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Sactown Royalty

Jeremy Lin Doesn't Want Any Of Tyreke Evans

The Kings visit the Knicks tonight. New York has won six straight, all behind the stylings of Jeremy Lin, an undrafted Harvard alum who had been waived twice this season before catching a break with the 'Bockers. Lin has been on a tear, and last night became a part of an exclusive club of players to rack up a six-game streak with at least 20 points and six assists per game.

Six games of 20 and six. Not bad, kid.

Tyreke Evans has six 20-6 games this season. He had 11 in an injury-ravaged 2010-11 season. As a 20-year-old rookie, he had 24 of those games (including one four-game streak). Heck, as a rookie he averaged 20.1 points and 5.8 assists for an entire season!

Lin's story has been amazing and immutable. But he doesn't want any of Tyreke Evans. I have a feeling Linsanity is going to take a break, effective Wednesday night.

4 recs  |  155 comments

Comments

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Tom, have you not learned the leason that Kobe learned a week ago?

have you not learned the lesson that Kobe learned a week ago

Keith Smart created this monster, hopefully he has the keys to turn him off?
My plan would be pack the lanes and foul hard and put a pesky defender on him in the 4th quarter so he can’t relax.

Are you talking about our lovable Kings? Pack the paint? Pesky defender?
Sorry, but Keith Smart did not create this monster......

He played nowhere near the level he is playing now when he was with Smart. Smart never really gave him a chance. Most his minutes where garbage time. D’antoni’s system has created this monster.

Keith Smart did not create this monster......

Smart told him he needed to develop a better shot if he wanted to stay in the NBA and apparently Lin listened.
Good things will happen to young kings if they listen to coach :>)

Toronto tried that and got burned.

Toronto tried that and got burned.

weren’t they ahead late and had to puke up an epic choke to lose it?

I am a huge Linsanity fan...

I have rooted for him since he was with the Warriors. I went crazy when he went off against the Nets. I’ve watched every single Knicks game since Linsanity has started. I’ve bought Linsanity T-shirts and gear. I screamed at the top of my lungs when Linsanity hit that 3 last night. But this is where my loyalty is tested. And to that I say this:

The Linsanity ends tonight. LETS GO KINGS!

Right there with you

A little tiny bit torn, but a Kings fan always first and foremost. Plus Linsanity’s ascent has already reached such heights, that a loss tonight isn’t going to derail him or the hype train.

I hope Linsanity can get 30-10-5 during the Kings win
This

As long as we have a comfortable lead at the end. Wouldn’t want to have him to not come up big again if given another chance tonight at the end of the game.

Really looking forward to this game tonight!

This would be a great outcome for both Lin and Smart

and of course the Kings generally

Love Lin. I have no clue if he can keep this up but still love him

that being said, totally cool with him going 0-12 with 8 turnovers and 0 assists tonight.

yerp

I hope Lin has many more good games. But not tonight.

Smart needs to let Tyreke guard Lin all game... And he should also mention to Reke that the entire country will hear about him if he locks Lin up!
Hell yes!

Would love to see Tyreke go off for 50 today!

Oh, lord.

Because Ziller said this, there’s going to be a 50 point outing for Linsanity or something absurd. Have you not learned from Kobe??

Big underlying story here is that Lin is going up against Keith Smart.....

will Lin want to prove something to his former coach?

Interesting interview with Marcus Thompson on KNBR this morning

He’s a beat writer for the Dubs in the Bay Area. He says that Lin just wasn’t better than Monta Ellis or Steph Curry, so he had limited minutes to prove himself, although he could have gotten some of Acie Law’s burn.

He said Lin also worked tremendously hard on his game in the offseason and that Carmelo was pushing D’Antoni to get him in the lineup although the Knicks were considering cutting Lin earlier this season.

All in all, he sounds like a great kid who just worked his tail off to get better, and is taking advantage of his opportunity.

I don't know how we are against the pick and roll this year

But we’ve been awful against it for the last couple of years. Considering the pick and roll is now the core of the Linsanity Knicks offense, that will be the key for us tonight. That said, Evans is a more than solid 1 on 1 defender at the point. Lin will likely match up with Thornton on D, I can’t imagine they’d want him guarding Tyreke.

I think this would be a big story no matter what team or city he played for.

I also think it is good for the NBA. The league can always use something positive to counteract all of the negative things that happen in the NBA. There are probably other players riding the bench somewhere, if given the opportunity, could become very good players. I wish the Kings could find one or two.

I do think it's a great story

No way it’s close to this big if it isn’t the Knicks. Not a chance.

Does Tebow play for the Jets or Giants?
That's really a good point

Although I’d argue it’s somewhat apples and oranges – since much of the Tebow story had more of a third rail quality to it (whether God was directly involved in Tebow’s success).

That thrid rail is getting there with Lin. Mainly from his own comments.
Yep, that's another thing that Marcus Thompson mentioned this morning

Lin did the interview with Thompson strictly to discuss his faith and it’s impact on his success.

there was also the college football brand with him too.
No but he does play in the NFL

which is a totally different animal to begin with

would you say he's......

Linadequate?
Lincompetent?
Lincapable?
Lintimidated?
Linferior?

Linzimmer maybe?
New nicknames to replace "LINsanity" when he loses to the Kings.

The LINdenberg disaster because his game went down in flames.
The Lindbergh tragedy because his game got kidnapped.
LINdsy because he played like a girl.
LINter because his game went ice cold.
I could go all day!!

hahaha

i really like the Lindenberg Disaster as a title for tonights game.

No

Hes gonna have Linsomnia after we Reke Havoc on him tonite.

Lin is a great story, and again points out the Kings need for a PG

I agree that Lin is a great thing, and many reasons for his rise (I think system fit is the biggest perhaps), and it shows how important a true PG is to a team’s overall success. NY has been winning because guys are now sharing the ball, and everyone feels a part of the game rather than watching Melo dribble, dribble, dribble, shoot. And that is the problem with forcing Reke to be a PG. (though I know he’s it for now). The Kings cannot function as well with Reke at PG, nor can Reke become the badass he is. I’m still pissed that Petrie etc did a terrible job of addressing this problem. Trade please. Do something.

Pretty hard to argue statistically

That the Knicks aren’t a much better team with Anthony on the court than off the court. He gets a ton of crap, but he’s still a very good NBA player – and his team is generally better with him playing.

What Lin is doing has nothing to do with the need for the Kings to add a “true PG”. Jose Calderon is a fine “true” point guard, but his team still sucks record-wise and offensively – and watch where he was on defense when Lin made the shot last night that won the game.

Again, there are two ends to a basketball court.

If Lin doesn't make the two clutch threes late in that game

…everyone is talking about Calderon’s huge performance against him last night. Of course, it is Toronto (or Sacramento East), so there would not have been a lot of national press. But still, Calderon has been even more impressive of late since he’s been asked to carry more of the scoring burden.

[Yes, as you all know, I’m a big fan. I just think he is grossly underrated.]

He's statistically one of the top "true" point guards in the league and plays nearly 34 minutes per game

And his team is one of the worst offensive teams in the league.

My beef isn’t with the idea of Calderon…it’s with this idea that the Kings as a team will only flourish once we have a “true” point guard.

What Lin's doing absolutely has to do with the Kings need for PG.

I’m not claiming every team with a true PG is automatically good, but the Kings will be. And the Knicks are a much better team since they started Lin. They’ve won every game he’s played! Their record is better, and it’s because they finally have a PG. Everyone gets better because everyone starts being a part of the O. A flow starts to occur. And that is the same story with the Kings. They need a PG, or they’ll continue to suck (or grow one from their bench). Melo and Reke are similar, in that they are ball dominators, and should not be PGs. Yes, Melo was running a lot of point forward before Lin. It’s bad for the team, and bad for the players. Each grow more with a PG. I’m not saying the Knicks are worse with Melo, just that they have gotten much better with Lin. Melo may add to that.

I still feel like the Di'antoni's system is helping Lin thrive and he is taking full advantage of it

Much like Reke, Lin is still a guard that looks to penetrate and score first. The advantage he has is that he is effective in a screen and roll offense while the Kings overall have shown to not have the right personnel for that. Having a veteran pick and roll partner in Chandler helps greatly. Lin also tends to over dribble leading to his miscues and turnovers at a Westbrook like pace.

Against the Wolves and Raptors their final plays to win the game were a 1-4 flat with Lin at the top of the key. With the Raptors Lin asked if he could run an iso for himself and Di’antoni responded that he doesn’t even have to ask anymore. It’s like Reke and Westphal 2012.

I'd like to see back to back good games from Cousins and Tyreke

Kings seem to play well in New York, hopefully that trend continues.

I hate games before 5:00PM though, it will be another game where I set the DVR, then have to ignore all media and my cell phone until I catch up. Luckily after this road stretch the Kings never play before 5:00PM again

Somewhat OT - Billy Ray Bates and Flip Murray

…but if you have ever read the great book the Breaks of the Game, the story of Billy Ray Bates out of Kentucky State was shared. During the early ’80s Bates took the league by storm before drugs and other evils took him out of the league. I actually think I just read Lin broke Bates record for most points by player in their first four NBA starts but may have this wrong. Bates was amazing for a very short period of time and it came completely out of no where.

I am glad someone mentioned Flip Murray, I remember being awed by what he did right of a DII school before coming back down to earth. I was actually on the campus of Shaw University in December for work – where Flip played. There are elementary and middle school’s with bigger gym’s then theirs. Flip was a great story to do what he did.

You mad, bro?

Lin wanted all of Deron Williams, John Wall, Kobe Bryant, Devin Harris, Ricky Rubio, and Jose Calderon.

sometimes friendly trash talk is friendly trash talk

just sayin

I know man

But it can go both ways right? Should be a good game tonight.

oh absolutely it goes both ways

just wasn’t sure where you were goin with it given you came strong out of the gates is all.

Go big or go home right?
What does your original statement mean?
Hmm... Out of that list of names, I'm failing to see Tyreke Evans
I think he is referencing the Obituaries from the NY Times from last week.

After Linsanity swept the East Coast.

Ya, he was

and I was saying that none of those players are Tyreke Evans.

In case it wasn't mentioned above

I think Tyreke will be on Fields most of the time and Thorton will be in Lin. Lin will still have a big game but it wont be on Tyreke.

that makes no sense

Lin is a far greater threat. Thornton is a far inferior defender.

Someone help me to understand this.

Love this post Tom Ziller

It’s annoying how everyone thinks Lin is so good when Tyreke is better. It’s time Tyreke completely embarrassed and clowned lin. holding him under 10 points while getting a monster 32-11-10 triple double himself.

We definitely haven't seen enough of Lin to say he is better OR worse than Tyreke.

If he keeps up what he has been doing the last 5 games, then he is a better player. I think he will drop a bit considering defenses haven’t adjusted and he hasn’t had to play through this compressed schedule like everyone else in the league. I don’t think he drops thaat much though as you can tell that he is definitely a very good player.

Bro, you're a homer.

No way Lin will get under 10 points when he takes 20 shots a game, no matter who defends him. And the fact that nobody can be good if somebody else is better is just dumb. Everyone can think they’re both good and everything will be okay.

Dude,

It is you and me tonight. I’ve been known to Reke a little Havoc.

Ha ha ha… it’s on, dude. Tonight, you’re coming to MY HOUSE.

Hopefully Lin didn't see his updated 2K rating...

A low 69.

Cheering for NY tonight and I can't remember ever wanting the Kings to lose

I’m a diehard Kings fan but I’ve been following Jeremy for a long time. I met him a couple times when he was still in high school and he’s a solid kid surrounded by a well grounded family. What he is doing in the NBA has no real comparison. He’ll come down to earth sometime but hopefully not tonight.

You've gone Linsane.
"A diehard Kings fan"

Ya, I’m going to have to call bullshit on that one after reading “cheering for NY tonight”. You can hope Lin has a great game, but the Kings still win you know…

I'm a diehard Kings fan

I’m not cheering for NY tonight :)

His diehardedness has died, hard.
I'm a super duper die hard!

Except for when the Kings play against one of the 29 other teams

You can call it BS but it's true

My favorite King before Peja was Anthony Bonner…

I’m friends with the brother he’s been living with and I just can’t wipe this grin off my face with everything that’s been going on this week. Jeremy has been overlooked for far too long and has had to overcome more than almost any other player in the league to get noticed enough just to be waived twice. I’m hoping NY wins because Jeremy doesn’t care about individual stats…a great game for Jeremy is when they win.

Obviously I won’t be crushed if the Kings win.

"I won't be crushed if we win"

Now that is the mantra of a true die hard Kings fan right there.

It is not true

You can’t be a “diehard kings fan” and hope that they lose. That’s worse than dividing by zero

Rooting for the Knicks to win?

Photobucket

No Die Hard fan

wants his team to lose.

I like Lin as much as the next guy, but against my team I hope we destroy linsanity.

uhh Lin can have a great game, as long as the rest of the Knicks suck big time leading to a Kings victory

Sorry Lin, the streak ends now. Bayou Bomber, Reke, and DMC need to finish him!

Cheering for NY tonight

wrong site for that unless you’re thinking draft pick.

Way to go Ziller.

How many games has tyreke shot less than 50%. Jeremy Lin will probably go for 40 tonight. If any team can keep a hype train rollin its your sacramento kings. Where losing by only 5 is acceptable. Where we have the best gm in the league( who hasn’t made a good move in 8 years) happens. Where we have the next superatar (Tyreke- who’s numbers have dropped every year since his rookie year) happens. Where an entire teams plays like dog shit just to just to get a coach fired happens.

You should be typing with your elbow hurting so bad from

polishing all those Knick trophys from 1960s
(PS at least our IT has a brain)

obviously should has a 'nt at the end
Been wondering what happened to Peter Vecsey

Welcome to the site

I give it a C- at best

Try more subtlety next time.

You talking about Westphal or D'Antoni?
Where an entire teams plays like dog shit just to just to get a coach fired happens.
Now I'm not saying Lin is better than Evans

This Lin thing is not about mere numbers, he’s breathed life into a NY Knicks organization that hasn’t had this kind of excitement in years. Can you honestly say the same about Tyreke Evans with the Kings?

Sorry about Kevin Durant

I’d probably lash out, too.

Going from Ron Artest to having the RoY isn't exciting?
This thread is working out well so far.

People forget that when Evans got his numbers the last half of his rookie year he was playing against the statbook not basketball. Lin’s getting these numbers as part of actually playing the game, not aiming for ridiculous round number averages to end the year.

I love Tyreke’s game, though he has plenty of work ahead of him still, but the 20-5-5 shit is still among the stupidest stuff this organization has ever done.

Any stock tips, Tom?

I have a million dollars I want to lose so I don’t have to pay taxes on it.

Fun watching a kid with hype actually live up to it, though. Lin is abusing everyone who tries to guard him.

Wow, some people actually took this seriously?

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