I always sensed that there was something between Lin and Harden, that Harden didn't respect and like him
You could just tell, with the way they give high fives or don't, and how they cheer each other on
Lin does very well when Harden is out and not playing, putting up some Linsanity numbers, but no he is no where as talented as Harden

By far Harden is the much more talented player but I don't understand why not just root for your own team mate, his contract was over paid, but Morey gave it to him, Lin didn't demand it
I personally thought Lin was worth about the 5m range, maybe slightly more, but not what he is getting payed
But it isn't even a top 1000 worst salaries in NBA alone
Regardless, I don't understand why Harden just doesn't seem to respect or like Lin by any means, if you watch the Rocket games you can tell.....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Weird On-Court Exchange Between James Harden And Jeremy Lin Should Make Rockets Fans Nervous
by Eric Goldschein | 11:48 am, November 8th, 2013

No one can deny that James Harden is one of the best players in the league right now — not even James Harden. But perhaps all the attention is getting to Harden’s head a bit — he appears to be clashing with his own teammates on the best way to run the offense, i.e. through James Harden, and it’s way too early in the season for that kind of drama.

Harden is a ball-dominant guard, which means he needs to rock to be effective. Jeremy Lin, who was benched at the start of this season partially because he’s also ball-dominant, is supposedly the team’s point guard — meaning he calls the plays relayed from the sideline and runs them to the best of his ability. So take a look at this crucial late-game possession against the Lakers last night, and notice what Harden does (around the 0:07 mark) while Lin calls a play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9dClaPKgk

If it looks like Harden is walking away from Lin and completely ignoring the play call and just standing in the corner not moving while his teammates try to make something happen on a limited shot clock, it’s because that’s exactly what happened. Lin ended up taking a forced runner as the shot clock expired. At the end of the video, you can see Harden walk over to Lin. This is apparently what happened next:

Ball-dominant star who considers himself the best shooting guard in the league is mad at fellow ball-dominant star* (*deserved or not) for trying to run a play and coming up short? That’s not going in the “team leader” scrapbook. Then again, it’s no secret that Harden loves running iso-plays for himself — it must sting when he doesn’t get to touch the ball once in a crunch-time possession.

Harden choosing to ignore the play and then pout about it is a bad sign. Everyone was worried before the season that Dwight Howard’s maturity level could derail the team’s title hopes, but maybe it’s the other young star that Rockets fans should be worried about. Howard left L.A. to escape the team’s star ball hog, but seems to have run into a similar situation in Houston.

Note: Harden did drop 35 points in the loss, but on 9-24 shooting, which is not exactly the most effective night from the field.

Beverely/ Aaron Brooks/ Isaiah Canaan
Harden/ Francisco Garcia
Parsons/ Omri Casspi
Melo/ Terrence Jones
D12/ Donatas Motiejunas/ Greg Smith

I think this is a perfect fit for Melo, because of 3 major reasons
==============================================================================

1- he is not worth a max contract and most GM's would agree, especially at his age, and only Florida and Texas teams/states have less tax, and $$$ is important to CA and his CAA reps,

2- Melo needs to play with many ALL STAR's that are versatile a couple of players that have the ability to penetrate/finish/ and facilitate (Harden/Parsons), along with a versatile SF with some PF size/SG abilities in Parsons, with many shooters to space give him room, and most importantly, a quality defensive Center and rebounder in D12

3- Melo strived playing for TEAM USA, but having that type of talent on a NBA team is very hard to accomplish within the salary cap, and Houston is one of the rare teams that have the ability to pay Melo a reasonable salary (especially if he wins a ring with them this year which is a strong possibility), allow him to do what he does best with the talent around him, have the talent around him (role players and stars) on both DEF and OFF to compliment him, and behind Harden he can finally be the Batman that he is and NOT the SUPERMAN he thinks he is

I still don't know if Lin and Asik are being payed 15m on the last season or if it only takes the cap hit of 15m in a trade)
Because many have said it in the past that it is actually just a little over 8m per year

I would give Melo to Morey, especially if we can throw in Felton or the Smith Brothers (would take 1 less 2nd round pick if they take Felton), they surprisingly still have many assets in picks, with ALL of their own future 1st rounders, and still 6 2nd round picks from now to 2017 that they STILL OWN, so let Houston and Melo get their big 4 in, and they can market/ that team much like Miami did with their big 3

Harden
Parsons
Melo
D12

and the already have MANY role players at vet min deals, along with future mini MLE to use, and many future picks as well to either draft or use in trades, so their future is very bright with much flexibility
Trading Lin and both Asik makes sense, especially since they already have their big 3 in Harden, Parsons (eventually will get payed though but was a 2nd round STEAL), and D12, with the ability to continue to improve
Even if they just trade Lin and Asik for an expirings or a trade exemption, it would allow them to a star this summer, or trade for one with all the assets they still have
Problem is, the longer we wait on Melo, the less leverage we would have, which GM's certainly know how to take advantage of from us, especially Morey
But we have a hard time fitting a deal, without a 3rd team, because I am not sure which salary is Lin's and Asik's salaries are actually structured, some say it is 8m+ while others still say it is 15m next year

8m+ each year

or

5/5/15

Lin
Asik
2 1st round picks
2-3 2nd round picks (2 of em ours that we sent out for Camby)

Knicks picks owned
============================
New York
2014 second round draft pick from Sacramento
Sacramento's 2014 2nd round pick to New York (via Boston) protected for selections 31-55 (if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then Sacramento's obligation to New York will be extinguished) [Boston-Sacramento-Toronto, 2/19/2009 and then Boston-New York, 2/18/2010]

2015 1st round pick

2017 1st round pick

2018 and after are all ours currently

Knicks picks that were traded and were once ours that we got from trades, but now owed to other teams in trades
============================================================================================================================

2014 first round draft pick to Denver
New York's 2014 1st round pick to Denver [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011]; Denver may convey this pick to Orlando (see Denver Debits)

2014 second round draft pick to Houston
New York's 2014 2nd round pick to Houston [Houston-New York, 7/11/2012]

2015 second round draft pick to Houston
New York's 2015 2nd round pick to Houston [Houston-New York, 7/11/2012]

2016 first round draft pick to Denver
Denver has the right to swap its 2016 1st round pick for New York's 2016 1st round pick [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011]; New York will convey the less favorable of these two picks to Toronto (see New York Debits)

2016 first round draft pick to Toronto
New York will convey the less favorable of its 2016 1st round pick and Denver's 2016 1st round pick to Toronto (via Denver's right to swap for New York) [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011 and then New York-Toronto, 7/10/2013]

2016 second round draft pick to Sacramento
New York's 2016 2nd round pick to Sacramento (via Portland) protected for selections 31-37; if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then New York's obligation to Sacramento will be extinguished [New York-Portland, 7/15/2012 and then New Orleans-Portland-Sacramento, 7/10/2013]

2017 second round draft pick to Toronto
New York's 2017 2nd round pick to Toronto [New York-Toronto, 7/10/2013]

Houston Rockets picked owned
==================================

2014 second round draft pick from New York
New York's 2014 2nd round pick to Houston [Houston-New York, 7/11/2012]

2014 second round draft pick from Philadelphia
Philadelphia's 2014 2nd round pick to Houston protected for selections 31-55 (if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then Philadelphia's obligation to Houston will be extinguished) [Houston-Philadelphia, 7/13/2013]

2015 second round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
L.A. Clippers' 2015 2nd round pick to Houston (via Toronto) protected for selections 31-50 and 56-60 (if this pick falls within either of its protected ranges and is therefore not conveyed, then the L.A. Clippers' obligation to Houston will be extinguished) [L.A. Clippers-Toronto, 1/7/2009 and then Houston-Toronto, 7/28/2010]

2015 second round draft pick from New York
New York's 2015 2nd round pick to Houston [Houston-New York, 7/11/2012]

2015 second round draft pick from Minnesota
Minnesota will convey the less favorable of its 2015 2nd round pick and Denver's 2015 2nd round pick to Houston (via Portland) [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011 and then Minnesota-Portland, 6/27/2011 and then Houston-Portland, 7/10/2013]

2017 second round draft pick from Portland
Portland's 2017 2nd round pick to Houston [Houston-Portland, 7/10/2013]

Houston Rockets picks traded in their future
=================================================

http://www1.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/houston-rockets-philadelphia-76ers-2013111320/
Jeremy Lin stats vs Philly this year when Harden was out

Mins 48:37
FGA 10-19
FTA 9-15
3pters 5-6
+/- stat -11
DEF REBs 5
Assist 12
TO 8
Steals 0
Blocks 0

Block Attempts 2
Person Fouls 5

Points 34

2013-14 Jeremy Lin's gamelog stats

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4795/gamelog/;_ylt=A0oG7mF6IbhSQ3QAlhVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzZW5vaTluBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1ZJUDEzMV8x

Lin has sacrificed for the better of the team, as he should because Harden is by far much more skilled than Lin
But there are many games that Lin has taken over when Harden was out with injuries, and I believe he still has the ability to do so as he did with our run known as LINSANITY
Having Lin back in the Garden while we lose but will regain much fans with the return of Lin in the meantime, while we free up cap space, collect assets, and wait for 2015 to rebuild through FA and draft picks, is NOT a bad way to rebuild, it is actually quite fast if we can attract the right FA's along with drafting/signing the right talents

I think people would still attend the games for the next 2 years with the return of Lin, even if we suck, and he is closer to a leader despite than Melo ever would be
Yes he cannot do it by himself and he needs much more talent around him and that is why getting draft picks, cap room for 2015, along with a new coach/GM/development coaches is so important, to work together with and build a team in the next 2-3 years max (if we are unable to get any ALL STARS or STARs without overpaying in 2015)
We need a Coach that Coaches, and will sit you out if you make a mistake, has the ability to develop, attract players, and demand respect, and of course, holds players accountable. Woody doesn't get it, he just stares, and plays the same players, watching them make horrible decisions and allows them to take horrible shots, and says the same BS over and over again, hoping something the outcome would change with making adjustments.....

(with the MINI MLE this summer)
Along with using the 3m to use on trades/to buy picks this summer
I think we can use it again, next season to buy the RIGHTS of a player because we didn't use any of it last summer till now
And those draft picks that Houston own can speed up our process, along with taking Felton or JR off our hands

I think this makes both teams a decent trade proposal, especially if there has been trouble moving both Lin and Asik due to their salaries, if so we must lowball em and try to get back as much as possible because they still have a lot of assets, while UPSELLING MELO and his scoring title, along with his NCAAA championship pedigree, where Hakeem can continue to also work on his foot work and post moves to help make him more efficient

But

We will need a 3rd team to facilitate the trade, I am thinking if Denver would give us a hand, since by losing Melo, theoretically, we should get worse, lose more games, and get more ping pongs for Denver's pick they are getting this summer from us

Maybe we can suck for 2 years and we own 2015, next years pick, as a TOP 3 pick, in addition to all the assets above, and cap space, it might not be such a bad idea

But first, we must find a GM, PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, DEVELOPMENT COACHES, IMPROVE SCoUTING AND MANAGEMENT if we do such a trade, and just fire Woody cause he loss control of the team long ago, most importantly, we need Dolan to stay out of BB decisions and therefore pay quality management that have proven success

I personally would go after The Spur's staff with big money and big future promises on jobs, like Poppavich moving up as he finds his successor (possibly Duncan)
vs
Sam Presti (because he had a lot of HIGH DRAFT picks to work with) while we don't have any at least we don't own them (not this year)

nyk4ever wrote:harden is a gunner, i dont think theres much of a difference between him and melo. he's shooting 44% from the field and shooting almost 7 3's a game, in which he makes 2. harden might get some assists, but his A/TO ratio is nearly 1/1 which is pathetic for a guard. i'd pass on him.

gunsnewing wrote:Basically Morey went out of his way to screw us for over a decade. They do not need Lin with Harden there. Meanwhile we are desperate for anything positive to happen at PG

I'm sure if he knew that he was going to land both harden and Howard, he would not have signed Lin and Asik.

CrushAlot wrote:

franco12 wrote:I think our record would improve with Lin over Melo this year. Better ball movement, collapsing defenses, wide open threes for set shooters, players feeling involved on offense performing better on defense.

Wow.

TeamBall wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

franco12 wrote:I think our record would improve with Lin over Melo this year. Better ball movement, collapsing defenses, wide open threes for set shooters, players feeling involved on offense performing better on defense.

Wow.

My reaction as well

make it 3. lin is so overhyped by this board. not saying he's not good, but you would think he's an MVP here.

Harden has a gift at being able to draw fouls when he flails his arms and Melo has a gift for his headband being knocked sideways or completely off and still not get a call.

Sidenote: I ball up my fist every time I see JR do his Harden impersonation. He doesn't get that call and it leads to stupid turnovers.

Anyway: Melo's # this month.

December 39.5 9.4-19.5(FGA) .479(FG%) 1.8-4.3 .426 (3FG%) 6.0-6.7 .892 (FT%) 7.7 (REBS) 3.3 (AST) 1.0 (BLK)

1.1 (STL) 2.5 (PF) 1.8 (TO) 26.5 (PTS)

If Woodson doesn't run him into the ground and he keeps that up I do not think people will have as much of a problem with him. The guy is passing out of
doubles for the most part and swing the ball. The only one who really posts up Amar'e and even gave it to Tyson in the post. LOL. I don not like the late game play at times and the second half versus Milwaukee though.

yellowboy90 wrote:How much do getting calls aide in keeping your FG% high? I reposted someone else's post where last year Melo attack the rim more than couple top players but had a lower FT rate and that was not accounting for all the fast break points the others had.

Harden has a gift at being able to draw fouls when he flails his arms and Melo has a gift for his headband being knocked sideways or completely off and still not get a call.

Sidenote: I ball up my fist every time I see JR do his Harden impersonation. He doesn't get that call and it leads to stupid turnovers.

Anyway: Melo's # this month.

December 39.5 9.4-19.5(FGA) .479(FG%) 1.8-4.3 .426 (3FG%) 6.0-6.7 .892 (FT%) 7.7 (REBS) 3.3 (AST) 1.0 (BLK)

1.1 (STL) 2.5 (PF) 1.8 (TO) 26.5 (PTS)

If Woodson doesn't run him into the ground and he keeps that up I do not think people will have as much of a problem with him. The guy is passing out of
doubles for the most part and swing the ball. The only one who really posts up Amar'e and even gave it to Tyson in the post. LOL. I don not like the late game play at times and the second half versus Milwaukee though.

And, I'm sure you realize, a lower foul rate doesn't prove unfair officiating. You'd have to have objective analysts rating the referees to do that. That's not to say a difference in foul rate is irrelevant. But it's only a starting point for a more serious analysis.

yellowboy90 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:How much do getting calls aide in keeping your FG% high? I reposted someone else's post where last year Melo attack the rim more than couple top players but had a lower FT rate and that was not accounting for all the fast break points the others had.

Harden has a gift at being able to draw fouls when he flails his arms and Melo has a gift for his headband being knocked sideways or completely off and still not get a call.

Sidenote: I ball up my fist every time I see JR do his Harden impersonation. He doesn't get that call and it leads to stupid turnovers.

Anyway: Melo's # this month.

December 39.5 9.4-19.5(FGA) .479(FG%) 1.8-4.3 .426 (3FG%) 6.0-6.7 .892 (FT%) 7.7 (REBS) 3.3 (AST) 1.0 (BLK)

1.1 (STL) 2.5 (PF) 1.8 (TO) 26.5 (PTS)

If Woodson doesn't run him into the ground and he keeps that up I do not think people will have as much of a problem with him. The guy is passing out of
doubles for the most part and swing the ball. The only one who really posts up Amar'e and even gave it to Tyson in the post. LOL. I don not like the late game play at times and the second half versus Milwaukee though.

How do you factor in all the non-call offensive fouls by Melo?
The bottom line is you can't analyze a player's performance by looking at anything other than what is called.

How do you factor in the non calls on O-Fouls for Harden? He generates contact. I am not really mad at that either. He and Duran have a gift. I don't know what else to call it. I just wonder what would happen if after a few more years some of those whistles don't ring. Maybe they always come but if they stop what will happen? One thing I would like to see from Harden is those 3pt attempts go down while he is slumping.