LOS ANGELES — As he walked out of Staples Center after the Rockets’ shootaround yesterday, Jeremy Lin chatted amicably with two reporters. Two. As in almost three. As in about 716 less than he encountered as a Knick.
Houston is — how to put it? A tad more low key than New York?
“There’s less of a spotlight. There’s room to grow, room to improve, growing pains, stuff that has to happen with each player,” said Lin, the young man who triggered the “Linsanity” global phenomenon last season for the Knicks under Mike D’Antoni, the coach he was to have opposed last night with the Lakers, but D’Antoni, recovering from knee surgery, was not up to the task.
Turns out, the Rockets weren’t much up to the task, either, as the Lakers throttled them 119-108, behind a triple-double by Kobe Bryant (22 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds.
Lin was held to five points on 2-for-9 shooting with 10 assists in 31 minutes.
“I’ve only started 30-something games in three years … There’s a lot of sophomores out there with a lot more experience than me. So in a lot of ways, it takes a lot of that pressure off. It makes it easier,” Lin said of his place with the Rockets, with whom he landed with a three-year, $25 million offer sheet the Knicks declined to match in the offseason.
“I’m happy being in Houston,” he said. “It’s really, really low key. Really peaceful. When I walk around, I don’t wear a hat or glasses or anything unless I want to.”
Not that he didn’t like wearing glasses, hats and false noses in New York — or using a couch as a mattress. On Saturday, D’Antoni recalled the “unbelievable” memory of “Linsanity.” The story would have been thrown out by Hollywood producers as improbable.
But too much, too soon. Lin, cut by Houston and Golden State, admitted the fame, adulation and never-ending bad puns across the front, back and middle of New York’s newspapers were tough to handle.
“It was just a lot at once,” he said. “It just kind of overwhelmed me and I kind of shut down in terms of I just saw my family and my closest friends and that’s it. That’s what I kind of had to do at that time, just to try to stay focused …There was a lot of outside noise I was trying to tune out.”
And never underestimate the gnawing power of New York’s all-or-nothing approach. You are great, Great, GREAT until something goes wrong.
“There’s no in between in terms of expectations,” Lin said. “It is funny with so much media, it’s kind of like zero or 100, but I know realistically it’s going to be somewhere in between.”
So he has a peaceful life now, learning and growing with James Harden in Houston’s backcourt. He’s not being pulled this way and that. But that’s not to say he does not appreciate his stay in New York. And his gratitude and admiration for D’Antoni are unquestioned.
“I’ve kept in touch with him ever since he resigned in New York. I got to catch up with him a little bit toward the end of last season and we’ve just been texting,” said Lin, who admitted playing against D’Antoni would have been “weird” while noting had D’Antoni remained in New York, it’s possible he’d still be a Knick.
“If he was still there, honestly, I would guess I’d have a higher chance of being there,” Lin said. “But I think the decision at the end was a management decision and I actually don’t know for whatever exact reasons, but I really enjoyed playing for him. It was kind of the time of my life.”
Those magnificent memories are not centered on any individual feat. The recollection is strictly team oriented.
“When I think back, I think about the games,” Lin said. “The plane rides after the games and the things that we did as a team, whether it’s the funny film sessions or whatever. I think about … how much fun that was.”
The fun started diminishing as criticism arose over turnovers and after he was felled by a knee injury that required surgery following D’Antoni’s departure. And there were knocks from teammates about his deal during his free agency courtship.
“Sometimes, stuff is taken out of context and if that’s how they feel or felt, I’m OK with that,” Lin said, “because I remember they were really nice to me, they were great teammates.”