Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: ty lawson

Jeremy Lin named one of Time’s ’100 Most Influential People in the World'

The electric atmosphere of Linsanity may feel like a distant memory now, but the folks at Time magazine haven't forgotten the impact of Jeremy Lin's emergence. In their estimation, the New York Knicks point guard is still one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
via sports.yahoo.com

Not that he doesn't deserve it, but in my opinion, some of the picks for the 100 Most Influential are pretty suspect. Don't get me wrong, Jeremy Lin was a great story in the NBA this year but all the hype can do little to help him. In 25 games as a starter he has averaged 18.2 points and 7.7 assists. Great numbers for any NBA point guard rookie or not. But dissect that a little further and you'll see that most of that was in his first 12 games where he averaged 22 points and 9.2 assists. Over his last 13 games? 14.6 points and 6.4 assists. Still good numbers but more along the lines of Ty Lawson (16 points and 6.6 assists) versus Deron Williams (21 points and 8.8 assists). Ask yourself if he would be getting this much hype if he was just a middle of the road NBA player.

Teams are now game planning for him and he's essentially a rookie who has never had to play this many minutes over such a compressed period of time. His knee giving out is a clear sign of this. He needs time away from the hype to recuperate from surgery, build up his body to play the full rigors of an NBA season and improve his game. If his career mirrors his first 13 games, then there's no question he is worthy of the hype. Let's hope he gets there.

Post draft notes

A few tidbits of news coming out of last nights NBA Draft:
 
* Ricky Rubio doesn't seem to like Minnesota. There are reports that his father says Rubio might return to Spain and play out his contract with Joventut. Plus his mom doesn't like the cold. I don't think he'll go back but might use it as leverage to force a trade a la Steve Francis. My guess, The Knicks pull it off by packaging David Lee and change. I guess that Jonny Flynn pick up at #6 wasn't that crazy after all.
 
* The rumored Amare Stoudemire for Biedrins, Wright, and Belinelli might actually be Biedrins, Wright, and Curry. Makes sense from Phoenix's standpoint to get a starting center and a potential PG of the future after Nash leaves in a year or two. It never really made sense to have two guards who are more comfortable playing the 2 try to be your PG. It's hard enough trying to get Monta to play the point effectively. Curry's stock is really high now and can only go down if he's competing for minutes with a much better Monta. Though I'm not against seeing if a Monta/Curry back court could be harmonious. I just don't think there are enough shots in a game to satisfy both of them plus Jackson and Maggette.
 
* Ty Lawson could be the sleeper PG to emerge from this PG heavy 1st round. Tyreke Evans and Curry aren't real PG's and I think they'll slide over to the 2 for most of their careers. Rubio has a ton of potential/hype which may be his undoing. He looks good dishing out assists but a lack of speed, athleticism, defense and shooting ability makes him vulnerable to faster guards who are much better than what he's played against to date. One of the reasons Nash dishes out so many assists is that his good shooting ability keeps defenders honest. If defenders knew Rubio couldn't hit a jumper consistently, they are in a much better position defensively. Lawson is one of the fastest guards in the draft and though he won't dazzle people with amazing passes, he's an efficient scorer who can manage a half court offense. He'll learn a lot from Billups and won't be asked to be the savior of a franchise. You also can't discount his proven ability to lead a team to a championship.
 
* I feel horrible for Jordan Hill. When he was announced as The Knicks pick, a little boy gave the thumbs down sign and his father had to turn it to a thumbs up. Hill is a solid player who doesn't deserve the jeers from the Curry-crazy Knicks fans. I hope he gets traded out of New York because he deserves better. Since Phoenix is rebuilding, how about trading for the U of A alum and some expiring contracts in exchange for Nash who obviously wants out and would love to be reunited with D'Antoni. Plus since Stoudemire is leaving, they'll need a big body with decent post moves to play alongside Biedrens who has no post moves. One can wish.