LINsanity

[on3m@n@rmy]

Why is artest called world peace? ..ridiculous

Haha. I guess he changed his name legally. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He seems to have good intentions. Interesting... Metta (or Meta) can be translated as "About". So I guess he picked that name because he feels he's about world peace. Still... that won't convince me to watch an NBA game by my own choice.

 

[Angliru]

The heat defence on him was awesome.He had a horrible game..lin.

Heat are one the top defensive teams in the league. I would think that while teams will be coming up with ways to stop Linn, at the same time the Knicks will be finding ways to better utilize his talents. They're as new to what he's capable of as the league. He went from being a free agent pickup after the season began, to the on their point guard depth chart, behind Mike Bibby, Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis, to starting. There's gotta be another guard I'm forgetting though.

 

[the delgados]

@Angrilu:
I had no idea there was a stereotype regarding Asian ball players.
Where did that come from?

 

[the delgados]

I apologize for misspelling your username. But the question stands: Who is introducing race into the question and why?

 

[Angliru]

@Angrilu:
I had no idea there was a stereotype regarding Asian ball players.
Where did that come from?

The belief exists that they couldn't/can't play on the NBA level much less excell the way Linn has. It is part of the reason why Linn got bounced around the league until finally given an opportunity to shine in an offense that allowed his attributes to be recognized. The other reason being that the teams that he had stops at were heavy in guard talent.

It exists because there were no one Asian or American-Asian player that came forth to show otherwise with the exception of Yao Ming. If very few of any of a particular nationality has been able to make the grade in a particular sport, a belief develops that they just can't. The same problem existed for black quarterbacks at one time in the NFL and currently somewhat for white cornerbacks in the NFL. These players must really set the world on fire to get the recognition and respect that they deserve and/or have the luck of being given the opportunity to shine due to extenuating circumstances like Linn and the Knicks injury filled guard core.

 

[Angliru]

I apologize for misspelling your username. But the question stands: Who is introducing race into the question and why?

Not a problem. It is kind of a joke here because some of my posts seem a bit angry.

I hope my previous post answers your question.

 

[the delgados]

With all due respect, I think you're talking nonsense.
Lin's turnover rate has nothing to do with race.
You say the belief exists that "they" couldn't play on an NBA level. Where do you get this information from?
Who are "they"?

 

[Swede1]

Lin is quite good. But he isn't on the same level as some of the other stars just yet. (He did just get crushed by the Heat). His run with the Knicks is still going pretty well though.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I have to disagree. His scoring average for the first 7 games that he started were the best in the league since the NBA/ABA merger.

True, but I'll stand by what I wrote. If he were in a small market, those numbers would be trumpeted locally, but on a national level he'd get less mention. This isn't to degrade what he's achieved, just to point out that if you want to get noticed, a big city market is the place to be. And New York is the top, especially considering all the media outlets based there, plus ESPN just up the road in CT.

I don't know if it's racism, nationalism or what, but there is a persistent belief by a lot of scouts, managers, sportswriters, and players and fans even, that a lot of foreign players don't come up through the same developmental, hyper-competitive system that's in the upper echelon of the NCAA, and thus are likely to be looked at with a different eye when evaluating. This has been something Spaniards, Brazilians, Argentinians, and Chinese have dealt with in basketball for years. But it exists in other sports as well. Is it racist? I don't know, but I don't think so. And I think it's changing, for the better.

On the flip side, plenty of white scouts, managers, players etc. have not only respect but a lot of interest in Japanese and Latin American baseball players. The reason again being that these same experts and pundits know that Japan and Latin America have very rich traditions of development and competitive baseball on the highest level, as history has shown.

As an aside, famed boxing writer Larry Merchant was asked where was the great American heavyweight boxer of today. His answer had nothing to do with race, nationality or anything, but was purely pragmatic: "Playing linebacker in the NFL".

This isn't to imply that racism hasn't existed in sports, or doesn't today. Of course it does.

 

[nvpacchi]

True, but I'll stand by what I wrote. If he were in a small market, those numbers would be trumpeted locally, but on a national level he'd get less mention. This isn't to degrade what he's achieved, just to point out that if you want to get noticed, a big city market is the place to be. And New York is the top, especially considering all the media outlets based there, plus ESPN just up the road in CT.

I don't know if it's racism, nationalism or what, but there is a persistent belief by a lot of scouts, managers, sportswriters, and players and fans even, that a lot of foreign players don't come up through the same developmental, hyper-competitive system that's in the upper echelon of the NCAA, and thus are likely to be looked at with a different eye when evaluating. This has been something Spaniards, Brazilians, Argentinians, and Chinese have dealt with in basketball for years. But it exists in other sports as well. Is it racist? I don't know, but I don't think so. And I think it's changing, for the better.

On the flip side, plenty of white scouts, managers, players etc. have not only respect but a lot of interest in Japanese and Latin American baseball players. The reason again being that these same experts and pundits know that Japan and Latin America have very rich traditions of development and competitive baseball on the highest level, as history has shown.

As an aside, famed boxing writer Larry Merchant was asked where was the great American heavyweight boxer of today. His answer had nothing to do with race, nationality or anything, but was purely pragmatic: "Playing linebacker in the NFL".

This isn't to imply that racism hasn't existed in sports, or doesn't today. Of course it does.

Comparing international scouting between baseball and basketball can be difficult. Scouts in Latin America and Japan can essentially throw as much or as little money as they want at prospects and begin developing them immediately even if they are as young as 16 years old. Foreign born players are exempt from the draft, which is one of the main reasons why teams are willing to take so many risks in Latin American prospects. If the MLB held a world draft, I would be willing to guess that the percentage of Latin born players in the MLB would decrease.

Since basketball holds an international draft, all players are held to the same standards when teams recruit them. Thus teams will be much more likely to opt for the deliverable product at that moment in time, and less on the dream (which makes up most of the Latin American MLB recruiting).

With regards to Lin, growing up in LA he was immersed in American style basketball, unlike a Yao or Yi Jianlin (who rely on technique and polish to accel in the NBA [not to mention size]). Lin's raw/athletic style translates more to the NBA game, and while his mistakes might sometimes be enough to raise questions, IMO the confidence he has shown so far proves that he can sustain a fringe-All Star level career.

 

[simo1733]

I think Floyd Maywether introduced Race into the dialogue about Lin.
Ps:
I just read that a sports good company in China trade marked his name 18 mnths ago for just $700.

 

[Angliru]

With all due respect, I think you're talking nonsense.
Lin's turnover rate has nothing to do with race.
You say the belief exists that "they" couldn't play on an NBA level. Where do you get this information from?
Who are "they"?

What are you getting all riled up about? Where did I say anything implying that his turnover rate had to do with his race?????? My point is that he's proving all the non-believers wrong. Stereotypes are the result of ignorance and this is a similar case. I must say that his work ethic in diligently improving his game and overall strength have done alot to put him in the position that he's in.

Edit: He's gone from being denied scholarships at virtually every division 1 program that he contacted, including his hometown Stanford University, being considered nothing better than a division 2 player, offered nothing more than invitations to walk-on, to where he is now. He's constantly worked on his game, saw where he was lacking and improved upon it.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think Floyd Maywether introduced Race into the dialogue about Lin.

True, and Dana White's biting retort pouring gasoline on it.

As to Lin, look at it this way, if he can cut down some on his turnovers, adapt with changes, and ends up a 15/5+ player, he'll have a good NBA career, far greater than anyone ever imagined.