For most NBA players, the dream is always to have that precious NBA ring on their fingers. They can only do that if they win an NBA championship.
A lot of NBA Hall-of-Famers has fallen short of having that elusive NBA ring on their fingers while the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have six apiece; Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant have five each; Dwyane Wade has three; and LeBron James and Chris Bosh have two each.
Some of the NBA greats who have illustrious basketball careers in the league but were not fortunate enough to get at least one ring include Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Allen Iverson, and several more.
During the off-season, Jeremy Lin became a free agent after a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Lakers. It actually capped off his $25 million three-year contract that was offered to him by the Houston Rockets at the close of the NBA’s 2011-12 season, after he showcased his Linsanity days while donning the New York Knicks uniform.
For performing below his Linsanity levels during those three years, critics have referred to him as an overpaid NBA player. So when he got free from the so-called overpaid contract, it got him to think on how he intends to chart his future in the NBA.
A chance to win an NBA championship
During the post-game interview on November 17 following Charlotte Hornets’ loss to the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, Lin said that he believes that he made the right choice in signing up with the Hornets.
In stark contrast to his previously lucrative contract, the Hornets signed him up for a measly $4.4 million two-year contract. And now, some of the more unbiased critics are saying that the 27-year-old Harvard graduate is quite an underpaid NBA player for that.
But Jeremy Lin is taking it in stride, saying that it was God’s will that led him to decide to play for the Hornets.
He disclosed that he had six teams on his and his manager’s radar to join while he was a free agent and the Charlotte Hornets was not one of those.
He added that he actually had a chance to rejoin the reigning NBA champion, the Golden State Warriors, alluding perhaps that he was offered a spot on the team during the off-season. The Warriors was his first team in the NBA during the 2010-11 NBA season.
Had it been other NBA players, they would not pass up the chance to play for the Warriors because the chance of the team doing a repeat as champion is quite high. That chance is becoming very evident in the young NBA 2015-16 season as the Warriors are now 12-0 to start their championship defense.
Wanted a bigger role
Jeremy Lin said that he had the chance to play for his hometown team by playing again for the Warriors, but he wanted a bigger role. He revealed that he entertained the idea and the thought of playing for the Warriors did appeal to him. However, he also thought that if he would be going to the reigning NBA champion team, he would have a very limited role, considering of course that he will be pinch-hitting for NBA MVP Stephen Curry, details the New York Post.
Of course, he would get his sparing minutes but only to relieve Curry as a point guard. But if the NBA MVP is playing good, which is practically most of the time, the chances of him playing more minutes is very slim. He may actually end up just a bench warmer.
He said that while the Warriors has something going great, he felt that he would not be able to use or maximize his talent as an NBA player. So when he opted to sign for the Charlotte Hornets instead, he knew he made the right choice because he is now contributing to the team’s turnaround in the NBA.
Jeremy also said that he is now 27 years old and if he wants to be remembered as a good NBA player, he wants to be someone who is contributing to his team on the court rather than sitting on the bench.