During the post-game interview with Kemba Walker following their victory against the Rockets, he disclosed that Michael Jordan was occasionally practicing with the team and told the team members that everyone must be ready to play and contribute when coach Clifford asks them to. It seems that the Hornets players are taking the call of the greatest basketball player of all time to action and it is doing wonders for the team.
Incidentally, there is now a question from some NBA fans why Jeremy Lin was not drafted by the league after college some six years ago.
According to Sporting News, the question has already been answered by Quora, the knowledge-sharing network, as early as October 25, 2015.
The short answer to the question is that Jeremy Line came from a middle-tier college. While he distinguished himself during his college days being a top-rated player in the Ivy League, the NBA is somewhat biased toward young players who attend powerhouse colleges like Duke, Kentucky, Ohio State, among others, or those schools who are part of the NCAA.
So even if the NBA is getting much better in scouting players at lesser-known colleges and international players, the fact of the matter remains that old habits die hard. Had Lin played at a high-profile school which participates in the NCAA, he would have been drafted by an NBA team in the second round.
Sorry that Quora posting is BS. JLin didn’t fit the color mold and to a degree the temperment mold (selflessness) which is why he didn’t get picked up and continues to play a subordinate role. Diva is not in his DNA.
On the contrary, Kemba wants to shoot and doesn’t care about the open teammate especially if it’s Lin. That play which Lin passed to Kemba instead of scoring would be a complete opposite from Kemba who wouldn’t pass to Lin.
QUORA has much of it right, in their response. However, I think that the responder was fearful of also admitting to the black racism preference when it comes to NBA players. It is not that “unreasonable” in that the league is hugely populated by black players and European white players. Without an Asian player showing adequate skills other than at the center position (other Asian players are part black or Filipino), there is an underlying bias which hurt Lin tremendously as the “last nail in the coffin” for a non-black player. Many many black ballers came from mid-level colleges and they were discovered without too much difficulty or fanfare, so to ignore the anti-Asian bias is simply intentional or stupid.
Lin is showing himself to be a selfless team player with skills that are somewhat submerged by the current system. Given the KW is hotter than a pistol and the Hornets are winning, it’s hard to fault Clifford for playing the line-ups he is playing. I’d like to see Lin as PG of the 2nd team more than he is being used but it is obvious that using him with Walker, when Lee is available, is folly. Lee is shooting better and can’t run the point for the bench. Lin, for all of his work, simply is better as the point than the 2 and should be used more as such. He will be invaluable to help save Walker’s legs for the playoffs. He will be a fairly valuable commodity for other teams the next year and, hopefully, will be used more effectively than present. Don’t forget, players know how hard it is to be able to play effectively, consistently, off the bench and winners never win without a good 6th and possibly 7th man.