Mike Woodson says Jeremy Lin will be the starting point guard for the New York Knicks – NBA News
New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has said that Jeremy Lin will be the starting point guard for his team in the upcoming season.
“Right now, he is our starting point guard, without a doubt. I’ve always believed this: When a starter goes down he doesn’t lose his job because of an injury. You welcome him back with open arms when he gets
healthy and you keep it moving,” said Woodson during an interview with ESPN Radio in New York.
Jeremy Lin had a fairy tale season with the New York Knicks this past season. After being traded to the Knicks just before the season started, Lin remained on the bench for the first three months without getting
much playing time. However, an injury to point guard Baron Davis left head coach at that time Mike D’Antoni with no option but to start Lin, and he made full use of the opportunity.
Lin started his first game with the Knicks in early February, and immediately made a huge impact. His performance put the Knicks back in contention for the playoffs, and Lin became an overnight sensation in all
of NBA.
His stint of excellence with the Knicks was dubbed as “Linsanity” and was one of the best things to have happened in the NBA all season. Not only did his spark of excellence help the Knicks achieve a 7 game
winning streak, but also brought a lot of revenue to the Knicks franchise.
Lin was sidelined for the rest of the season with a meniscus tear in his knee during a regular season game in April. He has undergone surgery for the injury and is currently on a rehab schedule. He will be available
when the 2012-2013 season commences.
Lin is a restricted free agent this summer, and it is still to be seen whether the New York Knicks will re-sign him to a contract or not. Although he has performed exceptionally this season, averaging 15 points
and 6 assists in the few games he started, there is a question mark about Lin’s future with the Knicks due to the pending Bird’s right issue.
Steve Nash and Deron Williams lead the point guards in this year’s class, and there have been rumours that Nash might sign with the Knicks in an attempt to bolster the Knicks chances of winning an NBA championship.
Mike Woodson also made sure he used the words “right now” when he made the comment about Lin, possibly hinting that a lot of things could go down in the summer with trades and new signings, which might change
the starting line of the New York Knicks. Nonetheless, the comments from Woodson will come as a boost and assurance for Lin as he recovers from his injury.
“That’s what we’re going to do when we get [Lin] signed. We’ll get him back in uniform … and get him ready for practice and camp and throw the ball in his hands and say, ‘Let’s go’ ” added Woodson.
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