Trying to save a career in tatters, Jeremy Lin is expected to leave the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the season and find a team that suits well with his playing time, according to former New York Times NBA writer and current Bleacher report analyst Howard Beck.
In his latest column on Bleacher Report, Beck talked about Lin's struggle to find his niche under the tutelage of Lakers head coach Byron Scott and his potential destination when he becomes an unrestricted free-agent this summer.
Although an up-and-down season will give teams a second thought on committing with the former Harvard alum, Beck still thinks Lin will find a new team elsewhere. In fact, there are already few teams showing interest this early, including his former team the Houston Rockets.
"But the Rockets needed salary-cap room last July to make a frenzied, all-out bid for Chris Bosh. So they offloaded Lin's hefty contract, along with a first-round pick, to the Lakers. It was purely a bookkeeping move. The Rockets remain high on Lin and are expected to be among his chief suitors this summer," Beck stated.
The Rockets traded Lin along with a first-round pick to the Lakers in a salary-dump move to make a run for Chris Bosh in the offseason. While they failed to land the All-Star forward, they still spent the cap space in good use, signing swingman Trevor Ariza and using Lin's traded player exception to get Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Beck believes the Rockets are not closing their doors on a possible reunion with Lin next season.
Aside from the Rockets, the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers are linked to Lin, who would likely pick a team that runs a up-and-down, fast-paced offense that features fast-break and pick-and-roll plays.
"In July, Lin will have choices to make and an opportunity to start the debate all over again. He would surely benefit from a more supportive coach and perhaps a system more attuned to his skills. He has always been best as a primary ball-handler in an uptempo, pick-and-roll attack, the kind that Mike D'Antoni popularized," according to Beck.
Moreover, Lin might also consider reuniting with his former New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, the man that made Linsanity possible, if he gets hired elsewhere. There are reports the Denver Nuggets are seriously considering D'Antoni as the top candidate for their head coaching post, if they part ways with Brian Shaw at the end of the season.
