ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Rips Jeremy Lin, Says Houston Rockets No Better Than Fourth Place in NBA West

ESPN Analyst Stephen A. Smith is not a fan of inconsistency. To make things specific, he's not a fan of a certain Houston Rockets point guard named Jeremy Lin.

In this week's episode of ESPN's First Take, the popular sports analyst talked about how the Houston Rockets fared in the Western Conference after landing center Dwight Howard in free-agency.    

Smith, who has years of experience as a basketball analyst, believes the Rockets are no better than fourth or even fifth place in the West behind the reigning conference champ San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

There is probably a chance that the Golden State Warriors could overtake them after coming through with a flurry of free-agency movements with the acquisition of Andre Iguodala serving as the highlight of their shopping spree this summer.  

However, Smith said the key for the Rockets to really contend for a title right away is for Howard to improve his free-throw shooting.

The analyst added the Rockets have to keep Omer Asik despite his trade demands and make Jeremy Lin play a more consistent basketball.

Smith stressed he hopes Lin will not be a 'model of inconsistency' next season, now that Howard is in the fold.

Lin averaged 13.7 points and 6.1 assists in his first season with the Rockets, but these numbers plunged dramatically in the postseason, where he averaged just 4.0 points and 2.0 assists in four games. However, Lin played injured for most of the series with a bruised chest he suffered in Game 2 of the series.

As of late, Lin has been the subject of trade rumors with the Rockets looking to clear more cap space to add another solid free-agent this offseason.