A little known fact about Jeremy Lin, who was recently claimed off waivers by the New York Knicks: he actually has a pretty solid all-around game. He’s a big guard, racks up steals at an incredible rate, and is -- at the very least -- a solid straight-line driver.
A better-known fact about Jeremy Lin: he’s the NBA’s first Chinese-American/Taiwanese-American player, a bit of a cultural oddity in a league that features players from all over the world, but few that are the children of Asian immigrants.
It’s sad that the trivia of Lin’s young career has taken precedence over his game, but c’est la vie on the NBA fringe. He’ll always have that one defining characteristic floating around him, even as he does his best to mute its impact by contributing more and more on the court. Lin hasn’t yet had that opportunity, as his limited role in Golden State was continued -- if just for one game, during which Lin logged a minute and a half of playing time -- with New York. He’s more of an insurance policy for the Knicks (who currently have both Baron Davis and rookie Iman Shumpert sidelined with injuries) than anything else, but Lin nonetheless hopes to take advantage of the opportunity that’s been tossed in his lap, and prove his place in the league beyond novelty. From Howard Beck of the New York Times:The excitement that Lin generated was at times overwhelming. Some fans and commentators wrote him off as a publicity stunt.
“It was extremely taxing for him,” Montgomery said, adding, “He wanted to please a lot of people.”
Lin and Montgomery are, to be sure, grateful for the opportunity the Warriors provided. The fascination with his biography would probably have consumed him no matter where he started his career. But it was tougher in the Bay Area, which had an added rooting interest, and tougher still to find playing time behind two young stars, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis.
Now Lin has shed the rookie jitters and has learned to cope with the frenzy around him, Montgomery said. The mission this season, Lin told Montgomery, is “I want to show them that I’m the real deal.” As he prepared for the shootaround Wednesday, the reserved Lin tried to contain his emotions. He admitted he was “still kind of in shock” about being waived by his hometown team, 18 months after it granted him his N.B.A. entry. “It seems like forever ago,” Lin said, “but obviously a dream come true. And I’m still excited, just as excited, to be with the Knicks right now.”The Knicks play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at 10:30 EST, marking Lin’s second game as a member of the team. Mike D’Antoni still may not be completely comfortable with Lin as a regular member of the rotation, but a low-risk matchup against the likes of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake could be a nice proving ground for Lin.
