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Official Houston Rockets 2013 Offseason Thread: Welcome D12 to Houston!
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by do work son,
- Start date
hongcouver604
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http://houston.culturemap.com/newsd...ockets-almost-treated-with-tim-tebow-disdain/
The Houston Rockets have one near superstar player, one second round draft pick turned surprise shot maker and one attacking point guard. James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin are the only three players in Kevin McHale's rotation who can put consistent pressure on an opposing defense.
So why are only two of the three treated like indispensable pieces while the other is often left to languish and allowed to get lost?
It's the side story of the Rockets' endlessly entertaining season and it will become the story if Houston somehow blows it and fails to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. It comes up again because the Rockets managed to lose by 30 points to the team they are chasing in the playoff race and shoot 32.6 percent from the field Sunday night while not feeding the one hot hand among their admittedly small-time version of a big three.
Why is it so hard for McHale to feature Jeremy Lin?
They paid him $25 million, but they sometimes act like Lin is Tim Tebow on the New York Jets: A novelty act they don't know what to do with.
Even Calvin Murphy, the CSN studio commentator who often seems to be holding back a little to make sure he doesn't offend anyone in the team's front office, noted the lack of touches for Lin.
"Jeremy Lin was shooting the ball well," Murphy said on air. "He should have gotten more shots."
Yes, much of the Rockets' offense depends on moving the ball and hitting the open man. But when a team like Golden State is happily daring guys like Parsons (2 for 13) and Donatas Motiejunas (2 for 11) to shoot, it's time to put the ball in Lin's hands and let him attack the rim.
The Rockets never have any difficulty in highlighting Harden or Parsons when they have the hot hand. Only Lin is never force fed. He is the only one among this little big three who would be left with just 16 shots on a night when he is the one player firing at anything close to a 50 percent rate.
It all goes back to the Rockets perplexing reluctance to treat Jeremy Lin like a bona fide, budding potential point guard star.
They paid him $25 million, but they sometimes act like Lin is Tim Tebow on the New York Jets: A novelty act they don't know what to do with — and a talent they've never fully embraced. It's no secret that Rockets owner Leslie Alexander pushed general manager Daryl Morey to reacquire Lin after the cut blunder.
An advanced stats guy like Morey should be thrilled. Jeremy Lin's Player Efficiency Rating of 15.07 is ultra close to the beloved Parsons' 15.13 PER.
Heck, Alexander hung up on Morey during the height of Linsanity in anger.
But the crazy thing is Alexander has been proven to be largely right. Whether the Lin signing is owner driven or not, it's proven to be a smart basketball move. Lin is playing better than could reasonably be expected considering the circumstances: Young player in a new offense on a new team coming off knee surgery.
He's shown flashes of being the difference maker he was in New York (see that post trading deadline win over Oklahoma City when Houston was short handed and the coaches had no choice but to play Lin huge minutes). He's certainly outplayed his Gotham replacement Raymond Felton of the sputtering Knicks.
An advanced stats guy like Morey should be thrilled. Jeremy Lin's Player Efficiency Rating of 15.07 is ultra close to the beloved Parsons' 15.13 PER.
Yet Lin only plays an average of 32.5 minutes per game, far below guys like Arron Afflalo (36.6), Klay Thompson (35.7) George Hill (34., Kemba Walker (34.2) and Mike Conley (34.1). And beyond even the numbers (which say plenty), it's the way Jeremy Lin's time is yo-yoed around that brings up serious questions about how committed the Rockets are to developing him. Long fourth quarter benchings are not uncommon for Lin.
When Kelvin Sampson filled in during McHale's heartbreaking absence, he clearly favored the horrific-shooting Toney Douglas (he of the 12.59 PER) over Lin, showing as much care and sense as he did while running Indiana's program.
Getting rid of Douglas has helped some, but the Rockets still seem hesitant to fully embrace Lin as a prime building block.
And please don't bring up defense. Parsons hasn't played much defense his second season either and he's still guaranteed big minutes. Everyone knows Daryl Morey does not care about defense.
NBA Playoff Implications
For a while the curious use of Jeremy Lin arguably only affected Lin. But now it's threatening to deliver a critical blow to the team's playoff chances. The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to stop surging because Kobe Bryant is hobbled. The Warriors finally showed the same type of fight as their coach Sunday night in Houston. And as poorly as Utah has played it's only a Wednesday win in Toyota away from throwing a serious panic into the Rockets.
These work-in-progress Rockets do not have a real big three yet. They can only rely on the three they do have.
"There's something wrong with your determination," Murphy said of Houston's showing against Golden State.
No, there's something wrong with the rotation.
If you're going to go down, you have to go down with your best players. These work-in-progress Rockets do not have a real big three yet. They can only rely on the three they do have.
That means turning Jeremy Lin loose and letting him play free. There's no question Lin deferred too much on his own earlier in the season. Now, it's clearly more about coaching and opportunity.
It's too late to turn Lin into Tim Tebow. It's time to commit. He's one of the Rockets' best options and has to be treated like one.
Time's running out. Grab the playoffs and the future. Stop running from Jeremy Lin.
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ClutchFans.net @clutchfans 1m
Harden hits a three top of the key, and the Rockets are now up 15. Utah looks terrible.
Jonathan Feigen @Jonathan_Feigen 1m
Harden with 17 in 13 min, on just five shots. He's 7 for 7 from line, same as Sunday.
Harden hits a three top of the key, and the Rockets are now up 15. Utah looks terrible.
Jonathan Feigen
Harden with 17 in 13 min, on just five shots. He's 7 for 7 from line, same as Sunday.
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Houston Rockets @HoustonRockets 17s
Can't ask for a much better half of basketball. Rockets lead 52-33 (a season low in points allowed in half). Harden 20p, Lin 8p/3a.
Can't ask for a much better half of basketball. Rockets lead 52-33 (a season low in points allowed in half). Harden 20p, Lin 8p/3a.
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ClutchFans.net @clutchfans 12s
The third quarter has been Jeremy Lin's lately. He had 10 points (3-3 FG), 2 assists in the quarter, Rockets lead 80-61 heading to the 4th and lead by 19.
The third quarter has been Jeremy Lin's lately. He had 10 points (3-3 FG), 2 assists in the quarter, Rockets lead 80-61 heading to the 4th and lead by 19.
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What are the Rockets doing??? It's like they forgot an NBA game is 48 minutes.
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ClutchFans.net @clutchfans 20s
FINAL: Rockets 100, Jazz 93. Big win for playoff push. Harden scored 29, Lin added 24, 6 assists. HOU to take 3-game lead on Utah and tiebreaker.
Warriors losing to San Antonio as well
FINAL: Rockets 100, Jazz 93. Big win for playoff push. Harden scored 29, Lin added 24, 6 assists. HOU to take 3-game lead on Utah and tiebreaker.
Warriors losing to San Antonio as well
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Happy day
We really have to build on this win, and beat cleveland on Fri..
Really liked Trob's hustle when he was running pick n roll...
Wonder why Anderson's not getting any minutes, I like Anderson..
We really have to build on this win, and beat cleveland on Fri..
Really liked Trob's hustle when he was running pick n roll...
Wonder why Anderson's not getting any minutes, I like Anderson..
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[h1]Muchas gracias los spurs
Now 1 game behind Golden state..[/h1]
hongcouver604
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Lin with his 3rd straight 20+ point game... LINSANITY PAHT TOO!?! Hope he can get more minutes at least, dude only average 31 min a game, jeez.
Schedule lookin real tough after the Cleveland game, but luckily Utah's schedule is a lot worse. Let's hope we close this out.
Schedule lookin real tough after the Cleveland game, but luckily Utah's schedule is a lot worse. Let's hope we close this out.
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do work son
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Not only does lin get shorted on minutes, he gets shorted on touches. He had a hot stretch against the warriors and then they just stopped going to him
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True and when Harden isn't hot he forces a lot and holds onto/ dribbles the ball way too much.
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I think when Lin's got the ball, he needs to attack, attack, attack...If both Harden/Lin attack the basket, it will be soo much easier for other guys having the floor opened..In return, this will give Lin more confidence..Lin's last 30 games though:
PPG: 14.6
FG%: 347.2
3FG%: 41.6
Compared to the first ten games of the season:
PPG: 10.3
FG%: 34.3
3FG%: 25.8
I think he has greatly improved throughout the season, and if our backcourt can mesh more, it will be one of the best in the L.
PPG: 14.6
FG%: 347.2
3FG%: 41.6
Compared to the first ten games of the season:
PPG: 10.3
FG%: 34.3
3FG%: 25.8
I think he has greatly improved throughout the season, and if our backcourt can mesh more, it will be one of the best in the L.
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Good Read on JLin...
Jason Friedman @JasonCFriedman 10h
For the night owls: J-Lin helps Rockets take one step toward playoffs, another toward becoming team they need to be: http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/nothing-random-about-it …
HOUSTON - The Rockets wasted little time putting their recent run of slow starts in the rearview mirror. Then they did the same to the free-falling Utah Jazz.
With Jeremy Lin and James Harden leading the way, Houston built a 26-point lead before holding off a late Utah rally to win 100-93. The victory of course comes with playoff implications galore. It gives the Rockets a three-game lead over the Jazz in the Western Conference standings and the all-important tiebreaker between the two clubs. It also draws Houston even in the loss column with Golden State (another team against whom the Rockets own the season’s tiebreaker) in the hotly contested race for the sixth seed. Make no mistake, those accompanying add-ons figure to help Houston immensely in its effort to punch its playoff ticket and boost its postseason positioning.
But perhaps just as important from a big picture perspective was the way in which the Rockets closed this one out. That might seem somewhat counterintuitive given the fact Houston unquestionably started the game much stronger than it finished. The Rockets’ defense, so suffocating in the first half against Utah’s slow and stodgy offensive style, appeared to relax late in the third quarter, allowing the Jazz to surprisingly add some tension to the proceedings before Houston ultimately put them away for good. But though it’s certainly no excuse, such letdowns are not uncommon in the NBA. And seeing the Rockets put Utah on lockdown through the first two quarters hardly merited much of a surprise either given A.) Houston’s ability to defend in the half-court (the Rockets’ defensive issues are exposed far more often in transition) and B.) The state of disrepair currently doubling as the Jazz offense these past few weeks.
Potentially far more meaningful for Houston, then, was Jeremy Lin’s ability to take over in the second half when Utah responded to James Harden’s 20-point first half by throwing everything but the kitchen sink his direction. Through the first two quarters, the Jazz didn’t even come close to figuring out a way to slow Houston’s spectacular two-guard. Randy Foye failed miserably. So, too, did Alec Burks. But when Utah attempted to formulate an answer by attempting the aforementioned kitchen sink strategy, the Rockets responded by simply changing the question.
As much as the first half belonged to Harden, the game’s final two quarters were bought and paid for by the offices of Linsanity Inc. Lin absolutely owned the third quarter, repeatedly taking advantage of the bright, bold, Vegas-style neon sign Utah had seemingly erected while inviting him toward the rim before riding to the rescue late in the final frame to ensure the Rockets were able to keep the Jazz rally at bay. Three times in the final five minutes Utah closed the gap between themselves and Houston to eight points, and twice Lin deftly utilized the crunching screens set by Omer Asik to break free for layups. On the third occasion he mixed things up a bit, rifling a picturesque, one-handed bounce pass to Chandler Parsons for an emphatic slam.
That play in general and Lin’s performance in particular signify a potentially important step forward for this team amid its constant quest for growth, diversity and maturation. It’s no secret at this point that Harden is going to be the focal for both the Rockets and the opponent’s scouting report. Opposing teams are going to do everything in their power in an attempt to force someone else to beat them. At various times this season, that strategy has proven to be effective (primarily for teams possessing wing-stopping personnel far superior to that possessed by the Jazz). But every time Lin proves he can punish teams for loading up on Harden, he brings Houston one step closer to a pick-your-poison dilemma that has no right answer.
Wednesday night’s showing was just the latest in a two-month trend that has seen Lin light up the scoreboard with increased regularity. His averages since February 1: 15.6 points and 6.1 assists per game (in just over 31 minutes per contest) while shooting better than 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. Chandler Parsons has seen a similar uptick in his production during that span as well. The more these two players grow and the greater experience they accumulate playing with and off of each other, the more they will be able to both take the load off of Harden and help the team incorporate layers of subtlety – like the aforementioned fourth quarter connection between the pair – to an offense that is simple at its core yet already exceedingly combustible.
“Variety is hard because we’re random and you can’t really structure randomness,” said Lin after the game. “But you can impose certain guidelines or themes that you want to do in your randomness. The coaches are doing a great job of teaching us to vary it up and to change looks so that we don’t hit them five times in a row with the same one because that’s when (opponents) adjust and figure it out.”
Leave it to the Harvard grad to flip a basketball question on its head by providing a response that leads one perilously close to the rabbit hole of chaos theory. But the big picture truth within Lin’s answer is clear enough: the Rockets came one step closer to reaching their playoff goal Wednesday night while taking a potentially more significant step toward becoming the team they’ll need to be if they want to wreak a little havoc once they get there.
Jason Friedman
For the night owls: J-Lin helps Rockets take one step toward playoffs, another toward becoming team they need to be: http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/nothing-random-about-it …
HOUSTON - The Rockets wasted little time putting their recent run of slow starts in the rearview mirror. Then they did the same to the free-falling Utah Jazz.
With Jeremy Lin and James Harden leading the way, Houston built a 26-point lead before holding off a late Utah rally to win 100-93. The victory of course comes with playoff implications galore. It gives the Rockets a three-game lead over the Jazz in the Western Conference standings and the all-important tiebreaker between the two clubs. It also draws Houston even in the loss column with Golden State (another team against whom the Rockets own the season’s tiebreaker) in the hotly contested race for the sixth seed. Make no mistake, those accompanying add-ons figure to help Houston immensely in its effort to punch its playoff ticket and boost its postseason positioning.
But perhaps just as important from a big picture perspective was the way in which the Rockets closed this one out. That might seem somewhat counterintuitive given the fact Houston unquestionably started the game much stronger than it finished. The Rockets’ defense, so suffocating in the first half against Utah’s slow and stodgy offensive style, appeared to relax late in the third quarter, allowing the Jazz to surprisingly add some tension to the proceedings before Houston ultimately put them away for good. But though it’s certainly no excuse, such letdowns are not uncommon in the NBA. And seeing the Rockets put Utah on lockdown through the first two quarters hardly merited much of a surprise either given A.) Houston’s ability to defend in the half-court (the Rockets’ defensive issues are exposed far more often in transition) and B.) The state of disrepair currently doubling as the Jazz offense these past few weeks.
Potentially far more meaningful for Houston, then, was Jeremy Lin’s ability to take over in the second half when Utah responded to James Harden’s 20-point first half by throwing everything but the kitchen sink his direction. Through the first two quarters, the Jazz didn’t even come close to figuring out a way to slow Houston’s spectacular two-guard. Randy Foye failed miserably. So, too, did Alec Burks. But when Utah attempted to formulate an answer by attempting the aforementioned kitchen sink strategy, the Rockets responded by simply changing the question.
As much as the first half belonged to Harden, the game’s final two quarters were bought and paid for by the offices of Linsanity Inc. Lin absolutely owned the third quarter, repeatedly taking advantage of the bright, bold, Vegas-style neon sign Utah had seemingly erected while inviting him toward the rim before riding to the rescue late in the final frame to ensure the Rockets were able to keep the Jazz rally at bay. Three times in the final five minutes Utah closed the gap between themselves and Houston to eight points, and twice Lin deftly utilized the crunching screens set by Omer Asik to break free for layups. On the third occasion he mixed things up a bit, rifling a picturesque, one-handed bounce pass to Chandler Parsons for an emphatic slam.
That play in general and Lin’s performance in particular signify a potentially important step forward for this team amid its constant quest for growth, diversity and maturation. It’s no secret at this point that Harden is going to be the focal for both the Rockets and the opponent’s scouting report. Opposing teams are going to do everything in their power in an attempt to force someone else to beat them. At various times this season, that strategy has proven to be effective (primarily for teams possessing wing-stopping personnel far superior to that possessed by the Jazz). But every time Lin proves he can punish teams for loading up on Harden, he brings Houston one step closer to a pick-your-poison dilemma that has no right answer.
Wednesday night’s showing was just the latest in a two-month trend that has seen Lin light up the scoreboard with increased regularity. His averages since February 1: 15.6 points and 6.1 assists per game (in just over 31 minutes per contest) while shooting better than 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. Chandler Parsons has seen a similar uptick in his production during that span as well. The more these two players grow and the greater experience they accumulate playing with and off of each other, the more they will be able to both take the load off of Harden and help the team incorporate layers of subtlety – like the aforementioned fourth quarter connection between the pair – to an offense that is simple at its core yet already exceedingly combustible.
“Variety is hard because we’re random and you can’t really structure randomness,” said Lin after the game. “But you can impose certain guidelines or themes that you want to do in your randomness. The coaches are doing a great job of teaching us to vary it up and to change looks so that we don’t hit them five times in a row with the same one because that’s when (opponents) adjust and figure it out.”
Leave it to the Harvard grad to flip a basketball question on its head by providing a response that leads one perilously close to the rabbit hole of chaos theory. But the big picture truth within Lin’s answer is clear enough: the Rockets came one step closer to reaching their playoff goal Wednesday night while taking a potentially more significant step toward becoming the team they’ll need to be if they want to wreak a little havoc once they get there.
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harden baby super long arm 
do work son
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Going to the game tonight, should I ask kyrie to sign my kyrie jersey, or just not bring it to the game?
Semi srs
Semi srs
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is irving even going to be there? remember hes injured
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Irving has been at the games, but this is a haul so he might not be there. Same with Waiters.
It'll be tough to get him to sign, but hey at least you guys will get the W.
It'll be tough to get him to sign, but hey at least you guys will get the W.
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Terrence Jones finally got some play time, but on our D-League team.. Impressive numbers nonetheless
NBA D-League @nbadleague 9m
,@HoustonRockets rook Terrence Jones drops 31pts on 12/13 FGAs, plus 3 blks in @rgvvipers W- @BoostMobile Performer of the Night!
NBA D-League
,
do work son
Banned
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Terrence Jones finally got some play time, but on our D-League team.. Impressive numbers nonetheless
NBA D-League @nbadleague 9m
,@HoustonRockets rook Terrence Jones drops 31pts on 12/13 FGAs, plus 3 blks in@rgvvipers W-@BoostMobile Performer of the Night!
but for whatever reason can't even get garbage minutes in the NBA. why kevin mchale, why?
