The Official Lin Net Thread

[MrDollarBills]

Guys please drop it, im sure after reflection MrDollarBills understands where im coming from. That i wasnt

"BROLO SUCKS BALLS HE CANT PNR WORTH **** AND HE'LL BE HOLDING JLIN BACK!!!"

to

"I dont like it when BroLo pops out too far or rolls slowly. Its not a good complement/synergy/force mix with Lin's deep penetration, and its better for him and the team to be inside and dominate"

I think it will be better to wait for the two of them to develop chemistry, learn what each other is comfortable doing in real game situations, and maximize off of that knowledge, instead of just making an assumption that these guys can't work together. that's my point.

Having watched brook for almost a decade, I know how he plays and i predict how this will go. Brook picks, Lin drives, there's 3 options:

1) Lin takes the ball to the rack.

2) Lin kicks back for a Lopez 3 pter.

3) Lin kicks out to Lopez, Lopez faces up and makes a move to get to the rim.

watch. you'll see. Brook isn't a roll type guy. I guarantee any Lin assists to Lopez in motion towards the rim will be off of a cut pass that has nothing to do with the P n R.

[ChokeFasncists]

Not sure if Prius is a Lin fan. (he does say it's random)

[tyusedney]

I just randomly came in here and saw some emotional dude get so worked up about what others say about others. I thought I came to a basketball forum not middle/high school. Lmao.

defense mechanism kicked in a little early

[spaceballer]

(warning: very long post. Finally have time to catch up with some of the JLin news items from this past week, though I'm sure I'm missing some. Gonna write some lengthy stuff in the background sections, while I have time right now.)

1) Taiwanese tire company Kenda Tires has signed with the Nets.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Some background on JLin and the two tire companies that follow him around:

Spoiler:

A bit of background for those who don't know. The two Taiwanese tire companies Maxxis and Kenda have been following Jeremy around from city to city in a game of one-upsmanship.

After the outbreak of Linsanity on the Knicks, Maxxis signed an deal with MSG. Since Jeremy Lin's games were certain to be broadcast in Taiwan and other countries overseas, any on-court or court-side signage would be seen by their customers in Asia as well as prospective tire buyers in America. Coca-cola even paid for Chinese language signage at MSG during Linsanity, since it would reach viewers in Asia.

Later that summer, when the Knicks declined to keep JLin and he went to the Rockets, Maxxis ended their deal with MSG and signed a deal with the Rockets. Kenda Tires followed and also signed a deal with the Rockets, despite the fact that Maxxis was there first. Kenda even went further and signed a lengthier deal with a contract end date that matched JLin's contract, and with the moniker of "Official Tire" for the Rockets. So both tire companies were simultaneously signed with the Rockets and giving them money, but Kenda got the title of "official tire" because they signed a longer deal (one that matched the length of Jeremy's contract with the Rockets) despite the fact that Maxxis was there first.

When Jeremy was traded to the Lakers, there was one more year left in JLin's contract as well as the Kenda/Rockets contract. Maxxis, who wasn't locked into as lengthy a contract, stole a march on Kenda and took a page out of their book, ditching the Rockets for the Lakers and locking down the moniker of "Official Tire" with the Lakers, which they foolishly didn't do before Kenda came on the Rockets, despite the fact that Maxxis followed JLin to Houston first.

When JLin went to the Hornets, Maxxis ditched the Lakers and signed with the Hornets. JLin signed a 2yr contract with the Hornets with an opt-out in the 2nd year. Maxxis matched the length of JLin's contract, with a 2yr deal with Charlotte. I believe Maxxis was the very first "official tire" that the Hornets ever had, since it's not easy to attract big international companies to do a corporate sponsorship deal with a small market like Charlotte. I don't know if Maxxis had an opt out or not. So while JLin jumped to the Nets, Maxxis might still be stuck with one more year in Charlotte (just like Kenda was stuck for 1 more year in Houston after they traded Lin) if they didn't have an opt out like JLin did.

And now, the latest news is that Kenda Tires has signed with the Nets. The corporate sponsorship money that enters the Nets coffers from deals like this probably helps defray some of the salary cost of JLin's contract which is already reasonable (and cheap in light of some of the crazy deals handed out this past summer with the cap explosion). Unlike jersey and merchandise sales (other than those on the premises of Barclays) or national TV money, this money isn't equally split 30-ways with all the other teams, and the Nets get to keep more of it.

Even though these Taiwanese companies are following JLin around from city to city, he gets none of this money since he's not signed with these companies (he's been very selective about which companies he signs with, and has made a deliberate choice to keep the number low so that sponsorship obligations don't interfere with his training in the off-season or during the season, choosing quality over quantity). The money goes directly to the teams and arenas that sign deals with these companies.

2) Someone just put together a nice post on Reddit examining JLin's shooting mechanics changes over the years using some slow-mo clips to illustrate his point.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/56e6u5/comparison_jeremys_new_jumper_in_slomo_bonus/

3) Anthony Puccio, a writer for Nets Daily, quoted a statement JLin made after the Pistons game about the locked arms gesture from the Nets during the anthem, including a bolded section that Puccio found particularly resonant.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

4) Greg Pak, the writer for Totally Awesome Hulk, was excited by the shout-out by the Nets during the Pistons game about JLin's upcoming appearance as a Marvel Comics character.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

5) Remember when JLin took time out of his DOTA tournament trip in Seattle to meet with the founder of the global anti-poverty charity One Day's Wages with hints that they would be doing something together? ODW reveals that JLin autographed and donated merchandise and tickets for the One Day's Wages 2016 Gala.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

6) The New Yorker tweeted out a reminder that the annual festival that JLin will be a guest speaker at is happening this weekend.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

7) One of JLin's agents, Roger Montgomery, has joined Roc Nation Sports. I guess this means the synergy and relationship between Jeremy and the Nets has grown closer. He truly is betting it all on the Nets and investing in them as a start up.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Some long background on JLin, Montgomery/Montgomery Sports Group, Tanner/Tandem Sports & Entertainment, Roc Nation Sports/Nets.

Spoiler:

Roger Montgomery (and his Montgomery Sports Group) is the agent that signed JLin out of college. Montgomery Sports Group is a one-man shop. His one-man company is so small and of such limited resources that he regularly outsourced much of his needs like accounting and legal or whatever, I think, like having an outside lawyer double check the legalese of contracts instead of having in-house staff that could do it.

When Linsanity hit, the massively multiplied needs (companies offering endorsement deals, media outlets seeking interviews, etc.) outstripped the resources of a single one-man shop. But Jeremy is loyal to a fault. So instead of moving to a larger agency with more resources, he decided to stick with Montgomery but hire more agents.

There are two types of agents in the NBA. One type is the traditional agent that takes a percentage of the money a player earns. Then you have the second type of agent who does not take a percentage, but instead provides services on an a la carte basis, either charging by the hour or per service, such as negotiating a contract with a team or an endorsement deal or whatever.

Some (Melo, Wade, Bosh, etc.) choose the first type and pay a percentage. Some (Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Marvin Williams, Thaddeus Young, etc.) choose the second type which tends to be cheaper since you only pay by the hour instead of forking over a percentage.

Jeremy pays for BOTH types. He's loyal to a fault and unwilling to ditch his original agent. So he's paying a percentage to Roger Montgomery. In addition, since Montgomery's one-man shop doesn't have sufficient resources, he's also paying another agent Jim Tanner (Tandem Sports & Entertainment) by the hour.

At the time that JLin hired Jim Tanner after Linsanity's debut required greater resources, Tanner was working as part of the sports department of the prestigious D.C. powerhouse law firm Williams & Connelly (represented Bill Clinton during impeachment, Oliver North during Iran Contra, Regan would-be-assassin John Hinckley, etc.). Other clients were Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, etc.

Tanner subsequently decided to strike out on his own and form Tandem Sports & Entertainment with a fellow lawyer from the sports department of Williams & Connelly. Jeremy followed his agent Tanner to the new firm.

So Jeremy currently has multiple agents from different agencies simultaneously representing him. Roger Montgomery, his original agent that he's kept, paid by percentage. And Jim Tanner, who charged by the hour at Williams & Connelly, and I assume does so at Tandem Sports & Entertainment as well.

I don't think any other NBA player does this. No other player I know of is simultaneously represented by two separate agencies. They either go with a traditional agent and pay a percentage, or go with someone who charges by the hour. Jeremy is paying via both methods to two separate agencies and sets of agents, or possibly more since I think he may also have a third agent handling Asia stuff. All because he's loyal to a fault and unwilling to ditch his original agent even after his needs outgrew the resources of a small one-man shop after Linsanity.

During his Taiwan testimonial, he mentioned how Montgomery gives him advice and helped him with perspective.

I guess Roger Montgomery has finally decided to merge his one-man shop (Montgomery Sports Group) into a bigger organization. The tweet says Montgomery is joining Roc Nation Sports.

Roc Nation Sports was the agency founded by Jay-Z, who was a minority Nets owner at one point. The chairman of Roc Nation Sports is Michael Yormark, brother to Nets CEO Brett Yormark.

I guess this ties Lin tighter to the Nets and allows for better global marketing synergy and coordination possibly, as the Nets try to expand their fanbase. He really is investing all the way into this Nets "startup." Not only will JLin be working under a Yormark, but one of JLin's two agents will also be working under a Yormark

8) There's always tons of new artwork generated every season from his fans out there. A retro "Nintendo" style version, complete with different hairstyles

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

[Prius]

I just randomly came in here and saw some emotional dude get so worked up about what others say about others. I thought I came to a basketball forum not middle/high school. Lmao.

^so you're one of the dudes that the rockets, lakers, and hornets fans we're talking about. way to live up to that stereotype.

don't call me emotional when you pathetically live vicariously through another man's life experiences.

you're not even a Nets fan. we know you don't give a **** about this team. that's why I'm defending Brook regardless of intent, because you can see how this is going to go.

Not sure if Prius is a Lin fan. (he does say it's random)

I am a fan of the team that will make you guys take a dump in your pants out of fear and the team you will be bowing down to, the Warriors

[Vae Victus]

I think it will be better to wait for the two of them to develop chemistry, learn what each other is comfortable doing in real game situations, and maximize off of that knowledge, instead of just making an assumption that these guys can't work together. that's my point.

Having watched brook for almost a decade, I know how he plays and i predict how this will go. Brook picks, Lin drives, there's 3 options:

1) Lin takes the ball to the rack.

2) Lin kicks back for a Lopez 3 pter.

3) Lin kicks out to Lopez, Lopez faces up and makes a move to get to the rim.

watch. you'll see. Brook isn't a roll type guy. I guarantee any Lin assists to Lopez in motion towards the rim will be off of a cut pass that has nothing to do with the P n R.

Thats not good, its best for BroLo to often roll to the bucket, at least 50% i'd say, just to keep the defenses honest. You dont want to be known as a big who will pop the vast majority of the time (unless youre a pure 3pt sniper and cant finish inside worth crap), not to mention a quick wing defender can fast rotate on BroLo at the 3pt line to scare him off into one of those slow dribble drive penetrations and then the risk of getting stripped becomes super high. BroLo drives, his original big man defender switches back on him, the wing helper then hauls back to his original man. Hopefully BroLo will find the open wing by that point, but honestly, now youre relying on a big man to facilitate on the move/dribble from the wing which is usually a recipe for disaster for the most part. Maybe BroLo can pull it off, i dunno, cuz quite frankly i've never seen him play that much so we'll see, but money says no due to circumstances. Its rare for bigs to be comfortable wing playmakers and thus those who do emerge (Blake Griffin, Draymond Green) it becomes truly game changing.

While true that rim runners dont always get the ball from a straight PnR, sometimes u need a hard rim runner just to run a distraction to give the wing guys more room/time to get the kickout and shot as defenses ALWAYS cover the dudes closest to the bucket as they absolutely dont want to give up an easy layup/dunk vs even an open 3. Dwight Howard was notorious for running counter to this philosophy, while on the Lakers HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to do PnRs cuz if he always didnt get the ball then he didnt want to do it. He refused to do it even while playing with Steve "PnR God" Nash for crying out loud, cuz he wanted to post up and get touches that way to become a true post threat even though statistically he was the BEST PnR big in the game.

In BroLo's case even though he's no DHo on athleticism, but being a big dude crashing down the paint still draws a crapton of attention and if he does it often enough it'll ALSO open up his outside mid/long range game much more as defenders will instinctually all crash down to prevent Lin penetration and his impending potential dump off pass to the roller. If BroLo gets scouted that 80%+ of the time he'll float/pop it makes defending the PnR super easy as the big will primarily guard Lin's hard drive and Lin's man will go for the passing lane back out to BroLo and thus either steal it or force Lin to reset and everyone gets back to their man with no offensive advantage gained and shot clock time lost.

I'm waiting with eager anticipation to see how Atkinson is gonna solve this potential dilemma if its true that BroLo is a terrible roller.

[Prokorov]

Guys please drop it, im sure after reflection MrDollarBills understands where im coming from. That i wasnt

"BROLO SUCKS BALLS HE CANT PNR WORTH **** AND HE'LL BE HOLDING JLIN BACK!!!"

to

"I dont like it when BroLo pops out too far or rolls slowly. Its not a good complement/synergy/force mix with Lin's deep penetration, and its better for him and the team to be inside and dominate"

I think it will be better to wait for the two of them to develop chemistry, learn what each other is comfortable doing in real game situations, and maximize off of that knowledge, instead of just making an assumption that these guys can't work together. that's my point.

Having watched brook for almost a decade, I know how he plays and i predict how this will go. Brook picks, Lin drives, there's 3 options:

1) Lin takes the ball to the rack.

2) Lin kicks back for a Lopez 3 pter.

3) Lin kicks out to Lopez, Lopez faces up and makes a move to get to the rim.

watch. you'll see. Brook isn't a roll type guy. I guarantee any Lin assists to Lopez in motion towards the rim will be off of a cut pass that has nothing to do with the P n R.

yeah, brook has never been a good screener (thats being generous, hopefully kenny can improve it) and he has never been a good roll player.

Now, brook can be a force in the pcik and roll. after setting the screen he is great at hitting that 1 handed 8-10 foot floater. and on the pop he can hit the jumper. ideally though, line is just aggressive going to the hoop and the rest will take care of itself.

but anyone expecting anything near what you'd get from a lin/chandler pick and roll is going to be REALLY disappointed. so please dont get your hopes up for alot of layups or dunks off lopez rolls.

[Prokorov]

Thats not good, its best for BroLo to often roll to the bucket, at least 50% i'd say, just to keep the defenses honest. You dont want to be known as a big who will pop the vast majority of the time (unless youre a pure 3pt sniper and cant finish inside worth crap), not to mention a quick wing defender can fast rotate on BroLo at the 3pt line to scare him off into one of those slow dribble drive penetrations and then the risk of getting stripped becomes super high. BroLo drives, his original big man defender switches back on him, the wing helper then hauls back to his original man. Hopefully BroLo will find the open wing by that point, but honestly, now youre relying on a big man to facilitate on the move/dribble from the wing which is usually a recipe for disaster for the most part. Maybe BroLo can pull it off, i dunno, cuz quite frankly i've never seen him play that much so we'll see, but money says no due to circumstances. Its rare for bigs to be comfortable wing playmakers and thus those who do emerge (Blake Griffin, Draymond Green) it becomes truly game changing.

thats not brooks game. he doesnt elevate and he isnt quick. he is much more effective spending face for a short 8 foot push shot floater or pop for a jumper. as far as guys running him off the three point line, brooks #1 strngth as a player is putting it on the floor and driving to the rim. so that will only help

While true that rim runners dont always get the ball from a straight PnR, sometimes u need a hard rim runner just to run a distraction to give the wing guys more room/time to get the kickout and shot as defenses ALWAYS cover the dudes closest to the bucket as they absolutely dont want to give up an easy layup/dunk vs even an open 3. Dwight Howard was notorious for running counter to this philosophy, while on the Lakers HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to do PnRs cuz if he always didnt get the ball then he didnt want to do it. He refused to do it even while playing with Steve "PnR God" Nash for crying out loud, cuz he wanted to post up and get touches that way to become a true post threat even though statistically he was the BEST PnR big in the game.

instead of fitting a squar epeg in a round hole and trying to make lopez a rim runner, play to his strengths. you dont fix what isnt broken from a guy getting 20 points on 58-60TS% with high PPP in pick situations.

you want a runner work it with booker

[Prokorov]

I was happy with what i saw in the preseason game from:

1) Lin

2) Lin fans

Lin was super aggressive. i hope that doesnt change. the assists will come, great but i want him to lead us in scoring and FGA. we dont have another guy who is really capabale of getting to the rim consistently. he should easily get 20 ppg with the volume he will get.

Lin fans were good. only 1 guy (criticized atkinson for taking on lin after 6 minutes of the first quarter) was an issue. guys were excited for lin and the nets without turning it into a crap show.

[TinmanZBoy]

I was happy with what i saw in the preseason game from:

1) Lin

2) Lin fans

Lin was super aggressive. i hope that doesnt change. the assists will come, great but i want him to lead us in scoring and FGA. we dont have another guy who is really capabale of getting to the rim consistently. he should easily get 20 ppg with the volume he will get.

Lin fans were good. only 1 guy (criticized atkinson for taking on lin after 6 minutes of the first quarter) was an issue. guys were excited for lin and the nets without turning it into a crap show.

this forum is going to be lively for sure...

[ChokeFasncists]

Thats not good, its best for BroLo to often roll to the bucket, at least 50% i'd say, just to keep the defenses honest. You dont want to be known as a big who will pop the vast majority of the time (unless youre a pure 3pt sniper and cant finish inside worth crap), not to mention a quick wing defender can fast rotate on BroLo at the 3pt line to scare him off into one of those slow dribble drive penetrations and then the risk of getting stripped becomes super high. BroLo drives, his original big man defender switches back on him, the wing helper then hauls back to his original man. Hopefully BroLo will find the open wing by that point, but honestly, now youre relying on a big man to facilitate on the move/dribble from the wing which is usually a recipe for disaster for the most part. Maybe BroLo can pull it off, i dunno, cuz quite frankly i've never seen him play that much so we'll see, but money says no due to circumstances. Its rare for bigs to be comfortable wing playmakers and thus those who do emerge (Blake Griffin, Draymond Green) it becomes truly game changing.

thats not brooks game. he doesnt elevate and he isnt quick. he is much more effective spending face for a short 8 foot push shot floater or pop for a jumper. as far as guys running him off the three point line, brooks #1 strngth as a player is putting it on the floor and driving to the rim. so that will only help

While true that rim runners dont always get the ball from a straight PnR, sometimes u need a hard rim runner just to run a distraction to give the wing guys more room/time to get the kickout and shot as defenses ALWAYS cover the dudes closest to the bucket as they absolutely dont want to give up an easy layup/dunk vs even an open 3. Dwight Howard was notorious for running counter to this philosophy, while on the Lakers HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to do PnRs cuz if he always didnt get the ball then he didnt want to do it. He refused to do it even while playing with Steve "PnR God" Nash for crying out loud, cuz he wanted to post up and get touches that way to become a true post threat even though statistically he was the BEST PnR big in the game.

instead of fitting a squar epeg in a round hole and trying to make lopez a rim runner, play to his strengths. you dont fix what isnt broken from a guy getting 20 points on 58-60TS% with high PPP in pick situations.

you want a runner work it with booker

I think we might have to rely on RHJ and Booker to attack the rim.

[Prokorov]

Thats not good, its best for BroLo to often roll to the bucket, at least 50% i'd say, just to keep the defenses honest. You dont want to be known as a big who will pop the vast majority of the time (unless youre a pure 3pt sniper and cant finish inside worth crap), not to mention a quick wing defender can fast rotate on BroLo at the 3pt line to scare him off into one of those slow dribble drive penetrations and then the risk of getting stripped becomes super high. BroLo drives, his original big man defender switches back on him, the wing helper then hauls back to his original man. Hopefully BroLo will find the open wing by that point, but honestly, now youre relying on a big man to facilitate on the move/dribble from the wing which is usually a recipe for disaster for the most part. Maybe BroLo can pull it off, i dunno, cuz quite frankly i've never seen him play that much so we'll see, but money says no due to circumstances. Its rare for bigs to be comfortable wing playmakers and thus those who do emerge (Blake Griffin, Draymond Green) it becomes truly game changing.

thats not brooks game. he doesnt elevate and he isnt quick. he is much more effective spending face for a short 8 foot push shot floater or pop for a jumper. as far as guys running him off the three point line, brooks #1 strngth as a player is putting it on the floor and driving to the rim. so that will only help

While true that rim runners dont always get the ball from a straight PnR, sometimes u need a hard rim runner just to run a distraction to give the wing guys more room/time to get the kickout and shot as defenses ALWAYS cover the dudes closest to the bucket as they absolutely dont want to give up an easy layup/dunk vs even an open 3. Dwight Howard was notorious for running counter to this philosophy, while on the Lakers HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to do PnRs cuz if he always didnt get the ball then he didnt want to do it. He refused to do it even while playing with Steve "PnR God" Nash for crying out loud, cuz he wanted to post up and get touches that way to become a true post threat even though statistically he was the BEST PnR big in the game.

instead of fitting a squar epeg in a round hole and trying to make lopez a rim runner, play to his strengths. you dont fix what isnt broken from a guy getting 20 points on 58-60TS% with high PPP in pick situations.

you want a runner work it with booker

I think we might have to rely on RHJ and Booker to attack the rim.

RHJ shouldnt really touch the ball much or be counted on for anything offensively. he is at a HS level offensively. he has years before that becomes an option.

Booke ris a pro, but he is kind of a dud offensively too.

[ChokeFasncists]

thats not brooks game. he doesnt elevate and he isnt quick. he is much more effective spending face for a short 8 foot push shot floater or pop for a jumper. as far as guys running him off the three point line, brooks #1 strngth as a player is putting it on the floor and driving to the rim. so that will only help


instead of fitting a squar epeg in a round hole and trying to make lopez a rim runner, play to his strengths. you dont fix what isnt broken from a guy getting 20 points on 58-60TS% with high PPP in pick situations.

you want a runner work it with booker

I think we might have to rely on RHJ and Booker to attack the rim.

RHJ shouldnt really touch the ball much or be counted on for anything offensively. he is at a HS level offensively. he has years before that becomes an option.

Booke ris a pro, but he is kind of a dud offensively too.

I mean like catch and dunk, alley-oop, put down, things like that.

[Lorenzomax7]

I was happy with what i saw in the preseason game from:

1) Lin

2) Lin fans

Lin was super aggressive. i hope that doesnt change. the assists will come, great but i want him to lead us in scoring and FGA. we dont have another guy who is really capabale of getting to the rim consistently. he should easily get 20 ppg with the volume he will get.

Lin fans were good. only 1 guy (criticized atkinson for taking on lin after 6 minutes of the first quarter) was an issue. guys were excited for lin and the nets without turning it into a crap show.

You meant Hood right? That guy didn't understand this is the preseason, and with the Motion Offense we are instituting, it is all about keeping the legs fresh and "progress".

[DartboardT]

1) Taiwanese tire company Kenda Tires has signed with the Nets.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Some background on JLin and the two tire companies that follow him around:

Spoiler:

A bit of background for those who don't know. The two Taiwanese tire companies Maxxis and Kenda have been following Jeremy around from city to city in a game of one-upsmanship.

After the outbreak of Linsanity on the Knicks, Maxxis signed an deal with MSG. Since Jeremy Lin's games were certain to be broadcast in Taiwan and other countries overseas, any on-court or court-side signage would be seen by their customers in Asia as well as prospective tire buyers in America. Coca-cola even paid for Chinese language signage at MSG during Linsanity, since it would reach viewers in Asia.

Later that summer, when the Knicks declined to keep JLin and he went to the Rockets, Maxxis ended their deal with MSG and signed a deal with the Rockets. Kenda Tires followed and also signed a deal with the Rockets, despite the fact that Maxxis was there first. Kenda even went further and signed a lengthier deal with a contract end date that matched JLin's contract, and with the moniker of "Official Tire" for the Rockets. So both tire companies were simultaneously signed with the Rockets and giving them money, but Kenda got the title of "official tire" because they signed a longer deal (one that matched the length of Jeremy's contract with the Rockets) despite the fact that Maxxis was there first.

When Jeremy was traded to the Lakers, there was one more year left in JLin's contract as well as the Kenda/Rockets contract. Maxxis, who wasn't locked into as lengthy a contract, stole a march on Kenda and took a page out of their book, ditching the Rockets for the Lakers and locking down the moniker of "Official Tire" with the Lakers, which they foolishly didn't do before Kenda came on the Rockets, despite the fact that Maxxis followed JLin to Houston first.

When JLin went to the Hornets, Maxxis ditched the Lakers and signed with the Hornets. JLin signed a 2yr contract with the Hornets with an opt-out in the 2nd year. Maxxis matched the length of JLin's contract, with a 2yr deal with Charlotte. I believe Maxxis was the very first "official tire" that the Hornets ever had, since it's not easy to attract big international companies to do a corporate sponsorship deal with a small market like Charlotte. I don't know if Maxxis had an opt out or not. So while JLin jumped to the Nets, Maxxis might still be stuck with one more year in Charlotte (just like Kenda was stuck for 1 more year in Houston after they traded Lin) if they didn't have an opt out like JLin did.

And now, the latest news is that Kenda Tires has signed with the Nets. The corporate sponsorship money that enters the Nets coffers from deals like this probably helps defray some of the salary cost of JLin's contract which is already reasonable (and cheap in light of some of the crazy deals handed out this past summer with the cap explosion). Unlike jersey and merchandise sales (other than those on the premises of Barclays) or national TV money, this money isn't equally split 30-ways with all the other teams, and the Nets get to keep more of it.

Even though these Taiwanese companies are following JLin around from city to city, he gets none of this money since he's not signed with these companies (he's been very selective about which companies he signs with, and has made a deliberate choice to keep the number low so that sponsorship obligations don't interfere with his training in the off-season or during the season, choosing quality over quantity). The money goes directly to the teams and arenas that sign deals with these companies.

[/spoiler]

JLin will never, ever need tires for his rides ever again. #stalkertirecompanies #creepyuntilyoudriveoveranailonthefreeway

[DartboardT]

Yeah, whenever I feel a wave of optimism clouding my judgment I raise my "win projection" for the Nets...

...by a whole game...

...starting from 20

I remember the Lakers days. Just because it seems the situation seems overall better doesn't mean it'll lead to better results, NECESSARILY. Atkinson unproven. Chemistry unproven. I have no idea what a ton of the players including bench rotation can do. So for now I'm just gonna sit back, watch, and learn what I can about this team.

I WILL say that a team that CARES, plays hard and as a unit (which Atkinson can influence) SHOULD, in theory, be able to scrape together a few wins over 20, given enough shooting and 3-3.5 "reliable" starters (Lopez, probably Lin, maybe Bojan, probably Booker, hopefully RHJ, whatever that adds up to)

[tyusedney]

.
.
I'm waiting with eager anticipation to see how Atkinson is gonna solve this potential dilemma if its true that BroLo is a terrible roller.

you are absolutely correct. BUT, give Nets fans some time to adjust. Lopez is and has been a franchise player for so long. his situation is a bit like Big Al last year on the Hornets. Lopez doesn't exactly fit Kenny's system but if he can become a 3 point threat, i see great things happening.. that is, if the Nets can somehow pick up a quality pnr power forward like Ed Davis down the line

[phillycheese]

Chris McCullagh is gonna beast, just watch. This guy has some serious hops. If he and Lin can connect that would be a very serious pnr tandem. Bennett - not sure why this guy cannot seem to finish all those bunnies around the basket. His game is so frustrating.

[hood30]

I was happy with what i saw in the preseason game from:

1) Lin

2) Lin fans

Lin was super aggressive. i hope that doesnt change. the assists will come, great but i want him to lead us in scoring and FGA. we dont have another guy who is really capabale of getting to the rim consistently. he should easily get 20 ppg with the volume he will get.

Lin fans were good. only 1 guy (criticized atkinson for taking on lin after 6 minutes of the first quarter) was an issue. guys were excited for lin and the nets without turning it into a crap show.

You meant Hood right? That guy didn't understand this is the preseason, and with the Motion Offense we are instituting, it is all about keeping the legs fresh and "progress".

So playing guys 15-17mpg during preseason will somehow hurt them or get them too tired for the regular season?...This is not summer league or some type of vacation league to rest.

You also need to understand that preseason is also used to build chemistry among your starters, specially if everybody believe you have no talent...No one said Lin or Lopez should play 30 minutes, so please, do not try to put up a lame straw-man argument while bringing my name up.

I personally believe teams like the Nets who have so much to work on, can not afford to play guys like Brook Lopez 10minutes and resting Lin..Not saying he should play even 25, but play him every games so he can get an idea of how his teammates plays and the new system.

I have no problem not playing guys like Lebron, Curry, Kyrie and other super-stars during preseason or playing them very little minutes..You already know what you will get from them and they already know the system....Not so for Lin, Bogs, Booker, RHJ and even Lopez who will be under a new system and is expected to shoot 3's...They need time and minute to gell, unlike the Cavs and the Warriors.

Under a bad team with no talent, I'm a strong proponent of using these valuable preseason minutes to get them to gel before real season starts.

That's my beliefs..I understand you have yours which is to rest as many guys as possible and not take these preseason game that seriously....

We haven't even seen how Brook and Lin looks as PnR partners or are they even compatible together...I have no idea so far...but there's still 4 more games left..Let's hope Atkinson will let Lopez play more than 15 minutes.

Let's hope Brook will be playing at least 20mpg during the last 4 games and no more rest game for Lin...

Unlike many of you, I actually believe these preseason games are very important to fix the projected starting 5 and see whether guys like Booker or Bogs belongs in it...So far, we havent seen the Lin/Bogs/RHJ/Booker/Lopez starting 5...

Portzingis played 27minutes the first game and 19 the second game..Melo had similar minutes in the previous 2 games..I'm sure both will not play the final games which it a ritual for most teams, but the idea is to give these guys enough minutes to gell.

I simply don't agree with the other way around which is to take it very easy on these players..At least not a bad team that could use chemistry because of lack of talent.

[Prokorov]

Chris McCullagh is gonna beast, just watch. This guy has some serious hops. If he and Lin can connect that would be a very serious pnr tandem. Bennett - not sure why this guy cannot seem to finish all those bunnies around the basket. His game is so frustrating.

i dont see either of those guys playing a whole lot. mccullough is a development project who is a few years away