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At the time Lin was released, the Rockets had Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry on the roster -- two point guards with NBA experience. And who knew what Linsanity would become?
"We had very fair reasons to waive him," Morey said. "But the reality is, we shouldn't have."
When Linsanity took hold in New York, jerseys with Lin's name became the NBA's top sellers. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated in consecutive weeks and had drinks named for him. He was initially overwhelmed by the media glare, but now he takes it in stride.
"This past year, it took me by surprise and it was just this huge storm," Lin said. "It was kind of baptism by fire. You get thrown into it and you've just got to make adjustments and learn. That's a lot of what I had to do."
While Alexander said the decision to pursue Lin was "all basketball," he acknowledged that he could potentially impact the Rockets' brand in the way that Yao Ming did, expanding its reach in Asia. But that depends on how good Lin becomes and if the team improves along with him.
Lin is American-born, but of Chinese and Taiwanese descent, and the number of Chinese media at the news conference was about equal to the American contingent.
"If you don't win, what difference does it make?" Alexander said. "If you get him, and he's not a very good player, you look like a fool. How does that help you in any way?"
On the court all Houston really needed was a point guard. The Rockets lost the unrestricted free agent Dragic to Phoenix, then dealt Lowry to Toronto for a first-round pick -- a selection made more valuable because it has lottery protection.
Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in 35 games (25 starts) for the Knicks last season. His aim is to improve his statistics every year, but he wouldn't venture to guess how good they could get.
"I don't know what my ceiling is. I don't know what my potential is," he said. "We don't know what the ending is going to be. But I'm excited to find out."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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