It's official, Jeremy Lin has made the 2012 Olympic Select Team, which we'll rename the 2012 OLinpic Select Team. This is actually a very historic event for Asian American sports that has past with not much hoopla. He will be a lock for the 2016 OLinpic team. Here is the roster. I'm sure he'll get #7.
USA Basketball: 2012 USA Men's Select Team Roster
An historical moment in the Asian Community... Go JLin Go!!!!
ReplyDeleteShouldn't it be "OLinpic Select" Team? It sounds better than OlyLinpic and he's not on "the team" yet.
ReplyDeleteWow, could it be an Asian American will represent the USA in the summer Olympics?
ReplyDeleteThe last time this happened was in 2004 Athens gymnastics. There was an Asian American girl, and two Asian American guys (one was Indian, Raj Bhavsar).
Michelle Kwan represented the U.S. before. She's Chinese American
DeleteThere's been many. Name all the Asian-American medalists. There will be prizes...
DeleteWOOO WHOOO! IT'S OFFICIAL BABY! Go JLIN GO!
ReplyDeleteA lock for 2016 team??? Of course Lin has the potential and possibility to make the 2016 team, but there will only be 3 PGs on the Olympic team. There are plenty of other young PGs that he'll have to beat out: Rose, Irving, Westbrook, Curry, Rondo, and maybe some new PGs that enter the NBA from college.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat is true, but good thing for Lin is that he can also play as a 2guard too, if they wanted him of course.
DeleteNow that Lin is in the system, the other young PGs will have to beat him out.
DeleteI believe Rondo has dropped out of Team USA, which is too bad, because he's one of my favorites.
Wow! It seems all the chips are falling into the right places for Lin. How invaluable is this towards his bball maturation? Accellerated learning at its finest. Jeremy must have earned real good karma from his previous life. For those who don't believe in karma, Lin is the quintessential example. Believe it. Embrace it. Jeremy, work on your jumper and another whole new world will open up to you. I think you already know that.
ReplyDeleteWell, Jeremy himself wouldn't call it karma :)
ReplyDeleteIn his own words, he attributed his success to playing for the audience of One (God) and not chasing his own glory. That's why he is so humble.
Check out this Jeremy Lin's interview on how his faith helped him through tough times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR7p-vmFp24
"But at the end of the day, I have to remember, my calling and my purpose on this earth is to glorify God in what I do, and right now that calling is to play basketball...I have to play for an AUDIENCE OF ONE, FOR GOD." [At 3:44]
http://www.inquisitr.com/213372/jeremy-lin-christianity-linsanity/
The NBA star admitted that initially he was playing for “great games,” getting the next year of contract and for his glory but after spending more time in God’s Word, he said he realized “our true prize … was something in heaven, not on earth.”
“I realize I had to learn … to stop chasing the perishable prizes of this earth … and give my best effort unto God and trust Him with the results.”
Thanks Psalm234 for sharing and clarifying. Blessings
DeleteMeaningful post. The focus on God is what makes him so grounded. Jeremy has also said that many things are out of his control and that you can see God's fingerprints all over his journey thus far.
DeleteThank you, SC and wilsc. Jeremy's humility truly has won many hearts around the world.
DeleteI've been following the journey of Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner and found similar traits in their personality. They are able to free themselves from all the pressure and burden of winning by trusting God and performing for Him.
If you think about it, it makes sense that you can be at peace to perform to the best of your ability knowing that win or lose, God and their families will love them no matter what.
Yeah, and multiyear guaranteed contracts provide a sense of peace too.
DeleteThe new ESPN Insider report by David Thorpe says Phoenix could be in play for JLin's service.
ReplyDeleteAnyone has access to the full report? Does he have a source or is it just pure speculation?
http://arizonasports.com/41/1544378/Rumor-Jeremy-Lin-headed-to-Phoenix
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This is my favorite landing spot for Lin if not New York. He would certainly be a starter if Steve Nash leaves, in an offense that is very similar to what he successfully ran as a Knick. Center Marcin Gortat becomes an excellent ball screen partner, and they play at a speed with which Lin is very comfortable.
Even if Nash returns, the Suns would possibly have not only his long-term replacement but someone who can provide a scoring punch off the bench as well as an energy guy with the second unit. It's not hard to remember the impact Leandro Barbosa had as Nash's backup. If they offered enough money, Lin will have to give that opportunity serious consideration regardless of what Nash does.
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I don't pay any attention to those rumors. There was a similar article about Jeremy Lin headed to Portland Trailblazers. LOL.
DeleteAlvin Gentry is a good coach offensively and defensively, who can get the Suns to build around Lin. But if the Suns keep Aaron Brooks on the roster, Lin will have a tough time beating him out for the starting point guard position. And putting Jeremy in as a starting shooting guard, is just a waste of his talents.
:) Anywhere but Portland
DeletePersonally, I agree with KHuang that Phoenix Suns owner is too cheap to bring Jeremy over. And I'm not quite sure if Aaron Brooks will come back. Knowing how the management works, they might pay Sebastian Telfair to replace Nash!
Aaron Brooks cannot and will not outplay Jeremy Lin.
DeleteThe Suns have a remarkably weak roster that is held together by Nash, Gortat, and Hill. Dudley tries but lacks talent.
One thing that Jeremy Lin would do is give the Suns a guard who can play top level defense. That alone would be good for the Suns.
Like I've said before, 2016 is technically not the earliest we could see Lin play for Team USA. If Team USA wins Gold this summer, they get an automatic bid to the 2014 World Cup in Spain which would be a tournament to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. If USA fails to somehow qualify for the World Cup, they will get a chance to compete at the Americas Championship in the Summer of 2013 (which features Brazil and Argentina).
ReplyDeleteSo again, wishful thinking would be Lin competes for Team USA in Spain at the 2014 Basketball World Cup (formerly the World Championships) after USA wins Gold this summer. He'd also have at least 2 more seasons under his belt to prove his worth. Worst case scenario, Team USA gets bounced out early this summer and Team USA has to compete next year for a spot at the World Cup, so Lin could be on the Official Team USA roster as soon as next summer if USA loses.
Another scenario is that if USA qualifies for the World Cup in 2014, but gets eliminated early thus failing to get an automatic bid at the 2016 Olympics, they then would have to compete at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for a spot at the 2016 Olympics. If they somehow fail at the 2015 Americas Championship, but manage to be in the Top 2 or 3 teams I think in that tournament, they still get a chance to compete in the 2015 Olympic qualifying tournament before the Olympics. So depending on how successful or should I say not succesful Team USA is, Lin has any early shot to get a spot on the Official senior roster.
DeleteThe main thing for Lin is that this experience can help him develop his game competing against NBA "elite" talent in a concentrated manner. It's almost like going through a crash course of the NBA Summer League on steroids.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, NOT making any Olympic team is better for Lin health-wise, as having to compete in the Olympics and play an 82-game NBA schedule next year could be detrimental to his knees and body.
In other news, Lamar Odom actually got invited to try out for the Olympic team. And his wife Khloe is pressuring him to make the team for the sake of his career.
Maybe TEAM USA should have a reality TV show starring Odom and the Kardashian clan as part of the Olympic trials. LOL.
Lamar Odom has performed very well as Team USA F.
DeleteSeriously? 2004 Athens Bronze Medal "Nightmare Team"?
DeleteSeriously? Lamar Odom didn't only play in 2004. He played in 2010 at the World Championships. He played well for both teams. 2004 wasn't because of his fault but mainly because they didn't have great shooters and had guards like Marbury and Iverson who didn't match in international play.
DeleteSteve Nash brought his game up another level after playing for Team Canada. I am sure Lin will respond the same way after playing against world class US squad. I can see the superstars on Team USA being so impressed with Lin's skills and outlook in basketball that they start wooing Lin to sign with them.
ReplyDeleteI have the same thought. I can imagine Dwight Howard and other stars lobbying him but they get quiet when Melo comes over :)
DeleteI wouldn't care if any chance for Lin to join the Olympic team. It's better for him not to.
ReplyDeleteHis top priority at this stage is to comprehensively prepare himself for the next season to survive the 82 games and to excel at the tough competition. That's a whole lot of plays with wear and tear and demands tremendous staying power.
Why would playing on the Olympics team hurt his preparation for next season? I can't think of anything that would help him more.
DeleteDon't worry JesLee, Eric is just going off wishful thinking. He won't make the official senior team this summer. I'll call it right now.
DeleteSuper Lintendo, my question wasn't whether Lin would make the senior team. My question is why playing for the Olympics team would hurt Lin's preparation for the NBA season.
DeleteEric, I wasn't responding to your question.
DeleteI don't know exactly what Lin's health situation is right now. But I do remember that he injured his right knee last year with Golden State (Even though he played very few minutes.) He came back and injured his left knee after 27 games of regular minutes. The knees are the most vulnerable chronic injury in sports, it can end a career.
DeleteI hope that he not only recovers from his surgery, but most importantly that he comes back STRONGER and in better shape.
This season critics were questioning Lin's defensive ability. He is a great perimeter defender, showed it with the Warriors, but the heavy knee braces are hampering his lateral movement and ability to fight through screens.
Playing Defense puts a lot more lateral pressure on the knee than offense. Because a player needs to move side to side more and fight through hard screens.
eric,
DeletePlaying on the Olympics team could meddle with his preparation because of the schedule and high intensity of the games in competition.
It's unlikely for an injured bball player to recover 100% within 3 to 4 months after a knee surgery. Physical rehab with trainers and 5 on 5 practice are just the initial step. Then he needs to play rehab games to face live competition but of less intensity to acclimatize his body, step by step working his way back into pre-injury status. He has to deal with both physical and psychological stresses and certainly doesn't need the extra burden of the Olympic games.
Playing as a point guard the way he does puts more pressure on his knees. He got injured in 2011 and this season after playing less than 30 games. All the facts show that he need to preserve his knees for the next season - 82 games plus possible playoff.
Don't worry.
DeleteIf Lin isn't 100%, he'll simply be benched. There are too many good players on the Select Team to bother playing an injured player.
The Select Team experience will give confidence to Lin. From what I've seen of Lin, losing his confidence is the only thing that can derail him. Lin's game goes as far as his confidence will take him.
Being on the Select Team means that he MUST perform in practice. Otherwise he could be dismissed from the team and that will look bad on his record.
DeleteIf he's not up to full strength, he should opt out of joining the select team. He can rejoin in 2014.
If he's on the team, he must play and give 100% effort on the court. Anything less will make him look like an overrated player with no toughness.
Right now his long term health is more important than playing a few practices to gain experience.
The NBA doesn't expect its players to be at 100% health 100% of the time. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough bodies to get through ptacticrs.
DeleteTurning down a Select Team invite for anything less than season ending injury would deeply jeopardize any player's chances of playing in the major world tournaments. That's because injured players can still contribute to Team USA, particularly less experienced ones like Lin who need to be exposed to USA basketball.
Once practices start, Lin should be at good health. Had he not been invited to the Select team, he'd have played summer league.
Lin didn't get a microfracture surgery or repair a torn ACL. If Lin isn't ready for full basketball activities by July after a start-of-April meniscus repair, then Lin has much bigger problems than the wear-and-tear of playing as the 3rd PG on the Olympics team.
DeleteSummer League is usually meant for NBA rookies, sometimes sophomores, and players trying to make the NBA. I don't think Lin would have played summer league regardless because he doesn't have too especially after he would getting his contract. He also has planned trips to Taiwan and China.
DeleteIf he really wants to, Summer League games actually start after the USA team training camp so Lin could play if he wanted too. But even if he didn't get selected to play for them, he wouldn't have played summer league. He's already established himself as a NBA player.
Players have opted out of the Olympics to preserve their body for the NBA season, especially when coming off injuries. However, these players tend to be a bit further in their careers when they start to have chronic issues. Although Lin is recovering, he should be fully healed by the training for the Olympic team starts. Moreover, since he is only playing for the Select Team and not the the Olympic Team which involves extended playing time and travel, his participation should put negligible wear on his body, subject to of course the freak injury. Thus, the preserving the body consideration shouldn't weigh in too heavily in whether he should play.
ReplyDeleteObviously, the factors going for playing on the team are such as gaining playing experience against world class competition and being around great coaching staff, increasing his publicity, and raising his profile among the top players in the NBA.
It will also be great for us fans to see him play (or at least see clips of him during scrimmages.) I must admit I have had Lin withdrawals since his injury. For those of us who are Asian, his particpation is especially significant in even more ways.
Taking in all the considerations, I would agree with Eric that playing for the Olympic team would help him prepare for next season and beyond.
Not Olympic related but a somewhat positive piece of writing.
ReplyDeletehttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/1193626-jeremy-lin-knicks-must-sign-pg-to-avoid-disappointing-end-to-next-season