The Houston Rockets Thread

[nuraman00]

I have less time now with the kids and his benching was the straw that broke the camels back. He's fallen into the realm of "do they really want him?"

They still want him, that's why they're still playing him a lot.

More than many other starters on other teams.

 

[nuraman00]

He averaged more as a starter.

He averaged more turnovers last year, he shot worse last year, and his scoring rate was worse last year.

His Roland Rating was -1.2 last year, and it's better this year.

He was worse last year.

His scoring average this year is less than 1ppg worse, but he's actually playing better because he's scoring more efficiently. So he's doing more in almost the same amount of time.

 

[MHSL82]

As a proper Jazz fan, I no longer like anyone on the Rockets besides Lin, and even him is for non-basketball reasons.

For the record, I do NOT care that they put Melo in his number. That's irrelevant. This is what I think is bull-shit:

"Reality is it's standard practice. When we went after Chris Bosh a few years ago, we had him in (Luis) Scola's number. When we went after Dwight Howard he had (Patrick) Beverley's number. I get the sensitivity and I hate that it creates some hurt feelings. I don't like that, but that's obviously Carmelo Anthony's number, that's the number he wants. He told us that. Bottom line, if Carmelo comes Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin have to be traded. It's just math. It's not personal. My job is every day figure out how to win. Sometimes it creates challenging situations."

I think it's stupid. Why the hell would you not play up any angle to get a better trade like going into the luxury is ok, cutting someone else (don't name), asking Lin to change his number, etc. There's no sound logical reason for a GM to say that when his player is making 8.3 million dollars next year and you signed him to it to poison out the Knicks. Isn't that salary prohibitive of a trade and now you are saying that you don't want him?

Yes, it's "I don't want you IF we get Melo" but forget the IF, you just said you don't want him. The luxury cap is not like the NFL (NFL teams can't go over). That's stupid to say when you likely won't get Melo. It might be true but what's the benefit? Serious question. I don't value honesty if it's stupid to say it.

Houston Rockets dis Jeremy Lin with image of Carmelo Anthony in No. 7 - ESPN

And tell me, why is Harden helping recruit him? Isn't that why he left OKC? Sure, he got his money now and he could coexist with Melo, but it seems Melo would steal his ball or Harden would neuter Melo because Harden would have the ball to start possessions (Lin-less, remember). I feel Harden's feeling should be what Derrick Rose initially said, "if he wants to come, he should come." Rose later helped recruit, but his initial reaction is what I think Harden should feel.

The Dallas angle - did the author really cite Tyson Chandler as a reason Melo would go to the Mavericks? That was why Chandler was traded - to placate Melo (reports said that Melo didn't like how Chandler quit or would give inconsistent effort).

 

[MHSL82]

The comment section was juvenilingly funny. Yes, I added my own Lin'ing pun to this post.

 

[MHSL82]

He averaged more turnovers last year, he shot worse last year, and his scoring rate was worse last year.

His Roland Rating was -1.2 last year, and it's better this year.

He was worse last year.

His scoring average this year is less than 1ppg worse, but he's actually playing better because he's scoring more efficiently. So he's doing more in almost the same amount of time.

I was going to do a point by point response to your posts, but in the interest of time I will just say this:

If he was doing better in 2013 than he did in 2012, I could say that he would still do better in 2012 if he were the starter. I do not believe that his numbers were better because of him coming off the bench. He could be better because he figured out how to play with other players or the system. He could be better because he is better as a player.

I think that I have said this before, but I don't take the splits this year to be that reflective. You are a different player if you are playing as a starter in the system where the coach wants you as the starter. I am not talking about psychobabble, like Jeremy questioning himself or the team. I just think that there's no continuity and the things you practice are different when you think someone else is going to play.

When he started last year, he started because Beverley was hurt. I do not believe his game is exactly the same with him as the emergency starter versus as a starter that the team wants. Yes, being the starter the team wants doesn't make you turn the ball over and it doesn't make you should worse, but it does affect other certain things. As long as it affects something and I evaluate everything in whether one is better in one year versus the other, that I do not split them up. Also, because he shot better this past year than he did the year before that, I could see him fitting better as the start of this year and he did that start of the year before.

Maybe I missed your point; it's confusing to follow when you refer to last year and this year when the year is already completed. I would prefer year dates if it's in the off-season. This year is now 2014-15 season. Last year 2013-14. But I think you are referring to this year as 2013-14 and last year as 2012-13.

So maybe I am reading your posts incorrectly, but I think I saw several places where you said that he was playing better this past year, or rather as you said he was playing worse as a starter the year before. I don't see how you can separate that from just improving as a player or in a system. If he improves in the system and plays more minutes or plays as a starter, he could potentially increase the production (not necessarily efficiency beyond that improvement).

If I get better at something, it might be because of age and maturity, or it might be because I am in a different state. Or now that I am married, I don't have to worry about certain things, etc. I can't separate them and say, "see, I am better as a married man. Maybe I'm more responsible because I am older." It's impossible to say, and that's not only because I am less responsible now.

 

[MHSL82]

If Lin is coming up on his last year of the contract and they want to trade him, in retrospect, planning on starting him and then starting in the whole year last year might have been better for him to showcase his production abilities and potential improvements. Now, I feel that there's a narrative. There's an opening for him to come to his new team has a bench player.

I can see how a player moving to the bench could be a good move for a team. I do not see how it could be good for a player. I understand how him playing on the bench could give him more shots or more opportunity to play as the point without Harden. But then, benching Harden would be better for Lin than Lon being benched. I obviously know you're not going to bench Harden, but I'm saying in a vacuum, coming off the bench is not better for a player if the conditions on the bench could've been created as a starter if not for this other player (Harden).

As the Rockets coach, you have to do what's best for the team, not Lin. But as a fan of Lin and not the Rockets, this is where I don't care if it's better for the Rockets. I wanted what's better for Lin and I think that would be starting. I think that him starting with Harden not being there would be better for Lin, but that wasn't within the options. Remember, my comments are in relation to Beverley, not just Harden.

Beverly is a better defender then Lin, but I saw some numbers that show that Beverley's defense was over-rated. I will post the article if I could find it. Otherwise, Lin was better. And this is with me fully recognizing that Lin isn't a great player.

In fact, this whole conversation chain wasn't really about Lin playing but rather my disinterest in following the Rockets anymore.

 

[MHSL82]

Wow. I didn't realize I was going to talk so much. This is what happens when you have text to speech and are up at night... and are me.

 

[MHSL82]

I don't understand, other than money. They have Carter-Williams and picked a PG in the draft and they want Lin? If it just money, ok, but don't understand.

Philadelphia 76ers willing to trade for Houston Rockets' Jeremy Lin - ESPN

 

[nuraman00]

And tell me, why is Harden helping recruit him? Isn't that why he left OKC?

I think Harden left OKC so he could go somewhere he he could start, and play more minutes.

He went from 31mpg in his last season with OKC, to 38 mpg.

Melo might mean less touches for Harden, but at least he still gets to start, and play more.

 

[nuraman00]

I was going to do a point by point response to your posts, but in the interest of time I will just say this:

If he was doing better in 2013 than he did in 2012, I could say that he would still do better in 2012 if he were the starter. I do not believe that his numbers were better because of him coming off the bench. He could be better because he figured out how to play with other players or the system. He could be better because he is better as a player.

I think that I have said this before, but I don't take the splits this year to be that reflective. You are a different player if you are playing as a starter in the system where the coach wants you as the starter. I am not talking about psychobabble, like Jeremy questioning himself or the team. I just think that there's no continuity and the things you practice are different when you think someone else is going to play.

When he started last year, he started because Beverley was hurt. I do not believe his game is exactly the same with him as the emergency starter versus as a starter that the team wants. Yes, being the starter the team wants doesn't make you turn the ball over and it doesn't make you should worse, but it does affect other certain things. As long as it affects something and I evaluate everything in whether one is better in one year versus the other, that I do not split them up. Also, because he shot better this past year than he did the year before that, I could see him fitting better as the start of this year and he did that start of the year before.

Maybe I missed your point; it's confusing to follow when you refer to last year and this year when the year is already completed. I would prefer year dates if it's in the off-season. This year is now 2014-15 season. Last year 2013-14. But I think you are referring to this year as 2013-14 and last year as 2012-13.

So maybe I am reading your posts incorrectly, but I think I saw several places where you said that he was playing better this past year, or rather as you said he was playing worse as a starter the year before. I don't see how you can separate that from just improving as a player or in a system. If he improves in the system and plays more minutes or plays as a starter, he could potentially increase the production (not necessarily efficiency beyond that improvement).

If I get better at something, it might be because of age and maturity, or it might be because I am in a different state. Or now that I am married, I don't have to worry about certain things, etc. I can't separate them and say, "see, I am better as a married man. Maybe I'm more responsible because I am older." It's impossible to say, and that's not only because I am less responsible now.

Thanks.

Well, his role could be the same as it was in 2013-2014, during 2014-2015, depending on what Houston does with their roster. He could have more familiarity with what is expected and how he's going to be used.

 

[nuraman00]

Wow. I didn't realize I was going to talk so much. This is what happens when you have text to speech and are up at night... and are me.

I love it. Don't withhold.

 

[nuraman00]

I don't understand, other than money. They have Carter-Williams and picked a PG in the draft and they want Lin? If it just money, ok, but don't understand.

Philadelphia 76ers willing to trade for Houston Rockets' Jeremy Lin - ESPN

I wish Philly would have kept both Carter-Williams, and Payton, and played them together.

 

[nuraman00]

What's best for Lin might just be playing better, however that's evaluated, given whatever role he has in 2014-2015.

 

[MHSL82]

I love it. Don't withhold.

That's what my tax accountant* said.

*Don't have one.

 

[MHSL82]

I wish Philly would have kept both Carter-Williams, and Payton, and played them together.

I didn't catch that, did they trade Payton?

 

[MHSL82]

I think my first step was completed with Lin no longer on the Rockets. However, I think that it'll be even worse because I think the Lakers are getting Byron Scott as coach. So I can't root for Lin to win. He got into it with Karl Malone when he was here with the Jazz, saying Malone had no heart. I think he also said something about riding coattails when Malone went to the Lakers. Scott was a coattail, too, but he didn't have to leave to do so. (Yes, Scott did his part on the Lakers, but he wasn't the top guy or the second.)

 

[MHSL82]

Way to go, Dallas! If we didn't have Hayward or a few others, this is the guy I would want to fill that role.

'Offended' Chandler Parsons says Houston Rockets misplayed hand - ESPN Dallas

 

[MHSL82]

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/...cussion/156713-ode-james-hardens-defense.html

 

[MHSL82]

Great quote, IMO: "If you asked me, or I think if you asked any player, I think they'll believe that they're capable of starting," Lin said. "But I think if there's anything I've learned from this past year, it's really not that much about who starts. I think it's more about who finishes and how you play with the time that you're given."

Jeremy Lin introduced by Los Angeles Lakers - ESPN Los Angeles

Save your I-told-you-so's, Nuraman. ( ) What he said never was disputed by me, it was the perceived lack of belief in Lin that I didn't like in Houston.

 

[nuraman00]

That's what my tax accountant* said.

*Don't have one.

I liked this post.