Jeremy Lin in his "Linsanity" days (Photo : Reuters )
Jeremy Lin is one of the more interesting names in NBA Free Agency as his options continue to expand.
Lin has elevates his game last season with the Charlotte Hornets as arguably the league's best back-up point guard. His tandem with Kemba Walker has become key to the Hornets reaching the playoffs in a season they were expected to have an early exit.
Now, Lin may have a dilemma as some teams with serious point guard needs want to sign him as a starter. Lin has played well enough for teams to take a serious look and one of them could be a team he has played for in the past.
The Houston Rockets are in the middle of a coaching search and one of the frontrunners is the Mike D'Antoni, according to ESPN.
"But there's a feeling that Silas and D'Antoni are the frontrunners for the Rockets. Silas is currently an assistant coach with Charlotte, and D'Antoni is the associate head coach in Philadelphia."
There is also a connection between Silas and Lin this year. Thus, it seems like Lin has reasons returning to Houston as he would work well with the coaches. He never really had any bad blood with the city.
The relationship between Lin and D'Antoni runs deep as the former Phoenix Suns coach and pioneer of the "Seven seconds or less" offense was the one who gave lin his big break when he was coaching the New York Knicks in that unforgettable "Linsanity" stretch.
Lin has never quite reached that peak again with stints at Houston and eventually, the LA Lakers but he was close to his peak with the Hornets this year. Now, the Rockets head coach will most likely be two of Lin's mentors.
In a revealing ESPN piece from Pablo S. Torre, D'Antoni was very positive about coaching Lin. "You hate to miss an opportunity to coach somebody that receptive, that good," D'Antoni says. "He's one of those special point guards."
There are certain issues that the Rockets need to address. He failed to click with the Rockets because of James Harden's high usage rate. Harden prefers to be a playmaker so Lin did not seem to get a chance to prove his worth.
If the Rockets really want his services, they could bank on D'Antoni implementing a quicker pace and encouraging ball movement if ever they choose him.
