Tuyen's Blog

Jeremy Lin has verbally agreed to sign a four-year offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on July 11, according to a source close to the talks.

Not that I have any love for the Knicks but signing in Houston for a few million more would not be a good move on Lin's part. First off, he'd be leaving all the good will he built up in the New York area and the huge marketing potential that offers him. Second, he's going to a team that is frankly going to not be good for the next couple of years as they've traded away much of their assets in an effort to get younger/better through the draft. Thirdly, what makes Lin think that a few good games in NY would change how the Rockets view him seeing as how they cut him last year? Unless there's been a big change in the playbook, Kevin McHale didn't see much value in Lin last year so why would he start changing this coaching style to match Lin now?

It's not to say that New York couldn't match Houston's offer but given the backloaded nature of the offer, I have a hard time seeing the Knicks doing that and taking on the luxury tax costs in year three and four of that deal. Plus with their signing of Jason Kidd, they somewhat have the PG position covered somewhat. Still, the idea was for Kidd to mentor Lin into becoming an upper echelon PG. Now who will do that for him in Houston? Kyle Lowry? Oh wait, he just got traded to Toronto......

The NBA team, Commissioner David Stern and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday to announce the decision to leave Oakland.

Definitely a sad day for Oakland but this needed to be done. As a Warrior's fan this move was needed to boost the visibility of the team and attract much needed corporate sponsorship. Much has been written about how the move will change the culture of the fan base which is considered among the most loyal fans in the NBA. The Giants went through a similar culture shift when they moved from Candlestick to PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park. My hope is that management works to keep these loyal fans by not raising ticket prices so that only the wealthier and less committed fans go (or not go) to games. But winning will always be the best deodorant. Once we start seeing the W's consistently making the playoffs and at some point becoming a contender, all of the initial shocks of leaving Oakland will be moot.

The electric atmosphere of Linsanity may feel like a distant memory now, but the folks at Time magazine haven't forgotten the impact of Jeremy Lin's emergence. In their estimation, the New York Knicks point guard is still one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Not that he doesn't deserve it, but in my opinion, some of the picks for the 100 Most Influential are pretty suspect. Don't get me wrong, Jeremy Lin was a great story in the NBA this year but all the hype can do little to help him. In 25 games as a starter he has averaged 18.2 points and 7.7 assists. Great numbers for any NBA point guard rookie or not. But dissect that a little further and you'll see that most of that was in his first 12 games where he averaged 22 points and 9.2 assists. Over his last 13 games? 14.6 points and 6.4 assists. Still good numbers but more along the lines of Ty Lawson (16 points and 6.6 assists) versus Deron Williams (21 points and 8.8 assists). Ask yourself if he would be getting this much hype if he was just a middle of the road NBA player.

Teams are now game planning for him and he's essentially a rookie who has never had to play this many minutes over such a compressed period of time. His knee giving out is a clear sign of this. He needs time away from the hype to recuperate from surgery, build up his body to play the full rigors of an NBA season and improve his game. If his career mirrors his first 13 games, then there's no question he is worthy of the hype. Let's hope he gets there.

There really isn't a perfect spot for a player like Lamar Odom, who is buried under a mountain of turmoil and mental anguish, but he could do a whole lot worse than the Golden State Warriors.

This is a rumor circulating about Odom coming to the Warriors next year for the mid-level exception. First off, he'll get better offers once his contract is bought out by the Mavs. Secondly, he'll want to play for an immediate contender. Third, he'll want to be in LA where his wife is and his reality show is based. However, it won't be with the Lakers. My guess is there's too much bad blood. The obvious choice is the Clippers (whom it played for years ago). They are the glamorous franchise now with Griffin and Paul. I could see Odom coming off the bench and having a positive impact. Plus he'll get to stick it to the Lakers four times a year in their own backyard.

The Warriors have been trying to get a top-notch center for some time, and they paid a steep price to get Bogut because they gave up one of the NBA's top scoring guards in Ellis...

How many ways is this a bad trade?

1) Bogut is out for the rest of the year with a fractured ankle. Not something you come back from with no long term issues (see Curry).

2) The Warriors tack on about $25M more in salaries over the next two years.

3) They basically traded away their best scorer AND best defender for Captain Jack.

4) They lose Kwame Brown's expiring $7M contract which could have been excellent trade bait.

The only way this trade even begins to make sense is if Bogut can be better than he has ever been. Given his immaturity and propensity for injury, I have a hard time seeing that happening. Jackson may have another renaissance in the Bay Area but he's also 4 years older and declining which makes the likelihood of that happening very low.

If the rumors were true that another trade was available and turned down, then it's just business as usual for the inept front office and ownership, no matter who's in charge.

The Golden State Warriors have made it clear to the New Jersey Nets that they want more than just Brook Lopez if they are going to get Monta Ellis in return.

I don't understand why the Warriors would not do a straight-up Lopez for Ellis deal. Yes, Monta is a phenomenal scorer but he also costs $11M a year for the next 3 years whereas Lopez is at $3M and $4M for 2012 and 2013. But money aside, talented 7 foot centers don't come along every day. Especially ones that can easily become 20pt/10rb guys. A shooting guard's performance can more easily be replaced. Think of it this way, would you rather have a starting five of Curry/Ellis/Wright/Lee/Biedrins or Curry/Klay/Wright/Lee/Lopez? Klay may be 40% of Ellis in terms of production (and improving) but Biedrins is about 10% of the production that Lopez would give you (and falling). Make. The. Trade.