Rod Boone: Lin: "Me coming here showed that I was willi…

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Rod Boone: Jeremy Lin said he "absolutely" wants to return to @Charlotte Hornets. Said he'd even take a discount and this season was most fun he's had in @nba.
Lin demurred, too, when asked about the coming summer, whether he might opt out and what he might seek. He noted it would be disrespectful to the Hornets organization and his teammates to discuss personal business during this postseason run.
Atkinson's player development is clearly a big reason why he was hired, but what about his ability to recruit free agents like Lin? Atkinson is well-respected around the league and Brooklyn's situation isn't as frowned on around the league as fans might assume. Is Lin the Nets long term answer at point guard. You would have to assume no, but no one had faith in the undrafted Harvard man like Atkinson did in 2011 either.
Jeremy Lin announced just hours before NBA players can sign contracts that he will join the Charlotte Hornets. A source confirmed to ESPN.com that the contract is for Charlotte's biannual exception -- two years and $4.3 million.
The Dallas Mavericks are firmly in the mix to sign free-agent point guard Jeremy Lin, according to league sources. Dallas has limited funds to offer, but sources told ESPN.com that Lin is giving the Mavericks strong consideration even though he can likely make more money elsewhere. Lin's relationship with Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons from their days as teammates in Houston, sources said, has kept Dallas in the race despite its lack of financial flexibility. Parsons, of course, had a huge hand in the recruiting of DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks in the richest free-agent score in team history.
Alex Kennedy: Sources say that the New York Knicks have reached out to Jeremy Lin. This lines up with my report from Sunday. twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA…
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March 22, 2023 | 9:21 pm EDT Update
Walt “Clyde” Frazier said he’d been “meandering” all day on Wednesday, one day after the loss of his longtime friend, captain and championship teammate, Willis Reed. “It took me so long to get dressed today,” the famously fashionable Frazier said softly before working Wednesday’s game between the Knicks and the Heat as the longtime analyst for MSG Networks. “It’s been devastating. After seeing him on the video for the 50th anniversary, I didn’t know he was that far gone. Everybody was really surprised.”
March 22, 2023 | 8:24 pm EDT Update

Mike Brown on Domantas Sabonis: He's as close to Draymond Green as a big man

Sabonis leads the NBA in rebounding and is dishing a career-high 7 assists per game. Every teammate — even Fox — knows to run the wings when Sabonis grabs a defensive board. “He is as close to Draymond Green as any big man I’ve seen in terms of someone who can get it off the glass, bring it up, and make the right play,” says Brown, who coached Green as an assistant in Golden State for six seasons.
During Sabonis’ rookie year in Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook invited Sabonis to early-morning workouts to go through the nuances of pick-and-roll, says Billy Donovan, who coached that Thunder team. They drilled how to read a defender’s feet, when Sabonis could slip screens, how Sabonis could make himself available for pocket passes. (One of Sabonis’ rookie duties was supplying Westbrook with Snapple for team flights, Sabonis and others on that team recall.) Sabonis was astonished that Fox ceded so much ball handling to him right away, including letting Sabonis rush the ball up after rebounds. “I was really surprised,” Sabonis says. “He has been with the Kings forever. This is his team. He really let me do my thing. Not many franchise point guards would let their big man bring the ball up. He ran with me. He set screens for me. That’s what shocked me most. That’s what made the transition so easy. Neither of us care who is who. We just want to win.”
Sabonis suffered an avulsion fracture in his right thumb and ligament damage in his hand. Fixing it required surgery that would cost between six and eight weeks. The Kings were 17-14, sixth in the West, only a couple games ahead of No. 11. Sabonis wanted to keep playing. “In my mind, sitting out was not an option,” he says. “Six to eight weeks — we can’t risk that.” He asked the team’s medical staff to wait to see if the swelling would subside. It did — enough. He joked that he didn’t use his right hand anyway. After consulting with doctors, trainers, and Sabonis’ agents, the decision was made: He’d play on. The training staff nicknamed him “Wolverine” for his apparent imperviousness to pain.
In the weeks before the trade, Thunder officials had talked to Sabonis about playing him more at center — the position he preferred. He pictured himself in Oklahoma City long-term. As free agency approached, Sabonis heard rumors the Thunder might sign Blake Griffin and worried he could end up traded as a result. When news broke that the Clippers had re-signed Griffin, Sabonis was relieved and went to bed to rest up for his summer league game the next day. Minutes later, Thunder officials called to tell him he had been traded. “I was in shock,” he says. “Like, are you joking? I was not so happy.”