The Knicks have claimed former Harvard PG Jeremy Lin off waivers, according to a league source. Lin spent his rookie year in Oakland, but was waived by the Warriors, and new coach Mark Jackson, on Dec. 9. Â Read more after the jump.
The Rockets picked Lin up, but waived him Sunday to clear roster space in order to sign Samuel Dalembert. Lin, 23, was undrafted out of Harvard but appeared in 29 games for the Warriors as a rookie last season, averaging 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest.
“We’ve always liked him as a player,†Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Very quick. He defends pretty well. But he can really get in the lane and distribute the basketball. We haven’t seen him for a couple of years, but when we worked him out, we liked him.â€
Lin has a non-guaranteed contract – worth about $850,000. That means when either Baron Davis (back injury) or Iman Shumpert (knee sprain) get healthy, the Knicks could decide to waive Lin and open up a roster spot if they feel the yen to sign forward Kenyon Martin. The former Net is eligible to sign an NBA contract in March as the terms of his Chinese Basketball Association buyout.
D’Antoni said he believes Lin will meet up with the Knicks for Wednesday morning’s shootaround. Asked when he thinks he’d be ready to use Lin, D’Antoni replied, “A little of it will depend upon injuries. He’s right now our third point guard, so if someone wakes up with a cold, he’s playing a lot. If not, then we’ll see.â€
That will not be the situation on Wednesday when backup point guard Mike Bibby (back spams) is set to make his Knicks debut.
“He’s good. He said he felt good. Looked good,†D’Antoni said. “But yeah, he’s ready to roll.â€
Lin appeared in 20 games for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League in 2010-11, averaging 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
NY PostÂ
