Jeremy Lin was formally introduced as a Houston Rocket after the New York Knicks chose not to match Houston’s offer sheet for the restricted free agent. Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Knicks had three days to match the offer from the Rockets. The press came out in full force in Houston with the biggest turnout for a press conference. He’s been at training camp with coach Kevin McHale and sees a great fit in his system. In the post interview, he touches on Tim Tebow, the return of Lin-sanity or lack there of, spreading the ball on the court, and teamwork. Read more about Jeremy Lin’s perspective on the whole situation here (Honestly, I preferred New York) and here (I will always have haters).
Jeremy Lin (6-3, 200, Harvard) has averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.38 steals in 64 games (25 starts) with Golden State and New York. After being claimed by the Knicks off waivers on Dec. 27, 2011, Lin exploded onto the NBA landscape by averaging 18.2 points, 7.6 assists and 2.00 steals with seven double-doubles in 25 starts with New York. Lin actually became the first NBA player to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first five NBA starts since Elias Sports Bureau began charting stats in 1970. Lin was also the first Knicks player since Michael Ray Richardson in 1980-1981 to record at least 20 points and seven assists in six straight games. Lin was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Feb. 6-12, leading New York to a 4-0 record with averages of 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.00 steals.
Lin, who was waived by Golden State on Dec. 9, 2011, was actually claimed off waivers by Houston on Dec. 12. He appeared in two preseason outings with the Rockets before being waived on Dec. 24, 2011. Lin had appeared in 29 games with the Golden State Warriors in 2010-11, averaging 2.6 points, 1.4 assists, 1.2 rebounds and 1.14 steals in 9.8 minutes per contest as a rookie. He also played in 20 games for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League in 2010-11, averaging 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 6-3 guard was originally signed by Golden State as a free agent on July 21, 2010, after going undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Harvard.
Jeremy Lin Houston Rockets press conference highlights
Full Jeremy Lin press conference at Houston Rockets
Jeremy Lin post conference interview Part 1
Jeremy Lin post conference interview Part 2