Our young ABC warrior of Taiwan stock brought the flavor to Madison Square Garden last night and is now, suddenly a hot commodity. He stepped up huge for the struggling Knicks dropping 25 points, to go with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Has Chinese people all over the world asking “Yao who?”
and if you liked the Asian food humor in the title here’s another juicy nugget, this time of the Asian fusion variety:
Jeremy Lin #nguyening
Harvard grad, NBA star, someone for the Taiwanese to rally around :bravo:
Right, I am sure he’s dreaming about playing the Jones Cup against the likes of Iran and the Philippines…
As impressive as he’s been in those two games, I think he’s only made sure so far that he’s going to stick around in the NBA in the years ahead, most likely as a spark off the bench. He’s caught those two teams, both not playing great defense anyway, on the wrong foot and suprised them with his lightning speed. I expect the next opponents to be prepared and not allowing him a free pass to the hoop like the Nets and Jazz. His scoring will probably drop to around 12 and he’ll become more of a facilitator for Amare and Chandler.
Right, I am sure he’s dreaming about playing the Jones Cup against the likes of Iran and the Philippines…
As impressive as he’s been in those two games, I think he’s only made sure so far that he’s going to stick around in the NBA in the years ahead, most likely as a spark off the bench. He’s caught those two teams, both not playing great defense anyway, on the wrong foot and suprised them with his lightning speed. I expect the next opponents to be prepared and not allowing him a free pass to the hoop like the Nets and Jazz. His scoring will probably drop to around 12 and he’ll become more of a facilitator for Amare and Chandler.[/quote]
No, the Jones Cup is hardly a carrot worth pursuing, but perhaps a fat new clause in his Nike contract, with the National Team stipulation might be. This kid is the biggest thing in Taiwan right now.
Yeah, he will not put up 25 and 28 most nights, but I think his biggest concern is if the Knicks fire Mike D’Antoni, as it is D’Antoni’s wide open offense that is allowing Lin to get to the rim. If the Knicks hire a more halfcourt oriented coach, Lin will have a hard time being productive.
He has proven himself to be an NBA caliber player though, and even if it is just a flash in the pan, he has earned himself a few more years in the league, especially considering the draw he will become.
I don’t know why he is so big here honestly. Seems like he is a great player, and his parents were born here, but can someone explain the Taiwanese love. Kid was raised in America, by his own admission speaks Mandarin pretty poorly, cannot read much, and has said he is excited about and considering playing for the Chinese National Team in the future.
That’s easy. He presents what many people in Taiwan dream of. Being successful in the US, getting recognized, doing it with a Taiwanese background (he might be born and raised in the US, but his parents are Taiwanese, so he shares some of the education and values that are considered Taiwanese with the people here).
He also fits nicely into that underdog role that many Taiwanese find easy to identify with. Physically inferior to many Western athletes, but waaaay smarter (backed up by his Harvard education, which was not a sports scholarship by the way), he’s also humble, has a sense of humor, and shares with his fans (posts clips on Youtube). Also, he’s been overlooked by colleges, and NBA teams and has been known for most part only to the Asian community in the US and people in Taiwan, who now have “I knew he would become successful some day” bragging rights.
I watched all of his past three games, and I think his style of play makes him an instant fan favorite with basketball fans of any background, not just Taiwanese. Third-string point guard comes out of nowhere, leads an underperforming team to three consecutive victories, scoring 20+ pts, dishing out assists like a veteran, and adds some highlight reel plays for good measure. That’s better than any Hollywood director can come up with.
[quote]That’s easy. He presents what many people in Taiwan dream of. Being successful in the US, getting recognized, doing it with a Taiwanese background (he might be born and raised in the US, but his parents are Taiwanese, so he shares some of the education and values that are considered Taiwanese with the people here).
He also fits nicely into that underdog role that many Taiwanese find easy to identify with. Physically inferior to many Western athletes, but waaaay smarter (backed up by his Harvard education, which was not a sports scholarship by the way), he’s also humble, has a sense of humor, and shares with his fans (posts clips on Youtube). Also, he’s been overlooked by colleges, and NBA teams and has been known for most part only to the Asian community in the US and people in Taiwan, who now have “I knew he would become successful some day” bragging rights.
I watched all of his past three games, and I think his style of play makes him an instant fan favorite with basketball fans of any background, not just Taiwanese. Third-string point guard comes out of nowhere, leads an underperforming team to three consecutive victories, scoring 20+ pts, dishing out assists like a veteran, and adds some highlight reel plays for good measure. That’s better than any Hollywood director can come up with.[/quote]
Thanks for that. Totally makes sense. I guess I’ve been getting into too many political discussions with my friends and missed the forest for the trees, so to speak.
Said it on mainland Chinese TV. Guess you have to answer like that if you don’t want alienate a billion people. I think he would be better of to play for neither China nor Taiwan. With China he could play in the Olympics, though.
Watched the tail end of the Jazz game. This kid is fun to watch. Great to have one more sports star getting Taiwan fired up. I hope he helps the Knicks make a run at it! That would be a blast to keep watching!
looked like the wizards enjoyed watching the game. might want to charge them admission if they aren’t going to play.
nevertheless, nice crossover & drive.
lin seemed the only reason worth watching the utah & indiana games which were bordering on dreadful from what i watched.
hopefully he keeps it up.
Kind of reminds me of Steve Nash years ago…came into the league, locals new about him, but overall just sat on the bench for a bit, then was given playing time and the rest is history. Although Lin went to Harvard, Nash went to the University of Santa Clara on a full ride, one year took them deep in the final four, but nobody noticed-similar to Lin in “Pally” High School winning the state championship in '06-not much attention.
This pace he is on is called adrenalin. Maybe he will come down to a normal level and play consistently the rest of the year and be given a starting spot in the future, not to mention a contract. He isn’t a phenom, he is just a regular ball player coming out of his shell…
I hope he secures a starting spot in the future.
