Should Lin come off the bench?

[Capn'O]

I don't think we are going to see Lin in the league after his contract expires.

Wanna bet?

[inquisitive]

I don't think we are going to see Lin in the league after his contract expires.

you've never watched lin play....you've only heard about him.

[RollingWave]

he won't , bank on it. If only to avoid a huge media distraction all year long for very little realistic gain given that you won't play Beverley 35 min anyway.

We should also note that the Heat isn't playing Wade as the 6th man for example despite that the same argument could be made in terms of ball handling conflict and an even more extreme usage conflict.

On that other hand, the whole can't play together thing is also very shaky when you look at the lineup of Manu + Parker and Westbrook + Harden over the years. it's usually been BETTER than the starting lineup.

There's a lot of evidence to the opposite of the general argument. At the end of the day, making this change and Lin will still end up playing around the same minutes and minutes with Harden anyway. The reason you would make this change would be simply because you flat out think Beverley is way better as a player, which is hard to make if you actually take a look at their line and game over a larger sample size.

[Kabookalu]

As a huge Lin fan, he should. Whenever I watch the Rockets play it's always this: When Harden handles the ball Lin is running around the court pointlessly, almost like an effort to play off the ball but his efforts don't usually amount to much. When Lin handles the ball all Harden does is stand beyond the 3 point line waiting to get it again. Okay not to that extreme, but the two don't compliment each other, and it's obvious between Lin and Harden who you'd prefer to start.

[Frank Mulely]

Lin's handles will get him absolutely exposed against title contender caliber defense. He will not be able to play starter minutes at PG against the Heat, Spurs, Pacers, Bulls type teams.

We saw it at the height of Linsanity when the Heat started trapping him. Just couldn't handle it.

[Frank Mulely]

We should also note that the Heat isn't playing Wade as the 6th man for example despite that the same argument could be made in terms of ball handling conflict and an even more extreme usage conflict.

Absolutely, because Wade = Lin.

[inquisitive]

Lin is better off with 2nd unit where he can run the offense and attack the rim at will. Bev has shown that he cant run the offense, but Harden will help him out in that area so he can concentrate on that pestering D. The 2nd unit will be more potent that way. With Asik returning, that 2nd unit could be better than some of the starting units in the league.

[orange_juice32]

I don't understand why people say Lin shouldn't start because Harden is the better playmaker. They have to have other threats on the floor.

Everyone saw what happened when Harden held the ball basically the whole game while Lin was standing in the corner shooting spot up 3's. And then what happened when they let Lin have more opportunities with the ball. It was like night and day for their offense.

As for Beverley, he's better suited in smaller doses. Play him more, and the magic's gonna wear off and you'll see more of his warts.

[EGarrett]

Lin's handles will get him absolutely exposed against title contender caliber defense. He will not be able to play starter minutes at PG against the Heat, Spurs, Pacers, Bulls type teams.

We saw it at the height of Linsanity when the Heat started trapping him. Just couldn't handle it.

Yeah, he got exposed so bad he had 19 points, 5 boards, 13 assists and 1 turnover the very next game...and 17 and 8 over the next 5 games.

[tcorbin]

Yes, Lin is a pretty horrible PG, but an above average ball dominate undersized shooting guard like Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, or Bobby Jackson.

he is a poor defender, below average 3pt shooter, below average passer, but an above average player when it comes to creating his own shot.

he shouldn't start, but he should dominate the ball when Harden goes out and go up against the other team's second unit. but in the last five minutes of the game you could use a line up of Dwight/Parson/Harden/Lin/Beverley if the teams wants to go small and get some 3pt shooting around Dwight.

[Johnlac1]

In my opinion yes, he should.

Lin's strength is ball handling, while Beverley is an elite defender.

The Rockets best utilize their strengths by having Harden handle the offense in the starting group, while Bev pesters the opposing wings. Lin can come in and dominate the ball while Harden is resting. Doesn't make much sense to have to Lin playing spot up shooter and Bev trying to run the offense of the 2nd team where his defense is not matched against the opposing teams best ball handler.

Yep, couldn't agree more.

Lin is a ball dominant guard and was amazing in New York because he got the opportunity to run the show. He won't do that in Houston with Harden who also dominates the ball. It won't work with them playing next to each other for extended minutes.

Lin as the 6th man makes the most sense and it gives the second unit a scoring punch whilst allowing Beverly to concentrate on what he does best with the starters.

Tow ball dominant guards can't play together? That''s what they said about Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe when Monroe came to the Knicks. They ended up winning a title the next year. They might have won a few more if Reed's career hadn't been shortened by injuires. Lin and Harden won 45 games last year. With a better center they can certainly win 50 or more. The idea that they can't find a way is ludicrous.

[Johnlac1]

Too many outsiders make comments on what a team should do without actually watching their games... the ball movement is 10x better when Lin is in the game, he is a real playmaker whereas Beverley can only shoot open 3's and play stifling D (although his team defense is actually not as good as Lin's). And because Harden is a decent playmaker for his position, people assume that the Rockets can just get by with anyone at the PG spot... this isn't the triangle offense, they still need a good PG to be effective, because Harden has a tendency to go into ISO mode and that leaves the rest of the team standing still and watching. Make no mistake, the first unit is better with Lin in it, and having Beverley gives them a huge punch off the bench (where he belongs).

What you said!

[RollingWave]

Yes, Lin is a pretty horrible PG, but an above average ball dominate undersized shooting guard like Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, or Bobby Jackson.

he is a poor defender, below average 3pt shooter, below average passer, but an above average player when it comes to creating his own shot.

he shouldn't start, but he should dominate the ball when Harden goes out and go up against the other team's second unit. but in the last five minutes of the game you could use a line up of Dwight/Parson/Harden/Lin/Beverley if the teams wants to go small and get some 3pt shooting around Dwight.

Jeremy Lin assist % last year : 30%
Terry / Crawford / Jackson career assist % : 23%/ 20% / 19.5%

Jeremy Lin RAPM last year defensively : -0.2 (above average for a PG)

Jeremy Lin 3 point shooting from game 41-82 last year : .386 %

most of the assumption on Lin is simply not backed up by facts. And/or simply ignore that he came off a pretty serious knee injury.


Jeremy Lin game 1 to game 23 : .483 TS%

game 24 to 59 : .546

game 60 to 82 : .571

Normally if a 3rd year player do that coming off major injury , the narrative would be that he struggle for a couple months after returning from his first major injury but by the end of the year looked just like his old self and even better (his TS% in NY was .552) but not with Jeremy Lin for some reason

[HotRocks34]

My goodness, the apparent lack of knowledge about where Lin's game is at now seems astounding in this thread.

2011-12 called and wants its Lin scouting report back.

As a previous poster said, if you don't watch the games, you may want to think about refraining from commenting.

I've watched the last 100+ or so games Lin has played, and some of what is being said in here is laughable to me.

As regards Beverley "destroying" Holiday, few things:

* Holiday is a TO machine. Like top-5 in the league last year. That's just who he is.
* First time Beverley ever faced Holiday. Don't expect that to ever happen again.
* Beverley had 4 steals in the game. Lin had 3.
* During the period when Beverley "destroyed" Holiday, Houston's lead went from +9 to +5

I know there may be some frayed nerves after Lin put up 17 points last night and Beverley put up 2 points, but let's not get out of hand here.

[Heat fan06]

Lin off the bench seems like a good option offensively.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3

[Jellybeans824]

He's going nowhere





lol

People crying at the sight of Kobe

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5jaHlolLZ4[/youtube]

[up n under]

Too many outsiders make comments on what a team should do without actually watching their games... the ball movement is 10x better when Lin is in the game, he is a real playmaker whereas Beverley can only shoot open 3's and play stifling D (although his team defense is actually not as good as Lin's). And because Harden is a decent playmaker for his position, people assume that the Rockets can just get by with anyone at the PG spot... this isn't the triangle offense, they still need a good PG to be effective, because Harden has a tendency to go into ISO mode and that leaves the rest of the team standing still and watching. Make no mistake, the first unit is better with Lin in it, and having Beverley gives them a huge punch off the bench (where he belongs).

What you said!

Completely agree. When Lin is on the floor the offense runs a lot smoother. Beverly can relieve ether Harden or Lin, and let the other play some minutes with the 2nd unit.



Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums mobile ap

[Ettorefm]

Wait...did I just read that Lin is a poor passer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
.
This has got to be trolling..
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDOS90pEhhA[/youtube]

[Kabookalu]

Rockets fans can you clarify this observation I've had. It's the one I made earlier about when Lin is handling it James Harden just stands around the perimeter doing nothing, and when it's the reverse Lin is also either standing around or moving around way too much.

[Mr. E]

It's good that McHale is experimenting with the lineup, but at the end of the day I believe that Houston will be better off with Lin as the starter. I'm predicting him to finish in the top five for assists if he starts full-time.