Game 34 Atlanta Hawks vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Game Thread 599
By psalm234

599 Comments

  1. too easy. and with my stats at an all time high (upvotes to posts) and secure due to my wildly popular recent stuffed stats posts can indulge myself to say:

    me first! me first!

    (note mod is still out doing brent with the no liner thread commentary).

  2. Deserve another upvote

  3. Here’s Jeremy warming up before the recent Pacers game. If you wait until the end of the video you can see how elaborate their “baseball” game is …
    __________
    https://twitter.com/PopoChung7/status/1078089931807846400

  5. With JLIN’s stats this year, he would have had a legitimate shot at the All-Star game if he were on a legitimate team

  6. Wow the Minne Cheerleaders wearing “Prince Purple Suits”, never seen that before

  7. Andrew Wiggins pulls a JLIN on the uniform

  8. Good 3s by Poythress and Baze, fed by Trae.

  9. Youngs passing is great.

  10. Trae is playing well, IMO. The Hawks look good right now.

  11. Poythress coming out with 6 quick points, replacing Dedmon with foul trouble.

  12. He’s a good PG. Especially considering he’s a rookie.

  13. Trae already has 4 assists early.

  14. he has the potential to be good. Lots of stuff to work on but passing aint one of them.

  15. Hawks 3 for 4 3-pointers.

    Trae is doing well passing, but he can’t guard Rose at all.

  16. I think he gets them not only because he passes well. But he looks to do something with the ball every time he gets it and has the ball handling to pull it off. He looks to be the facilitator. That’s a good quality for a PG.

  17. not many can guard a healthy D.Rose

  18. Im hoping for a wolves win because i want my man D.ROSE IN THE PLAYOFFS!

    My fave player after Lin

  19. For his experience in the NBA, he’s very good. I expect him to show the inexperience in decision-making from time to time.

  20. Just as long as JLIN gets his stats, I’m fine with tht — even Hawks fans don’t care if they win or not — only some Hawks players might care

  21. oh yeah youngs passing is Elite already.I think second season he will be a better shooter.

  22. i think hawks players care if they win. I also think some of the players know they are on display.

  23. Trae gives up more points than he participates in – that’s a fact… until he fixes that (if it is at all possible) he has little future but as a bench player

  24. Lin getting ready to come in.

  25. Hawks putting on a beating.

  26. Trae and Baze got extended playtime. Trae is playing very well early. Poythress was surprisingly good early too.

  27. It always appears that way, doesn’t it.

    Q1 has looked better as of late — one issue is that teams like the Hawks use up energy early and get winded late

  28. I really hope Lin comes in and looks to make plays. The starters were cooking and moving the ball well. Looking at both Trae and Rose, both are directly looking to make plays. Trae had a wonderful first stint, at least offensively.

  29. HAwks might win this..Wolves have been inconsistent with their play and this might just be one of those games. Looking for Rose to get it going with towns. otherwise i see hawks winning this.

  30. There’s a lot of basketball left to be played

  31. ofc

  32. Baze’s value looks primed for a trade.

    Both Trae and Baze took advantage of the lack of interior D. Baze is also hot from 3s (2/3)

  33. Baze on fire seemingly ever game … not sure this is good since he keeps shooting at the end of the game even when he becomese cold

  34. Hawks are on fire as a team. Wolves fans are shocked.

  35. lin hesitated on that layup

  36. Come on, no call for Lin?

  37. The usual. Annoying.

  38. Vince behind back into the stands

  39. niiiice lin

  40. Lin with a steal and pass to Vince for 3!

  41. Who’s not complaining thta JLIN didn’t take the shot instead of Vince pass 3 pointer?? ha

  42. It was a nice play

  43. Poythress is super aggressive and T-Wolves have no answer for him.

  44. Yes it was, classic JLIN play but…

    … very UN-Aggressive of JLIN ( could cost him some minutes play time)(

  45. noooooice

  46. OMG Lin with a 3!

  47. Lin great at the pull-up 3.

  48. Lin with NO hesitation .. 3333333!!!

  49. 3 pts by Lin!

  50. JLIN’s pull-up 3s are awesome this season … he’s never looked better

  51. Hawks with 40 already in the first! This usually happens TO the Hawks.

  52. Yup Wolves asleep this game. P3 looking good though!

  53. Refs gifting that call to Wiggins. A Harden call.

  54. Yes, Rathbun and Nique agree with you!

  55. Don, no one is complaining. Solid pass to Carter for the open look.

  56. Lin gets to play with most of the starters for a while.

  57. Lin assist to Huerter.

  58. Lin to Huerter for a 3. Huerter’s shot is crazy smooth.

  59. Should’ve been 3 foul shots for Lin.

  60. Yes, I thought Lin was going to the line for 3.

  61. Out goes Lin.

  62. heurtr doing too much

  63. Lin out 9:17 2Q

  64. Refs basically took away 5 points from Lin with no calls. Gave him a foul on a ticky tac hand check.

  65. Raining 3s

  66. Don’t like how Lin’s been playing, just keep passing after half court or walking the ball up. When he pushes the ball he’s not looking to drive or hit his mid range and 3s. All those passes went to wasted possessions with Huerter being wannabe Klay Thompson and Dedmon throwing missed ollie-opp

  67. Trae too wild on that drive.

  68. how is our boy doing?

  69. lol Not with only 10.9 PPG he won’t! What are you dreaming? Not even 20PPG was enough for Dragic to get All-Star nod. Lin could average 20+ PPG for the season and still be snubbed especially with the new set of rules, getting in will be that much more difficult.

  70. Decent. Nice 3, a few good assists, good steal. Refs not giving Lin calls as usual.

  71. ok, thanks

  72. Yeah JLIN sat there for 2 full seconds after making a steal, then he passed to Vince for a wide open 3pt shot … you would have absolutely hated it that JLIN didn’t take that shot

  73. i thought he play ok. the team was rolling so he didnt need to do much. i agree, more aggressiveness would be better

  74. Trae has had at least 2 awful, ridiculous turnovers turn into points

  75. Turnover city by the Hawks.

  76. Not playing that well this stint. Looking like a rookie, forcing things.

  77. OK, that was a nice lob by Trae to Collins. But they have good chemistry.

  78. If it wasn’t for all of the turnovers, Hawks would be up by 26+ right now.

  79. “just passed and didn’t do much” Exactly what Pierce criticize Lin about saying how when Trae Young is off the floor they miss their only true PG during an interview. Yet those are plays made by Pierce to hold Lin back from scoring and to develop other players. Same thing KA did with Lin during Nets except Lin had a few more minutes. Lin needs to smarten up and look to score every chance he can.

  80. 4pt play there is no reason for that Baze

  81. Baze in serious foul trouble now. Dumb refs trying to get T-Wolves back into this game.

  82. If it wasn’t for Hawks making every single 3 early, Wolves would be up by 15+ right now

  83. LP has this thing with Bembry. If there is a time to bring in Lin it is now, not Bembry.

  84. Might be a good time to put Lin back in and finish the half. Hawks are playing sloppy and careless now.

  85. I said something like the same thing in a post. Bring in Lin, not Bembry. Wouldn’t mind trying the Trae/Lin combo now.

  86. trea cant defend

  87. Y’all should know Pierce by now with the wisful thinking

  88. Playing passive, passing after half court and not doing much as usual :/ Made a 3 pointer and 2 FGA.

  89. Pierce rarely plays Lin and Trae together. When he does, Lin just gives Trae the ball immediately anyway.

  90. then he stinks as a coachroach

  91. well, if lin becomes sg right there.. or cg.. I’m all for it.. he will shoot more.

  92. Lin in

  93. 3 pts 3 asts and 1 stl in 7 min so far for Lin.

    Hope to see him in court more, but with Hawks winning…

  94. Wrong again, as usual.

  95. 333333333333

  96. Oh no, they called an offensive foul on Lin.

  97. no 3 ?

  98. This is what I mean by situational play. That was a BIG 3.

  99. JLIN’s catch and shoots are even better than his 3pt pull-ups; just doesn’t get many c&s opps

  100. Beautiful 3 from Lin. Nique is relieved and said it stopped the bleeding.

  101. Everything is a “situation” what is a sit & not sit?

  102. Take the compliment, Don, lol.

  103. nice ball movement when Lin is in

  104. So you don’t know?
    Is it last 3 minutes is a “situation” ??or when we need to keep a lead by 20+ is a situation?

  105. LOL @ that KAT pass.

  106. The game flows when JLIN is in.

  107. Awesome Charge

  108. Good call by refs finally.

  109. That was a timely basket as it stopped the Wolves momentum. Lin just made another timely play with drawing the charge on Covington.

  110. Beautiful job by Lin to draw charge on his ex-teammate, Covington

  111. It was a big play. If a little scary.

  112. JLIN in the right situation at the right time, good thing it wasnt someone else, then it would be that person as the “situational” player

  113. No, it’s that Lin has this knack for doing this over the years.

  114. You’re reaching … but it is a good yarn ..

  115. Collins is so good.

  116. Lol at you debating me when I’m complimenting Lin.

  117. Lin with 3 fouls. Has to sit.

  118. JLIN got clobbered and they called it on him

  119. Lin hesitated too much. Could’ve done a layup on the first drive, but was looking to pass it. 2nd attempt resulted in an easy block by Wiggins after they were set on defense.

  120. I agree.. he could’ve tried.

  121. might be easy 2

  122. had the open three as well

  123. I was thinking the same. Lots of hesitation. And Lin has to go back to trusting his mid-range shots. He’s getting into the paint but not getting the shot up due to traffic.

  124. Yup

  125. “Situational” is a nice story now that we know your definition … that is a compliment

    we say the same as your “situation” we use a different word “CLUTCH”

  126. Lin is so weird this game. Started with a no hesitation 3, then started hesitating on some plays. It’s like his confidence goes from super high to unsure from play to play, not even quarter to quarter.

  127. that’s right

  128. saw that too

  129. ill take it as just in game adjustments and decision making. other then that he played great. this is not a relaxed game. this is a real hard fought nba type game. he hasnt had alot of games like these given how bad hawks were earlier on and the blow outs. so saying all that, he will get used to it.

  130. JLin used to be better with off dribble 3s but Rockets teared him down and forced him to play off ball. 6-7 seasons from now JLin lacks the confidence to shoot off dribble with just 1 defender in front :/ Just take them, if it gets blocked or misses whatever.

  131. Exactly, Lin hesitates too much, he plays best just looking to score 1st and passing. All those passing won’t gain him more assists. The starting PG always has more than him without even trying.

  132. Anytime we see JLIN “unaggressive” the conclusion jump is always JLIN’s confidence is down, down …

    … never the occam’s razor that he’s just getting his teammates involved first, coaches directive etc.. — some things he’s done his entire career

  133. Lin hasnt played a ton of close competitive games. recently we are in a lot of games. i think the hesitation is just getting acclimated to how fast the game is when both teams are playing all out.

  134. that’s weird

  135. You don’t think he would be benched by LP if he looked to score first?

  136. that being said if lin didnt come in. hawks might be down now.

  137. I think Lin’s dribble-drive-dish game is a little rusty. And he just needs sustained minutes to get it crisp again. LP really should think of giving him 4-5 more minutes a game. But, this is the first of a B2B. But overall, Lin just needs more minutes to fine-tune his timing IMO.

  138. JLIN with another great half of play:

    100% from the 3pt — that raises his 3P% again closer to the 40% marke for the season

  139. Nique said it best, Lin stopped the bleeding. He settled the offense down and got the Hawks to play more coordinated and disciplined. Trae was too wild and his unit was running around like chickens without heads in the 2nd Q.

  140. Agree. And glad to see LP trust Lin more. Still, it’s only when Trae falters.

  141. Lin sith 6pts 3 assists and 1 steal 1st half.. good numbers. Give us a couple of more points and it’s all good.

  142. 100 percent agree. these close games help

  143. I think it may be rust. I think he just had more minutes to get his timing back, he’ll be fine. When you’re unsure about timing, you look hesitant.

  144. Would’ve been 11+ if not for the refs not giving him calls.

  145. Ln has the same minutes as trea

  146. Refs have a habit of swallowing the whistle agains Lin. Same with Rose

  147. We’ll see how the second half goes, but same number of minutes is usually an indicator that Pierc wants to win one instead of lose one

  148. Really don’t get what you’re going on about. Of course Lin is clutch. But clutch is part of situational play.

  149. nique might be one of my fav commentators. he always see what we are seeing.

  150. It’s amazing how much I like Nique now. It always seemed he was so against Lin. Now, it seems he’s genuine in his praise for Lin.

  151. He’s also not afraid to say good/great things about Lin. Sometimes he sounds like a huge Lin fan when he gets super excited and can’t stop praising Lin or is just speechless at how amazing Lin plays.

  152. You say tomatoe, I say tomahtoe

    You say situational, I say clutch

  153. Bad officiating IMO. But, what’s new, right?

  154. Situational is a term that’s used in sports a lot. It’s a high compliment, that’s why I don’t get you going on about it. But, whatever. sws94 out.

  155. he probably was just a homer.. never saw lin for more then a few games months apart. Lin dispelled his preconceived notions.

  156. Yes, agree.

  157. 3rd quarter is always big for us

  158. On the basis of Wins, currently ATL: is tied for 2nd worst in the NBA … so it is possible for Pierchlenk to Win tonight and still be Bottom 3 in NBA in wins

  159. Trae hasn’t shot a 3 yet. Just driving or passing.

  160. trea can do this daily. his issue is shooting and defending. i like how he is playing lately.

  161. trae’s pass looks so easy…but effective

  162. Trae’s passing ability really is special.

  163. effortless

  164. yup

  165. Yeah if Trae can bulk up and not get pushed away like a fly on D, as well as shoot a lot more efficiently, he is going to be a great PG one day.

  166. trey could be a ricky rubio type player.

  167. Rubio has good defense.

  168. not that part

  169. Earlier in the season he would have shot a 3. This time he drives in and makes a wonderful pass to Collins.

  170. Trae is more like Jimmer Fredette — though now Trae at least has toned down the chucking

  171. Trae has zero defense.

  172. Huerter has to stop trying to create. He turns it over half the time he tries.

  173. JLIN would have stopped Rose, just get your hands on him – breakaway

  174. Young has much better handling. That’s the reason he can survive in NBA.

  175. Oh boy, another run by the T-Wolves.

  176. It’s been like this for a couple of games now. “Someone” clued him in how to play in the NBA.

  177. I agree. Excellent ball handler.

  178. JImmer has handles, and Jimmer can pass — JImmer though don’t want to pass

  179. trey is not strong like lin lol. dont think he will ever be

  180. This is the concerning part of Youngs game. His defense is so bad it’s basically non existent. We are talking Isiaiah thomas level bad or worse. It’s hard hiding him on defense.

  181. League has shown many times that they don’t care about defense, look at Harden and Walker.

  182. Isaiah Thomas 2! Agree.

  183. You can’t hide him on D. He’s just not physically big or strong enough to defend most NBA PGs, especially the stronger, bigger PGs.

    IT doesn’t even try on D. At least Trae has been trying lately. He wasn’t trying in the beginning of the year.

  184. Hawks don’t care, all teams will push their chosen ones out at all cost until a better prospect arrives. Has been like that for every team and that’s why the league has so many bad teams.

  185. Walker can give you 30 on any given night and Harden is unstoppable offensive juggernaut. Young although it’s his rookie year has not shown any sign of offensivly taking over a game.

  186. Q3 for the Hawks would be remediable if Pierce would choose to use JLIN much much earlier if at all

  187. Lin’s been putt in very late with barely any minutes this game due to the big lead. Trae and Collins will get all the minutes. I’m not even watching anymore only checking back here and there if Lin’s back in.

  188. The refs, aka NBA does not want the Hawks to win.

  189. Hawks are lucky KAT and Rose aren’t on fire this game. They’re having their way with Dedmon and Trae all night, but aren’t making all of their buckets.

  190. Pretty obvious this game.

  191. Dedmon is good at shooting the 3s.

  192. Trae 10 assists already.

  193. KAT is heating up.

  194. He’s had awful 3 shooting games too, more often than good ones by far

  195. Yeah he is, but KAT and Rose are both capable of going off any given game, scoring 35+. They’ve so far been contained by the Hawks.

  196. Timberwolves will win this game no doubt, Pierce will close and give majority of minutes to Trae and Collins. Even as a bench player, Rose gets more minutes and closes more than Lin even after all those injuries, sad.

  197. That’s all they can rave about since his shooting is awful. Assists won’t get him anyway. If Assists were “that” important Rondo would still be a top PG.

  198. LP rode the starters too much there

  199. Pierce must be furious with Trae letting Rose waltz around him. I think he’s going to pull Trae now.

  200. 10 assist Trae moves the starting unit into mostly Negative plus/minus now

  201. Should’ve taken them out a minute and a half ago.

  202. Nope, Pierce sticking with Trae. Bad decision.

  203. Lin about to come in.

  204. It doesn’t look like Hawks really wants to win this game. If they could would be good, Min is only 7 games ahead.

  205. Lead evaporated. Thanks, starters.

  206. Lin in

  207. At least 2 minutes late IMO

  208. with 19.50mins al lo fa sudden Trae’s status looks decent in the box score, 8pts, 4-5 but they’re meaningless with the team trading baskets and losing their lead.

  209. Refball tonight. Straight up awful.

  210. Just like that, Lin draws a foul on Rose.

  211. Trae had to get “his” now he has more points and deceptive looking stats of 8pts, 4-5 shooting. Those who don’t watch games will assume he played well ignore his defense, exactly how Harden got to all star status.

  212. Sad, they weren’t even going to call it if it wasn’t for Lin to animate the contact against him.

  213. Wiggins hacked Collins. No call.

  214. Bembry is everything i hate in a player. just a negative.

  215. Let’s go Lin, time to be aggressive. F’n Bembry with his horrible shot selections again.

  216. Give the ball to Lin let im initiate maybe?

  217. Awful possession – every man for himself but ignor the wide open JLIN in corner

  218. Lin needs to stop passing it off early in the play. His teammates are clueless right now.

  219. Yes, hang on to the ball and make plays.

  220. Fts good stuff

  221. 1 FT

  222. Nice, Lin drew another foul.

  223. If it wasn’t for LP’s play calling, let Lin call the shots and dissect the defense.

  224. You got it

  225. BS foul call

  226. All night.

  227. JLIN had wide open lane and offensive foul Poythress

  228. Wasn’t that a foul? smh Lin missing bunnies damn

  229. Another awful 3rd Q by the Hawks. Also helped by the refs to tie this game.

  230. Lin still to reliant on his drives, should’ve taken a buzzer beating 3 or mid range jumper instead. No confidence shooting off dribble 3s even after 6-7 seasons. Need to learn how to side step and create separation with dribbles and handles.

  231. didnt like lins lack of drives.

  232. Seriously it’s time to blast the teammates on Twitter with their examples and clips of horrible shot decisions ball hogging plays they make.

  233. If lin gets to play more he has to be more offensive even if LP is making playcalls if it aint working do it yourself.

  234. or take more threes. Lin is too conservative on offense

  235. Lin out

  236. Exactly! Pierce doesn’t know anything, Lin needs to trust himself and make his own decisions not just do whatever the coach says.

  237. LP is always talking to JLIN when JLIN is on the floor – LP is in charge.

    JLIN constantly looks to the bench for signals

  238. Happy for my boy D.Rose!

  239. man atl sucs

  240. LP like every coach tries to micro manage how Lin plays. You don’t see him doing that with Trae Young! Cliff, Mchale, all did the same things to hold him back!

  241. Trea has been playing smart tonight. Good shot selection and good passing.

  242. We are between a rock and a hard place
    We need to get minutes to get a trad, that is the most important thing
    If you don’t listen to the Coach then you DON”T get minuts

  243. no such person

  244. what’s the point of getting minutes if Lin can’t do anything? It wastes his time and just makes him look bad! It also creates really bad habits of Lin always checking to see what the coach says! Basketball is about instant reactions not puppet on a string! Lin needs to tell Pierce to buzz off!

  245. JLIN’s is in the top 6 players in the NBA in a combo stats measure, that’s because he does what he has to do for ATL and get what he can get as the reward

  246. Box score will be misleading you to think that. Trae started off playing horrible with only 4 points in first 2 quarters. Trae got a lot of minutes to get into rhythm, stark contrast from what Lin gets.

  247. Just do more. Maybe the injury has affected Lin’s aggressiveness. He just may not feel it some days physically though he looks ok to us. Just guessing, though. I don’t know.

  248. rosie keep driving in and shoots, wonder why lin doesn’t do that.

  249. There goes the lead, thanks ATL starters

  250. de nada

  251. Totally agreed, Lin’s rehab depends on minutes. No amount of scoring will make a difference if Lin gets injured again. He could score like a star and no one would look at him if he’s out again. The next injury may just end his career.

  252. I don’t look at only the box score. I watch the game. You just hate Trae so you’ll never admit he’s having a good game.

  253. where was baze passing it to

  254. Trae and Collins got their stats, Pierce could care less about the win.

  255. Agree. Some posters just don’t want to give Trae any credit. Truth is, for his NBA experience, he’s playing overall well, especially in the facilitation aspect of his game.

  256. come on dont foul there….

  257. Lin in

  258. Lin in to try and save this game.

  259. Get off your butt Trae, the play is still going on after your awful turnover into traffic

  260. They know he’ll shine and play Pnr, look for offensive switches with screens and picks for mismatches vs iso Mano y Mano terrible offensive strategy.

  261. gamedover

  262. Baze sucks who shoots there?

  263. Lin will get pulled at 6min.

  264. Not at all. But Hawks need players to catch fire. Hope of them is Lin.

  265. Lin has to be more aggressive

  266. Lin doesn’t seem able to get past the defender tonight for whatever reason. He just doesn’t seem to have that extra oomph he needs to get going.

  267. Lin playing without fire right now.

  268. he isnt trying.

  269. yeah im seeing that aswell.

  270. They are double teaming, not looking to get defensive switches with PnR or screens. Horrible play calling. Need to get good mismatches. But that would require coaching.

  271. but rose is… he is shoot first.
    lin can be shoot first..but no.

  272. Lin has to get his own shots if he’s going to score, teammates aren’t going to pass back out to him for open shots. Haven’t seen any mid range lately.

  273. I’m not sure. He seems like he wants to get going but it’s just not there. I think he should think mid-range shots. And LP should call picks or Lin should.

  274. For Trae supporters, statistics are a difficult thing to understand sometimes — fact is Statistics are a science, and science works for humanity …

    … the statistics have said that Trae doesn’t help his team Win (in multiple statiscal categories, over the Entire season) … so you have an issue with STATS not with JLIN fans

  275. He didn’t do his hair, he doesn’t care.

  276. he is giving up too easily. he sees double then pass

  277. Exactly, time and again we’ve seen Lin play his best when he’s a shoot 1st guard!

  278. Rose is a beast when healthy. And thibs knows him. Lin has no such luck.

  279. Lin isn’t really trying anything. he just seems off.

  280. Rose is a bench player now and still beasting while being reunited with his MVP coach! Lin needs to reunite with MDA, the only coach who trusts him and willing to give him the green light! It’s no coincidence Rose revived after reuniting with Thibs!

  281. What is Lin doing? He just stood there at the 3-point line and held the ball until shot clock ran out.

  282. Another no call by the refs.

  283. Most blatant missed call of the night for JLIN

  284. Lin is out of sorts this game. I hope he can flick the switch but he’s running out of time.

  285. Lin just needs a coach that gives him minutes and a non tanking team.

  286. Yeah again, it’s JLIN’s fault the Hawks are losing

  287. You have LP that doesn’t back Lin on his fouls. D’Antoni and Cliff were the only coaches that really called out blatant non-calls for Lin.

  288. This unit getting them back in!

  289. Good job Baze. Got Hawks back in it.

  290. Even when you have “passive” JLIN , good things happen — entire career this way

  291. What is your purpose for posting sometimes? To just be annoying?

  292. Yeah again, because anyone is blaming Lin here.

  293. come on man

  294. lineup with Lin, Baze, and Bremby are playing unselfish basketball. Baze playing very well, making shots and drives!

  295. If you’re annoyed, then just hit the ignore button

  296. it seems like Lin has to look at LP for every single play. Damn!!1

  297. I’ll agree he doesn’t seem that confident tonight. I wonder if it is physical, however.

  298. as if LP knew what he is doing

  299. Baze is great! Don’t care what other fans say he has potential and is a legit starting SG!

  300. Your post was just flat-out stupid. Just discussing LIn and you’re putting words in people’s mouths.

  301. JLIN is only in the game becuse JLIN can be TRUSTED to listen and execute LP’s instructions

  302. I’ve said it dozens of times, his sole purpose is to troll and agitate posters here. His only goal is to bait you, me, and other who don’t take him seriously and call him out on his BS into getting into a flame fest with him. Mods won’t do anything about him, so just ignore him and call out his crap every once in a while.

  303. meaningless minutes, puppet on a string. All Lin has to do is break about from plays. At least he’d play his game! This isn’t fun basketball at all! Not to mention he’s traded soon and will be gone after this season! Lin needs to speak up and tell Pierce to “get out of here”!

  304. And your post was stupid, but I only call it stupid to retaliate never to iniatiate name calling

  305. Yep, Lin looked at LP for every possession

  306. The next game JLIN would get 8 mins or a DNP-CD

    JLIN does what he has to

  307. Cool the jets, Don. We’re all rooting for Lin

  308. Lin not even touching the ball anymore. At least his unit has been making plays and playing hard D.

  309. Can not stand our smart Lin has to get instruction from this dumb LP for every possession

  310. Passive JLIN doing it – defense firms up, LP gets the plays he wants executed, JLIN stays on the floor, Team calms down and play better

    I’m fine with that

  311. Vince :O

  312. Great game by JLIN has the lead back

  313. Lin not doing much.

  314. At least we know he won’t get hurt.

  315. If JLIN wasn’t so “shaky”, “unconfident” the Hawks would be up by 25+

  316. He’s playing D hard, but offensively I don’t really get why he isn’t more assertive.

  317. Lin playing great defense.

  318. LP

  319. No, it’s not LP.

  320. If Trae gets the last 2 mins, this will be travesty

  321. Well, at least Lin shot it

  322. Lin flat out sucked

  323. At least he touched the ball.

  324. Lin out

  325. Who cares?! This is a half season/ 1 season rental! If Lin doesn’t play he can rest up while making 13mil! Not to mention Hawks has given him the lowest minutes of his career anything from 13-18 minutes! In that case Hawks can save it! Lin needs to go out there and do things his way!

    13-18mins, heck you can’t even eat lunch with those minutes!

  326. Lin was wide open and didn’t shoot a 3. Why?

  327. Go Wolves

  328. shoot the 3 DAMN!!1!!

  329. Lin rightfully getting subbed out. Non factor.

  330. Good game by JLIN – this is what we’ve come to expect for Trae and the Hawks

  331. I agree. Nothing to complain about here. It was Lin’s game to finish and he looked like he didn’t want to do anything but play D.

  332. Lin just didn’t have it tonight. Off game for him. Oh well. Hopefully he plays better next game, which is tomorrow.

  333. yeah. wide open three didn’t shoot. even carter took two shots right away

  334. we don’t know what LP instructed Lin to do, do you?

  335. gamedover

  336. Lin looked depressed, of course with Pierce micro managing him. Lin couldn’t do anything without coach calling out orders.

  337. I don’t know. wow.

  338. the wolves announcer even say lin knows how to play in these situations…but trae coems in and have to learn to play in these situation..so obvious now it’s all traebae

  339. Fitting that Trae gets to stay on the floor for the Loss

  340. Terrible pass by Trae. Just awful.

  341. thats bull, cant protect Lin after that performance. He flat out sucked. Unless LP told Lin to not do anything he sucked.

  342. Hot dog pass by Trae

  343. man.. if lin got that 2 in and baze got thow 2 ft.. atl wins

  344. stupid trae

  345. Lin just dint have it offensively. his drives where absent. when he did drive. not much lift

  346. why am I not suprrise atl loses this game.

  347. Lin didn’t get the job done. LP did not tell Lin to play safe. He could have finished the game if he just played like Lin can in the 4Q. He didn’t. He gets pulled justifiably.

  348. he can’t drive to the basket. Lanes are well guarded. He should have shot atleast a three

  349. yeah, but defense is there.. and trae basicaly gave the ball away bedfore

  350. who is going to shoot the 3

  351. Lin playing bad is still better then trea in crunch time. trea is a rookie.

  352. not Lin for sure

  353. Something is not right with Lin this game. Hopefully, he’ll be back tomorrow. In the 4Q Lin just usually lets go. He looked tight.

  354. what i dont get is lin is 2-2 from three then takes no more threes

  355. He was getting fouled too many times with no calls.

  356. Hawks had only 17 free throw attempts, vs the 30 that Wolves had. Refs swallowed the whistle when it comes to Lin. He should’ve had at least 7 more free throw attempts.

  357. We are JLIN fans, many of you have confirmed with your own two Eyes that JLIN runs plays for Pierce every time down the floor but STILL are annoyed that JLIN doesn’t take apperently open shots …

    … JLIN did NOT cause this Loss – if LP wants to run this team his way then — It is NOT JLIN’s responsibility to disregard instructions.

    JLIN great game – raised his 3P% very close to 40% — superb

  358. you tell me ….I don’t get it either

  359. Not being about to shoot off dribble 3s with defender in front has always been Lin’s weakness. Also refs weren’t giving him any fouls for his drives, at most only side inbounds.

  360. Where is the Lin army with their video clips of Lin’s non-calls?!!!! It’s like the refs use different standards when not calling fouls on Lin and calling ticky tack fouls against him. Crazy hell, and it’s not because we are just Lin fan’s it’s just blatantly obvious.

  361. wow 2 points.. whatever

  362. I hope that’s the only explanation to keep me sane.

  363. he ran the play and had the ball wide open from three. he then chose to hold the ball then run another play. thats all on lin

  364. wow they tied it, buy it

  365. OMG Baze with a clutch steal into dunk!

  366. Lin has “zero” responsibility to listen 100% to what the coach says! Many players has the guts to break away from plays.This is what separates Lin from greatness. He needs to learn to shut out the coach and just play his game!

  367. Hawks are playing hard. LP may not be a very good coach now, but, they’re playing hard for him.

  368. wolves deserve to lose

  369. My feelings is that the Hawks has talent to win but the coach loses the games.

  370. Their playing hard for themselves and their contracts. Not for LP.

  371. agreed

  372. that’s what you think – JLIN instructions, if part a misses, he moves to part b

  373. wow, Baze with a great steal and the jam to tie the game

  374. overtime then

  375. Didn’t you say the same in CHA, then JLIN followed Clifford instrucitons and got a starting PG job with BKN, good thing he didn’t take this advice

  376. Because the coach kept shouting out orders and plays on what to do! Basketball is split second decisions not coach micro managing every play! It’s exactly why Lin was unhappy and played horrible today. He’s his own man and can totally ignore what the coach says and just go for his own shots.

    Where’s the mid range? He hasn’t taken any mid range in the pass 3-4 games already.

  377. Great stop by the Hawks. Rose put in a good move but the Hawks D made the stop.

  378. so they went rosiesanity and couldn’t win in regular time

  379. OK Lin has a chance to come up big in OT. Pierce might not want to play Trae too much, seeing as how they have a back to back game tomorrow night.

  380. Not a chance

  381. Maybe.

  382. According to PER, the best 5 of the Hawks are Collins, Lin, Bazemore, Len, Dedmon.

  383. no he won’t..
    like the wovles announcers said..
    “lin know how to playin thoese situations, but trae comes in because he has to learn to playin these situation”

  384. if I was LP i’ll leave Lin out. He’s not allowed to shoot the ball.

  385. With the exception of Bazemore every starter is Negative plus/minus, Bench is positive

  386. It’s okay. Lin just lost the rhythm a bit tonight in the 2nd half.
    The tall defenders in KAT, Covington probably bothered his drives.

    The good thing is he’s 2-2 from 3s tonight. And who knows if he’d have a chance to play in OT here

  387. ‘trae has to learn to play in those situations so they will play”

  388. BKN wanted a filler and “mentor” for their rebuilding team! And it just so happens they hired KA who knew Lin! That “fake” starting gig was more due to KA’s connection than GM thinking Lin played well! GM didn’t believe in Lin from the start. When Lin told him he’s going to prove all these people wrong, Marks said, “son you don’t have to prove anything”. Of course since Lin wasn’t in their long term plans. Every draft pick and stars need to prove their worth. Marks words showed his true colors since day 1.

  389. Carter was showing Lin that it’s ok to shoot the ball even a bench player/over 40 can do it.

  390. I hope Len is back soon. Lin plays better with him.

  391. I think Lin’s done for tonight. The refs are letting Lin get hit too much, and no one in the world can play like that.

  392. Hawks blew 2 offensive rebounds.

  393. Trae’s playing like Lin should tonight.

  394. Carter has zero hesitation in taking back to back off dribble 3s even at 40! Lin needs to learn from his idol and veteran!

  395. He may be little, but he can take hits and hasn’t missed a game this season.

  396. yeah man…. that’s attitude

  397. Trae has so little mass that even when he’s fouled it’s like fouling a sheet of rubber paper

  398. camera just panned to Lin, obviously wondering when Lin would be back in if at all.

  399. Lin should wear pads to elbows shoulder head

  400. If Bazemore is done, bring in Lin.

  401. LOL refball.

  402. LP will bring in Carter. Dang, forgot about Heurter.

  403. Who comes in for Baze?

  404. ref is leaning towards timberwolves

  405. 3rd stringer harrison

  406. Call on Baze was ridiculous.

  407. Isn’t that obvious that LP has Lin on a very short leash? No one chooses to pass when he’s wide open. Lin’s full of doubts because he’s been asked to not score and only set up His teammates. The problem is that the opponents read that and take away all his passing lanes. A paper tiger with no teeth can’t create space when no one fears his teeth. Lin knows it and so does his opponents.

    If Lin looks out of sorts, it’s because he is being emotionally abused by LP forcing him to play down to a delivery boy role. No athlete can ever play while having to double think with doubts on all sides. Sure it’s easy to be Trae who can’t do no wrong to just play freely. The difference is always in double standards and bullying by LP. He has the power to bench anyone by his own perimeters. I would hope Lin fans could be more sympathetic to Lin’s difficult choices he faces.

  408. aren’t they all

  409. Trae hit a 3. Bad shot but he hit it.

  410. Wow, clutch 3 by Trae.

  411. It’s not doubts, he’s just looking for the open man because he’s got directions to get others involved

  412. Nice one!

  413. Then let LP bench Lin! Any extra minutes on the court are wasted and just causes wear and tear.

  414. Wolves have a bunch of chokers lol…

  415. Wolves players are tired. Missing easy shots.

  416. If Hawks win, Trae will be the hero.

  417. This a crazy game. Covington missed a point-blank layup and Trae hit a deep 3

  418. Deserves to be this game, if they win.

  419. I would rather him play all out….with an attitude even if they cut his playing time; rather than him playing 20 meaningless mins standing around…

  420. Refball once again.

  421. Every time Trae makes one, you need to worry because the volume shooter creeps out — thinks he can’t miss

  422. He missed 2 point-blank dunks. Covington played great but choked on those dunks.

  423. Wiggins is terrible…

  424. he’s not worried at all. He has killer mentality

  425. OT pressure, I guess

  426. Wiggins is just flat out choking on the FTs.

  427. LMAO T-Wolves can’t win, even with the refs helping them all game. So sad.

  428. Wiggins 4-10 from FT line

  429. Minnesota had multiple chances to win this game. missed dunks. they want to lose

  430. Wiggins lost this game, the Hawks did everything to lose it but the Wiggins did more to lose it

  431. is the game over?

  432. drives me crazy when players make dumb mistakes like trying to slam and dunk 1000% harder than normal when the game is close, only to miss.

  433. That’s what all NBA fans care about, the scoring. They don’t care about defense. Trae can a be volume shooter and still become All-Star like Harden and Walker while Lin is nothing more than ball boy. Defense is overrated unless you’re on a Championship team.

  434. si senor
    o
    senorita

  435. .43 sec

  436. pretty much

  437. Huerter with a huge 3!

  438. Good for Huerter. Shot with confidence.

  439. yeah…he’ll learn that when he retires

  440. Ice Heuter – he’s the real ice tray

  441. with how bad they are choking. yup

  442. even a rookie can do it

  443. Huerter with a clutch 3 to make it 121-117 with 43 secs left

  444. timberwolves sucks can’t even beat lowly hawks

  445. very clutch shot indeed

  446. MOre FTs for Minnesota

  447. it’s so easy even a rookie can do it

  448. double ot possible?

  449. Not a bad shot if he makes it! Trae Young is my size. I bet the reason why his shot is off is because his shooting coaching are giving him bad advice. When you’re small, the launch angle is slightly different. I don’t know if he ever figures it out, but it’s actually as simple as that because everything else about his shot is good enough.

  450. no.. I have to sleep

  451. LOOOOL Wiggins gonna choooooke this away

  452. Refs do it again.

  453. Rookie has green light to shoot whereever, whenever you wants duh!

  454. Trae didn’t even touch Wiggins. This is so ridiculous.

  455. What a joke of a call.

  456. foul out everyone…problem is when Lin comes in he doesn’t have a choice but to shoot the ball cause there’s nobody else to pass to.

  457. Wiggins chokes again. Nique is going he’s the best guy to put on the FT line.

  458. dam

  459. see what Tanking does to you…turns you into a choker lol…

  460. arms touched only after Wiggins pushed off.

  461. Fitting that Wiggins choked again on another gift call from these awful, corrupt refs.

  462. NBA refs are jokes

  463. Wolves choked lol.

  464. what a choke. someone call a doctor

  465. refs basically gave this game to Min, but Wiggins, shameful.

  466. Wolves were given 20 more free throw attempts than the Hawks. What a joke.

  467. What, LIN in

  468. lin in lol

  469. haha can’t even win horrible team

  470. FT shooter.

  471. smh

  472. to pass the ball

  473. Lin back in to pass…

  474. Lin would make both

  475. to the ref

  476. Let’s get 2 FT!

  477. Folks Lin is in as a solid FT shooter.

  478. he doesn’t have a choice but to shoot the FT. LP can’t stop him

  479. Lin out

  480. Good job Dedmon.

  481. for rebounders.

  482. geez wiggins a big making fts

  483. game is not over yet

  484. 1.7 sec.

  485. Lin in and didn’t even touch the ball lol.

  486. Better than stopping Lilliard for all of 4th quarter only to stand in the corner for last few seconds….flashback.

  487. he’s there to claim the glory

  488. gamedover

  489. I know, I’m just joining in on board tradition

  490. Shocked the refs didn’t give them another chance to tie.

  491. Great win for Hawks. Wiggins had a horrible night.

  492. Refs want to go home

  493. might be too obvious lol

  494. the should take Lin with them

  495. That may have been a foul. the other’s weren’t foul. he should of just shot it theough they usually dont give fouls late. well today they did for Minnesota.

  496. haha

  497. Bad game for Lin…Horrible game for Wiggins. Great game for Rose!

  498. Exactly I’m surprised since there was contact. Fans were shocked and booing.

  499. there’s a game tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll be allowed to shoot the ball

  500. Their not calling it anymore when shooter jumps into the defenders path. Bembry jumped to his side, clearing him without contact, but shooter jumped into him sideways.

  501. good win. competitive games. lin had the minutes just didnt have the game today. on to tommorrow

  502. 2 of 8 ..dam it.. if he get 3 of 8 it’s already game over.. or 4 of 8

  503. Lin had a good game under the circumstances. He read the situation, and he made the best decisions that he could with these refs tonight. Sometimes it’s better not to force things if you’re not allowed to do basic things like dribble without targeted hits that refs should be able to see when they’re up close to the action, and we’re watching from overhead view. I think Lin’s “I’m just trying to get some respect out here” comment from last game got out

  504. So glad there’s a game tomorrow. Hopefully Lin will bounce back tomorrow and if Pierce continues to micro managing just tell him to stop. Lin needs to speak up and let the coach knows he’s displeased.

    13-18 mins with just passing is garbage any way. Lin should take those minutes and look to shoot every chance he’s got. This is wasting his youth away.

  505. Hence the ‘no calls” for his drives besides out of bound plays. Lin was clearly fouled 3 times last game. It’s exactly why he needs to make extended 3s and 3s his main offense. Defenders can’t guard him as close and he doesn’t need to worry about refs cheating his fouls cause they can see it clearly.

  506. We don’t want a Baze and Lin trade pkg, Lin needs a trade by himself.

  507. to be honest, this is the type of game i question if a trade now is best for lin. Some games his legs are just not there. his drive lack the jumping and force he used to have. that may again be a leg strength issue. when lin cant drive know something physically isnt the way he wants it.

  508. Hell yes a trade is the best for him without question.

  509. man.. imagine they won the pacers game.. that’s 5 game win streak.. they can be like the nets.
    That pacer game was winnable.. lin was doing fine..better than trae.

  510. “now”. meaning today. im stating maybe another month would be better. anyways not under his control. im just not sure he is physically ready for this typee of game daily. and the playoffs is even more intense. when he gets to the new team he need to be rght to get minutes

  511. Whoever is willing to trade for Lin will use him, unlike Hawks and company

  512. i think its a little easy to say th coach is micro managing lin. he has the ball . coach isnt mind controlling him. he was open but passed. those are bad choices. thats on lin.

  513. This game.. wiggins lost the game for the wolves. else it’s a lost too. LP probably got command from upstair to manage trae and do well.. and also this is LP first coaching job so less likely his job is in jeopardy if they tank.. because if they do so well, and don’t do so well next year then their job is in jeopardy wherase if they suc on the first year but doing increasingly well year oafter year.. they job is safe.. it’s like KA.. who probably gave din the green light because it’s his 3rd year and have to show he knows how to coach a team to win not to tank.

  514. If I was a GM that wanted Lin, I would just wait until free agency. That way I wouldn’t have to give up anything, and I’d be fairly confident I would persuade Lin to sign by promising a starting role and preferable style.

  515. hed probably be more healthy then

  516. It was what Cliff did, did not want to advance in playoff, but never able to get in playoff afterwards lol

  517. What are you talking about? LP was hired to tank for Zion and to develop their future in Trae, Collins, and Heurter! LP has zero pressure to win besides keeping them from being the worst in the league. Meanwhile like every coach, LP is set on messing up Lin’s game and keeping him from over shadowing the chosen ones. Lin needs to force a trade now.

  518. Cliff wanted to make the playoffs just with Walker taking the glory, not Lin. Cliff had to follow MJ’s chosen one wishes like every team Lin’s been on.

  519. to manage trae and do well
    I meant manage trae to do well (not the team to do well)

  520. I see, manage game losses, and Trae, easy job while making millions.

  521. Lin always listens to the coach. Unlike other star players, Lin can’t ignore them when Pierce is putting on signals and shouting out orders. Somehow, disobeying the coach is not ins Lin’s genes. If he had such guts he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. So many 1 year rentals and mistreatment and chances for Lin to go stray and just make shots.

  522. Just because he had a game where the refs weren’t calling fouls, he was able to draw 3-4 fouls to put Hawks in bonus to get to free throw, doesn’t mean his legs aren’t there. He was getting hacked all night, didn’t get the ball back because LP called plays for the starters playing with 2nd unit. Can’t have the bench outplaying the starters.

  523. He needs to stop being traded, when he has the option, to rebuilding teams. He’s been burned twice, Nets (questionable) but they didn’t have Lin in their long term plans. They got D-Lo when 2nd year. He needs to go to a team that’s already established but needs a good starting PG!

  524. He has to listen because the plays aren’t called for him.

  525. well, Lin had his chance tonight to lay more but his shot wasn’t falling..If they did, Lin probably would had finished the game and play the over-time 5 minutes.

    On a good note, Lin was 2 for 2 from 3 point and this probably boost his 3PT% close to 40%…Only 1 turnovers.

    The bad note, his FG% is now under 50% for the season.

    Lin will have another chance tomorrow which is good. Let’s hope his shot can fall.

  526. on to tomorrow

  527. no.. if lin just did 4/8 or 3/8..there will be no overtime. atl wins.

  528. You’re probably right…I thought he should have had a goal-tending on the lay-up he missed.

  529. refs had no love for him tonight. it is what it is. glad his 3’s came back though…

  530. i think LP wanted to win tonight. we didnt see guys like hamilton and spellman come in for a few minutes and disrupt the chemistry. we finally saw anderson (who made crucial plays) play good minutes. poythress played well early. and even though lin didnt score tonight, when he was in, his lineups played well…

    trae has been really solid the past few games… not shooting too much and kinda letting collins and baze shine a lot more. is that why they’ve been winning recently? hmmm…

  531. I think Lin said something telling early on. Some days things won’t be quite right and other days will be amazing. I think he tried to reach down but it just wasn’t there. It takes usually a season or almost a season for a player to come back from a major injury. Look at Hayward.

    We have to be patient.

  532. I don’t think a month is long enough. He’s actually doing well but he’s not going to be the old Lin for some time. At least not in terms of having it physically almost every game where he can reach down and come up big when the team needs him to be. I don’t think he’s being held back by LP. LP is putting him in close games now late and Lin’s ability to make shots and plays is determining his staying in to close or not.

  533. I just voted.

  534. I too just voted in NBA All-Star 2019.

    One can vote on nba.com and google.com, that is, two votes a day.

  535. Agree here…I don’t think it was so much about legs not being there..It’s not like, before the injury, Lin didn’t have these type of games where he wasn’t finishing at the rim properly.

    I just think he missed shots at the rim, simple..Even at 100%, he’ll have game like that.

  536. Team who may want to trade for Lin are teams who are under pressure to make the playoff this year…Team like New Orleans needs would probably want Lin now to convince Davis not to ask for a trade.

  537. His teammates don’t space out and don’t play well without the ball. they need to move around like Lin.

  538. Hmmm….all I know is we don’t know if we can trust a guy’s words who has bryson scott as the avatar.
    😉

  539. Easy to see he needed more playing time and shot attempts to shake off the sluggishness he seemed to start game.

    And it was Lin and second unit whose collective team defense clawed Hawks back into game in fourth quarter, but was pulled, presumably so Trae could learn how to finish out close games, after they had taken a 1 point lead.

    (Lin deserved to finish out this game, but as long as Hawks treat him well by trading him to good situation (meaningful role on title contender) instead of just take the best offer other teams offer Hawks by trade deadline, then at least it shows organization appreciates what he’s done to help Lloyd Pierce establish culture they want, and get Trae to play some defense, too).

  540. One thing you hear all the time from athletes is “I just have to get out of my own way”. Easier to say than it is to do! Pro athletes practice more than 10,000 hrs on skills to make them automatic. If the mind interferes, all is lost. More often than not the mind wanders from tasks at hand with past, present and future; fears, doubts, ego, desires and fame. This why pros need to get out of there own way.

    I implore all of you to test yourselves with this very simple pallor trick. Take a pencil and challenge a friend to catch it while you hold it between their thumb and index finger. Hold the pencil vertically between their fingers and ask them to try and catch it once you let go of it. Bet with them that they can’t catch it and watch them fail every time. They will eventually try to cheat by closing their fingers before you let go. This test is an efficient way for you to understand how slow our cognitive brain is. By the time you’re eyes see the pencil start falling, then send the message from your eyes to the brain to send a message to the fingers to close, the pencil has already hit the floor.

    An athlete that has to think about what he needs to do will never be an elite athlete. No matter how skill he is, if his mind gets in the way, he’ll be way too slow compared to one’s that act automatically. LP’s micro management of Lin is constantly interfering with Lin’s play by forcing him to think instead of playing automatically to what’s given by the defence. That’s why Lin looks slow and hesitant.

  541. This is what happens I suspect: LP calls the play and most often it is a play that does not include the PG taking his own shot …

    and JLIN is constantly scanning the court for ways to make the called play “succeed” for his coach … this sometimes folds out in a way that looks slow and hesitant, like placing a square peg in a round hole takes longer…

    … in those instances, to us JLIN fans it appears that JLIN should have just taken the shot but he instead concludes making the extra effort to execute the coach’s play is a better choice.

    It is what it is.

  542. JLIN had a tremendous Game in the win over Wolves, for …

    JLIN raised his 3P% to 40% (.395 rounds to .4) and his FG% is still 50% (.495), these are All-Star numbers this far into the season.

    These STATs are more important to JLIN’s future than anything else associated with the dynamics of JLIN with Hawks (I’ve never believed ATL was anything more than a stepping stone) before trade deadline JLIN will be off this team.

  543. Speed of Lin highlights …
    __________

  544. The Hawks traded for Lin in the off-season. Another team does not mean anything other than another team. We have no idea how another team will use Lin if they trade for him.

  545. Can Lin just not shoot because that was his choice? Does everything have to put on the coach? Is the coach responsible for Lin having good and bad stints as well? Is anything on Lin at all?

  546. Most teams that are already established have a starting PG. A team full of major players aged 26-32 is more likely to need help in certain areas than a starting position. Or, like Toronto and San Antonio, will try to trade an unhappy established usually star starter with another established star starter. In terms of signing and trade, we have to look at what other teams have and what they want in terms of who will place Lin in a position. That’s the only realistic way to place Lin, and that requires a lot of research into the GM and the organizations and personnel of those teams.

  547. In all honesty, I think Lin is rehabbing, I’m happy with his progress. I do think he is still struggling some to establish a rhythm. His play is uneven in the past 3 games and not as sharp as in November. Lately at times he seems sharp and crisp, other times he doesn’t seem to have his legs or energy, and his aggressiveness is up and down. He plays hard on D and his defense is getting closer to his usual high standard. But his offense, especially facilitating, I think his timing is off. That’s the part that is still rehabbing.

    I don’t agree with this LP is manipulating Lin and such narrative. I think if Lin plays like November Lin, the squad he’s on has more confidence with getting the ball to him, they look for him more to make plays and shots, and then they play Lin’s brand of basketball. I think Lin has far more power to determine his playing style than what many posters are expressing. I also think Lin should control the offense more when he’s in. And if that means waving off some players because they aren’t making good plays after they get a pass from him, so be it. That’s what PGs do, they’re floor generals.

  548. Sportige has noted the inconsistency of aggressive play and interaction with his teammates as well: http://sportige.com/jeremy-lin-the-atlanta-hawks-chronicles-a-tale-of-two-halves-111144/

  549. Those who believe JLIN has the freedom to call his own number,
    a) JLIN looks toward LP and LP tells him the play — Virtually Every Time down the floor — think back to what PG and Coach of other teams do that as consistently? Very few. This is why JLIN has gotten more than 13 minutes recently
    a) Just take a look at the diminished number of shots JLIN takes, especially in the 2nd half — he’s simply not looking

    I don’t agree with this JLIN has lost confidence in his game and has the Power to determine his playing style… the evidence is made up for this narrative

  550. I should hope people are happy with JLIN’s “progress” — there are literally only a handful of NBA players with PER36 statlines (let alone ever after patella knee):

    3P% – 40%
    FG% – 50%

    Yeah, I know that nobody knows whether or not JLIN gets traded — speaking ONLY for myself, JLIN gets traded because he’s making it clear to the Hawks, he is a team player for the coach but under NO Circumstances does he sign a future deal with ATL so there is no choice

  551. This has nothing to do with my points. Lin’s not himself right now nor should he be. He’s doing great for a guy rehabbing off a major injury. But it’ll take time to see the Lin that does the magical stuff on a more consistent basis. And no, I’m not giving LP or any coach power over Lin. When Lin gets in his head he’s going to lead a team to victory, he does it. The coach then sees the wisdom of Lin. I think the board is giving LP too much power.

  552. Please note JLIN’s wonderful steal at 0.22, yes there was a big defender in front and a sole rim protector, but for over 2.5 seconds upon making the steal JLIN waits for Vince to get into position, JLIN makes zero moves to drive around, step back, or put up a quick shot — this is a case IMO where JLIN made up his mind he was Passing the Ball come heck or highwater …

    … some call it lack of confidence, I call it the Hawk plan that JLIN is executing

  553. 100 percent agree. sometimes he seem 90 percent back to his previous self. other ties its 70 or 65 percent. the drives or lack there of tell you everything.

  554. LP already has the power, the board isn’t giving LP anything and can’t.

    We will know the truth in a few years, when JLIN spills the beans on his ATL stint.

    (wasn’t your point JLIN’s progress? stats are a metric of progress)

  555. I see it as scapegoating. When Lin plays great, he plays great. When he doesn’t, must be somebody’s fault. Blame the coach. Blame Bembry. Blame somebody. Can’t be because Lin’s not feeling as strong as he has in other games or another reason. Has to be somebody’s fault.

    I’m not saying LP is a great coach or that he doesn’t call plays. I’m saying Lin has power to do what he wants and if he executes, the coach won’t have any choice but to say good job, Lin.

  556. Haha, a backup point guard, the 8th-9th MAN has all the power (as ATL clearly sees it), this couldn’t be more ridiculous

  557. Percentage wise yes but no one makes allstar only averaging 10.9PPG. This has been Lin’s average for quite a few years. He needs to up his FGA to 15-25 shots per game if he’s going to make a case for that.

  558. You’re saying that any other backup PG, that’s his role on this team, has power and Lin doesn’t. I’ll never agree to that. Lin has plenty of power.

  559. No non-starter makes All-Star (unless its an old nostalgic legend)

    JLIN’s never had stats this high in his career, especially 50% FG% – 98% of the NBA players would envy these stats

  560. 8th or 9th man off the bench, that ( with the exception of blowouts) routinely got 13-15 mins that tells you how JLIN is viewed by the team and coach.

    JLIN doing Pierces bidding every time down the floor has GOTTEN JLIN Minutes

  561. TY has stabilized his play somewhat while JLin has toned his “down”. I don’t think you go from playing like he did in November to how hw is playing now. ATL has changed their game plan to accommodate to TY. This I can understand as he needed to be “coached” or “reigned in”. Jlin on the other hand needs to be cut loose. If this is what is happening then LP must think TY and JLin are the same player! Big mistake. I don’t see how the change in Jlin’s playing style is any kind of rehab. It is the coach. Or the teammates but I doubt the problem are teammates because they play much better when JLin is unleashed. MDA is still the ONLY coach who knows how to tap the talents of JLin. Unless this is all related to tanking, which of course makes everything in sports non-sensical. Big “BOO” to ATL FO and coach for depriving paying fans once again from deriving any enjoyment from their teams BB

  562. Lin had two injuries that slowed down his play. The twisted ankle which he got over pretty quickly, and the back that had him out a few games, and he recently had a probable status based on his back. I think that impacted his 3 point shooting, which now seems to be back. Also his driving game, that doesn’t seem to always be there.

    Lin, IMO, has the power to go to his coach and say I want to run my own plays. He did that with KA. I remember when he and KA had a discussion about a defensive scheme. I remember Lin, on the Rockets, took the pen out of McHale’s hands and wrote out a defensive scheme in a big game. So, this idea Lin doesn’t have power bothers me. He’s a 9-year veteran and LP is a rookie coach. Lin, at least in between games, can talk to LP and assert himself more on the court. That is part of Lin’s personality. He’s not this wimpy little soldier that has to cowtow to a rookie coach. I don’t believe that.

  563. agree. Lin is a trusted vet in the nba. could be a coach after

  564. The other team:

    Anointed or deserved star players have to live up to their rep. Wiggins hasn’t. He’s a good player but hasn’t lived up to the hype. Remember the hype? It was pretty strong. Wiggins had to deal with Butler in his ear, but I can see maybe Wiggins deserved it. Anyway, Wiggins at the foul line is going to get him a lot of bad press and he shoulders the responsibility of losing to the “lowly” Hawks.

    I think KAT has been fine, he’s mostly lived up to the hype.

    And look at Derrick Rose vs. Teague. We talk a lot about starters here. So why is Teague starting over Rose? Isn’t Rose the better player? I think the answer to that question is beyond Rose’s talent vs. Teague’s. It’s the injuries and the lows Rose has gone through, walking away from the game last season and much more.

    The Wolves have their issues for sure.

  565. Jlin is an expiring contract coming off a serious injury and playing for maybe his last contract. Jlin may be a vet, and a respected one, but he doesn’t have that kind of power. Very few players do, players like Magic, Michael, Kobe, Lebron- the guys with one name. Jlin can go to the coach and say what is on his mind, but he is battling more than the coach- he is battling the ATL FO whose purpose is tanking and making TY look good. In the battle of coach vs player the coach holds all the cards because he can sit the player. One move against coach’s instruction and he is out. Since we don’t know the conversation between coach and Jlin, game actions suggest to me that Jlin is following coach’s instructions because Jlin’s play does not look like what Jlin would do. Since I don’t get NBA TV I only see stats, clips and comments from people who do see the game and from people like Sportige. You said that Jlin is still playing hard defense, well, coach is not going to tell him to back off on D. Offense is a different thing.

  566. last contract. come on we have to stop this end of the world mentality.

  567. last nites game was only the second time this season lin given 20 or more minutes failed to score in double figures.

    in the 15 games he has been given 20 or more minutes he has scored in double digits 13-2 not
    in the 15 games he has been given less than 20 minutes he has scored in double digits 2-13 only

    quite logically.

    in games given 20 minutes avg. 13 points per game
    in games less than avg. 6 points per game

    conclusion: give lin 20 minutes (there are 52 point guards in the league getting 20 minutes or more per game overall, lin is not one of them) and he will get significant points

    hard to do so on less than 20 minutes.

    (in nov he avg. 21 minutes and almost 14 points per game; in dec. only given 18 minutes avg. about 10 points per game)

    trey burke and lin are the only point guards avg. less than 20 minutes scoring in double figures.

    young’s useage rate is insane: he is the only player in top 30 in useage not in top 100 players in per.
    no one else is even close

    youngs useage rate is comparable to davis, curry, lillard, irving, george, walker, derozan, griffin, all top fifty players; young is not even top two hundred.

    summary: no one in the league is indulged to the level of young with anywhere near the level of poor results. the only players approaching young’s level of useage v low per: dwayne wade, dangelo russell, and donovan mitchell (subject of trade rumors and injured much of season).

    why continue to emphasize the weak results to date in the “development” of young?

    because once again lin is stuck behind a player being promoted; young, russell, walker, kobe, harden.

    not that it would matter if there wasn’t a annointed player ahead of lin; the list of long forgotten or forgetable abls (anybody but lin) include p.bev, pj. hairston, ronnie price, courtney lee, acie law, etc.

    many wish for lin to be traded to some team where he will get more opportunity. history would suggest that this is truly “utopian” thinking: ie. as in “nowhere”.

    that being said the fact remains: never in his career beyond g.s. has lin received less than (rounded up) 25 minutes per game.

    until now.

    here in atl.

    note: in terms of minutes lin is the “9th man” here in atl. lin is 5th in scoring on the team despite being 9th in minutes.

    “per 36” lin is 2nd only to collins in scoring and with overall numbers (rounded up) of 21/6/5

    lins “true shooting” is a mind blowing 628 actually better than collins.

    (more controversial post than i normally like to do but as the nba players say “it is what it is”.)

  568. BBall is a team sport, blame an individual for a loss is uncommon; but alone, Wiggins (41% FT% missed 7 of Wolves total 17 missed free throws.

    Remnants of Hack-a-Shaq (or simiilarly bad FTers), whether Hawks fouled Wigginis on purpose or not, fouling was a winning Strategy.

    And if you are Wolves coach, not sure why you have Wiggins take all the shots down the stretch if he bricks repeatedly.

    Minnesota fans sure know who they want to blame for the loss
    ==================================
    Andrew Wiggins pulls no punches over Timberwolves fans’ boos
    http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25636314/andrew-wiggins-minnesota-timberwolves-pulls-no-punches-fans-boos

  569. LOL. When LP let the lead dwindle down to 6 before making a change. When the refs tried to give the Wolves the win. But the Hawks win anyway because the Wolves were “more bad”. Couldn’t make FTs to save their lives.

    Just caught up on game. A few more observations ahead of tonight’s B2B.

    3Q when Wolves making come back, Bembry was costly on the offensive side. Took two bad shots and caused a shot clock violation. Not a good game for him, even though he was okay on defense.

    Other than that, it was a good team win. Everybody made mistakes, tons of turnovers. But EVERYBODY also stepped up and made timely plays too.

    Big 3 pointers from Dedmon, Young, Carter, Huerter. Big offensive rebounds and score from Collins. Big steal from Baze. Big block from Anderson.

    Good to have Poythress back. Pre-injury, he was playing well with Lin. He didn’t show much rust, good all around player. And FOUND JLIN for timely 3!

  570. Have to commend ATL Hawks Organization on the Trae Young propaganda machine — It works:
    1) major sports media outlets — constant hopeful articles written discounting his abominable stats (only playing up his passing/assists, less crowing about his “unlimited range” at least)
    2) even on JLIN fansites have many fans bought into the ATL propaganda

    Truth is without the ATL Hype Machine for Trae — if he was just another drafted collegiate, he’d be playing in the G-League to this DAY (his recent non-chucking makes no difference) he’s still a net negative in almost every game.

  571. Lin made a definite impact on the game despite the lower minutes and the low points.

    GREAT to see him hit those two 3’s! Timely steal and let Carter take and make the 3. And another important save down the stretch.

    Lin’s role has been articulated many times by the Hawks. FOR NOW, while LIN IS STILL ON THIS TEAM. This is what Lin is being asked to do. “As a backup…some days they rely on me more, some days they don’t…I will play my best in the role I’m in…”

    I read some of these comments. SMH. Lin’s own words are being WILLFULLY IGNORED by some posters. Who insist they know better than Lin himself. The arrogant presumptions would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

  572. Spot on with your observations

  573. Well, yes, this is the NBA. Look at Wiggins, another prime example. Even with Towns, can’t help them win.

    It is what it is. Schlenk took the risk. Has to give Young every chance to succeed. I mean, I think Young HAS improved. But how could he not? How much time and effort and sacrifice by coaches and teammates to help him improve?

    LIN HAS NEVER GOTTEN THAT DEVELOPMENTAL SUPPORT.

  574. To the surprise of no one who has followed Lin.

    Yet, Lin isn’t ready to give up yet!!! He still manages to perform beyond expectations!!!

  575. Meh, nobody is ignoring Lin’s own words. I haven’t read a poster that has or is happy with his role.

  576. They key here is Lin is playing the least amount of minutes he’s gotten for his career by a large margin.

    Now, some may point out he’s coming back from injury, but this is not really the reason he’s not playing more…Even if Lin was 100% healthy and not coming back from injury, he would still get the same amount of minute because Trae Young would still be prioritize for no less than 25-28 minutes.

    Basically, injury or not, Lin minutes would have not changed since the youngers players would still be prioritized ahead of Lin…LP does not play 2 PG line-up, so it’s impossible to play Lin consisten 20+ minutes while giving Trae 25 minutes and not let them play together on the back-court.

  577. To be fair to the Hawks, this propaganda machine was not just them..It was also the national media/NBA….

    Curry is 30 and there’s a need to anoint a guy that could be like him which brings more excitement to the league…Just like when James got into the league, the NBA really went all out to promote him as the next Micheal Jordan, the guy that will carry the league into the future.

    Trae Young was suppose to be the new exciting Curry who also has un-limited range and how he was going to be a nightmare to guard.

    Right now, it looks like Trae is no longer taking a lot of 3’s, and that really limits his potential if he doesn’t come close to becoming a knock down 3 point shooter.

  578. Fully agree Ace Pagoda.

    Sws94 is totally wrong in thinking Lin has this type of power and freedom on offense…He simply does not..Their main priority is to develope: Collins, Trae, Huerta, Bremby.

    Bazemore is well respected in ATL because he’s been there for a while, so he gets a lot of play-calls and freedom.

    In ATL, Lin is regarded as a role/bench player that will be let go after the season…He was acquire in a trade to simply be a safety net for Trae, someone who will tutor Young and not complain about his low minutes, unlike Schroeder who probably would had complained about playing behind an inferior player.

    If he keep shooting well, they may ask him to return for low-pay and low minutes, but why should Lin do that.

  579. Again, fully agree…I Don’t understand those who claim he does have total freedom when you can see Lin consistently having to look behind his back to take the play-call from the coach.

    Now, I do believe he gets calls for him and he has a bit of space to break-away from the play-calling but he can not divert from it too much…I doubt LP will allow Lin to consistently ignore his play-calling..The only way he can keep LP at bay is if he scores everytime he refuses to take LP calls.

    .As long as their young guys is doing well, that’s all that matter…Lin is here to help the young guys get their stats at his own stats expense.

  580. Trae’s and many unfair green light given to drafted players while the more talented undrafted ones are stuck playing for G league show how bias and unfair the league is. They are more set on hyping their chosen ones than winning games and playing their best players.

    Hence the difference between a worldwide sport in football/soccer and the NBA. Don’t even get me started on US calling MLB, “world series” when it’s not.

  581. Vince Carter

  582. Lin got 3 weeks with MDA before Melo came back and ruined everything. Honestly if MDA ever leaves Rockets I hopr he can finally reunite with Lin. The only one who trusts and is willing to give Lin 20+ shots and green light to play.

  583. https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1079118381255716866

  584. Minutes without the chance to score or do his own thing is useless! Those minutes will over ruin his stats and it has brought his PPG down after November.

  585. And? Lin and Wall are rivals there’s no way Wizards will trade for him while displeasing their franchise.

  586. It is the coach job to make sure the hot hands gets fed..Lin was simply ignored because his success simply does not mean much to the Hawks..At least not as much as Trae, Huerta, Bremby or even Baze who is well liked by the organization since he’s been there a while.

    LP would had made sure any of those players got the ball. But Lin is on his own and has to pick his spot and patiently wait for broken-plays to get his shots.

  587. Lin is a team player and he passes the ball much better than J Anderson who kept on shooting when he missed.

  588. Well, all Lin has to do is go there, play well, get into the playoff and leave via free agency.
    Doesn’t have to see Wall or speak to him.

    Same thing for Phoenix…People keep bringing up their bad front office and ignoring the fact Lin does not have to stay there…Go there, pad stats, improve them and than leave to a better team via free agency.

    I would think the Wizard will now be in the market for Lin since they’re only a few games away from the 8th seed.

  589. Please feature this film. Lin plays well and keeps the ball moving for the team. He passes off to Vince Carter often instead of taking the shots which spaces the court well. Lin and Carter plays well together.

  590. I am happy with Jlins role in ATL, considering he is rehabbing. I have said this more than a few times that ATL is turning out to be the best place for him to play limited, non-pressure minutes. Back up to TY means nothing as most will probably agree that a healthy Jlin is better than TY, no contest. TY has been better recently and for all we know that may be due to Jlin’s counsel more than LP’s coaching. We just don’t know. Just like we just don’t know what instructions LP is giving to Jlin to account for his recent disappointing (to us fans) play. What I have always objected to is that ATL is in deliberate tank mode and as such all of their decisions, including CD, has to be considered with that in mind. As linthezone points out, even though Jlin’s play is disappointing to us fans, he has performed well within whatever parameters he has been given. He has given ATL very good value for their money.

  591. I would like to see this reunion at some point in both of their careers but hard to see how that happens.

  592. Not end of the world but this contract could be Jlin’s last so it is important that Jlin set himself to take full advantage. Even if he got no contract for next year, while I think that would be unjust and just plain stupid on the part of the NBA I will not feel sorry for someone who has made a positive international impact, survived 8 years in the NBA and made millions of dollar. The loss would be the NBA’s as I would be done with them also. I do think though that Jlin is not done yet, not by a longshot.

  593. The Hawks won 10 games for the season and five of them came from the last 10 games.

  594. They don’t seem to be tanking now. Or if they are, they’re into trying to be competitive and actually win some games.

    What poster is arrogant? If linthezone thinks someone is arrogant let him say who. Lin has said a lot of words, including in an off-season interview that he’ll stand up for himself in terms of his role and playing time to a coach. He’s said a lot of things and I’m coming to the defense of posters linthezone feels he needs to complain about and make that strong statement against.

  595. Lin needs to play 60 games or so. If he does, I don’t think this is his last contract.

  596. Lin is a veteran. I say he has power. This idea that some player has more freedom than Lin is stated on just about every team Lin has been on. Yet when Lin plays his brand of basketball and helps a team win, he puts himself in a powerful position. That’s what Lin did in November and he got at least more minutes than he has now. I’ve said myself that the young guys are there to develop, but Lin has a powerful role on the team as well. I think of Lin as a more powerful player than many other here obviously seem to think. That I’m not wrong about. Players in the NBA who stand up for themselves and assert themselves get somewhere. Lin’s done that plenty of times in his career. The NBA is not the land of milk and honey. It’s the land of competitive players sometimes standing their ground and asserting themselves.

  597. Hey, don’t get on me for linthezone:) As far as tanking, I think that by moderating TY’s play (or maybe Jlin is coaching him) they happen to win a few games. Plus, I really believe it is hard for other teams to get “up” for a team known to be tanking, thereby cheating their fans as well. Again:)

  598. You’re right. I’ll address him directly next time, but I really hope there isn’t. TY is doing well for his size and experience IMO. And, yes, the Wolves didn’t play their best game so they probably didn’t get up enough to play the Hawks. See you on the new thread. Lin was in early, got 2. But the Hawks aren’t playing well so far.

  599. Ok. Something strange going on with JLin though

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