Impossible to know at this point, however, I would hope that they are paying attention to what the statistics are telling them. IE, that Lin is more effective as the primary ball handler, that an easy way to get him touches is have him lead the 2nd unit with TD, and that you can STILL get Harden his touches/shots while sharing the responsibilities more with Lin and having TD trade off some of those minutes with multiple other players. A particularly interesting lineup I've seen as of late is TD, Harden AND Lin. It's definitely small ball, but it has its advantages. Since we're so terrible on the defensive end anyway there's really not much lost defensively that you don't regain in terms of perimeter defense in terms of TD and Lin's quickness.
Torocan, I think you and Morey would become best friends if you ever met. As you prob already know, he's a stat lover and analytical as well.
From the first moment of the game he took the first iso and ran with it, he got his confidence going and started playing his game. Look, you guys think the coaches are telling him to defer to Harden - they are not. He is giving the ball up way too early in previous games. Tonight, he looked to score and play make - and i said, FINALLY! You guys think the coaches dont want him to be aggressive and drive - they do. Clearly he got more minutes because: A: They understood emotionally how important this game was for him B: He was being aggressive I hope he continues to play like this. Even Lin admitted before the game he has been playing passively. So I give him credit for adjusting and am very happy with the result.
They can mesh but it's up to Lin, Harden, AND the coaching staff to get going on this ASAP. The blame can be distributed to all aforementioned parties to some extent. Here's an interesting perspective from JFeigen's article: Frazier likes backcourt duo While the Rockets work to mesh James Harden and Jeremy Lin, both scoring guards, Knicks legend Walt Frazier compared the pairing to the Knicks’ backcourt of himself and Earl Monroe and said making it work is “just a matter of time.” “Jeremy is like me, and Harden is like Earl,” Frazier said. “He likes the ball. I was the guy who created. They have to find the harmony to make that happen. I’m sure as the season goes on, Harden is not going to want to be out here, 30 feet away, trying to maneuver to get in. It’s tiring, man. If he’s got a good guy like Lin who can set him up to get easy shots, that’s going to prolong his energy level. “The thing with us, both of us could be a point guard or a shooting guard, which is rare today in the league. If Earl was having a good game, he would be the shooter and I would be the orchestrator, and vice versa. I liked when he was having a good game, because they would double him and I would get more shots.” Frazier said the questions about the Rockets’ backcourt are similar to when the Knicks traded for Monroe, except he was a top rival. Frazier and Monroe won the Knicks’ second title together. Both are in the Hall of Fame, with their numbers retired in New York. “It could happen for them because Lin likes to penetrate and dish,” Frazier said. “Harden likes to go to the open spot and shoot the ball.”
This. We run plenty of PnRs for Lin in other games, and many times nothing comes out of it because he is only looking to pass with no passing angles. Forced to kick it back out to a Harden iso at the end of the shot clock. Last night, he attacked the PnR with purpose, which led to great results. Again, this is a natural feeling out process between Lin and his teammates/coaches, and for Lin to become more comfortable in his surroundings. Many Lin fans(I am a Lin fan btw) mistakenly think that coaches are holding him back, benching him, only letting him shoot 10 times. The reality is the opposite is true. The reason why Lin played so much last night was BECAUSE he took more shots. BECAUSE he was more aggressive, more comfortable, more decisive. The coaches are actually doing a great job of forcing Lin to play this way, or else finding his way to the bench.
Yes and no. Both Harden and Lin need to work on sharing the ball. There are times Harden was doing too much --- Last night's game there are a few possession Lin was trying too hard.
The ball ran through Lin more often is the result of him being more aggressive and showing some swagger. "We keep on telling him to be aggressive and attack," McHale said. "Maybe he felt comfortable here in Madison Square Garden
Even his quotes tell you Lin made an effort to play this way himself. No coaches are holding him back nor system. It's himself! "I just said, 'Tonight, I'm going to be free and fun. I'm going to throw everything else out the window and enjoy the game,'" Lin said. "I think that was the biggest thing, just enjoying this game and nothing else." "Stay aggressive, be really aggressive -- that was my mindset coming in,"
im just worried Lin will follow up the knicks game with a stinker and put up 2-7 shooting.. 4 pts.. 4 assists and get benched in the 4th..
Why has he been so passive, if it's not coaching holding him back? It's bizarre, because the dude last year was sometimes TOO aggressive. And you can't say he needs pressure and the spotlight to play well. MSG is one thing, sure, but there has been immense pressure for him to "live up to his contract."
I don't mean to imply that I think coaches are messing with him. I just don't understand Jeremy this season, unless he doesn't trust his knee/body.
Those who think that Lin just needs to be aggressive are again, not seeing the game. They may be "watching" the game, but they're not SEEING the game. On many defensive rebounds, the outlet is given to Harden or Douglas. As one astute Clutchfans poster noted in the game thread last night, the ball on a defensive rebound needs to go EVERYTIME to Lin. He is the best and quickest in transition, plus he is one of the best in the league in the long pass to someone who releases downcourt. Many times Harden will bring up the ball up the court and do his iso, or pass to Parsons or Asilk while Lin is parked in the corner. Often these plays never get the ball to Lin. What is he supposed to be "aggressive" about in these plays? Instead of speaking out in soundbites that may sound clever but are hardly accurate ("Lin is the primary ballhandler because he made himself the primary ballhandler"), try to do actual analysis, like torocan. I don't see the soundbite group doing actual data analysis anywhere on these boards.
Who knows. Maybe because Lin is always telling everyone that he doesn't want to create Linsanity in Houston. He's trying to fit in and become more of a facilitator here but that's not his game. He's at his best when he is aggressive and looking to score. He was decisive with all his moves against the Knicks. There was no hesitation because he knew what he wanted to do.
He doesn't need the ball right away after the rebound. If an outlet to Harden gives the Rockets a better chance at a quick basket, then that's the better play. For lin, He still needs to be more aggressive in the half court.
It goes hand in hand. If you're more aggressive, your teammates tend to look for you more. When Lin plays passive, his teammates don't care who gets the ball on the inbound.
You do realize that the Rockets are the fastest pace team in the league, by a fairly wide margin, and they're also 4th in fast break points. And some observers have noted earlier in the season that Lin is not particularly adept at pushing the ball up the floor for early offense opportunities. So I'd make the opposite point: the Rockets push the ball up the floor without first seeking out their PG in order to get into their offense faster.
TOROCAN.. not sure if you joined because of Lin or if you are a LOF but if you are you are one damn knowledgable LOF and your posts are very informative and enjoyable to read. Repped
One of the things that might have made Jlin successful last night was his pick and pop offense. He got to the spot and confidently shot it with no hestitation. I can remember 2 instances (3 pt shot and free throw line). This made the defender play honest defense which eventually lead to drives to the basket. This is exactly the same reasons why both Parker and Westbrook are so difficult to defend on the pick and roll. Once Jeremy is able to consistently use this as part of his arsenal, sky is the limit.
