Not In The Face - The Jeremy Lin Thread 3 + 1

[yosemiteben]

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team.

I agree. I also don't think he should play or close over a healthy MKG, which is why I don't view him as an attractive combo guard option except as injury insurance.

Last season in that wing combo guard role, Lin was generally inefficient offensively, did a poor job as a C&S shooter and floor spacer, and played solid but not exceptional defense. His value to this team in the future should not be as a SG, and we shouldn't be paying him like it is.

It's all well and good to say others can step in so Lin is not needed but why? We know what he can do.

MKG will have exponentially greater impact as a closer SG than Lin had IMO. CLee arguably was significantly more impactful in that role as well. That is why.

[KM6]

Well, you're not that big on Lin then. I think Lin is the one with the most intangibles. Numbers aside, when the team needed someone to step up big and come through for them in big spots, Lin did it most, followed by Marv. I think then Lee and Batum is last. Lin isn't that easy to replace. Houston still hasn't replaced him.

We won 3 playoffs games where Lin was a huge contributor, a game against Spurs we had no right winning due to Lin going nuts, Boston Lin having an insane quarter, Cavs game with Kemba out Lin and MKG combining to upset the mighty Cavs. All big teams, all Lin stepping up. Not everyone, even with good stats, can do that. I actually like a JJ Barea for Lin, but he doesn't have Lin's D and height.

I agree with Yosemiteben that Lin is the most easily replaceable from a numbers standpoint. There are surely other backup PGs out there that can give you 41% FG and 33% 3PT and 20 minutes/game. There is, however, a "potential" and a set of intangibles that Lin has that is hard to replace. The ability to step up big in big games, the ability to be explosive when necessary, plus his character and team-focused mindset.

I think this is a moot point though because from a team standpoint, the Hornets need to lock down their starting SG and PF before thinking about backup Gs. The team simply cannot afford to give too much money to a backup G.

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team. And that was to be a rotational guy and a huge insurance for when Batum couldn't play or play well. He almost always was able to contribute well with doing what it took, be it scoring, facilitating, being another slasher with Kemba, etc. and playing good D, to help the team win. It's not his point guard skills that were that noticeable, except maybe in the game against the Cavs Kemba was out, but his ability to step in and do so many things that helped that team win. And he did that during the playoffs in a big way, and helped get Clifford 3 wins.That is what is not easily replaceable. Seeing Lin as a "backup PG" is a mistake, that's not really the role he played on the team. And i'ts exactly that which is what the Houston Rockets hasn't replaced on their team. Lin was a similar combo guard off the bench his second season on Houston.

It's all well and good to say others can step in so Lin is not needed but why? We know what he can do. IMO, he should be the second most important FA to sign, and not for any MLE either. For real money. If possible. If it's impossible fine. But at least acknowledge the big part Lin played on the team last season. He was a really important piece of the puzzle, and only missed 3 or 4 games.

As a Lin fan for 5 years, I am already used to Lin being treated as second class citizen, and not have his contributions acknowledged. To be frank, Charlotte media and fans had been much better than the Houston counter parts. If you have to argue with anyone who does not see eye to eye with you regarding any Lin issue, you either just become a Lin fan recently, or you will lose years of your life due to anger/blood pressure related issues.

Regardless of how people assess his game or his on court contributions, he is proving all doubters wrong over time.

Before Linsanity, he is not even relevant in the NBA, despite out playing John Wall in summer league, he goes undrafted.
During Linsanity, he is a "flash in the pan", and a "scrub" who has no chance to sustain his success in the NBA.
With Houston, he "cannot play off the ball" and is such a "defensive liability" playing with Harden, he "needs" Pbev to save his ass.
With Lakers, he "cannot hold his starting job" over Ronnie Fking Price. And people blame their losing record on JLin.
With Hornets, he got a chance to play and not get iced or benched unfairly(at least not nearly as much), and showed his ability to contribute when given the chance. Thus showing the league his worth on the court, even though us Lin fans all knew he is capable of much more if given the starting opportunity.

If you have been following Lin for as long as I have or longer, you should have been used to doubters, and you should have known to not argue with every single one of them when it happens. It's not going to change their opinion. We will see how Lin decides to approach this upcoming Free Agency. Life is never fair for someone like Lin, a minority in a sports that's definitely not dominated by players of Asian decent.

If he stays with Hornets on a deep discount, then I wish him the best of luck; but if he gets a chance to start for ANY team, we will then see what he is really made of, and how good a player he really is.

[Appwrangler]

Between Lee, Lin, Batum, and Marv, Lin is the one that is most easily replaceable IMO. I don't expect us to try too hard to retain him if he's shopping for a big deal.

Well, you're not that big on Lin then...

Not news to anyone who's read his posts this season.

[spaceballer]

Full Adidas poster with 3 Jeremy Lins.

[Mystical Apples]

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team.

The same rationale why a good team with overlapping options wouldn't pay Lin > 7-8th man money: diminishing returns. There's also a significant difference between versatility and accomplishing disparate tasks efficiently.

As a PG he's bottom quartile in almost every imaginable ball security and facilitating metric. As a guard in general, he was bottom third as a shooter (to be kind) and can't defend larger 2's. Courtney's not a PG (or whatever SG) but that matters little if Lin's the inferior SG option 80% of the time, a role Lin plays in part because Clifford doesn't trust him at PG.

His best attribute is driving and getting to the line - which counter intuitively is a defensive metric - but again, that value is mitigated by opportunity costs (Lamb) or foregoing better defensive options with a traditionally sized wing.

[bws94]

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team.

The same rationale why a good team with overlapping options wouldn't pay Lin > 7-8th man money: diminishing returns. There's also a significant difference between versatility and accomplishing disparate tasks efficiently.

As a PG he's bottom quartile in almost every imaginable ball security and facilitating metric. As a guard in general, he was bottom third as a shooter (to be kind) and can't defend larger 2's. Courtney's not a PG (or whatever SG) but that matters little if Lin's the inferior SG option 80% of the time, a role Lin plays in part because Clifford doesn't trust him at PG.

His best attribute is driving and getting to the line - which counter intuitively is a defensive metric - but again, that value is mitigated by opportunity costs (Lamb) or foregoing better defensive options with a traditionally sized wing.

His best qualities aren't in metrics, it's in intangibles. And that he makes winning plays. If you just look at metrics, then you'll come to the conclusion that he's not worth much. But Cho said Lin helped win them games. That's the thing I'm talking about.

[KM6]

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team.

The same rationale why a good team with overlapping options wouldn't pay Lin > 7-8th man money: diminishing returns. There's also a significant difference between versatility and accomplishing disparate tasks efficiently.

As a PG he's bottom quartile in almost every imaginable ball security and facilitating metric. As a guard in general, he was bottom third as a shooter (to be kind) and can't defend larger 2's. Courtney's not a PG (or whatever SG) but that matters little if Lin's the inferior SG option 80% of the time, a role Lin plays in part because Clifford doesn't trust him at PG.

His best attribute is driving and getting to the line - which counter intuitively is a defensive metric - but again, that value is mitigated by opportunity costs (Lamb) or foregoing better defensive options with a traditionally sized wing.

His best qualities aren't in metrics, it's in intangibles. And that he makes winning plays. If you just look at metrics, then you'll come to the conclusion that he's not worth much. But Cho said Lin helped win them games. That's the thing I'm talking about.

The best metric is number of wins. Let's see how many wins can the hornets get this coming year, assuming Lin walks. Keep in mind that MKG will be back healthy too.

[bws94]

I agree with Yosemiteben that Lin is the most easily replaceable from a numbers standpoint. There are surely other backup PGs out there that can give you 41% FG and 33% 3PT and 20 minutes/game. There is, however, a "potential" and a set of intangibles that Lin has that is hard to replace. The ability to step up big in big games, the ability to be explosive when necessary, plus his character and team-focused mindset.

I think this is a moot point though because from a team standpoint, the Hornets need to lock down their starting SG and PF before thinking about backup Gs. The team simply cannot afford to give too much money to a backup G.

My argument would be Lin played the essential role of 3rd facilitator on the team. The thing with Lin is, he wasn't a back-up PG. He only played PG about 36 percent when he was on the floor. He was a 6th man combo guard. If you look at him as a backup PG you're missing out on the real function he had on this team. And that was to be a rotational guy and a huge insurance for when Batum couldn't play or play well. He almost always was able to contribute well with doing what it took, be it scoring, facilitating, being another slasher with Kemba, etc. and playing good D, to help the team win. It's not his point guard skills that were that noticeable, except maybe in the game against the Cavs Kemba was out, but his ability to step in and do so many things that helped that team win. And he did that during the playoffs in a big way, and helped get Clifford 3 wins.That is what is not easily replaceable. Seeing Lin as a "backup PG" is a mistake, that's not really the role he played on the team. And i'ts exactly that which is what the Houston Rockets hasn't replaced on their team. Lin was a similar combo guard off the bench his second season on Houston.

It's all well and good to say others can step in so Lin is not needed but why? We know what he can do. IMO, he should be the second most important FA to sign, and not for any MLE either. For real money. If possible. If it's impossible fine. But at least acknowledge the big part Lin played on the team last season. He was a really important piece of the puzzle, and only missed 3 or 4 games.

As a Lin fan for 5 years, I am already used to Lin being treated as second class citizen, and not have his contributions acknowledged. To be frank, Charlotte media and fans had been much better than the Houston counter parts. If you have to argue with anyone who does not see eye to eye with you regarding any Lin issue, you either just become a Lin fan recently, or you will lose years of your life due to anger/blood pressure related issues.

Regardless of how people assess his game or his on court contributions, he is proving all doubters wrong over time.

Before Linsanity, he is not even relevant in the NBA, despite out playing John Wall in summer league, he goes undrafted.
During Linsanity, he is a "flash in the pan", and a "scrub" who has no chance to sustain his success in the NBA.
With Houston, he "cannot play off the ball" and is such a "defensive liability" playing with Harden, he "needs" Pbev to save his ass.
With Lakers, he "cannot hold his starting job" over Ronnie Fking Price. And people blame their losing record on JLin.
With Hornets, he got a chance to play and not get iced or benched unfairly(at least not nearly as much), and showed his ability to contribute when given the chance. Thus showing the league his worth on the court, even though us Lin fans all knew he is capable of much more if given the starting opportunity.

If you have been following Lin for as long as I have or longer, you should have been used to doubters, and you should have known to not argue with every single one of them when it happens. It's not going to change their opinion. We will see how Lin decides to approach this upcoming Free Agency. Life is never fair for someone like Lin, a minority in a sports that's definitely not dominated by players of Asian decent.

If he stays with Hornets on a deep discount, then I wish him the best of luck; but if he gets a chance to start for ANY team, we will then see what he is really made of, and how good a player he really is.

People have legit different points of views on all basketball players or players in any sport. I've been watching Lin since his breakout with the Knicks, and basketball for 40 years. I'm just making points of Lin's contribution to the team, not trying to talk Lin himself up. I think Lin has holes in his game, but I see players are winners, it's a quality that is in some players and it has nothing to do with them being stars or top stats players or not. I see Lin as a winner, because he makes timely plays. Other guys can have great stats but when you need that big play, you don't feel like you want to go to them to do it. For me, the winners on Charlotte are Kemba, Lin, Daniels, and Marvin Williams. To me, those guys tended to be the best clutch performers.

I respect YosemiteBen, we just have a different POV of Lin's importance to the team. It's good to have a debate on a forum.

[bws94]

The same rationale why a good team with overlapping options wouldn't pay Lin > 7-8th man money: diminishing returns. There's also a significant difference between versatility and accomplishing disparate tasks efficiently.

As a PG he's bottom quartile in almost every imaginable ball security and facilitating metric. As a guard in general, he was bottom third as a shooter (to be kind) and can't defend larger 2's. Courtney's not a PG (or whatever SG) but that matters little if Lin's the inferior SG option 80% of the time, a role Lin plays in part because Clifford doesn't trust him at PG.

His best attribute is driving and getting to the line - which counter intuitively is a defensive metric - but again, that value is mitigated by opportunity costs (Lamb) or foregoing better defensive options with a traditionally sized wing.

His best qualities aren't in metrics, it's in intangibles. And that he makes winning plays. If you just look at metrics, then you'll come to the conclusion that he's not worth much. But Cho said Lin helped win them games. That's the thing I'm talking about.

The best metric is number of wins. Let's see how many wins can the hornets get this coming year, assuming Lin walks. Keep in mind that MKG will be back healthy too.

I hope many. I sincerely think you get more of them with Lin, than if he walks. And more playoff wins. But the Hornets are a good team with a bright future. And I hope for the team to not have to deal with the serious injuries they did last season.

[Mystical Apples]

His best qualities aren't in metrics, it's in intangibles. And that he makes winning plays. If you just look at metrics, then you'll come to the conclusion that he's not worth much. But Cho said Lin helped win them games. That's the thing I'm talking about.

Lots of players have intangibles and no doubt their smaller fan bases would say so. And Frankly, that's a willfully abstract rationale for compensating a player already aging beyond his positional efficiency/minutes curve.

The justification for over-compensating Lin is for marketing opportunities, which is a legitimate business consideration but also a tangible one.

[spaceballer]

Hornets VP Pete Guelli:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/PeteGuelli/status/740549258886144001[/tweet]
https://twitter.com/PeteGuelli/status/740549258886144001

[rallydurham]

Lin is not characterized as a scrub by rational fans.

He was a pretty good player in houston. He didn't do that well in LA, but that team was a trainwreck. I think most people are willing to give him a pass for that season.

But the fact of the matter is in charlotte he was a nice bench option due to his versatility... but he had very pedestrian stats...

If he doesn't improve his shooting then he isn't a good option to play a larger role as an off guard. And if he doesn't improve his ballhandling he isn't a good option to play a larger role as a point guard.

Hes close to being a productive starting point guard in this league but hes just not quite there... now if someone is injured he can certainly fill in... if he's hot he can be a good occasional closer.

The problem with Lin fans is that you only point to his good games and his positive attributes. You ignore his bad games and negative attributes.

You obsess about what he COULD potentially do instead of evaluating his actual contributions.

He should concentrate on building his global marketing machine as much as possible while he is still a productive player. It's just not likely he's going to improve anymore really. He has squeezed about everything he can out of his potential.

If anything i think fans recognize that and give him credit for his work ethic. I don't think he's discriminated against. I don't see legions of fans expecting a breakout season from average 28 y/o white or black point guards... or clamoring for them to have featured roles.

Likewise, I don't see anyone bashing him saying he doesn't play hard or work on his game enough

[yosemiteben]

I respect YosemiteBen, we just have a different POV of Lin's importance to the team. It's good to have a debate on a forum.

Agreed. I showed my 5 year old son the Lin documentary on Netflix when we signed him, I'm a Christian myself and really appreciate that facet of his personality, I think he's a consummate teammate and professional, and personally I'm a really big fan of his after having him on this team. I don't appreciate folks acting like I have some sort of vendetta against the guy.

I would love to hang on to him if possible. I just am trying to be objective and realistic about his performance last season and his role going forward.

[fatlever]

first time in the history of Realgm that YB has been accused of being too negative about a player.

[13th Man]

It's close to a 0% chance he returns to charlotte. They are estimating he will get 10-12m /yr now.

Not only is that a fairly gross overpay, but we don't have cap space for that and we already have lamb signed as our backup guard.

It makes zero sense to give kemba and batum big deals and have lamb locked up and waste our remaining space on any backup guard.

Lin doesn't have an opportunity to play a big enough role to be worth anywhere near $12m/yr as a hornet.

Even if he was miraculously able to raise his level of play to justify a big contract we don't have a need for him

Agreed. As much as I like Charlotte as a team of high character and likeable players, Lin's demand in pay is likely going to outgrow his role here.

It will come down to what offers he gets but from the looks of it, there'll be at least a couple of teams that are thin enough at the PG position to offer him that starting role, something he'll never get here while everybody is healthy.

[13th Man]

Lin is not characterized as a scrub by rational fans.

He was a pretty good player in houston. He didn't do that well in LA, but that team was a trainwreck. I think most people are willing to give him a pass for that season.

But the fact of the matter is in charlotte he was a nice bench option due to his versatility... but he had very pedestrian stats...

If he doesn't improve his shooting then he isn't a good option to play a larger role as an off guard. And if he doesn't improve his ballhandling he isn't a good option to play a larger role as a point guard.

Hes close to being a productive starting point guard in this league but hes just not quite there... now if someone is injured he can certainly fill in... if he's hot he can be a good occasional closer.

The problem with Lin fans is that you only point to his good games and his positive attributes. You ignore his bad games and negative attributes.

You obsess about what he COULD potentially do instead of evaluating his actual contributions.

He should concentrate on building his global marketing machine as much as possible while he is still a productive player. It's just not likely he's going to improve anymore really. He has squeezed about everything he can out of his potential.

If anything i think fans recognize that and give him credit for his work ethic. I don't think he's discriminated against. I don't see legions of fans expecting a breakout season from average 28 y/o white or black point guards... or clamoring for them to have featured roles.

Likewise, I don't see anyone bashing him saying he doesn't play hard or work on his game enough

I agree that he has quite a bit of work to do in regards to his shooting and also dribbling. I've said on record that I wouldn't mind at all for him to stay in Charlotte to improve on these aspects but if he's looking for a larger role next year than this wouldn't be the best place for him.

The one aspect that many Lin fans are clamoring for is to see him getting his usage rate back up; that is when he is the primary ball handler, something we haven't been able to see since Linsanity (except for games where he's filled in for starting PGs and have done quite well).

It'll be interesting to see if any teams are willing to give him this shot, imo I think there may be 2-3 teams. They'd also be banking on the fact that he gets his shooting in order, he could be a solid starter if he can get that aspect together.

From the Hornets POV, I think they'd be able to give him 6-7M max, anything above that would be beyond their threshold for his current role. I know they gave Lamb 7M but in hindsight they overpaid for him.

[Roy Tarpley]

Lin is not characterized as a scrub by rational fans.

He was a pretty good player in houston. He didn't do that well in LA, but that team was a trainwreck. I think most people are willing to give him a pass for that season.

But the fact of the matter is in charlotte he was a nice bench option due to his versatility... but he had very pedestrian stats...

If he doesn't improve his shooting then he isn't a good option to play a larger role as an off guard. And if he doesn't improve his ballhandling he isn't a good option to play a larger role as a point guard.

Hes close to being a productive starting point guard in this league but hes just not quite there... now if someone is injured he can certainly fill in... if he's hot he can be a good occasional closer.

The problem with Lin fans is that you only point to his good games and his positive attributes. You ignore his bad games and negative attributes.

You obsess about what he COULD potentially do instead of evaluating his actual contributions.

He should concentrate on building his global marketing machine as much as possible while he is still a productive player. It's just not likely he's going to improve anymore really. He has squeezed about everything he can out of his potential.

If anything i think fans recognize that and give him credit for his work ethic. I don't think he's discriminated against. I don't see legions of fans expecting a breakout season from average 28 y/o white or black point guards... or clamoring for them to have featured roles.

Likewise, I don't see anyone bashing him saying he doesn't play hard or work on his game enough

This is a pretty objective assessment of Lin -- which I appreciate as a Lin fan.

But I would note that many Lin fans are also very clear-eyed about his bad games and negative attributes. Lin had a stretch of putrid games in the second half of last season and for all the talk about Lin being a key player, his FG% and 3PT% were closer to career lows than highs. So let's put to bed this notion that Lin fans can't be objective about his performance.

This being said, I don't think you can compare Lin to the "average 28 y/o white or black point guard." He played four years of college ball and didn't play a full season until age 24, while many good NBA players play full seasons starting from age 19 or 20. So in terms of wear and tear, Lin at 28 is like a player who is 24.

Kyle Lowry played a full season at 21, became a full-time starter at 24, a good player at 27, and then a star at 30.
Goran Dragic played a full season at 23, became a full-time starter at 26, and then had his great year at 27.
Steve Nash played a full season at 23, became a full-time starter at 24, a good player at 27, and then a star at 30.
Lin played a full season at 24, became a full-time starter at 24, but then has seen his minutes dwindle since -- not due to ability but circumstances.

All this is to say that Lin got a late start, but should be ready for a starting position today at age 28. My guess is that he will have offers for starting opportunities but he needs to seize it NOW. Otherwise, he will forever be a "6th man" -- which isn't a terrible thing to be if you can carve out a niche like Ginobili on a championship team. But this exception aside, he may risk going down the Ramon Sessions/Mo Williams path.

[Roy Tarpley]

In social psychology, one of the pillar concepts is the fundamental attribution error (FAE), which is the tendency for people to place an undue emphasis on internal characteristics to explain someone else's behavior in a given situation rather than considering the situation's external factors. Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers is basically 200 pages of stories that, if boiled down succinctly, would describe the FAE.

We praise Popovich as the one of the greatest coaches ever (attributing his success to his own person) but we ignore the fact that he lucked into Tim Duncan.

Nash was a two-time MVP but we discount the fact that he may have been just solid rather than great if he didn't find the right situation in Phoenix under the D'Antoni system.

Most people see Lin as a serviceable guard but with the right context, he may self-actualize into the player that most Lin fans think he can be. This place will not be Charlotte. We thought last season was the inflection point for Lin but it looks like the real fork in the road for him lies a month away.

[bws94]

I respect YosemiteBen, we just have a different POV of Lin's importance to the team. It's good to have a debate on a forum.

Agreed. I showed my 5 year old son the Lin documentary on Netflix when we signed him, I'm a Christian myself and really appreciate that facet of his personality, I think he's a consummate teammate and professional, and personally I'm a really big fan of his after having him on this team. I don't appreciate folks acting like I have some sort of vendetta against the guy.

I would love to hang on to him if possible. I just am trying to be objective and realistic about his performance last season and his role going forward.

Yes, and I appreciate that. All my comments are based on how I think Lin could help the Hornets. I like the team, I liked the feeling of last season, and I think its on its way to good things with some right moves. If Lin is part of it, I think that's good for the team. Not sure about Lin, but for the Hornets. And you make good points.

[bws94]

Lin is not characterized as a scrub by rational fans.

He was a pretty good player in houston. He didn't do that well in LA, but that team was a trainwreck. I think most people are willing to give him a pass for that season.

But the fact of the matter is in charlotte he was a nice bench option due to his versatility... but he had very pedestrian stats...

If he doesn't improve his shooting then he isn't a good option to play a larger role as an off guard. And if he doesn't improve his ballhandling he isn't a good option to play a larger role as a point guard.

Hes close to being a productive starting point guard in this league but hes just not quite there... now if someone is injured he can certainly fill in... if he's hot he can be a good occasional closer.

The problem with Lin fans is that you only point to his good games and his positive attributes. You ignore his bad games and negative attributes.

You obsess about what he COULD potentially do instead of evaluating his actual contributions.

He should concentrate on building his global marketing machine as much as possible while he is still a productive player. It's just not likely he's going to improve anymore really. He has squeezed about everything he can out of his potential.

If anything i think fans recognize that and give him credit for his work ethic. I don't think he's discriminated against. I don't see legions of fans expecting a breakout season from average 28 y/o white or black point guards... or clamoring for them to have featured roles.

Likewise, I don't see anyone bashing him saying he doesn't play hard or work on his game enough

The thing that I'm getting at is Lin has shown himself to be a big game player. Never said he didn't have holes in his game or actually, played under his level in some ways in this game. Never said anything about racism or anything else and I'm not into posters lumping all fans into some group either like you tend to do. Give him credit for playing big in big games, and that includes the playoffs. If he didn't have that one bad game, game 6, the Hornets would have gone on to the next round considering Kemba's monster game 6. That is how important Lin was to the team. And that's what I'm talking about, his importance to the team to help win big games.