Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin will become a free agent at the end of this season, and Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, thinks that the NBA All-Star would be a great fit on his team.
According to Jason Lee of The Smoking Cuban, the famous owner of the Mavericks indicated interest in bringing Lin to Dallas. That's because the Lakers, who have had a lackluster season so far, want to trade some of their current players.
"Was just about to brush my teeth before Mark Cuban called me," Mavs announcer Mark Followill said. "He is bringing Jeremy Lin to Metroplex next season. Unprecedented and unconfirmed reports this is!"
Lee contended that if Cuban decided to make a play for Lin, then Rajon Rondo could be put up for trade. However, it may be a risk worth taking for the Mavericks, especially if they can reignite the spark that led to the Linsanity phenomenon in the New York Knicks back in 2012.
"The question Lin will have to answer is his capability to play with a winning franchise," Lee wrote. "But the immediate reaction after this made-up news is that he will succeed playing the point guard in a heavy pick-and-roll system designed perfectly for him by the Mavs' master puppeteer Rick Carlisle."
Lee tried to write off this rumor about Lin as an April Fools' joke, given that his article was published on April 1. However, the scenario of Lin being traded away from the Lakers to another team is a real possibility, given the relationship he has with Lakers coach Byron Scott; Andy Kamenetzky of Lakers Nation editorialized on how both viewed the game of basketball.
"Lin is a cerebral basketball player in the purest sense," Kamenetzky wrote. "He literally thinks on the court; at times, way too much. And this propensity for trapping himself in his own head butts heads with a coach who places a far higher premium on, broadly speaking, 'toughness.'"
In his opinion, Kametzky thought that Scott took on a "generally dismissive attitude towards Lin."
"He regards Lin as the embodiment of a direction in basketball he doesn't much care for," Kametzky wrote. "Scott appears to disdain anything that melds progressive thinking and hoops. He's openly disdainful toward analytics. He insisted three-pointers don't win championships, despite serious evidence to the contrary."
Kametzky added that Lin's specialty, which included the use of "pick-and-roll" techniques, have irritated Scott, whose basketball coaching style "still revolves around iso, postups, long two's, and this particular season, Kobe." He thought Scott's approach was confusing at best.
"More importantly, it represents a willingness to let Lin flounder, and I imagine reflects a lack of respect for Lin," Kametzky wrote. "Since the All-Star break, Scott has for whatever reason relented, and Lin's responded with consistently strong play. Had Scott been more flexible earlier, Lin could have been better showcased for a deadline deal."
Kametzky argued that Scott mismanaged Lin due to "inflexibility fueled by aesthetics." However, he also noted that regardless of whatever style the Lakers coach used, the team would probably have the same results this season.
"His mindset concerns me, and this clash with Lin reflects what I worry is a general unwillingness to utilize unfamiliar weapons," Kametzky wrote. "I'm not saying Byron should become a slave to analytics. It would just be nice if he appeared less resistant to change."
Despite that criticism leveled on the Lakers coach, Kametzky noted that Scott was somewhat correct in suggesting that Lin had some sort of "mental weakness."
"You don't arrive at Lin's place in the NBA as an Asian player from Harvard amid D-League stops and undeniable stereotypes without a wealth of mental toughness," Kametzky wrote. "Still, a periodic mental weakness held Lin back in ways that can't be blamed on his coach."
In retrospect, Kametzky thought Scott could have communicated better to Lin on what he meant by "toughness." In return, the point guard could have showed him how the new techniques would work on the basketball court.
"What remains to be seen is whether either learned anything moving forward," Kametzky wrote.
