The injury to Patrick Beverley thrusts Jeremy Lin back into the starting line up.
Beverley is expected to miss considerable playing time with a torn meniscus in his knee.
His return for the playoffs, while not ruled out, is doubtful.
Coach Kevin McHale has had a tough love approach to Lin. McHale doesn’t seem to have a lot of patience with the point guard, benching him at the first sign that he’s in a slump.
Now with Beverley out, McHale will have no choice but to start Lin. The back up to Lin is rookie Isaiah Canaan, who most analysts believe is not ready for prime time.
Of course, with Lin back in the starting 5, the same issue that sent him to the bench remains.
James Harden is the heartbeat of the Rockets. He needs the boy and prefers to create his own shot.
As a result, he dominates the boy and tends to keep it in his own hands until he’s run out of options.
By then its usually too late and the sequence often ends without any points for the Rockets.
Lin, for his own part, tends to do better when he controls the ball. Not surprising, since that’s what point guards do. They distribute the ball.
You’ll recall Linsanity only became a household word when Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire were both out of the Knicks line up.
However, Lin has show flashes of brilliance this season despite having one hand tied behind his back.
It’s your time, Jeremy.
Show the world what you can do.
