Who's the Jeremy Lin of golf?

[Kalen Braley]

Chris,

At the end of the day, its all a crapshoot and only time will tell.

But its not like Pro Sports isn't littered with guys who got hot for a couple of weeks, or a couple of months, or even a couple of years before their "bulb burnt out"

[Chris DeNigris]

Kalen- Agree totally...I'm just funnin with your anti-NY sports bias

[Mike Sweeney]

re-posted below

[Guy Nicholson]

For now, it's Jhonny Vegas.

[Bruce Wellmon]

Birdie Kim.
Holed out from the bunker to win the US Women's Open. Has she been heard from since? (Or before?)

Or in baseball. Super Joe Charboneau.

[Mac Plumart]

Don't forget this part of the OP...

For courses, Crystal Downs -- said to be little-known outside a very small circle of players and golf architecture types until Doak publicized it in the Confidential Guide.

I'd throw Dismal River into the discussion for the Jeremy Lin of golf courses. 

[Mike Hendren]

Lu Liang Huan

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

How about BJ Armstrong, who after his stint with the Bulls was exposed as just another ordinary player.  Its easy to get open looks, score lots of points, and have open driving lanes when MJ and Scottie are on your team.

After his 6 year stint with the Bulls, he bounced around from team to team doing very little, playing as a role player, and was out of the league within 5 years.  This all for a guy who was for awhile compared to the best ever to play the position.

Get him on his own though, and he couldn't create his own stuff and he was nothing.  He's not even a Hall of Famer.....

[Kalen Braley]

Or Harold Miner,

He burst on the scene in 1992, hailed as Baby Jordan, had a great rookie season with the Heat, and was hailed as the next great player in the league. The Media and fans couldn't get enough of him, especially in light of his dunking abilities.

After 4 seasons he was out of the league, which should have only been 2, as his last two years his numbers were pathetic.

[Kalen Braley]

Or how about Penny Hardaway,

Had a couple of great seasons with Orlando, was supposed to be the next Magic Johnson and all. Even though he had a long career in the bigs, he only had a couple of good seasons with the Magic, with the rest of the time being spent mostly as a role player, back up.

Another guy who was supposed to be a mortal lock for stardom but won't make the Hall of Fame either.

[Kalen Braley]

The list goes on and on...not just point guards.

Sean Kemp - OMG in his prime he was an absolute beast and utterly unstoppable.  But he only had a few good years.
Latrell Sprewell - At his best, he was beyond fantastic, but turned out to be a headcase.
Jason Williams - An absolute revelation as a rookie, but all things considered a disappointing career as he's bounced around from team to team.

[Jeff Shelman]

When I first saw this thread, I immediately thought of Zach Johnson.

He's a guy who wasn't really recruited by any serious college programs (not even Iowa), but he got better and better. He toiled on minitours and then Nationwide. And then developed into a really good player and major champion.

He's not a superstar, but he's very good. I think that's what will happen with Lin. People will figure him out and he's not going to be Chris Paul or Deron Williams or DRose, but he's going to be very solid.

[Tom_Doak]

I saw the funniest headline today, in coverage of the "controversy" over MSG network showing a picture of Lin with a fortune cookie the other night, and whether or not that was racially insensitive.

The headline was simply:

NO, MSG !

[Tim Pitner]

Tom,

That is a great headline.

Kalen,

Please stop talking basketball, you're causing me to wince in pain.  BJ Armstrong (former Iowa Hawkeye) was never considered to be that good and he was a much different PG than Lin.  Scottie and MJ did most of the ball handling for the Bulls so BJ was a spot-up shooter.  Harold Miner never was a good pro; Penny Hardaway got hurt; Kemp got fat; Sprewell was a good player with limitations; Jason Williams was fun to watch but never very dependable.  All the players you mentioned are easily distinguishable from Lin.  Which doesn't mean that Lin will be a superstar, but he does have a skill set very different from the players you've mentioned. 

[Mike Sweeney]

Kalen,

Please stop talking basketball, you're causing me to wince in pain.  BJ Armstrong (former Iowa Hawkeye) was never considered to be that good and he was a much different PG than Lin.  Scottie and MJ did most of the ball handling for the Bulls so BJ was a spot-up shooter.  Harold Miner never was a good pro; Penny Hardaway got hurt; Kemp got fat; Sprewell was a good player with limitations; Jason Williams was fun to watch but never very dependable.  All the players you mentioned are easily distinguishable from Lin.  Which doesn't mean that Lin will be a superstar, but he does have a skill set very different from the players you've mentioned.  

Kalen,

Let's try to stay focused. The request was:

Please point out the 6'3" 200 lbs point guards that can penetrate a defense like Lin who have burnt out.

BJ Armstrong was a a decent pick. However he is 6'2" and could not or did not have to penetrate defense in the Triangle offense. He played with two of the greatest players of all time. Lin only has guys (Melo!) who thinks he is the greatest.

Penny Hardaway is on the money. However, his fade away was due to injuries, not lack of talent.

http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2010/09/how-great-could-penny-hardaway-have-been/

Keep trying.  

[Kalen Braley]

Tom,

That is a great headline.

Kalen,

Please stop talking basketball, you're causing me to wince in pain.  BJ Armstrong (former Iowa Hawkeye) was never considered to be that good and he was a much different PG than Lin.  Scottie and MJ did most of the ball handling for the Bulls so BJ was a spot-up shooter.  Harold Miner never was a good pro; Penny Hardaway got hurt; Kemp got fat; Sprewell was a good player with limitations; Jason Williams was fun to watch but never very dependable.  All the players you mentioned are easily distinguishable from Lin.  Which doesn't mean that Lin will be a superstar, but he does have a skill set very different from the players you've mentioned. 

Tim,

I disagree,

If you supposedly know Basketball, then why did all of those guys get into great D1 programs with competitive basketball programs and go high in the draft, except for Lin?

Lets see how many time Lin got dissed:
1)  Wasn't recruited for D1 ball by even a NIT team, much less a Big Dance team.
2)  Only Harvard and Brown offered him a spot on their team.
3)  He went undrafted.
4)  He signed with the local GS Warriors and saw little to no playing time.
5)  He was then waived after 1 year by GS, picked up by the Houston Rockets.
6)  The Rockets waived him after a few preseason games.
7)  The Knicks pick him up and send him to their D League team where he kills it.
  Then once he comes back, he only gets playing time cause the two guys in front of him are injured.


All those other guys had awesome skill sets, and every last one could have been NBA hall-of-famers... but you're saying you saw all those skills Lin has that all those D1 teams missed, all those recruiters missed, all those scouts missed, all those NBA coaches and GMs missed? Hell even NY didn't believe in him, he happened by accident there too....

Did you also draft Lin on your fantasy b-ball team?   

[Chris DeNigris]

Kalen,

Your EPIC FAIL on Penny automatically disqualifies you from any further knowledgeable discussion on B-Ball.

There is no point in any further disussion. The science is settled.

[Tim Pitner]

Kalen,

Perhaps you didn't realize I'm not a NBA GM, nor do I play one in a fantasy league.  I never claimed to have divined Jeremy Lin's talent any earlier than anyone else.  I do remember reading about him when he played for Golden State but I don't believe I ever saw him play until his recent debut with the Knicks.  

My criticism was of your basketball analysis--BJ Armstrong never, not even in the rose-colored glasses of my fellow Iowa Hawkeye fans, was considered comparable "to the best ever to play the position."  As Chris said, Penny Hardaway is not an example of a player who burnt out.  I don't remember anyone claiming Harold Miner to be the next great player in the NBA (at least not after he actually played in the NBA) and Latrell Sprewell was never "beyond fantastic."  This is just bunk.  

BTW, the Warriors can be somewhat excused for cutting Lin because they currently have difficulty finding enough balls for Curry and Ellis and the Rockets similarly have a plethora of guards.  Sometimes a player just needs to find the proper fit.  

[Kalen Braley]

Fair point on Penny,

I did know he had some surgeries, but I had recalled Penny's decline happening "before" he had all the surgeries, but after a quick check just now, I realize I had remember that wrong.

So yes, he doesn't belong on this list....my bad.

[Sam Morrow]

To the original post about Crystal Downs, how many people read The Confidential Guide?

[Mike Sweeney]

Did you also draft Lin on your fantasy b-ball team?   

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/sports/basketball/jeremy-lins-potential-foreseen-by-ed-weiland-of-hoopsanalyst-site.html

In the NY Times today, this guy had Jeremy Lin as #2 in the 2010 draft at point guard behind John Wall due to:


“The best candidate to pull off such a surprise might be Harvard’s Jeremy Lin,” Weiland wrote. “The reason is two numbers Lin posted: 2-point FG pct and RSB40. While 2-point field-goal percentage is easy enough for a casual fan to figure out, RSB40 is not. It is a combination statistic for a player’s rebounds, steals and blocks per 40 minutes. These numbers show N.B.A. athleticism better than any other,” Weiland said. “Because a high score in both shows dominance at the college level on both ends of the court.”


http://hoopsanalyst.com/index.php?s=jeremy+lin (his server is crashing from traffic, so it may be down)

[Tim Leahy]

How about Tommy Two Gloves Gainey?
Was working at a water heater plant, goes on the Big Break twice before he wins, then qualifies for the PGA tour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Gainey

[Jackson C]

Two gloves Gainey is a good choice, as he seemingly came out of no where and is unconventional.

Other good suggestions made as well, but I still like YE Yang as a comparable.


Jeremy is the first Asian American male  player to make an impact in US professional basketball.  There is really no precedence for his success in the NBA.  
YE Yang is the first Asian male to win a major.  Did not pick up the game until he was 19; is a self taught golfer and beat the greatest player in the world to win his major.  Amazing stuff.
I wish Jeremy the best of luck; I don't think he can fade into the background like YE Yang has, which speaks to how big a deal this story is from a social perspective.

[Tim Bert]

Kalen,

Please stop talking basketball, you're causing me to wince in pain.  BJ Armstrong (former Iowa Hawkeye) was never considered to be that good and he was a much different PG than Lin.  Scottie and MJ did most of the ball handling for the Bulls so BJ was a spot-up shooter.  Harold Miner never was a good pro; Penny Hardaway got hurt; Kemp got fat; Sprewell was a good player with limitations; Jason Williams was fun to watch but never very dependable.  All the players you mentioned are easily distinguishable from Lin.  Which doesn't mean that Lin will be a superstar, but he does have a skill set very different from the players you've mentioned.  

Kalen,

Let's try to stay focused. The request was:

Please point out the 6'3" 200 lbs point guards that can penetrate a defense like Lin who have burnt out.

BJ Armstrong was a a decent pick. However he is 6'2" and could not or did not have to penetrate defense in the Triangle offense. He played with two of the greatest players of all time. Lin only has guys (Melo!) who thinks he is the greatest.

Penny Hardaway is on the money. However, his fade away was due to injuries, not lack of talent.

http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2010/09/how-great-could-penny-hardaway-have-been/

Keep trying.  

This writer's analysis of Penny's pre-NBA career is about as bad as Kalen's analysis of his NBA career.  Hardaway was the near consensus #1 high school player when he chose Memphis State, a basketball program that always under-achieved but was hardly in obscurity.  Not to mention that Hardaway was shot in the foot early in his college career which probably didn't help matters.  Without Larry Finch at the helm, I think the early 90s versions of the Tigers could have been one of the finest programs in the country.  I don't think unheralded is a befitting word to describe him.

The college version of Penny never achieved what could have been based on watching him play high school ball in an extremely competitive basketball city.  The NBA version made up for some of what could have been in college, but then the injuries kicked in.

[John Shimp]

Agree w keegan bradley.  Both missed in college harvard/ st johns.  Spent a yr in minors w success.  Then each performed shockingly well on the big stage.  Comparison is poor on ethnic side though.