Thursday, November 22nd, 2012 at 1:00 pm  |  72 responses

Jeremy Lin Believes He Will Be an NBA All-Star One Day


As he toils away on an underwhelming Houston Rockets team, the hype surrounding Linsanity has died down considerably. According to Jeremy Lin, though, one day he will become a star again, and play in the NBA’s ultimate showcase game. Per ESPN: “Asked in a phone interview whether he still believes he will become an All-Star, Lin said, ‘At some point, for sure. Right now I have a ways to go, but at some point, yes. I try to get better every year, and if I do that and work on the things that are problems for me right now, I definitely think I’ll have that chance.’ On Friday night in Houston, Lin will have a chance to shake off his early-season struggles and remind the Knicks of what they had together across last season’s magical midwinter run. Not that the Rockets’ 24-year-old playmaker sees Mike Woodson’s 8-1 team as one in need of another dose of Linsanity. ‘I think they’re definitely a championship-contending team,’ Lin said. ‘They have the defense, Coach [Mike] Woodson’s specialty. They’re really deep, they have a lot of explosive players, and right now they’re trusting each other and trusting the system.’ [...] If point guards are to be judged like quarterbacks, it’s worth noting Felton also is running an 8-1 team while Lin is out of the wild-card picture at 4-7. But then again, Lin is four years younger than Raymond Felton and tantamount to a rookie quarterback. ‘I’ve started [36] games now, and that’s not even half a season,’ Lin said. ‘I think that’s something I need to remember. … I have to be patient with myself, and understand there’s been a lot of change in my life and with this Houston team. We can’t expect it all to fall into place. It’s going to take some time.’”

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  • http://twitter.com/AjpDos Allen Powell

    Yeah because the rest of the world has shown great intelligence. Please. You want to start discussion g stupidity in Spain, Greece, Ireland and other places? In China? Humans are humans.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Teddy, I and most other basketball heads know exactly what you’re saying. But you can’t convince someone who doesn’t think rationally to think rationally. I struggle with the same thing when I argue with redd. “He doesn’t work hard”, “he’s awkward off of the court”, “he’s peaked at 24 years old”, these types of blind statements tell everything we need to know about this person’s stance. I also find it funny how people are ready to say 12 games is enough time to see how the rest of Jeremy Lin’s career will pan out, but 12 games is too small a sample size to say that Kyrie and Steph Curry are turnover prone.

  • palo

    Some may be upset, but this system is not about putting players who really deserve it, its an opportunity to expand NBA brand globaly. Its certainly not for the basketball heads like some of you, its for the casual fans. selecting him is therefore perfectly legal and VERY DESIRED under current voting system. If they tried to set some restrictions you would see the whirlwind whirlwind that would ensue (race ehm). NBA doesnt want that kind od publicity. In fact, they are perfectly happy, voting for him helps expanding the China market. It’s a fan contest anyway.

  • OTB

    Great argument. While I do think China voted in Yao for the wrong reasons the seasons that he missed more than half of his games (that 5 game season comes to mind), the seasons that Yao was healthy and playing, he was quite deserving of the nod. And while he may not have been the best center in the league at any point, he was the best center in the West after Shaq left (I count Duncan as a PF).

  • OTB

    Fairy “tales” eh? Knock his game, but how you can you say that a guy who got cut by two teams and still made an impact when given the chance is someone who doesn’t work hard? Why are guys who went from being undrafted/unheralded to impact players (Ben Wallace, Arenas, etc) revered, while Lin isn’t?

    You don’t go from being cut to being a starting point guard without having skills and putting in the work. Yes, he has a lot of skill deficiencies, but the fact that he played as well as he did last year is a testament to his hard work.

    He may not live up to your lofty expectations, but Lin has had to fight hard to make it big.

  • Dymez

    Most definitely. I wasn’t saying the guy was a scrub, Yao could ball and when he was healthy, he deserved every single vote and selection he gotten after Shaq went to Miami. But the NBA All-Star break arrives in February after teams have played at, over or around 55 games. When someone plays only 27 games, or even worse, 5 games and gets voted in by a nation who are just voting for him because he’s one of their own, they’re taking away an opportunity for another player that played in 50+ games who may or may not ever get the chance to be an all-star again. That’s what bothers me most. It’s taking the integrity away from the game. I remember back in ’96, Juwan Howard had a breakout season, he got rewarded with an all-star appearance, well deserved. It was his only all-star in his career. He could never replicate those numbers again. He’s a great guy, hard worker, smart guy, good basketball IQ, it’s not like he got lazy, he just couldn’t do it again. Those are the type of guys I feel for when shotty voting happens.

  • Kola

    Cannot blame them for it. They rooting for their guy, that is normal. It is Stern’s problem – how to handle this situation.
    However, no one is laughing at Yao. At least deserves an allstar status. Can’t say that about Lin. First d-league player at allstar weekend, what a lol.

  • Kola

    How can i say that? Sometimes stars just stay in some order and someone gets very lucky. And he did not show anything. His shots just fell, that smetimes happens. For short stretches.

  • Kola

    I did not say that 24 years is a peak level for a player, do not twist my sentences. What i said is just that when a basketball player turns 24, you always see what to expect from him. That is first. Second – he IS awkward not just ON the court, but OFF the court too – look at his interviews. And his work attitude? Haha, counting crows in China and Taiwan maybe and doing nothing during offseason, ats mai boy.

  • Kola

    And you sound like his current lover, haha. Are you chinese or taiwanese? Will you vote for him this yr?

  • RedDragon10

    Media fairy tails, huh? Not a hard worker? How would you know? Do you watch him practice? Do you watch him play everyday? You have no idea what his work ethic actually is. You don’t go from being cut twice to a starting point guard without hard work. It seems as though you’re holding a personal grudge against the man. He’s not all star worthy. And i don’t believe that he’ll be voted in. But to say he doesn’t work hard is beyond insane.

  • Dymez

    Stern spent decades getting China hooked on basketball and he knows Asian money is just as good as American money, so we know he’s not changing a thing. All he sees are dollar signs when he looks at Jeremy Lin, that’s why he pulled the strings to even get him in the All-Star weekend. Maybe the deputy can do something about it in a couple of years but that remains to be seen. Nobody knows what type of Commish he’s gonna be. I think China definitely deserves the blame regardless. Just vote for the right guy, it’s not politics, numbers don’t lie. What I know for sure is, if Lin does get in this year, it’s going to get real comical. Watch what Rondo does to him. They would play him too serious for the entire game, he wouldn’t get the ball up past half court. It’ll be his Miami nightmare all over again.

  • Kola

    Don’t know, don’t know… I simply can not blame chinese guys, i understand them. And again, this is not their problem at all. It will be comical, yes, however, i am optimistic. Lets remember first Yaos first ASG – he was in startig lineup and got substistuted almost after the start.

    And i hope that his teammates will understand the circumstances(it is really not his fault either – we can not choose race or nation) and will not be too hard with him. So it will be a little bit of clowning, but not too much.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    What country a player spends their off season has nothing to do with their work ethic. Kobe and D Rose both have made trips the Asia in their off seasons. That’s just ignorant. What were Steve Nash’s numbers like @ 24? What about Chauncey? Ben Wallace? Kris Kaman? Bruce Bowen? John Starks? Mario Elie?
    Players develop at different rates. Minutes logged is a better indication of a players progress, because I guarantee you players like KD and D Howard spent more time playing professional basketball by the time they were 20 than Lin has at 24.
    I’ll be the first one to admit that Lin will be a very solid role player at best, but it’s because of his limitations in talent and athleticism, not because of a lack of work ethic or an awkward attitude.

  • Dymez

    Well, even though I don’t agree with you, we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Personally, if he has to make it to an all-star game, I’m glad he’s in the Western Conference now. If he does end up starting, CP3 is going to get selected by the coaches, Russell Westbrook will, too. The only person Lin will end up bumping would be Tony Parker, which I’m sure Pop would just LOVE for TP to get a long rest anyway.

    If Lin stayed back East and got the start, Rondo would back him up, D-Will would take the last spot. That would leave Jrue Holiday out, who is just absolutely BALLIN’ this season and deserves the selection. When Bynum gets back (or should I say “finally get there”), which is looking like next season, Jrue can end up being Juwan Howard, because we all know who’s getting the touches. So, in that case it works out for everybody.

    *Unless Mike Conley starts ballin’ for real.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    You’re an idiot. I listed his best 3 years. He was the best center in the Western Conference for four years. He was only an All-Star for 6 seasons–one of which was undeserved. And yes, 5 good to great seasons IS perennial All-Star status–you don’t have to be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be considered a “perennial All-star.” And Shaq played for MIAMI when Yao had his best years. You’re saying he and T-Mac didn’t deserve “All-Star nods,” which is ridiculous, and not the same as saying they shouldn’t have been starting. Yao shouldn’t have started ahead of Shaq; that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have been a “perennial All-Star.”
    There is a problem with fan voting, say for example, people voting in Amare Stoudemire as a starter–I wasn’t arguing that. A problem with voting doesn’t mean certain players shouldn’t be All-Stars. But thanks for playing.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    When did I say Jeremy Lin should be an All-Star? There’s this thing called hooked on phonics. It might be of service to you.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Also, NOBODY here thinks Jeremy Lin should be an All-Star. But… I’m glad you felt the need to get on your soapbox anyways. The condescension is very refreshing. Your even taking the time to explain that–and then complaining about having to explain that–is just sad. How you go from pointing out the obvious about Jeremy Lin not being an All-Star, to arguing that Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady weren’t “perennial All-Stars” (which they were and deserved to be, regardless of voting), makes zero sense. Nice! What else is on your mind?

  • Dymez

    Listen, I think you may want to watch the way you’re throwing the word “idiot” around at someone else after what you said previously and what you said just now after it. I’m not going to start some silly Internet name calling idiotic championship sprawl, it’s dumb. You can keep that award.

    I think you have trouble reading and understanding. I’m not going to repeat myself, the information is up there. The original subject was fan voting, which means, STARTING. He never deserved to start in front of Shaq for 2 years, and I stated that. You said he was the best center in the Western Conference his entire career with the exception of his first season, which you then stated “he only played 7 seasons and retired during his 8th.” Which means, to you, he was good for 6 seasons. Now, you’re saying he was the best center in the Western Conference for 4 years. You just killed yourself on that one.

    As far as the “perennial all-star” subject, to be a perennial all-star, you have to be selected consecutively for a long string of years. Once again, I’m not going to repeat what’s in the first response to you, but there’s at or around 55 games played before the all-star break, in the case of Yao, he’s played 27 games once before the break and 5 games another season before the break, but was selected in both. That’s enough said for that.

    In the case of Tracy McGrady getting a couple of nods he shouldn’t have gotten, if you would just try really hard to read that same comment, you would get it. Once again, 55 games played by the break, one of those years (2005-06) T-Mac played in 47 for the entire season. I’m glad that makes sense to you. The season, Steve Nash was leading McGrady in votes early, Iverson got traded to Denver, both Nash and Iverson lead T-Mac up until he got a big burst from being Yao’s good buddy and took the lead for the start. He didn’t deserve to be an all-star that year because Nash, Iverson and Ray Allen were putting up better numbers than T-Mac. If it wasn’t for the injury of Iverson, Ray Allen wouldn’t have even been an all-star that season, and he was averaging nearly 30 points a game by the all-star break that year. But that doesn’t make sense to you, I know.

    I never said anybody here thinks Lin deserves to be an all-star. Don’t know where you get that idea, I said the voting is a problem, you took it upon yourself to try and challenge a fact that Yao Ming and T-Mac did not deserve all of their all-star appearances. Did you forget that? Well, that’s how I went from talking about Lin to talking about Yao Ming and T-Mac. I’m not talking about Yao or Tracy with anybody else on here. Listen, I get it, you miss Yao and T-Mac. You love them, I know, but it’s over. They were really good players for the short amount of time they actually were good, but they aren’t coming back. Relax. Hey, I miss Penny Hardaway, but I have enough basketball knowledge to know he’s not a perennial all-star even though he had 4 straight all-star appearances. Players who don’t play should not be all-stars. It’s injuries. It happens. But look, you’re kind of weird — no offense — so I’m going to have to end this whole ‘conversation’ of sorts with you.

    Uhh… Go Yao Ming and Go T-Mac! Yeah……

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Nobody’s arguing with you about the fan voting–it is a problem. At the same time, it’s not the end of the world; it’s no cause for a grown @ss man to be whining about so-and-so not getting more votes because of Yi Jianlian, despite Yi not making the All-Star team while so-and-so did.
    And I don’t really care what you
    say about Yao and T-Mac, beyond the fact that you’re just wrong, and I wanted to point out your idiocy in saying
    they didn’t deserve their All-Star nods (okay, yes, minus the years they were physically incapable of playing). In case you didn’t know, “nods”
    doesn’t mean “votes and starts,” but okay, you clarified after two obnoxious essays. Good job, good effort.
    I’m sure T-Mac making the All-Star team (while averaging around 25 ppg) before Ray Allen was the worst offense in All-Star Weekend history, and every time a player gets selected ahead of someone more deserving, it’s because Chinese people are voting for one of “Yao’s buddies.” That makes perfect sense. How enlightening. Tell me, was the bus you rode to school extra short? Maybe your teachers didn’t tell you, but there was a reason for that.
    As for “perennial all-star”–this is such a boring issue that should have been obvious the first time I addressed it. If you’re a f*cking All-Star every year of your career, and you deserved to be one every year minus the first (discounting the season he retired), then yes, you are a “perennial All-Star.” I don’t know why that’s hard to understand, but look, you’re kind of weird–no offense–and it seems like you’ve got a double digit IQ, so I’m going to have to cut you some slack. No, he shouldn’t have been voted in for his 8th year, but he didn’t play in that All-Star game anyways. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a perennial All-Star during his *career.* I’d explain it in a way you could understand more easily, but I can’t use hand gestures and pictograms on a comment section. Sorry about that, Cleatus.
    This is turning into a sarcasm contest,
    which isn’t very much fun for either of us. So, you’re right, it’s probably best to end this right now. And since you seem to take internet insults so, so well: f*ck you very much.

  • retloc

    I know plenty of native americans who refer to themselves as indians, and they are the largest minority group where I live.

  • Shawn ASAP

    that guy is either dumb AF or a troll cuz he just rambling at the mouth about garbage while you are presenting the facts right to his face. you smoked that fool like a pack of newports

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