steven a. smith with lin agenda.

[Knicksfever2010]

he is calling lin 'average' and that lin is not a true point guard because he is out for himself, thats funny because when linsanity took over nyc his assists were through the roof.

listening to steven a. smith ranting against lin almost sounds like an angry black man upset that an asian is getting all the hype.

[KB2009Champ]

Kinda getting tired of Lin supporters making this a race issue.

Get over it

[Knicksfever2010]

Kinda getting tired of Lin supporters making this a race issue.

Get over it

so why is steven a. smith calling lin 'average'? average players dont put up the numbers that lin put up. He lit up the lakers/mavs during that unreal stretch.

[LJJ]

Kinda getting tired of Lin supporters making this a race issue.

Get over it

SAS always does this though.

[Poetry]

As sloppy as he might look sometimes, Lin can ball. I don't think anyone disputes that at this point. But we need a larger sample size to determine how good he is and what his strengths are.

Right now, you'd have to say he's above average, but it would be nice to see him for a full season, with a squad that has a stable line up and head coach.

I think what Stephen A. was referring to was Lin's joy of the game, his getting caught up in the moment and not being afraid to take over games (and taking over games requires some selfishness).

[Knicksfever2010]

As sloppy as he might look sometimes, Lin can ball. I don't think anyone disputes that at this point. But we need a larger sample size to determine how good he is and what his strengths are.

Right now, you'd have to say he's above average, but it would be nice to see him for a full season, with a squad that has a stable line up and head coach.

I think what Stephen A. was referring to was Lin's joy of the game, his getting caught up in the moment and not being afraid to take over games (and taking over games requires some selfishness).

i seem to remember lin taking the last shot in the raptor game and winning the game with a 3 pointer

[Chrono90]

Lin is above average but not elite yet. But his potential is the key. Knicks should keep him but it seems from the start Woodson never favored his game.

[LBJDW305]

Lol he plays 20 games and now ppl think he's a superstar and mad If someone calls him average...he was 85% and missed the playoffs. While guys like rondo wade miller Kobe ETC play even at 50%

[Poetry]

i seem to remember lin taking the last shot in the raptor game and winning the game with a 3 pointer

So do i, what's your point. I just said, he's not afraid to take over games. That requires selfishness. That requires a guy having the fortitude to wave off his boys. To say, i got this, this is on me, i want the big moment, i can handle it.

[dunksby]

You cannot call Lin average with a straight face, the fact that he managed to make so much out of the opportunity he got in the Knicks shows that he is no average player. He can ball and he is smart none of these belong to the average category.

[Poetry]

You cannot call Lin average with a straight face, the fact that he managed to make so much out of the opportunity he got in the Knicks shows that he is no average player. He can ball and he is smart none of these belong to the average category.

Right now, at this point in his career, he's somewhere between above-average and below-elite. But it's too early to say where.

[dunksby]

Right now, at this point in his career, he's somewhere between above-average and below-elite. But it's too early to say where.
He is not obviously elite [yet] but he is far from average.

[caliman]

so why is steven a. smith calling lin 'average'? average players dont put up the numbers that lin put up. He lit up the lakers/mavs during that unreal stretch.


He is average until further notice. Even average players get on a hot streak, and what Lin did for 20 or so games constitutes that. Let's see what he has over a full season before we bump him up to the next level. And lets never forget that when he had a chance to come back at "85%" to help his team he chose to stay in street clothes.

[StateOfMind12]

Did you just find this out? SAS has always hated Lin. SAS is going to lose all of his credibility since he keeps saying there is no chance NY matches or something like that and his head is going to explode if NY matches Lin and I'll just lol at his face and send tweets asking him if he is mad.

[Go Getter]

Guys like Sherman Douglass and Tony Delk had hot streaks but no one calls them great. Lin has to prove he can have a consistent Season before he can be truly graded.

[Rekindled]

Lol he plays 20 games and now ppl think he's a superstar and mad If someone calls him average...he was 85% and missed the playoffs. While guys like rondo wade miller Kobe ETC play even at 50%

no player in the nba will play while injured on the cusp of freeagency. NO ONE

[wang4three]

Stephen A Smith doesn't like Jeremy for unfair reasons for the most part. He can hoot and holler all he wants, but it's dismissive and irrational.

[Mr Exlax]

so why is steven a. smith calling lin 'average'? average players dont put up the numbers that lin put up. He lit up the lakers/mavs during that unreal stretch.


The thing about it is that any average player in the NBA can put up those numbers given the chance. That's the way I see it. EVERY player in the NBA is good at basketball. The great ones do it night in and night out. Lin is average, but he was able to have the freedom that the elite players have. if that makes any kinda sense lol.

[niko]

Steven A is a joke. To me, i only like him if you want general NBA information, because he is willing to talk about teams, etc. that other people don't. But other than that, i find him unreasonable, a real homer for certain teams players, and one of those people who can't abandon his opinion even when it's wrong.

[jbot]

As sloppy as he might look sometimes, Lin can ball. I don't think anyone disputes that at this point. But we need a larger sample size to determine how good he is and what his strengths are.


i totally agree. u can't look at what he did over a stretch of a few weeks and go by that.

[LJJ]

But other than that, i find him unreasonable, a real homer for certain teams players, and one of those people who can't abandon his opinion even when it's wrong.

He's the LJJ of sports journalism basically.

[Rekindled]

The thing about it is that any average player in the NBA can put up those numbers given the chance. That's the way I see it. EVERY player in the NBA is good at basketball. The great ones do it night in and night out. Lin is average, but he was able to have the freedom that the elite players have. if that makes any kinda sense lol.

yeah any player can do it, that's why Lin had the best stats in first 5 career starts since Wilt , and had the 2nd highest PER in the league behind Lebron till carmelo returned.

[BoutPractice]

So every average player is capable when given heavy minutes of leading a team on the brink of disaster that he's not even used to playing with to a long winning streak? Sounds believable.

[Mr Exlax]

yeah any player can do it, that's why Lin had the best stats in first 5 career starts since Wilt , and had the 2nd highest PER in the league behind Lebron till carmelo returned.

And that was amazing indeed. He was not on anybody's scouting report either. If I'm a decent player and I go hoop at a place where nobody knows anything about me then I'm gonna beast. It happens everyday. Jeremy Lin is an average basketball player in the NBA. He got the opportunity to be a star and he made the most of it. You see what happened when teams started actually paying attention to him. He's not there yet bro. He's average.

[AK47DR91]

Until I see what Lin can do in the playoff, I see nothing wrong with calling him average.

With that said, I still want the $5/$5.3/$14.8/$3.9 contract to be matched.

[Mr Exlax]

Until I see what Lin can do in the playoff, I see nothing wrong with calling him average.

With that said, I still want the $5/$5.3/$14.8/$3.9 contract to be matched.

Your Knicks aren't going to do it. He's with us now where he belongs bwahahahaha. We didn't pay him for his skill fyi. Think about how much money he's gonna bring in!

[shoops]

And lets never forget that when he had a chance to come back at "85%" to help his team he chose to stay in street clothes.
:confusedshrug: Help his team what, to get one more win? It would've be a "heroic" but otherwise futile and stupid gesture to play when not fully recovered, for various reasons.


It happens everyday.
:crazysam:
I'm sure Toney Douglas would've put up those numbers if he had been in Lin's position.

[Mr Exlax]

:crazysam:
I'm sure Toney Douglas would've put up those numbers if he had been in Lin's position.

Hell Toney Douglas might've put up better numbers lol. He can go left AND play defense! I think lol.

[chocolatethunder]

This is totally a race issue. Guys like Daruis Miles and Tim Thomas never even have good seasons and get rewarded multiple contracts on "potential". People talk about how could they could have been and all this bullshit. No I don't think Lin is that good but damn the hate is totally out of hand.

[Linspired]

And that was amazing indeed. He was not on anybody's scouting report either. If I'm a decent player and I go hoop at a place where nobody knows anything about me then I'm gonna beast. It happens everyday. Jeremy Lin is an average basketball player in the NBA. He got the opportunity to be a star and he made the most of it. You see what happened when teams started actually paying attention to him. He's not there yet bro. He's average.


bullsh!t. then why didn't average rookies who started 20-25 games go off like Lin did?

there are things Lin did that you just can't stop no matter how hard you studied him. a perfect alleyoop passes smith or fields? yeah, studying Lin's tendency would stop that. lol that's called a court vision and just knowing the situation. some dudes just don't have it. ridiculous layups after getting hit by 2 defenders? what's next? push him to get a flagrant? that's called being a good finisher around the rim. some dudes don't have it. many of Lin's fancy layups happened after a contact or two. that only means Lin has a good balance and body control and innate ability to finish around the rim. something rondo doesn't have. Lin is no drose, but Lin is definitely one of the top pg in that regard. i can only think of 4 maybe 5 who can finish better around the rim than Lin. westbrook, parker, rondo, dwill, and maybe kyrie.

and some of the things he did was very basic yet effective. it was effective because Lin is relentless at attacking the rim. that's why his turnover is so high because he attacks so often. Lin thinks he is a baller, and he thinks he can take it to the rim. some pgs don't have that mentality. Lin attacks and usually when he did attack good things happened. he did cause many turnovers especially when he looked visibly fatigued, but that can be corrected by simply knowing when to attack or not to attack. i bet in that linsanity stretch, lin was feeling like jordan. because he wouldn't stop attacking. lol but you can't teach that mentality.

regardless, Lin possesses many good traits. he is far from perfect for sure. but his upside is so high that he is worth the risk.

[get these NETS]

when you see lin play out of d'anonti's system..you'll get a better assessment of what kind of player he is..

he has a target on his back now too, not sneaking up on anybody

[shoops]

Hell Toney Douglas might've put up better numbers lol. He can go left AND play defense! I think lol.
I'm afraid you haven't seen him play recently :lol
All he used to really do is shoot, but he's even kinda lost that touch now. His game is more of a shooting guard's.

[caliman]

:confusedshrug: Help his team what, to get one more win? It would've be a "heroic" but otherwise futile and stupid gesture to play when not fully recovered, for various reasons.


:crazysam:
I'm sure Toney Douglas would've put up those numbers if he had been in Lin's position.


In March of 2011 Douglas was getting close to 30 mins a game and put up 13/5 while shooting 44% from the field and 42% from 3. So yes, even scrubs like Toney Douglas can put up numbers for a month when given the minutes.

[chocolatethunder]

Oh and over the last few years or so it has now become a "fact" that all non black player are incapable of playing defense. The first complaint about any non black player is they can't play defense. It's comical. Rubio was slagged as a bad defender before he came in the league and he was too slow and all of this other bs and it turns out he's a good defender. It's total bullshit. The same thing happens in the NFL with black quarterbacks. Theyre always talked about as not being able to read defenses. It's totally stupid. What everyone should do is just tell the truth. Like say "we don't think black guys are good quarterbacks" and in basketball people should just admit that they don't like seeing a non black do well. Personally, I think it's stupid but that's the way it is.

[Gotterdammerung]

no player in the nba will play while injured on the cusp of freeagency. NO ONE
False.
Grant Hill did play on a bad ankle in the 2000 playoffs for the Pistons before he signed with the Magic that summer. And yes he was a free agent.

:kobe:

[knickswin]

please don't compare lin to toney douglas. toney cannot even dribble. toney puts up good numbers when he goes through hot streaks with his three point shooting. lin can actually get into the paint. toney's never even visited it.

[Mr Exlax]

Oh and over the last few years or so it has now become a "fact" that all non black player are incapable of playing defense. The first complaint about any non black player is they can't play defense. It's comical. Rubio was slagged as a bad defender before he came in the league and he was too slow and all of this other bs and it turns out he's a good defender. It's total bullshit. The same thing happens in the NFL with black quarterbacks. Theyre always talked about as not being able to read defenses. It's totally stupid. What everyone should do is just tell the truth. Like say "we don't think black guys are good quarterbacks" and in basketball people should just admit that they don't like seeing a non black do well. Personally, I think it's stupid but that's the way it is.

Who is this "they" that you speak of? Yes, I said Lin is a bad defender, but not because of his race. He's a bad defender because he's a bad defender. Hell Carmelo is a horrible defender and he's Black!

[jlip]

Stephen A Smith about Jeremy Lin's abilities...

"He can play. He's no scrub."
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/8171782/new-york-knicks-announce-sign-trade-deal-raymond-felton-no-decision-yet-jeremy-lin
@ 2:09 mark of the video

He repeated on First Take starting around the 2:38 mark...

"He is no scrub. I know that he can play...I understand that the boy put up big numbers. Dropped 38 on the Lakers. Dropped 28/14 on a Sun. afternoon against the defending world champions... the Dallas Mavericks...He's got skills."

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8170528

Stephen A. Smith said overall he was an "average player". SAS seems to criticize how he played after Amare and Melo came back, his lack of defense, and also refusing to play when he was 85% healthy in the playoffs and was cleared to play by the team. His biggest criticism is that Lin as a player is not worth the huge contract that's being offered him. It's a business based criticism. This has absolutely nothing to do with race.

[Mr Exlax]

I'm afraid you haven't seen him play recently :lol
All he used to really do is shoot, but he's even kinda lost that touch now. His game is more of a shooting guard's.


LMAO. You're 100% correct. I'm thinking of the Toney Douglas from the 2010-2011 season. Did he play last year lol? You get what I'm saying though. Even when he was ok, he still didn't have the same freedom and opportunity as Lin had.

[get these NETS]

Oh and over the last few years or so it has now become a "fact" that all non black player are incapable of playing defense. The first complaint about any non black player is they can't play defense. It's comical. Rubio was slagged as a bad defender before he came in the league and he was too slow and all of this other bs and it turns out he's a good defender. It's total bullshit. The same thing happens in the NFL with black quarterbacks. Theyre always talked about as not being able to read defenses. It's totally stupid. What everyone should do is just tell the truth. Like say "we don't think black guys are good quarterbacks" and in basketball people should just admit that they don't like seeing a non black do well. Personally, I think it's stupid but that's the way it is.


that non black players and defense crap is garbage BUT it is made possible by white fans again and again again....throwing out the not athletic BUT smart, high iq tag for their favorite white players

as if 99% of nba players aren't hih conditioned top flight atlhletes

it even happened here during linsanity for lin

people talking about lin as though he was a 9th grader playing against grown men..and not a former Division 1 athlete..."he's smart""crafty"" and other bullshit

can't have it both ways..and if you're not gonna call out the bullshit one way...don't call it the other way



NOW....if by white you mean "euro player"...including black euro players....it's not as much of a myth as you think

generally, dudes have all the fundamental skills in the world but NO..and I mean NO instincts or understanding of what nba defense is..

rare that player from euro leagues or international league has solid defensive skills......Andre kirelenko is a rare exception

[AK47DR91]

This is totally a race issue. Guys like Daruis Miles and Tim Thomas never even have good seasons and get rewarded multiple contracts on "potential". People talk about how could they could have been and all this bullshit. No I don't think Lin is that good but damn the hate is totally out of hand.
It's only OK to bring up the race card when non-fans and detractors criticizes athletes for being overpaid. You'll hear, "people don't like seeing young black men making millions, that's why athletes are hated on so much."

Why did LeBron get a $1 million endorsement contract before play 1 professional game? It was because of hype and potential. Nobody really knew how great he would have become. He proved he was worth the price and more.

In Lin's case; he has the hype. He still has potential. If somebody wants to throw $29 million/4 year at him, hey, let them take the risk. He could either live up to it like LeBron did or he could turn into the Darius Miles', Eddy Curry's or Oden's of the world.

[2LeTTeRS]

Oh and over the last few years or so it has now become a "fact" that all non black player are incapable of playing defense. The first complaint about any non black player is they can't play defense. It's comical. Rubio was slagged as a bad defender before he came in the league and he was too slow and all of this other bs and it turns out he's a good defender. It's total bullshit. The same thing happens in the NFL with black quarterbacks. Theyre always talked about as not being able to read defenses. It's totally stupid. What everyone should do is just tell the truth. Like say "we don't think black guys are good quarterbacks" and in basketball people should just admit that they don't like seeing a non black do well. Personally, I think it's stupid but that's the way it is.

This just isn't true. The two things people praised Rubio for was his passing and his defense. Don't believe me, the proof is in the pudding >>>>> http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/ricky-rubio-1155/

[Mr Exlax]

This is totally a race issue. Guys like Daruis Miles and Tim Thomas never even have good seasons and get rewarded multiple contracts on "potential". People talk about how could they could have been and all this bullshit. No I don't think Lin is that good but damn the hate is totally out of hand.

Neither one of them were grossly overpaid like Lin is about to be. Again, I don't hate Lin or think he sucks. He's just average. He's going to my team. I'm not mad. The Rockets are about to start raking in the dough. Hopefully that helps us down the road lol.

[Mr Exlax]

bullsh!t. then why didn't average rookies who started 20-25 games go off like Lin did?

there are things Lin did that you just can't stop no matter how hard you studied him. a perfect alleyoop passes smith or fields? yeah, studying Lin's tendency would stop that. lol that's called a court vision and just knowing the situation. some dudes just don't have it. ridiculous layups after getting hit by 2 defenders? what's next? push him to get a flagrant? that's called being a good finisher around the rim. some dudes don't have it. many of Lin's fancy layups happened after a contact or two. that only means Lin has a good balance and body control and innate ability to finish around the rim. something rondo doesn't have. Lin is no drose, but Lin is definitely one of the top pg in that regard. i can only think of 4 maybe 5 who can finish better around the rim than Lin. westbrook, parker, rondo, dwill, and maybe kyrie.

and some of the things he did was very basic yet effective. it was effective because Lin is relentless at attacking the rim. that's why his turnover is so high because he attacks so often. Lin thinks he is a baller, and he thinks he can take it to the rim. some pgs don't have that mentality. Lin attacks and usually when he did attack good things happened. he did cause many turnovers especially when he looked visibly fatigued, but that can be corrected by simply knowing when to attack or not to attack. i bet in that linsanity stretch, lin was feeling like jordan. because he wouldn't stop attacking. lol but you can't teach that mentality.

regardless, Lin possesses many good traits. he is far from perfect for sure. but his upside is so high that he is worth the risk.

Bro I'll be honest. I'm not even going to attempt to read all of that. You're typing with your heart. You have the picture of another man in your avatar. I can't respect you. I'm sorry.

[konex]

so why is steven a. smith calling lin 'average'? average players dont put up the numbers that lin put up. He lit up the lakers/mavs during that unreal stretch.

He had a nice 25 game stretch. How about he does it for a season before we say he's above average?

[Mr Exlax]

He had a nice 25 game stretch. How about he does it for a season before we say he's above average?

That's all I'm asking for. It was an amazing stretch, but it was only 25 games. Jeremy Lin is an average player, but has tons of potential? Can we please the Lin fans by saying that?

[bd#1pguard]

Guys like Sherman Douglass and Tony Delk had hot streaks but no one calls them great. Lin has to prove he can have a consistent Season before he can be truly graded.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0f-MHMEndgVHDvcsO0hElp4NFlQnUYh8pFPRcgLOmyhgnKKaB

SHERMAN SHERMAN SHERMAN!!

anytime i hear that name i think of the klumps

[truhooper]

Lol he plays 20 games and now ppl think he's a superstar and mad If someone calls him average...he was 85% and missed the playoffs. While guys like rondo wade miller Kobe ETC play even at 50%

:applause:

[TheeBeast]

he is calling lin 'average' and that lin is not a true point guard because he is out for himself, thats funny because when linsanity took over nyc his assists were through the roof.

listening to steven a. smith ranting against lin almost sounds like an angry black man upset that an asian is getting all the hype.

How is that an agenda?

The whole Lin Hype by the media since we lost Yao Ming, the NBA had to push another Asian baller. Now that's an agenda.

[ispin69]

Steven A Smith and Skip Bayless are clowns. They're not analysts anymore than radio hosts for sports. They get paid to be edgy and have polar opinions -- even they they're completely WRONG.

[ILLsmak]

That's all I'm asking for. It was an amazing stretch, but it was only 25 games. Jeremy Lin is an average player, but has tons of potential? Can we please the Lin fans by saying that?

25 games is a long time. lol. If a team has a good 25 game stretch people take notice. You don't have a 25 game stretch as a fluke. Maybe 10.

25 games! lol.

It's like yea he's a great boxer... but he's only fought 25 fights. Or, yeah he's a great actor but he's only been in 25 movies!

An NBA season is composed of 82 games. I'd go as far as to say 25 games is ONE THIRD of a season.

Is Lin a superstar? No, but he's a good player and a potential all-star. He's got that asian hype. He is gonna be fine. He's definitely in the top half of NBA PGs, at least.

Be prepared to be salty.

-Smak

[AK47DR91]

The whole 25 games can be argued both ways. He never got a chance to play during his rookie season because the Warriors had Ellis and Curry. Last season, the Rockets thought Johnny Flynn was the better third stringer, so again, Lin never got a shot to play.

It took the Knicks 23 games into the season and desperate enough to give him his chance and he played his mind out.

So in the 25 games that he was given a shot, he was able to put up:
18.2 points a game.
7.7 assists per game.
3.7 rebounds per game.
2 steals per game.
shot a respectable .445 from the floor
shot a decent .343 from the 3-point arc.
4.7 turnover per game [I didn't like adding this but I had too to be fair]

Half of those games was when he became the #3 option so his numbers was exactly a lot better when he was the #1 guy when Melo and/or Amare was out.

[TheBigVeto]

he is calling lin 'average' and that lin is not a true point guard because he is out for himself, thats funny because when linsanity took over nyc his assists were through the roof.

listening to steven a. smith ranting against lin almost sounds like an angry black man upset that an asian is getting all the hype.

That is correct.
He be a racist foo.

[Mr Exlax]

25 games is a long time. lol. If a team has a good 25 game stretch people take notice. You don't have a 25 game stretch as a fluke. Maybe 10.

25 games! lol.

It's like yea he's a great boxer... but he's only fought 25 fights. Or, yeah he's a great actor but he's only been in 25 movies!

An NBA season is composed of 82 games. I'd go as far as to say 25 games is ONE THIRD of a season.

Is Lin a superstar? No, but he's a good player and a potential all-star. He's got that asian hype. He is gonna be fine. He's definitely in the top half of NBA PGs, at least.

Be prepared to be salty.

-Smak

The only thing is that he wasn't on anybody's scouting report through like 22 of those games. He was just out there playing bro. No pressure and he had free reign to do whatever. I said he's average right now with the potential to be a superstar. Why would I be salty and my Rockets got him lol? If he turns out to be great that's a bonus. He won't be an above average player in the 2012-2013 season though.

[schism206]

He is average until further notice. Even average players get on a hot streak, and what Lin did for 20 or so games constitutes that. Let's see what he has over a full season before we bump him up to the next level. And lets never forget that when he had a chance to come back at "85%" to help his team he chose to stay in street clothes.
Agreed, once teams were aware of his hot-streak, he got shut down a lot of games before the injury, or at least in any ones I was watching :lol

[Micku]

he is calling lin 'average' and that lin is not a true point guard because he is out for himself, thats funny because when linsanity took over nyc his assists were through the roof.

listening to steven a. smith ranting against lin almost sounds like an angry black man upset that an asian is getting all the hype.

He's a bit above average with some potential there. I don't know if 18.2 ppg on 45% with 7.7 apg while he was a starter isn't average IMO. But he still has to prove himself for a whole season, but he has potential.

[brwnman]

Lin is average to above average. PG spot is incredibly deep...

[thetheory]

In March of 2011 Douglas was getting close to 30 mins a game and put up 13/5 while shooting 44% from the field and 42% from 3. So yes, even scrubs like Toney Douglas can put up numbers for a month when given the minutes.

March & April 2011, the greatest stretch of Toney Douglas' career: 13.8 PPG & 4.5 APG, Knicks go 12-13 (many games at the end of the season against teams giving scrubs major minutes). Jrue Holiday numbers.

Lin's 26-game stretch this past season: 18.5 PPG & 7.6 APG, Knicks go 16-10 (13 of 26 games against playoff teams). Tony Parker numbers.

And this whole "no scouting report" thing is hilarious. Advance scouts go to every game, not to mention tape breakdown, video sessions, etc. A guy has a great night today, the team playing him tomorrow is told every which way he scored a bucket. Sure, the Heat shut him down, but the Heat shut down every guard not named Rondo or Westbrook.