HoopsHype.com Rumors

Jeremy Lin: Shoutout to @JHarden13 for making All-NBA 3rd team!! Great teammate, better person, even better beard! #Godisgood Twitter

Houston Rockets, James Harden, Jeremy Lin 

The same reporter asked a follow-up on if Lin would be opposed to the Rockets possibly asking Lin to come off the bench next season. "I don't think your role is limited to starting or coming off the bench," Lin responded. "It just depends on what your role is when you play and how you play and you can look at what Jarrett Jack (of the Warriors) has done. So it just depends." CSN Houston

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

That said, Lin is clearly not resting on his laurels. Ever since the Rockets' season ended Saturday after Game Six, he has talked about improving in multiple facets of his game and emerging a stronger force for next season. "(I'm working on) just becoming a better offensive and defensive player," Lin said. "And just comprehensively looking at my turnovers, missed shots, and defensive breakdowns." And, unlike last year, he now has an entire offseason where he doesn't have to think about learning a new system. He can focus on improving upon what he already learned. "I'm just going into something that I'm more comfortable in, you know, not having to wonder or hope or have it be a complete mystery," Lin said. "Next year, I'll have a good idea about the organization, my teammates, the city, everything. I'm really looking forward to it." CSN Houston

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

Mark Berman: Jeremy Lin (chest bruise) says he'll play tonight and will come off the bench. Says it's "huge, huge burden off my shoulders." Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Mark Berman: Jeremy Lin says he will not play tonight. Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Howard Chen: Both JLin and HARDEN are gametime decisions. Harden is feeling ill. #RedNation #NBAPlayoffs Twitter @ho_chenCSN

Houston Rockets, James Harden, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Jason Friedman: Lin says he'll work out pre-game again as he's done past two games. Availability will hinge in part on how those go. Twitter @JasonCFriedman

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Jason Friedman: No significant update on J-Lin today. Practice was just review & walk through. Lin did conditioning, shooting. He'll be gametime again tmrw. Twitter @JasonCFriedman

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Jeremy Lin is out for Houston in Game 4 against OKC, league sources tell Y! He has a bruised chest. Francisco Garcia will start for Rockets. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin, Francisco Garcia 

Lin replied “everything” when asked what hurt and what part of his game was affected by the injury, which occurred in a collision with Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha. “It’s limited me some, but everybody is hurt, everybody is dinged up,” Lin said. “I’ve just got to find a way to get through it, and if I step on the court, I need to be prepared to play and play well. If you’re injured, you can’t be on the floor. If you’re on the floor, you’re OK. That’s kind of the way it is.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Injuries, Jeremy Lin, Thabo Sefolosha 

Jason Friedman: Lin will be gametime decision once again tomorrow for game 4 Twitter @JasonCFriedman

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Jonathan Feigen: On whether to allow Jeremy Lin to play with injury, McHale said 'That's a big decision for us.' Twitter @Jonathan_Feigen

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Darnell Mayberry: Jeremy Lin (chest) is still questionable for tonight but says he's hopeful he can play. "I'm feeling a lot better," he said. Twitter @DarnellMayberry

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Mark Berman: Rockets guard Jeremy Lin has a bruised chest muscle and is a game time decision for Saturday. Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin has come out of Game 2 of Houston's playoff series against Oklahoma City because of a muscle contusion in his chest. Lin was wincing as a trainer worked on his right shoulder near half-court during halftime. Lin lined up as though he was going to continue playing, but then pulled himself out of the game just before play was set to resume. NBA.com

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Jason Friedman: Lin says x-rays negative. Will continue treatment in days to come. Says as long as spasms stop he should be good for game 3. Twitter @JasonCFriedman

Houston Rockets, Injuries, Jeremy Lin 

Jonathan Feigen: Jeremy Lin last night: "We played bad all the way across the board. Everybody, starting with myself, is capable of a lot more." Twitter @Jonathan_Feigen

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

But despite being named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, local schools like Stanford and UCLA passed on the 6-foot-3 Lin. "Well, I think the obvious thing in my mind is that I was Asian-American, which, you know, is a whole different issue but ... I think that was a barrier," Lin told Charlie Rose in a "60 Minutes" interview that will air Sunday night. "I mean ... it's a stereotype." Lin ended up at Harvard University, where he was twice named to the All-Ivy League first team. He went undrafted out of college, but impressed in the NBA Summer League and signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2010. ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

Did race play a factor in why Lin wasn't drafted, too? "I think in the true sense the answer to that is yes," NBA commissioner David Stern told Rose, according to CBSNews.com. "In terms of looking at somebody ... I don't know whether he was discriminated against because he was at Harvard," Stern said with a laugh, according to CBSNews.com. "Or because he was Asian." ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin 

But again, no major Division I school offered him a scholarship. Not Stanford. Not USC. Not UCLA. Not even a smaller mid-major like UC-Irvine or Pepperdine or something. Nobody. Why? "I think the obvious thing in my mind is that I was an Asian-American," Lin told Charlie Rose. "Which is a whole different issue, but I think that was a barrier." Lin was asked exactly what being an Asian-American has to do with basketball and why that would get in the way. "It's a stereotype," Lin said simply. CBSSports.com

Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin