Woj: Lin one and done player

[Sofa King]

http://kfwbam.com/2014/12/04/wojnarowsk ... he-lakers/

I think this Lin is a one-year player with the Lakers. He’s a backup point guard in the NBA. He’s obviously be thrust into a bigger role because of who they have [on the Lakers roster], with the injuries and with Steve Nash being out for the year. You can see that Lin’s confidence is not there. There’s not a great chemistry between Kobe and Lin, that’s obvious.

[Mamba Mentality]

With his current play, damn right he is. Lakers won't hesitate to bring him back for a backup role if we fixes up his play by the end of the season though.

[Dr Aki]

i don't think the lakers FO walk away from that chinese cash. lin still periodically explodes for 20/10

a nick young type contract and a 6th man role would be prudent spending

[dipstick]

Observations are correct. No confidence which may be causing no chemistry with kobe.

Now, the one and done is questionable. Season is early and plenty of time to adjust to improve confidence and chemistry. If he can get consistent enough, wouldn't mind keeping him at a reasonable contract. For me, he is too inconsistent. Needs to play more loose. With confidence, he and swaggy can be the leaders of a great bench.

[LBJKBD12]

I agree, i think he should resign on a small contract and come off the bench. We should go for Rondo, but don't offer too much.

[dockingsched]

it'll be very hard for the lakers to commit any type of money to lin after this season. safe to say they probably don't view him as the long term answer at pg, so you can't give him MLE type money when you're probably going to go after big money pg's the next two summers.

pg's due for free agency this upcoming summer or next:

rajon rondo
monta ellis
mike conley
deron williams (if the money makes sense?)
patrick beverley (R)
reggie jackson (R)
gordan dragic


can't lock yourself up to lin as a starter or as a non-cheap backup when there's so many better options the next two summers.

[ChokeFasncists]

Misleading title. Woj thinks Lin might be a one and done for the Lakers. Who knows, it really depends on his play and there's still plenty of time left.

[Kilroy]

His play is part of it, but like Doc said, his contract is probably a bigger part... That said, if he somehow turns it around, blows everyone's mind, and plays better than anyone on Doc's list, anything is possible.
I'd like to retain him as a backup... But he's probably not going to accept that kind of money.

[Sofa King]

Misleading title. Woj thinks Lin might be a one and done for the Lakers. Who knows, it really depends on his play and there's still plenty of time left.

How is this misleading?

[Sofa King]

His play is part of it, but like Doc said, his contract is probably a bigger part... That said, if he somehow turns it around, blows everyone's mind, and plays better than anyone on Doc's list, anything is possible.
I'd like to retain him as a backup... But he's probably not going to accept that kind of money.

At first, I believe Lin's best option is to go back to the Knicks, but then I realized he's gotta learn the Triangle so that should rule them out.

Lin should sign back up with the Warriors. They could always use a back up point guard.

I don't see the Lakers getting back Lin unless he agrees to a discount and/or no one else wants him but us. And even then, what Doc said above. +1

[EdXDavis21]

Is it possible MDA was responsible for giving Lin the NBA imagine and credibility he has today? I mean since he left NY he's been a average player at best.... even mediocre at times..... I don't think the Lakers should give this guy any kind of galore... he has had several opportunities and obviously lacks the drive to play consistent basketball... I'm hoping this guy is traded somehow.

[Tee212]

tooo early, the early loses piling up influences the article. kobe is not easy to have instant chem with (only passive pau fits the bill)

[Kilroy]

His play is part of it, but like Doc said, his contract is probably a bigger part... That said, if he somehow turns it around, blows everyone's mind, and plays better than anyone on Doc's list, anything is possible.
I'd like to retain him as a backup... But he's probably not going to accept that kind of money.

At first, I believe Lin's best option is to go back to the Knicks, but then I realized he's gotta learn the Triangle so that should rule them out.

Lin should sign back up with the Warriors. They could always use a back up point guard.

I don't see the Lakers getting back Lin unless he agrees to a discount and/or no one else wants him but us. And even then, what Doc said above. +1

I got the impression when Lin first got here, he wasn't really taking the opportunity to play in LA for the Lakers too seriously. I don't think he really wants to be here. Not sure if it's because the team isn't that good or what, but he just seemed to be putting I don't care vibes out...
He looked out of shape and rusty to me when he finally hit the floor and then he got hurt right away, which didn't help.
Now he looks to me like he's either still not in the same shape he was last year or he's lost a step. He doesn't seem as quick on either end of the floor.

If any of that's true, I'm not sure where Lin fits in the NBA anymore. It seems like he's not quick enough anymore to excel in an MDA-type offense or GSW. Right now, he's playing like a tweener guard that isn't really good at either position on either end of the floor. I mean he's an NBA player still, but he has no remarkable talent or niche.

I would think backing up someone in the Triangle would be ideal for a tall guard with indefinable skills... If he could learn it. It might mask some of his deficiencies.

Crazy and Slava have said he'd probably be better as a SG than a PG... But he needs to shoot better and with more confidence for that.

[SlimShady83]

People need to get over the whole Linsanity thing. It was just that Linsanity apart from that he is just an average player or maybe better then average player.

I'd love to see a Rondo/Lin/Price for Pg next year

[dipstick]

Hard to gauge his value on the open market right now. I don't think its going to be that high given that he isn't really impressing anybody right now. So given the abundance of PGs in the league and Houston had to give up a pick for us to get him, I don't think his value is that high.

The tricky part is, as someone mentioned, is if we can give up the cap space to keep him. Even at 3-4m per year, which he may be worth, I'm not sure that we can afford to give away these kind of contracts especially if we haven't netted a high profile Free Agent yet in the 2015 offseason.

All of this can be superseded by his play. If we see Linsanity 2.0, for half a season, then maybe his value increases and we can re-sign at a premium (not max) or even do a S&T. If we see Linsanity lite, then we may decide that he is good enough to be a good value starting PG as long as he has a complete team with him.

It may not be fair to say that he doesn't want to play for the Lakers long term. Although I do sense a lack of enthusiasm, it may just be his demeanor. (I don't know.) In any case, he seems to be the kind of guy that you have to encourage rather than show tough love on. He seems to be scared of Kobe, and that has got to change if we want more chemistry. (Again that's just what I observe.)

Overall, I'm rooting for Lin. I wasn't a Lin fan when he was in New York nor in Houston, but by virtue of him being a Laker, I'm hoping he can give us some value, and he seems like a great guy to have around. Its the downside of Linsanity for him. Yes Linsanity game him fame and fortune, but at the other end, it also forced some unrealistic expectations on him from all around. We all knew coming into the season that we were getting a PG that was a backup for the Rockets, but while we tempered our expectations, a lot were still also hoping to see a little of the Linsanity come out.

Playing for a team with a losing record should be easy and without pressure. Not really the case with the Lakers who still sell out even when they are tanking. Not so with a teammate like Kobe, who is the hardest working player in the league and one of the greatest of all time, expecting so much from everyone else all the time.

[ChokeFasncists]

^
Great post, thx.

Misleading title. Woj thinks Lin might be a one and done for the Lakers. Who knows, it really depends on his play and there's still plenty of time left.

How is this misleading?

When one reads the title, one might assume that it's, "Woj says Lin is a one and done player, period." In actual fact, it's just his guess based on his current play, and it's only for the Lakers. He might develop chemistry with Kobe?

That said, if he somehow turns it around, blows everyone's mind, and plays better than anyone on Doc's list, anything is possible.

Ya, that's what I'm saying. He is capable, just dunno when or if it's gonna happen.

Is it possible MDA was responsible for giving Lin the NBA imagine and credibility he has today? I mean since he left NY he's been a average player at best.... even mediocre at times..... I don't think the Lakers should give this guy any kind of galore... he has had several opportunities and obviously lacks the drive to play consistent basketball...

People need to get over the whole Linsanity thing. It was just that Linsanity apart from that he is just an average player or maybe better then average player.

The thing is, towards the end of the first year in Houston he averaged 17/7, 2nd year when he had the opportunity he did so again. It hasn't happened yet but maybe it takes some time?

I got the impression when Lin first got here, he wasn't really taking the opportunity to play in LA for the Lakers too seriously. I don't think he really wants to be here. Not sure if it's because the team isn't that good or what, but he just seemed to be putting I don't care vibes out...
He looked out of shape and rusty to me when he finally hit the floor and then he got hurt right away, which didn't help.
Now he looks to me like he's either still not in the same shape he was last year or he's lost a step. He doesn't seem as quick on either end of the floor.

I think he might be demoralized *and jaded by being ousted and traded with a pick, doubting himself. *I think he likes LA tho. Agreed about his shape. It could be his ankles, his back or he's not used to the muscles he put on. OTOH, perhaps he was that all or nothing, trainwreck type but now have become more mature and slow. Process of mixing speed and brain?

If any of that's true, I'm not sure where Lin fits in the NBA anymore. It seems like he's not quick enough anymore to excel in an MDA-type offense or GSW. Right now, he's playing like a tweener guard that isn't really good at either position on either end of the floor. I mean he's an NBA player still, but he has no remarkable talent or niche.

I would think backing up someone in the Triangle would be ideal for a tall guard with indefinable skills... If he could learn it. It might mask some of his deficiencies.

Crazy and Slava have said he'd probably be better as a SG than a PG... But he needs to shoot better and with more confidence for that.

He's still relatively green and developing. Let's hope he gets his act together and be able to do both. He's learning both to be the PG that brings the ball up, calls play and get guys shots; and play off the ball spotting up with Kobe. Neither is his strong suit. He's most comfortable being the PnR initiator, drive and dish. But IMO it's good for him long term to be able to do different things. At least he's close to being a 50-40-90 player.

Here's an article that is positive about what Lin's doing:

Jeremy Lin Quietly Having Career Year For Lakers
http://hoopshabit.com/2014/11/29/jeremy ... ar-lakers/

he’s putting up career highs in field goal shooting (.490), 3-point shooting (.383) and effective field goal percentage (.552).

What’s most impressive (courtesy of NBA.com/stats) is that Lin is eating up his open looks. He’s doing a good job of playing off the ball as well as when he handles the ball and most importantly — he’s taking care of business when he gets the chance.

Over Lin’s last four games, he’s playing at his season average with 30.5 minutes per game, but his production is up. Lin is averaging 16.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 56 percent from the field. Those might not be Hall-of-Fame numbers, but they’re excellent and would be welcomed by about 25 teams in the league.

Still, Lin is doing a pretty good job at ensuring his opponent isn’t performing to their usual levels. On two-point attempts, Lin is holding his opponent to 2.1 percent less than they shoot for the season. Inside 10 feet, he’s harassing them into 5.9 percent less and finally, he’s keeping them 6.1 percent below their averages inside six feet.

All in all, Lin is having a terrific year, but you may not have noticed. Lin has been that diamond in the rough.

[Tee212]

its almost like they have these articles positive and negative pre written and published pending on how well or poor the players are playing. i did notice before lins last game he was putting up career fg% (yes small sample but still). all of a sudden he lays an egg the article surface.

[Kalidogg24]

Jeremy should and will get a Steve Blake/Nick Young type contract.
Anywhere around 3-5 mill a season on a 3-4 year type contract.

Especially if we can lure a starting caliber type point guard like a Rondo or Westbrook. Jeremy coming off the bench with SwaggyP would be ideal . If we gave Farmar and Blake that opportunity Jeremy for sure is much better than both of them.

Not Jeremy's fault he got a pretty raw deal playing alongside the 3 most ball dominant players in the league.

Imo you can't pass on quality. From the starters to the bench. That's how you build championship contending rosters. If the Lakers pass on him please believe teams like the Spurs will come knocking on Jeremy's door AGAIN. Where imo in Pop's system Jeremy's style of play is more suited to flourish.

[cw3k]

If lin continue this path of inconsistency, yes, he is done. I think he is confuses most of the time. This is a contract year, he should makes up his mind

[panarama]

Jeremy should and will get a Steve Blake/Nick Young type contract.
Anywhere around 3-5 mill a season on a 3-4 year type contract.

Especially if we can lure a starting caliber type point guard like a Rondo or Westbrook. Jeremy coming off the bench with SwaggyP would be ideal . If we gave Farmar and Blake that opportunity Jeremy for sure is much better than both of them.

Not Jeremy's fault he got a pretty raw deal playing alongside the 3 most ball dominant players in the league.

Imo you can't pass on quality. From the starters to the bench. That's how you build championship contending rosters. If the Lakers pass on him please believe teams like the Spurs will come knocking on Jeremy's door AGAIN. Where imo in Pop's system Jeremy's style of play is more suited to flourish.

Another solid assessment on Lin there.
I have no doubt he will flourish in places like San Antonio.
He has shown consistency in his game when there is some sort of ball movement that creates spacing for him to get his rhythm going for easy buckets along w. his teammates. Though Lin is a PG, he isn't used as a traditional PG in the current system so, he needs to make up his mind before the game starts that what type of role he's going to play rather than holding on to a notion that he is going to be used as traditional PG. Best bet for him to salvage his inconsistency is by playing like a SG and drop the mentality of being a PG since SG/Kobe is at his best when he has ball in his hand or come off the bench with youngins.