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In the wake of getting slaughtered by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, starting Lakers point guard, Jeremy Lin, had this to say:
“There’s so many things wrong right now. At the top of the list, I would say communication, trust and effort.” – Jeremy Lin
Presumably, he was referring to his team. It seems to me, he should have been talking about himself.
Communication.
Lin graduated from Harvard in 2010 with a degree in economics. He didn’t make it to Harvard on an athletic scholarship – Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Without making a generalization, I think it’s safe to assume Lin is one of the more academically educated players in the NBA. As the starting point guard, it is his job to facilitate the offense. This means it is his responsibility to control the plays run, the offensive sets, and the overall flow of the team when they have the ball. Lin seems more than qualified to be able to communicate with his team. If this is an issue with the Lakers, it falls on his shoulders.
Trust.
Judging from Lin’s inconsistent erratic play, he needs to look within himself to correct these supposed “trust” issues. Since coming to the Lakers, I have watched Lin get absolutely torched by opposing point guards. Perhaps its unfair to judge him when he’s matched up against a premiere guard like Stephen Curry, who absolutely buried him the other night. But I’ve watched Lin look confused when running the Lakers’ offense. He has no confidence in his shot. And how many times is he going to drive to the basket only to predictably get his shot blocked from behind without a foul call? Three point shooting teams, like the Warriors, are killing the Lakers, which means his defense is questionable. Is this about Lin trusting his teammates? Or is he earning the right for his teammates to trust him?
Effort.
Thank you, Jeremy, for saving the most important issue for last. Effort.
Lin’s box score against the Warriors on Sunday:
0 points on 0-for-2 shooting, 0 3-point attempts, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals.
Lin’s salary for the 2014-15 season:
$14 million.
Not that I even need to say more, but I will anyway. For $14 million, I don’t care who you’re playing, or what personnel issues you seem to be having, as a professional NBA player, a starter, and a point guard no less, there are absolutely no excuses in the world for why you can’t get to the free throw line even one time the entire game.
He basically made $170,000 Sunday night for complaining about his team.
Note to the Lakers: I will guarantee that I will reach the free throw line at least one time in every game, and I will make 1 out of 2 free throws. For this, you only need to pay me $7 million, half your current point guard’s salary, and double the productivity. I can be reached at jerhow@jerhow.com.
Only 2 shots and 1 assist for a starting point guard. Unbelievable. If he wants to talk about effort, I’ll tell him how it is: Lin, your personal effort is pathetic, and your complaining about the team with your salary and this ridiculous performance is downright insulting.
Communication. Trust. Effort.
Three traits we could sure use a lot more of out of Jeremy Lin.