ADSENSE Link Ads 200 x 90
ADSENSE 336 x 280
To all the D-Leaguers I've loved beforeThe Dallas Mavericks did. Donnie Nelson was the only general manager to give Lin an invite to the Summer League in 2010 when he wowed crowds and pantsed No. 1 pick John Wall.
The Mavs were one of only a few teams to give Lin a contract offer. Apparently, several teams offered Lin more than the Golden State Warriors' two years with half of his first year's $500K guaranteed. I assume the Mavericks offered him enough to stay.
He liked the guaranteed money and playing in Oakland not far from his hometown of Palo Alto. It was a fine decision for him. He would have been buried on the Mavericks' bench and I doubt he gets more than the 29 games and 10 minutes a game he got in Golden State.
A year later, he's the biggest phenomenon in the NBA and probably professional sports. At least for the moment.
I do remember that summer in Las Vegas. The reports, the tape and the stats said a lot about the Chinese kid from Harvard -- the undrafted hotshot. He averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals a game. He was big (6-3, 200), athletic and spry. Based on his Harvard education, you would assume he's a smart player and can easily pick up new things.
Lin left for Golden State and the Mavericks started their season with this roster: Dirk, JET, Caron Butler, Kidd, Roddy B, Dom Dom Jones, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Joe John Barea, Ian Mahinmi, The Custodian and Steve Novak.
Steve Novak. He was No. 12. He was the guy that'd be walking the streets if Lin had decided to throw the team that invited him to Vegas a bone.
Chances are, as noted, Rick Carlisle probably doesn't move Lin up much. Being smart, Lin probably would have gotten more chances than a developing and mysterious-injured Roddy B or an underwhelming Jones. Otherwise, Lin would have needed to leap those guys, Barea, Terry and Kidd for guard minutes.
Lin, by all accounts, was a Barea starter kit. An undrafted go-getter. Lin's a lot more. For one, he's smarter. Two, he's a lot bigger. You wouldn't be giving up size and getting just as much effort.
Fast forward to this December, as the NBA thawed from its nuclear winter and Barea found himself in Minnesota. Lin would have automatically moved up the ladder and even Carlisle is smart enough to see the spark in Lin, especially over Jones and with Beaubois remaining inconsistent and Kidd fighting off injuries.
As reticent as Carlisle is in letting youngsters grow, I really feel Lin would have garnered quite a bit of trust over time, not unlike what Barea was able to do. Had Lin stuck around, I think he would have shot up the ladder with Barea's departure and wound up in the rotation at guard and maybe would have not necessitated a move fore Delonte West.
All of this is guesswork, however. Lin did not come to the Mavericks. He took a different path and he is now today a phenomenon that's spanning fandom and the general public. He's otherworldly for the moment. He would have made a great Maverick though.
0 Response to "What if the Dallas Mavericks kept Jeremy Lin"
Posting Komentar