No Regard Presidential Previews: Houston Rockets (Calvin Coolidge)

Oh the season. Oh the season! Election or NBA, both are upon us. We're getting into the spirit by bringing you our season previews (with a little help from the presidents). One per day for the next 30 days—which will bring us to the Day of Reckoning. So please join us on the campaign trail as we shake hands, kiss babies and sink jumpers.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge

A quick glance of the above quote and it's not so inconceivable to speculate that it is the tagline for a Rockets advertisement pitching the upcoming season. The focus? Their shiny new prized pig: the ridiculous Jeremy Lin. Lin, the unquestionable storyline for Houston this season, built his short time in the spotlight around what Coolidge so aptly determines as omnipotent—persistence and determination. 

Lin's ascent to King of New York arose from circumstance, as did Coolidge's ascent to King of America. Lin was the recipient of the crumbling careers of Mike Bibby, Baron Davis and Toney Douglas, while Coolidge found the crown on his head after President Harding died in California.

The Roaring Twenties, Coolidge's reign in office, are not so different than the sort of unparalleled popularity and success that the NBA is currently dealing with. Among the jazz, liquor and flappers stood a president known to say very little yet faithfully believe in lowering taxes and shrinking the government. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant might appear to run the NBA landscape, but despite their celebrity, a humble, hardworking Jeremy is doing his thing. A dude who seems pretty damn quiet himself and who definitely has some serious faith of his own.

If Houston hopes to have any chance of competing for a playoff spot, they will need to rely on outworking opponents and trusting that a man no one ever predicted could be a leader can handle what are now massive expectations and responsibilities. People often disagree on the legacy of Coolidge's presidency. Remind you of anyone? 

Rushed Pull-Up Jumpers

Pokemon who the team should adopt as its new mascot: Pidgy

Headline we'll be most sick of reading: "Jeremy Lin Does Something Somewhere During A Basketball Game"

Headline we're most looking forward to: "Chandler Parsons Dunks On Griffin, Again, Starts Brawl"

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you enter the pearly gates?: "Thanks for all the love Jeremy, but its Jets season. Sanchez sucks."

No Regard Mixtape: Jeremy Lin

On February whatever, against the Nets, Jeremy Lin took the red pill and escaped from the 2010 Summer League YouTube highlight reel that had imprisoned him for the past 18 months. In his first two weeks of running the Knicks squad, he played event basketball. He birthed cults, slayed dragons, sold organic radishes at farmer’s markets, won a bunch of games… and became a bit of a crush around the No Regard water-cooler.

We've had our eye on him for a minute now, but like you, we didn’t really know. We didn’t know that he had enough granite and grace in him to twerk his way to the hoop, almost at will, and take or avoid contact as he sees fit. We didn’t know that he could unpack defensive schemes and pry open passing lanes like a literature grad student dismantling Toni Morrison novels. We didn’t know he had a jump shot sturdy enough to keep defenses honest, preventing him from developing the type of agoraphobia that plagues Rondo. We didn’t know he had the bravado of Sam Cassell, tempered by a humble devotion to Christianity and D’Antoni’s system (RIP). Simply put, we’ve learned a lot about the guy.

And we keep learning. With D'Antoni's departure, Melo's return to whatever angry fans were clamoring him to return to, and gravity's insistence, Lin fell back down to walk among the other peasant point guards of the league. It's crystal clear that he was dropped into the perfect confluence of events and that this ready-to-cook goulash—Amar'e and Melo's absence, a string of easy opponents, D'Antoni's point guard-serenading system—was more responsible for his initial success than many are willing to admit. But hasn’t fate been dictating love for years? Haven’t the cosmos controlled how ardor manifests since day one?

Lin may be done for the season, but we’re far from losing our interest. Attraction is fueled in part by mystery, and there are still myriad unanswered questions about Lin. Primarily: Now that the original wave of hype and hashtags has crested, what kind of player is going to wash up on the beach? Who is Jeremy Lin? Is he Flip Murray? Is he Steve Nash? Is he Ramon Sessions? Is he Mitch Richmond? Is he Jimmy Ray?

At this moment, we have no idea. And that's why we're so enamored. And that's why we made this mixtape for the guy. We just want to get to know him better.

Question of the Day

If the Suns called up the Knicks and offered Steve Nash for Jeremy Lin straight up, should the New York take the offer?

NBA Middle Names: Jeremy Lin

We at No Regard spend a lot of time in our NBA knitting circles trying to figure out the human side of these players. Whether it's musing about their commutes to work, how much "Call of Duty" they play, or what their favorite snack food is, we like to remind ourselves that NBA players are nothing more than young men with enviable jobs. What better way to humanize our heroes than look up their middle names? 

Jeremy Shu-How Lin

Getting to Know the Rookies

Not really. These are actually the least revealing videos of all time. Oh really, DeMarcus Cousins, you thought you should have been a top-two pick? Oh really, Paul George, to be in the NBA is a blessing? Do you guys feel that? I think it's the earth shattering.

Also, I love how poor Ekpe Udoh is the only lottery pick to not have his own video. That Jeremy Lin looks innocent enough, but he's a goddamned scene-stealer, I tell you.

NBA Happy Hour: No Draft Necessary

TGIF basketball fans! It's the end of the week, so that means NBA Happy Hour! Grab a beer, follow the rules and start the weekend with a Don Nelson-level buzz.

Everyone is talking about a point guard today, so we figured what the hell.  No, not Chris Paul.  Not right now anyway, Friday is time to get happy-drunk, and if the last month has proven anything, there are no two words that can kill a buzz faster than Maverick and Carter.

Instead we looked back on the week to the story that made us happiest: the Golden State Warriors signed undrafted rookie point guard Jeremy Lin.

Most of you know Lin’s story by now, a Bay Area native and lifelong Warriors fan, he played ball at Harvard and managed to impress the right people in his summer league matchup against John Wall.  Much hoopla is being made about his race and education, both obvious rarities in the League, but few have had asked after his eating habits, favorite actress, or the items on his bucket list.  Well, some did, and it was charming and a bit confusing.  Cheers, Jeremy.

Drink Anytime: