Jeremy Lin Still Has Chance To Be All-Star; Injuries To Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul Open Spot for Linsanity
Jeremy Lin still has a chance to make it in his first All-Star game, though it's all in the hands right now of incoming commissioner Adam Silver. The Houston Rockets point guard could end up fourth in total votes of Western Conference backcourt starters, but the injuries to front runner Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul could open an opportunity for Lin to secure his spot in the All-Star game.
Lin might be just averaging 13.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game last season, but his impact in the game as bench player has been huge for the Rockets this season.
Moreover, Lin's popularity reached a new territory ever since Linsanity was born at the Madison Square Garden during his epic tenure with the New York Knicks. In the latest ballot return, Lin is in the fourth place in Western Conference guards just behind Los Angeles Clippers star guard Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors hot shot Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
"Lin managed to get into the top-4 in All-Star balloting of the Western Conference backcourt starters over the last two seasons. This year, the former undrafted player garnered more than 470,000 votes behind the likes of Chris Paul (650,000), Stephen Curry (677,000), and Kobe Bryant (844,000)," via International Business times.
Moreover, Lin's recent shoe deal with German sports shoe and apparel maker Adidas only proves that Linsanity's popularity has exploded all over the world, making him an ideal ambassador of basketball.
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All-Star Spot Still Available For Lin
According to NBA writer Greg Price of International Business Time USA, Lin could still squeak into the All-Star lineup, if Bryant and Paul decides to forego the All-Star festivities and Silver eventually picks him as a replacement.
"If the latest batch of voting results for the NBA All-Star Game is a tell-tale sign, and several players remain injured, Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin could make his first career appearance at the league's seminal event," Price reported on Saturday.
The NBA commissioner is given the power to pick All-Star replacements once the All-Star starters were unveiled on Thursday, January 23.
"Injury replacements are actually picked by the NBA commissioner, and it could be a huge early decision for the newly crowned Adam Silver," Price stressed.
"Silver will take over for David Stern on Feb. 1, and could either support the nearly 500,000 fans that voted for Lin or face the wrath of supporters for Houston's James Harden or San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker. Portland Trail Blazers' rising star Damian Lillard could also be considered in just his second season, but he along with Harden and Parker will likely be picked by the coaches as reserves," he added.
San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, Portland Trail Blazers sophomore sensation Damian Lillard, and fellow Houston Rockets guard James Harden are sure to be picked by coaches as reserves for the Western Conference All-Stars. However, basketball followers believed Lin also deserves to be in the mid-season classic, considering his growing popularity and image as great role model for the game.