Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin might have survived the trade deadline, but not head coach Kevin McHale's doghouse. For the past few games, Lin played in limited minutes off the bench, and it indeed greatly affected his production.

Linsanity is now at a low point again after a January surge that saw him averaging 16 points and 6 dimes per game. Over the past five games, he scored in double digit once, as he scored 11 markers on 3-foir-7 shooting in a 129-103 win over the Sacramento Kings. Worse, he didn't even play beyond 25 minutes in his last four games, as McHale preferred to use Patrick Beverley and James Harden alternately at the point.

In the latest article of International Business Times correspondent Greg Price, he provided his take on Lin's current struggle and how he lost Kevin McHale's trust these past couple of weeks. Price believed McHale's decision to put a hard cap on Lin's playing time stemmed from his current shooting slump, making just under 30 per cent of his shots from the field.

"Going 12-for-40 from the field for 30 percent shooting has limited Lin to an average of 7.4 points in the last five games, but the Rockets third-ranked offense has managed to hide Lin's limited production," Price stated.

Looking at the Brighter Side of Lin

Lin is absolutely in a shooting funk. He's struggling primarily because of the limited playing time or perhaps the pressure placed on him as the Rockets' main weapon off the bench. Still, Lin proved numerous times that he stepped up his game when needed the most.

"Lin had similar troubles with his shot during his first month as a Rocket last season, notching a poor 37.3 percent from the field and nearly three turnovers per game. He slowly worked out the kinks, and in the final month of the season he was on fire with 17.3 points and 6.9 assists per game averages, helping Houston notch their first two playoff wins in four years," Price stated.

There's no doubt that the Rockets need Lin to elevate his play as the season going into the homestretch mark of the season. And with roughly a quarter left in the regular-season, Lin must give enough reasons that he's worthy of $15 million next season.

"That kind of pressure was what drove Lin to emerge as one of the best young guards in the league during his torrid outburst with the Knicks two years ago. Houston could especially use a boost of "Linsanity" in its remaining 28 games, 11 of which are against playoff contenders including two against the defending champion Miami Heat," Price said.