The greatest basketball player of all time and Charlotte Hornets team owner Michael Jordan has spoken. With due respect to the talented small forward Nicolas Batum, whom the Hornets acquired during the off-season from the Portland Trailblazers by trading Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh, His Airness believes that Jeremy Lin is his team’s biggest acquisition for the upcoming NBA season.
Jordan believes that signing up Jeremy Lin from the free agency was a very successful deal because the 27-year-old Harvard graduate can penetrate, has the shooting ability, a point guard savvy, capable of passing the ball, and has a great energy for the game of basketball, plus more, details CBS Sports.
In addition to Batum and Lin, the Charlott Hornets also acquired during the off-season Spencer Hawes from the Los Angeles Clippers by trading Lance Stephenson. They have also drafted Frank Kaminsky.
While Batum is the overall better player among the four newbies mentioned to have joined the Hornets basketball organization, Lin, because of his popularity in Asia, has instantly made the Hornets a very popular team in countries like China and Taiwan.
From a business standpoint, the Charlotte Hornets’ can actually capitalize on Lin’s global popularity through apparel and ticket sales. From a basketball perspective, Lin will also be able to provide instant offense either starting or coming off the bench as a point guard.
Like the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the Charlotte Hornets has a heavy focus on 3-pointers. In fact, there were even reports earlier saying that Hornets head coach Steve Clifford may decide on playing starting point guard Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin together to give his team multiple pick-and-roll options the way the Warriors are doing it. That would also provide the team with plenty of looks from the three-point area. Lin is also a respectable three-point shooter, with his 36.9% from behind the arc.
Surprise by massive support
Jeremy Lin proved two of Jordan’s points during the pre-season game of the Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers held on October 10 at Shenzhen, China.
First, he topscored for his team by pouring in 16 points, dishing out four assists and grabbing three boards as the Hornets topped the Clippers. The Clippers is a perennial playoff contender in the Western Conference and the Hornets victory was quite an ego-booster.
Jordan was also right when Jeremy drew huge Chinese fan support during his team’s game against the Clippers in Shenzhen.
Lin says he was surprised by the support that he got from the Chinese fans, only realizing now the authenticity of his global popularity. Playing an NBA game in China for the very first time, even though it is just a pre-season game, Jeremy said that he felt very thankful and blessed for the Chinese fan support after the Hornets’ 106-94 victory over the Clippers, details InterAksyon.
He also said that he is surprised that fans treated him so well in China no matter where he goes, be it in the hotel or even when he is just walking around. Fans always bring up posters and the jerseys that have his image or name and number on it.
Chinese fans actually shouted Jeremy Lin’s Chinese name, Lin Shuaho,’ throughout the match and they are also thrilled by the atmosphere but have been paying more attention to the Hornets because of Lin.
Tu Chingbuo, a 26-year-old Chinese basketball fan, says that the match was terrific and Lin was also terrific because he repeatedly hit three-pointers. The fan said that he came to the game to watch Lin play and he was not disappointed at all. He also said that he will be watching the Hornets games during the NBA regular season.