Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Linteresting Story

Linsanity. Super Lintendo. Linderella Man. Linfluenza. Linja Assassin. Doesn't matter what you call him, this guy has become the most talked about person in sports. Over the span of three weeks (Linsane's first start was February 6th against Utah) the Knicks bandwagon went from empty to full as everyone and their grandmother fell in love with Air DumpLIN. Here's why I didn't jump on.


First of all, I don't like bandwagons. They have a tendency to crash and burn as expectations for a team spiral out of control. I've actually heard people who say the Knicks are contender's now thanks to The Rookie Fortune's emergence. Let me tell you, that is not the case. The Knicks still don't have a winning record for crying out loud. Their sitting in 7th spot in the Eastern Conference (only because Boston has yet to be healthy for any significant length of time) with, in my opinion, little chance of moving up in the standings to pass Atlanta or Orlando. That means they would face either Miami or Chicago in the first round. A contender is a team that should certainly be able to get through their first round opponent, so do people really see Jeremy Lin leading the Knicks past Lebron/Wade/Bosh or Derrick Rose, or are those people just not looking ahead to see the absolute annihilation that is heading for New York?


Second, I fully believe that you could put just about any point guard on the Knicks, assuming he has some balls, and the same thing could happen. Although there wouldn't be as many nicknames. Mike D'Antoni, New York Knicks head coach, has an offense that he describes as 7 Seconds or Less. This means he wants his team to get a good shot off before 7 seconds have come off the shot clock, which is less of an exact number than it is an ideal. The point is, he wants his team to run up and down. In this system the point guard has the ball in his hands more than any other player and has the option to do basically whatever he wants. Replace Linfomaniac with 85% of the point guards in the NBA, you get the same results. This is the coach and offensive system that made Steve Nash win two MVP awards. Think that would happen on any other team? No. No it wouldn't.


Third, the turnovers. That has been the first thing I look at when I go to the box score. That's probably not fair, but Mr. Lincredible has made it impossible to overlook. In the 11 games he has started he has accumulated 67 turnovers, or 6.1 per game. LINkin Park's job is to take care of the ball, yet during his streak he has averaged 2-2.5 more turnovers a game than the league leaders (Just as a reference, Steve Nash averaged 3.5 during his time with D'Antoni). It's one thing to be fearless on the court, but it's another to be reckless.


Fourth, the winning streak the team went on once The Linglorious Basterd took over got way too much attention. During that 7 game winning streak the Knicks beat the Nets, Jazz, Wizards, Lakers, Timberwolves, Raptors and Kings. In that list there's one playoff team, two mediocre teams, and four teams that more closely resemble a team at your local YMCA than an NBA team. For those who didn't know better though the Knicks might as well have beaten the 1992 Dream Team over and over and over again. Too much attention for a team beating teams they should have been beating in the first place.


Finally, this is the NBA, a league that's made up of 400+ of the best basketball players in the world. Jeremy Lin is averaging 14 points and 6 assists a game this season. That's not that impressive, is it?

PS - we aren't haters, we just aren't slurping at Lin's jockstrap like everyone else. These are the reasons we haven't jumped on the Knick/Lin bandwagon, not the reasons we hate the guy (because we don't).

30 comments:

  1. I'm sorry but you sound like a hater, and haters always miss the point. The Knicks are winning with him, some may say its because the knicks played bad teams but not everybody the knicks played sucked. another thing I would like to point out is even with all of Lins turnovers, he still ran that offense better than anybody else did before him this season. Give the kid some props, thats not being on the bandwagon, thats just giving respect where respect is due.

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    1. Hey dbombz,

      No arguements that the kid deserves some credit. What were trying to get at here is that this whole thing is really overblown. Lin is nowhere near the top 25 or even top 50 players in the league, so treating him like he is seems dumb. I don't see demar derozan getting any credit for mildly succeeding in Toronto. To each their own I guess. Thanks for the comment, keep checking back for new content!

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    2. The point is LINNING with him. Demar as good as he is could not lead the Raps to a win as consecutively as Lin did for the Knicks... And guess what Lin has broken records in NBA history... you are seeing is overblown... have you seen anything like it before??? The kid has a great story, has heart and the personality and he is making waves because of the performance and then leading the Knicks to winning ways.

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    3. THIS IS THE DUMBEST MOST ILL INFORMED STORY I HAVE EVER READ THIS BLOG SUCKS

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    4. @Anon 2:44pm.. bud, this is a blog. It's an opinion. Ill informed? If you're looking for people who are going to cite their sources as they sniff and push their glasses back up their nose, you're in the wrong place.

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  2. A doubter/hater/skeptic and so on... Nothing special with this so called 'blogticle'. I regret wasting my minute and a half for this shallow read.

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  3. Don't know about 85% part. The team was 8-15, and does not have 1st score option and 2nd score option when it starts. So which of the teams you list at that time from the paper is a sure beat? Probably only 2 is beatable. If 85% of pg can do that, than all the team should be able to pull to .5 no matter what.

    14 ppg including the game he was on the bench. He is avg over 20 ppg in that 7 games you listed. During 1st 7 games, he touch/initiate in over 80% of the offense plays. Look at all the TO in every team times 80%, it will be the avg to you should expect in the pg.

    There are 30 teams in NBA. if he is about avg pg, he is about top 15. If he is not, than other team has issues, they need to get rid of their coach, just let the pg run.

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    1. Love the thought-out, rational comment.

      The 85% was definitely an exageration, but I think the point stands - in the D'Antoni system a point guard is going to be more successful than anywhere else. That's not a shot at the other coaches, that is just the way he runs his team. So while his numbers are inflated, so would a lot of guys if they played that position, which is why we hesitate to jump on the bandwagon. We definitely respect his game though.

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    2. I'm tired of people saying that any point guard would do this in D'antoni's system. Tell that to Tony Douglass, Iman Shumpert, or even Raymond Felton. The team won 7 in a row with him and a shitty Amare and Melo hurt. You really need to quiet down.

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  4. Yup the kid has flaws... so what??? leaders does not have to be always right. He is leading the team to a win. Confident. You get the efficiency rate with + and -. As per statistics the kid has a high efficiency rate as compared to elite PGs of the game. You are the one overblowing the negative part and putting the kid in the microscope.

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    1. I'm showing the negatives because the point was to illustrate the reasons I haven't jumped on the bandwagon. What would the point be of saying all the good he has done when I am trying to say why I haven't jumped on the Knick/Lin bandwagon? That seems like it would work against my actual opinion.

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  5. Actually, you do sounds like haters.

    1. Can't criticize the Lin-led Knicks for being a .500 team when Knicks pre-Lin = 7-15; Knicks w/ Lin = 11-3.

    2. You presume the Knicks are relegated to a first round matchup with Miami or Chicago, but the Knicks can easily catch Philadelphia to win the division and move into, at a minimum, the fourth seed -- they are only 3 games behind a flagging Philly team that's lost 7 of its last 10.

    3. Lin turns it over a lot, to be sure, but he also was handling the ball nearly every possession and playing over 42 minutes routinely. Nash turned it over nearly 4 times per game, but he also never averaged more than 35 mpg under D'Antoni.

    4. Your overall critique misses the point (no pun intended) of Linsanity. It's not about his statistical performance (although he had several impressive games) as much as it's about an undrafted Asian guy from Harvard that came out of nowhere to save an underachieving star-studded team in New York. No one's saying he's the best point guard in the league. Just enjoy it.

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    1. 1. Thank you for being rational.

      2. This is an opinion. So, when I say the Knicks will play Miami/Chicago in the first round, that is like everything else, an opinion.

      3. Lin has averaged just under 38 minutes per game during this run, 3ish more than Nash, so I still think that is a relevant comparison considering in 3 extra minutes he has turned the ball over almost 3 more times than Nash.

      4. It's not a critique of Jeremy Lin. These are the reasons I didn't jump on the bandwagon. I actually enjoy a rag-to-riches story, but that does not mean I love the ridiculous amount of media attention he gets. And I actually have heard people say they are contender's and that Lin is one of the better players in the NBA (their opinion, so I don't care because they, like me, are entitled to it).

      So just to recap, this is my opinion. You don't have to enjoy it, but can I be entitled to it?

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  6. I don't think anyone has ever said Lin was the best pg, imo his is a very good, young pg who is still learning, but I have admit his story is great and inspiring if you could appreciate it but I guess it seems you can't appreciate.

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  7. These guys are just gaining attention... To the writer... if you can come up of a name in history that has done the same thing as Jeremy Lin's impact to this team, then i will consider your facts.

    But for now enjoy the ride of LINSANITY!

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    1. I doubt anyone in all of sports has had this kind of impact on a team, nor has anyone recieved this kind of media attention in such a short time. That's not the point. The point is, this is my opinion and the reasons why I haven't jumped on a bandwagon. Jeremy Lin deserves what he gets because he has been playing great, but again, just an opinion Mr. Stern. Just an opinion.

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  8. Oh yeah, you do sound like a hater, you mad?

    1) Mostly media and dumb ass casual fans is claiming he is all star level, although he could be one in the making. Until he proves he is or not, don't make the judgement just yet

    2)His season average of 14ppg and 6assist is average out with the garage time he played before he blow up. Why don't you point out this fact?

    3) He lead the team to beat so called "YMCA team" when their two all star could not beat in previous games, and he did it without these two all star

    4) why don't you emphasize the fact he beat last year champion w/o two all star who are clicking now and dropped 38pts on Lakers/Kobe.

    5) and yes, you missed the point, Linsanity is not about him crown as the next elite pg or super star, but how he come about from nobody to a solid player and turn his team to a playoff contender.

    Again, you mad?

    Are you racist?

    You find any possible argument to support your lame opinion and overblown it, and yet you missed every possible positive sides.

    Your bias opinion with lack of truth and sports intelligence, makes it hard for any real sports fan to consent with your blog.

    If you were to point out all the good and bad....and not being so lobsided on your argument, I would respect you as a blog writer.

    but....you truly suck to the a$$. your blog offers no credibility by being so bias.

    If I ever read your lame sports blogs again, I should go jump off the bridge.

    pay the respect where the respect is due.

    hater is always a hater...just admit it.

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    1. It's a blog, this isn't the place where we need to give sources or weigh the good with the bad, we can give our opinion. There is no "lack of truth", and no, we did not miss the point of Linsanity. We understand that it's about a rag to riches story, that doesn't mean we have to love it. These are the reasons we didn't jump on the bandwagon, pointing out the great things that he has done wouldn't really help get the point of the post across.
      And yes, clearly we are very angry, very racist people. Not sure how you caught that, due to the fact that is the dumbest most ill-advised statement you could make, but good on you!

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    2. Yup its only a blog... but are convincing your opinion to the masses... Just like any internet article it is in the negative side. Yeah it is just a blog... but it raises an argument. Don't say about something you can't defend. Although its a personal opinion... once you put in public... then you are open to scrutiny.

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  9. You don't have to be in the bandwagon to appreciate what the guy did... But thanks for guys like you who are looking for negative stuff that we could appreciate more what the positives are.

    Although i really don't get the objective of this article.

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    1. I do appreciate what he did, he's led them to wins, he's had nice stats and his story is fantastic and up-lifting. None of that means is relevant to the post, which is why I'm not on the bandwagon.

      The objective of this article? It's a blog, the objective was to write whatever I wanted. It's a place to express your opinion. We aren't ESPN.

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  10. Calm down people, it's a blog, not a newspaper. Blogs exist so people can express their opinions, no matter what they are. They don't need to write two-sided, report style stories or even support journalistic integrity because they're simply expressing their opinion the same way you all are expressing your own with your comments. Maybe you all need to accept that some people don't agree with you either.

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    1. Yup its only a blog... but are convincing your opinion to the masses... Just like any internet article it is in the negative side. Yeah it is just a blog... but it raises an argument. Don't say about something you can't defend. Although its a personal opinion... once you put in public... then you are open to scrutiny.

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    2. @Anonymous 4:27pm.. We are not trying to "convince the masses" nor do we think we are above scrutiny. And I can in fact defend everything I have said, because it is my opinion.
      Also, not everything is negative, including some of our own stuff. What can we say though, negative sells!

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  11. I know people on this site don't like things like numbers, statistics, and facts BUT here is a little diddy for you doubters to suck on:

    Lin is quicker than Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and John Wall. Don't believe me? These numbers from the combine don't lie:

    AVERAGE SPEED

    Jeremy Lin: 16.66 mph

    Derrick Rose: 16.60 mph

    John Wall: 16.48 mph

    Kyrie Irving: 15.67 mph

    Lin wins this battle.

    START SPEED

    Lin: 13.93 mph

    Wall: 13.25 mph

    Irving: 12.64 mph

    For Rose, BAM has only average speed data.

    Lin wins this battle too.

    TOP SPEED

    Lin: 18.85 mph

    Wall: 19.30 mph

    Irving: 18.74 mph

    Lin comes in second to Wall.

    Now, before I am misquoted by someone who doesn't read well I am NOT arguing Lin is better than all of these guys already. But here are the facts, son. And they say that he is already physically on par IF NOT BETTER than them in terms of his dribble drive, speed and quickness. Boo-yah. People need to stop underestimating Lin constantly based on stereotypes and the stupidity of the professional basketball scouting and coaching system.

    http://www.slamonline.com/onli...

    Next week the BAM BLOG is looking at Athletic Intelligence – the BAM SCORE and how this provides more insight. Where do you want to guess Lin ranks with these guys? On the low end or the high end? LOL.

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    1. Umm.. happy to hear that he's fast? Not sure we said he wasn't. Again, the relevance doesn't seem to be there.

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    2. Uhm well... actually.. the relevance is there.

      let me explain:

      You make a big hooplah out of statistics, even using analogies with garbage time included. Conclusion: he's nothing special!

      However, the cold hard, undeniable obvious stats that show he is actually special are ignored.

      yes, you will be called out for this. And yes, in the eye of the neutral beholder it seems you are shrill.

      And sure man, medals for not jumping the bandwagon! It shows your intelligence and critical mind. That you need to distort reality for it, more props to you^^

      I admit I would prefer a view more rooted in all the facts, but that obviously doesn't fit your agenda, so I fully understand that that is not your cup of tea. Facts... pssssshhhh who needs them if you have an opinion!

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    3. If you had made a comment of statistics showing his stats, not miles per hour, then I'm sure I would have enjoyed making a rational reply. We never said the kid wasn't special, just that we aren't ready to crown them.
      Thanks for your comments, keep checking back to find something you like and tell us what we did right in that one.

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  12. Does Josh write one word and Zach the other, or do you two alternate between paragraphs of idiocy?

    You're young so I wont hold every mistake of critical thinking against you.

    Stay in school.

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