Houston braces for Linsanity
FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2012, file photo, New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin drives to the basket during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game New Jersey Nets at Madison Square Garden in New York. Linsanity could be put to rest in New York when the clock strikes midnight. That's the deadline the Knicks face to match the daunting offer the Houston Rockets have made to Lin, the Harvard point guard who dazzled all of basketball for a brief stretch last season. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
HOUSTON >> Jeremy Lin is starting over in Houston. He will have to explain why he said he would have rather stayed in New York.
The 23-year-old undrafted point guard out of Harvard is scheduled to meet the Houston media on Thursday, two days after the Knicks opted not to match the Rockets’ bold three-year, $25 million offer sheet.
Shortly after the deal became official on Tuesday night, SI.com reported that Lin had acknowledged in an interview, “Honestly, I preferred New York. But my main goal in free agency was to go to a team that had plans for me and wanted me.”
The Rockets certainly did.
“They made a very compelling pitch in terms of what I could bring to the team and for the city,” Lin said in a statement released through the team on Wednesday. “I am also impressed with (Houston owner Leslie) Alexander and the management’s commitment to improving the team.”
Houston had Lin in training camp in December, but waived him because the Rockets already had Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry. He got to New York when the Knicks claimed him off waivers, was briefly dropped to the developmental league, was recalled, and then got his chance to play when coach Mike D’Antoni put him in after the Knicks’ record dropped to 8-15.
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He scored 25 points in a 99-92 win over New Jersey Nets, and “Linsanity” was born. Soon, New York was in playoff contention, and Lin was having drinks named after him.
Lin said Wednesday that he “loved this past year with the Knicks and truly appreciate the opportunity that New York gave me,” even though the team decided to let him go.
“The way the fans fully embraced me and our team was something I’ll always cherish forever,” he said. “It was an extraordinary and unforgettable time that was easily the best year of my life.”
And now it’s on to Houston, which made its biggest move in years and got its man.
The Rockets not only filled a position of need, but also snagged a player who might re-establish the franchise in Asia, where the team enjoyed massive popularity during Yao Ming’s career.
Lin is American-born, but of Chinese and Taiwanese descent. His timing is perfect to capitalize on the NBA’s explosive growth in China. He will wear No. 7 for the Rockets, a change from the No. 17 he donned with the Knicks. The team began taking pre-orders for Lin jerseys online on Wednesday.
Lin was the buzz of sports radio in Houston on Wednesday and the topic exploded on social media. About 18 hours after the move became official, the Rockets’ Twitter page had picked up 3,000 new followers, and the Facebook page added 10,000 “likes.”
