OAKLAND, Calif. — Jeremy Lin can identify with some Knicks fans. His favorite player growing up was Latrell Sprewell, who began his career with the Warriors.
“Best player on the hometown team,’’ said Lin, who grew up in Palo Alto, Calif., as a Warriors fan.
In his first full day as a Knick, the 23-year-old Lin met the club and participated in the morning shootaround at the Olympic Club in San Francisco yesterday before the Knicks faced the Warriors last night at Oracle Arena.
Coach Mike D’Antoni couldn’t help himself from using the standard stereotype joke on the former Harvard point guard.
“Our IQ just doubled,’’ D’Antoni said jokingly before the Knicks’ 92-78 loss to the Warriors last night at Oracle Arena.
It was a line that Lin probably has heard one too many times. The stereotype that an Asian-American from Harvard is known more for his academic prowess than basketball prowess is probably why he went undrafted in 2010.
Nevertheless, D’Antoni liked him during that draft and the Knicks were one of just eight teams to work Lin out. But they didn’t like Lin enough to draft him. They passed, instead buying a late second-round to nail Jamaican center Jerome Jordan, whose heritage includes one Patrick Ewing.
The Knicks claimed Lin off waivers Monday as an interim point guard as the club goes through an injury crisis with their point guards. Rookie Iman Shumpert is out two to four weeks with a sprained right knee, Baron Davis could be out another three weeks with a disc injury and Mike Bibby didn’t make his Knicks debut until last night vs. the Warriors after suffering from back spasms. Lin played a minute of garbage time last night and was 0-for-1 from the field. Bibby scored two points and had four assists in 22 minutes.
Lin’s second-favorite Warriors player was Davis, who led the Warriors to their only playoff berth in the last 17 years in 2007 and their historic upset over Dallas.
“I’m hoping to learn a lot from him,’’ Lin said.
“I’m very excited,’’ he added. “Who wouldn’t want to play for the Knicks? I hope to get the opportunity to play. I’m joining a great team. I’ll try to find my role and help out where I can.’’
Lin, who spent his rookie year with his hometown team, the Warriors, was cut by Mark Jackson on Dec. 9, and picked up by Houston, which cut him last weekend. Lin said the Warriors cut him to open cap space to make a run at center DeAndre Jordan, who re-signed with the Clippers. There was a report if Lin cleared waivers, Jackson would have taken him back.
“It’s a business,’’ Lin said. “We all understand that. It’s the way it goes sometimes.I had a non-guarantee and it made sense from a business standpoint. Obviously it was disappointing, but I got an opportunity to play somewhere else and everything works out the way God wants it to.’’
Whether the 6-foot-3 Lin sticks around the whole season depends on whether the Knicks are healthy at point guard and if he impresses. Lin’s contract is still not guaranteed, and the Knicks may want to open a roster spot to add a rugged forward off the bench in March (see: Kenyon Martin).
“We’ll try to get to know him and his game and we’ll see what that means,’’ D’Antoni said. “It looked like his outside shot was a little iffy but we liked his speed, liked his aggressiveness. We liked his size and ability to penetrate.We’ll get to know him better as we go forward.’’
University of San Francisco coach Rex Walters, a Nets’ draft pick, is credited for being the last Asian-American to play in the NBA, having a stint in the 1990’s. The last Harvard graduate to play in the NBA was former Knick, Ed Smith, who played in 1953-54.
Coming out of a state title team at Palo Alto in 2006, Lin didn’t get a single Division I scholarship offer.
“There’s no question he was prejudged,” Walters said in a published report during Lin’s rookie year last season. “You just don’t see a lot of Asian kids playing city basketball, playing AAU basketball.”
Lin said he thought there was “a 50-50’’ chance he would be drafted. But his spirits were lifted when he got a call the next day from the Mavericks, inviting him to their summer-league team in Las Vegas where he become a cult sensation after outplaying No. 1 pick John Wall. The Warriors offered him a contract after summer league and played 29 games for the Warriors in 2010-11.
“I’m trying not to think about it,’’ Lin said of not playing for his hometown Warriors. “I will miss the place, miss playing in front of the fans. But I’ll see them [last night] and my old teammates.’’
Scouts say Lin has a very point-guard feel for the game and his instincts are good, but he isn’t flashy and isn’t very athletic. Lin said he remembers his Knicks workout.
“I remember playing a lot of 3-on-3, fast pace, a lot of pick and rolls,’’ he said. “It was a fun workout. They throw the ball out and let everybody play.’’
D’Antoni said he wants to see if Lin is a prospect worth developing for the future, not just a temporary stopgap.
“We got in trouble with injuries or we wouldn’t have made a move,’’ D’Antoni said. “We’ve always liked him. We’re looking for the opportunity to evaluate him further.’’
marc.berman@nypost.com