Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (Photo : REUTERS/GARY A. VASQUEZ)
New York Post NBA writer Tim Bontemps unveiled this weekend his list of top-40 players soon to hit the free-agency market on July 1, and outgoing Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin didn't make the cut.
Lin, who averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists in roughly 25 minutes a game last season with the Lakers, is a noticeable omission in Bontemps' list of this year free-agency's cream of the crop led by Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
After turning into a global sporting sensation with the New York Knicks in 2012, Lin career had so-so campaigns with the Houston Rockets and the Lakers, losing his starting job twice (to Patrick Beverley in Houston and Ronnie Price in Los Angeles) over the next three years.
However, despite Lin unable to live up the hype of Linsanity, there are still several NBA analysts who consider the former Harvard standout as a valuable talent in the league. They think Lin can find a decent role in the league, and at a still young age of 26, he might have enough time left to reach his full potential, if given the right situation.
Lin's non-inclusion in Bontemps' free-agency list is a bit surprising, since USA Today Hoopshype and Basketball Insiders put him among the top point guards up for grabs this summer. Hoopshype ranked Lin as the 6th best playmaker in the 2014 free-agency class, while Basketball Insiders placed Lin among the third-tier free-agent guards just below Goran Dragic and Rajon Rondo.
This summer's free-agency is expected to be wild with NBA insiders expecting a lot of player movements from the 30 NBA teams. The 30-year old James will once again enter free-agency as the Alpha-dog among free-agents, although initial reports indicated the chances of the four-time MVP bolting from Cleveland again is 'pretty slim.'
All-Star and All-NBA forward LaMarcus Aldridge is considered as the most likely big name player to change uniform this summer, with the Lakers, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs all vying for his service.
Meanwhile, Lin is reportedly drawing interest from more than seven teams, with the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets emerging as front-runners.
