The Unpopular Opinion Thread

[NovU]

What do you mean by fine. How much of improved success are we talking here about Lin?

I just find the situation not optimal but tricky for Lin once again. He's gone from Melo(at least he played sf/pf) to Harden, now to Kobe. 3 of the biggest ball dictators in the game today. I for one would like to see his skills at full display as it was so much fun in brief stunt as a Knick.

[shadowgrin]

At best he will be the second option after Kobe if Kobe decides it is fun passing to Carlos Boozer like it was with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. If not, Lin's assists per game will get a bump.
I don't see him doing any more worse what he did in Houston if it really gets bad for Lin in LA so he will still give the Lakers 12-4-1 while shooting 44 and 34.

If Kobe posts up more because he knows he's old and breaking down (imitating Jordan again lol) it will be Boozer's game that will suffer and not Lin's.

[NovU]

One thing I like for Lin about going to the Lakers from the Houston is that there's minimal competition at the point guard position unless Nash at 40 comes back healthy and still capable. Minute wise, I think he'll get plenty. However Lin went from a winner to a loser. Whether or not he played well, being on a winning team credits you just for winning(That's what fans and media do anyway.) Now that he's on a losing team, he can't get away with scrutiny and blames unless he excels in what he does. I'm just bit skeptical at the end of the season, how the fans and media will view him though he hasn't really been put in a position to flourish like he did in New York.

As an underdog myself, I'd like to see this capable PG playing under the circumstance where he can display his skills to the fullest. I just don't believe current Lakers with Kobe system offers that friendly environment. I thought it's becoming somewhat unfortunate for him to be stuck sharing the floor with likes of Melo, Harden, and Kobe for entire career.

[Mad-Raiiden]

Lin got demoted to the bench

Because Harden is a punkass bitch that bitches and doesn't follow the play when he doesn't get an iso.
Harden and Howard are perfect for each other.

phpBB [video]

Great example of why I hate Harden. And this man isn't ashamed to say that he is the best player alive

The real reason why I'm sad that Lin joined the Lakers is because I was plannig to go there in my PG Career in 2K15

[Rokyn]

Now I don't know if it was because of crappy teams he was with

Spree, I think you misread my post. I did specifically state the possibility of his teams being the reason he took many shots but even in Denver he couldn't play with Melo as well as Billups could. Obviously the Billups team had guys like Nene, Affalo, Jones, and decent bench. Iverson needs the ball in his hands to make things happen compared to Billups who can work without the ball and with it. That's why Iverson couldn't fit with Melo and plus he was already 32 when he got to Denver so Father Time was going against him. And I'm not hating him.....but I don't really put him at such a high value.

[Kenny]

I prefer buying jerseys of role players/bench warmers than stars. I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy in Brisbane who owns an Adam Morrison Charlotte Bobcats jersey.

[Spree#8]

in Denver he couldn't play with Melo as well as Billups could. Obviously the Billups team had guys like Nene, Affalo, Jones, and decent bench. Iverson needs the ball in his hands to make things happen compared to Billups who can work without the ball and with it. That's why Iverson couldn't fit with Melo and plus he was already 32 when he got to Denver so Father Time was going against him.

Funny how you notice that Billups had better pieces to work with in Denver than AI and still blame the Iverson Nuggets' shortcomings on his fit with Anthony. By the way, Billups was never an off-ball player. In 2008-09, 30.7% of Billups' shots were assisted. In 2007-08, 30.1% of Iverson's shots were assisted. It's almost identical - they both created offense for themselves or others with the ball in their hands.

I don't know if you realize that the '09 Nuggets weren't really much better than the '08 Nuggets. Their run to the WCF is part circumstance, part better rim protection.

In '08, the West was brutal. The Nuggets won 50 games, but were only the 8th seed (the Warriors missed the playoffs despite winning 48). That's why they played the Lakers in the 1st round and got owned (not only were the Lakers a much better team - they were also the strongest where Denver was the weakest - in the frontcourt). It didn't help that Melo shot 36% from the floor in that series. And don't give me the "bad fit with AI" stuff, because it didn't seem to be a problem all season long. Melo has a history of sub-par play in the postseason and that series was no different.

The three most utilized bigmen on the '08 team were K-Mart, Camby and Eduardo Najera. Nene was on the roster, but played little and poorly that year (due to fighting cancer, I believe). In the offseason, they ship Camby's overrated ass out of town, Nene gets healthy and they sign Andersen.

K-Mart/Camby/Najera <<< K-Mart/Nene/Birdman. The '09 rotation protects the rim better while also getting some low-volume, but efficient scoring from Nene which Camby couldn't provide.

In '09, the West was noticeably weaker. With a better cast of bigmen and Billups instead of Iverson, the Nuggets won 54 games and it was enough to land them the 2nd seed. They lose in the WCF to the Lakers, the same team the '08 Nuggets lost to. Melo not shitting himself in the playoffs for once was obviously a big part of that. Not only did he shoot the ball better, he also got to the line a lot more in that '09 run.

Iverson co-existed with Anthony perfectly fine, they made it work in the season despite fit issues. Billups "carrying" them to 4 more wins against weaker competition with a better cast of bigmen and eventually losing to the same exact team in the playoffs isn't convincing me of Iverson's bad influence on that team, sorry. Had they played LAL in the first round, it most likely would have been the same exact story.

You have to look more in-depth than "with Iverson they lost in the first round, with Billups they made the conference finals". Failing to notice other factors that contributed to this can terribly cloud your judgment. Unfortunately, that right there is about as in-depth as the mainstream media goes, so their narratives are making Billups a magician and Iverson a cancer.

[Rokyn]

I completely stand corrected. I can't disagree with the above, there are plenty of factors that affected both those teams (Again my bad that I didn't elaborate on this). But you have to admit though that there was a small difference between Billups and Iverson on the team. In the locker room, in stats, and in leadership....I know I noticed this myself. I really don't have anything to back up that claim but I will try to look for an example of what I mean. Good post.

EDIT: It's also funny because Iverson played some of his best basketball in Denver and Billups was playing in a sharp decline prior to the trade but as you could see...things turned out different for them. One thing to note though...you can't say that the 76ers finals team was successful because of only Iverson because that team was really good defensively while they lacked offense. They won because of their defense and Iverson's incredible offense.

[Rokyn]

Lin will perform okay in LA...but he is not starter material in my opinion. He constantly throws the ball away, constantly tries to do jump passes that get deflected, over dribbles, rarely uses his left, needs possessions in order to produce, his defense is suspect, and his shooting ability is streaky. I think he may have been injured for a while though I'm not sure. He looked great in NYC due to lack of scouting reports (he was technically a new guy in the league), the offense which was structured around him and screen/rolls, and he was pretty much given the green light to do as he needed.

If he can find a way to limit his turnovers, become more efficient with his dribbles, become more consistent with his shot, regain his quickness, and if he learns how to play without the ball...then he will be a much better player.

[Spree#8]

there was a small difference between Billups and Iverson on the team. In the locker room, in stats, and in leadership

You'll never see me making a case that Iverson was a fantastic locker room presence, but his in-game leadership was perfectly fine to me. Always playing with full effort, not backing down from any opponent, never being afraid to take important shots, etc.

It's also funny because Iverson played some of his best basketball in Denver

AI's scoring was more efficient in Denver because he wasn't the only offensive threat on the team - the defense couldn't key in on him at all times. It's an example of what he could have been doing regularly in his prime if only Billy King didn't suck at team building.

you can't say that the 76ers finals team was successful because of only Iverson because that team was really good defensively while they lacked offense. They won because of their defense and Iverson's incredible offense

I was saying Iverson had no help on offense, not that he had no help on either end. His support was a bunch of defensive role players with one of the best modern era rim protectors playing center. Unfortunately, they weren't much on the other end which is why Iverson had monstrous usage and unimpressive efficiency. Still, the Sixers were an average - not terrible - offensive team during the AI era which is impressive when you consider they only had one serious scoring threat and it's the proof of his impact.

[NovU]

Lin will perform okay in LA...but he is not starter material in my opinion. He constantly throws the ball away, constantly tries to do jump passes that get deflected, over dribbles, rarely uses his left, needs possessions in order to produce, his defense is suspect, and his shooting ability is streaky. I think he may have been injured for a while though I'm not sure. He looked great in NYC due to lack of scouting reports (he was technically a new guy in the league), the offense which was structured around him and screen/rolls, and he was pretty much given the green light to do as he needed.

If he can find a way to limit his turnovers, become more efficient with his dribbles, become more consistent with his shot, regain his quickness, and if he learns how to play without the ball...then he will be a much better player.

I will go as far as saying that I believe Lin is a star material under right circumstance.

Lin wasn't too bad in Houston. He was exactly a league average player. That's with James Harden stealing huge chunk of Lin's game. Notice drop in Lin's PER from NYK days. He had impressive 20 in NYK but that dropped to league average 15 in Houston. The biggest culprit was loss in assists. He was assisting ass whooping 41% of field goals made by teammates in New York. But that dropped to 29% in his first season with Houston, then took a even bigger hit in next season to 22%. Put that into perspective, that's identical to difference between Rondo(41) and Kobe's(24) assist%. That drop is because James Harden also plays a point. His assist% was 2nd out of all shooting guards. He completely pushed Lin out of his comfort zone. This is why Beverley was a better fit with Harden even though he's a low ceiling role player because he has only specific task to perform to his strength and entirely let Harden play his game.

Lin in New York was pretty good. And that was only his second year, and practically his rookie season. That I'd say is impressive. Next two weren't as good but still was league average. Also, note that nearly all players peak in their 4th or 5th season and maintain their prime for next several years. So, see, he's only 3 years into the league(or 4 but I don't count his 1st) and was pretty darn good at a lot of times.



That said, this is what I don't like about Lin going to the Lakers. Partly because Kobe's become a #1 assist-hog in all shooting guards lately. Lin might do ok but you can't tell me the situation is ideal for Lin in LA. What will happen? Lin will be a scapegoat for LA's backcourt deficiency while fans are busy shielding Kobe, kinda like what happened in Houston. Expect people to rave how Lin is overrated for being an AZN.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Or it will all work out for the Lakers with Kobe performing MVP like in his last season along with Jeremy Lin being the assist leader in the league. One can hope.

Jeremy Lin is in the Lakers no?

This post is so beautiful. The innocence...

mandich, take some lessons.

[Mandich]

mandich, take some lessons.

Care to elaborate?

[shadowgrin]