their prime that we could use as a starting point. Right now that'll be just Shumpert and Novak.

He's not playing at the level of his contract. 12/6 does not get you $8.3M in this league - see Dragic. And no - I wouldn't want to see him on the team 3 years from now. I would like to have maximum cap space to get another star player to pair with Melo.

The Gallinaris and Lins of this league get you nowhere. You need to spend wisely and that means 2 stars on max contracts, the perfect role player in Chandler and some underpaid role players like Felton and JR.

[fdr2012]

By the way, we could have had Kidd AND Lin AND Felton. Kidd was signed first. Then Felton. Then we still had the option of matching Lin's contract. For a team with a small window, that would have been a nice move.

You can't blame Dolan for not wanting to pay $50M in luxury tax for Jeremy Lin. We really don't need Lin. We need a PG that can bring the ball past half court.

[j4remi]

Nobody says Lin is an all star. He's better than Felton though.

At what exactly? Felton before the hand injuries was playing brilliant basketball and he fits the Knicks offensive philosophy better than Lin. I'd hope people can accept that. Lin is a good young player. Not playing up to his contract yet, but building toward it. He's got flaws that hopefully he can work on in a healthy offseason and he's also got some strengths that make him a serious threat if you don't give him proper attention. But better than Felton...not this season.

Better vision, better at getting to the rim (better rebounder, but w/e). He's just a better point guard. The area he needs to improve in is 3-point shooting, and I think he will.

Better vision? How do you prove that? They average the same assists with Felton holding an edge in assist% and having less TO's (this is with both playing a PG role where the main playmaker and focal point is a wing). Better at getting to the rim on the PnR yes...in the open floor? Hell no. Felton is stronger going left and it's still not close. Rebounding...one rebound per game separates them, so yes edge to Lin but again, how does that fit into the Knicks philosophies and needs from the PG position.

Here's why Felton fits the Knicks better...more consistency and it's not close, which is expected comparing a vet to a young player. Felton gets less TO's despite a higher usage rate, which is big for this Knicks team that relies so heavily on a low rate of TO's. Felton also has the veteran skill of keeping his dribble longer. Lin will get that, but for now he picks it up early sometimes still. Three point shooting is a serious edge for Felton, again this is more important for the Knicks than many other teams. They rely so heavily on ranged shooting and ball movement that Felton's ability to knock down the three adds a dimension from the PG position that is huge for this offense. Now I could give you a list of Lin's advantages too, but when you plug them into the Knicks offense it doesn't work out as "hey this guy is a better fit" and statistically there's really not much argument for Lin as a better player...especially when you consider Felton playing with injured hands for a huge chunk of time where his numbers dipped.

I think Lin will be the better PG in his career...right now though, I don't think there's much of a case.

[Falstaffxx]

He's already playing at the level of his contract, he would be the best point guard on the Knicks, and he's only 24 and in his second season in the league. When this team gets blown up in a couple years we'll wish there were a few players on the roster in their prime that we could use as a starting point. Right now that'll be just Shumpert and Novak.

He's not playing at the level of his contract. 12/6 does not get you $8.3M in this league - see Dragic. And no - I wouldn't want to see him on the team 3 years from now. I would like to have maximum cap space to get another star player to pair with Melo.

The Gallinaris and Lins of this league get you nowhere. You need to spend wisely and that means 2 stars on max contracts, the perfect role player in Chandler and some underpaid role players like Felton and JR.

We could have had all those players AND Lin. And Lin is far less experienced than Dragic. Dragic has been in the league for 6 years and he's just now producing at the level Lin is in his second year. Lin at $8 million is a better deal than Dragic.

[j4remi]

By the way, we could have had Kidd AND Lin AND Felton. Kidd was signed first. Then Felton. Then we still had the option of matching Lin's contract. For a team with a small window, that would have been a nice move.

It was possible, but I don't think it was ever a realistic concept...just like trading a poison pill contract to avoid the luxury tax. I don't really see it.

[Falstaffxx]

Better vision, better at getting to the rim (better rebounder, but w/e). He's just a better point guard. The area he needs to improve in is 3-point shooting, and I think he will.

Better vision? How do you prove that? They average the same assists with Felton holding an edge in assist% and having less TO's (this is with both playing a PG role where the main playmaker and focal point is a wing). Better at getting to the rim on the PnR yes...in the open floor? Hell no. Felton is stronger going left and it's still not close. Rebounding...one rebound per game separates them, so yes edge to Lin but again, how does that fit into the Knicks philosophies and needs from the PG position.

Here's why Felton fits the Knicks better...more consistency and it's not close, which is expected comparing a vet to a young player. Felton gets less TO's despite a higher usage rate, which is big for this Knicks team that relies so heavily on a low rate of TO's. Felton also has the veteran skill of keeping his dribble longer. Lin will get that, but for now he picks it up early sometimes still. Three point shooting is a serious edge for Felton, again this is more important for the Knicks than many other teams. They rely so heavily on ranged shooting and ball movement that Felton's ability to knock down the three adds a dimension from the PG position that is huge for this offense. Now I could give you a list of Lin's advantages too, but when you plug them into the Knicks offense it doesn't work out as "hey this guy is a better fit" and statistically there's really not much argument for Lin as a better player...especially when you consider Felton playing with injured hands for a huge chunk of time where his numbers dipped.

I think Lin will be the better PG in his career...right now though, I don't think there's much of a case.

I guess I can't "prove" that Lin has better vision man...but he does. You can see that he does when you watch them play.

As for assists Lin has the same assists as Felton while playing in a backcourt with a guy who also has 5.4 assists. If Lin was playing for the Knicks he'd have 8 per game easily. He'd also probably be shooting 3's at a higher % because the Knicks offense is good at creating good 3-point attempts for people - you can see that in the fact that Kidd, Felton, and Anthony are all hitting 3's at higher than their career %, and in the cases of Kidd and Anthony it's MUCH high.

We shouldn't be debating the "getting to the rim" issue. Lin has a higher field goal percentage than Felton because he takes it to the rim frequently and successfully, and he converts in situations where Felton wouldn't.

[Falstaffxx]

By the way, we could have had Kidd AND Lin AND Felton. Kidd was signed first. Then Felton. Then we still had the option of matching Lin's contract. For a team with a small window, that would have been a nice move.

You can't blame Dolan for not wanting to pay $50M in luxury tax for Jeremy Lin. We really don't need Lin. We need a PG that can bring the ball past half court.

And the truth about you as a posters comes out again.

[fdr2012]

By the way, we could have had Kidd AND Lin AND Felton. Kidd was signed first. Then Felton. Then we still had the option of matching Lin's contract. For a team with a small window, that would have been a nice move.

You can't blame Dolan for not wanting to pay $50M in luxury tax for Jeremy Lin. We really don't need Lin. We need a PG that can bring the ball past half court.

And the truth about you as a posters comes out again.

What is that truth? Lin can't bring the ball past half court against pressure. We saw what Bradley did to Kidd on Monday. We saw what the Heat did to Lin last season. A team that wants to get somewhere needs a primary ball handler. That isn't Lin.

Where am I wrong here?

[fdr2012]

We could have had all those players AND Lin. And Lin is far less experienced than Dragic. Dragic has been in the league for 6 years and he's just now producing at the level Lin is in his second year. Lin at $8 million is a better deal than Dragic.

Saying that Lin is better than Dragic is laughable. Dragic is better and will always be better at every aspect of the game (other than rebounding). He's superior physically and skill-wise.

Lin @ $8M is better than Dragic at $7.5M? LOL. Please tell me how that is? How is 12/6 with 3 TOs better than 14/6 with 2.5 TOs and better defense?