There's this notion that MDA waited too long to put in JLin. This myth that he was somehow just a wing and a prayer that MDA just pushed out there in a game and Lin took off. We all know Lin wasn't originally in the plans but is it fair to bash the coach for not playing Lin sooner? Was Lin handled properly given the circumstances? I say Yes!
Let's debunk this crap about waiting too long to play Lin and that somehow he was just pushed out on the floor and miracles happened.
1. MDA WANTED LIN! He didn't have to take him. He liked his skill set and had an idea that the kid fit what he wanted to do. He didn't just take any old available PG.
2. The season started on Dec. 25th. Lin came here on Dec. 27th and didn't get a chance to prepare like everyone else in Camp. Lin wasn't in the mix at the start but that's to be understood. How could Lin play the point for us when he didn't even know the plays and we were already into this fast paced no breaks season??? Dec. 28, 29 & 31 we had games. Was Lin supposed to play in any of these games??? You can't count those 3 games against the Knicks not playing Lin. Let's take a look at the Schedule and days off:
Record
Sun, Dec 25 vs Boston W 106-104 1-0
Lin Picked up off Waivers
Wed, Dec 28 @ Golden State L 92-78 1-1 Lin 1 min. Zero Practice
Thu, Dec 29 @ Los Angeles L 99-82 1-2 Lin 2 min. Zero Practice
Sat, Dec 31 @ Sacramento W 114-92 2-2 Lin 4 min. Zero Practice
Mon, Jan 2 vs Toronto L 90-85 2-3
Wed, Jan 4 vs Charlotte L 118-110 2-4
Fri, Jan 6 @ Washington W 99-96 3-4
Sat, Jan 7 @ Detroit W 103-80 4-4 Lin 4 min.
Mon, Jan 9 vs Charlotte W 91-87 5-4
Wed, Jan 11 vs Philadelphia W 85-79 6-4
Thu, Jan 12 @ Memphis L 94-83 6-5
Sat, Jan 14 @ Oklahoma City L 104-92 6-6 Lin 5 min.
Mon, Jan 16 vs Orlando L 102-93 6-7
3. So why would MDA have to have played Lin up to this point? At 6-7 They weren't in full panic mode. Look at that schedule and the lack of days off and the travel time or the road games. The few days off weren't full practice days. So Lin effectively had NO SHOT to really get a lot of work in up to this point.
4. MDA didn't wait until the whole thing came apart to do something with Lin. Something had to be done to see if they could help Lin get some reps and a better chance to learn the system. Jan. 17th Lin was sent to the D League. Lin's stint in the D League was about six days. He killed it, but his stint allowed him time to practice in the system. Lin may have felt the D league stint was a punishment, but it wasn't. Lin came back and worked with K. Atkinson and practiced on game days against Baron. He looked good and that led to more looks in games. While Lin was gone he missed about some games all of which we lost.
5. When Lin came back he played Jan. 24, 6 mins. @ Charlotte. He played 20 mins in Houston . Still Mike wasn't ready to just hand Lin the ball, but it was a good little look. He got 6 minutes in the next game in Detroit. Then Mike didn't feel comfortable with Lin in the Bulls game which was like a Playoff game. The Next game was the Boston game and Lin got a 7 minutes stint and looked good. After that MDA said that they'd go back to Lin cuz he showed a bit more and gave him a big shot in the Nets game and Lin took it from there.
All i'm saying is that it wasn't just automatic that MDA should've played Lin earlier. Lin hadn't had a chance to really practice with the team cuz basically there weren't any real practice days. That's why MDA sent Lin down to get some work and practice which he did. Lin admitted that it was good for him to go to the D league and learn the system.