Jeremy Lin excited about Los Angeles Lakers
The Houston Rockets needed to trade the contract of point guard Jeremy Lin in order to make a run at New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and Miami Heat big man Chris Bosh (who both re-signed with their teams) and they dealt him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Many believed it was strictly a move to acquire assets, but the Lakers are excited about Lin and he feels the same way about the Lakers.
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“I was extremely excited,” Lin told Basketball Insiders in a phone interview. “I thought it was great for me to have a new opportunity and a new situation, and I thought that would be an awesome start. I thought it would be cool, obviously, going to L.A. since I’m from California and I have a lot of friends and family out there. I thought it would be a great opportunity playing-wise too, so I was really excited and ready to get out there.”
Although most would disagree, Lin believes the Lakers can make some noise this year
“I mean, it’s by far the most prestigious organization I’ve ever been a part of, obviously with all of the championships and just the level that it’s traditionally been known to be at. I think it’s a challenge for us to get the team back to where it was before and I think we have an opportunity to really surprise people this year.”
It also helps that Lin is close with star guard Kobe Bryant – the two reportedly remain in contact and believe they will mesh together very well.
Lin averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44.6% from the field, 35.8% from beyond the arc and 82.3% from the free throw line in 71 games. B