Jeremy Lin (Photo : Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters)
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin is having one of his best stretches in his career after a disappointing performance in the first half of the season. While many think the absence of Kobe Bryant allowed him to recapture his old groove, former Lakers and Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni always believes the Asian-American is a special playmaker.
Lin, who has upped his season average to 11.4 points and 4.7 dimes behind a string of strong games after All-Star break, is now reaping the fruits of his labor after returning back to the Lakers starting five for the final 14 games of the season.
His inclusion to the Lakers starting five this late in the season came out a little bit surprising because of these reasons: a.) he was a target of Byron Scott's criticism and b.) rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson has turned into a high-impact player for the Lakers since he cracked into the starting lineup right after Bryant's season-ending shoulder injury.
Although it appears Lin has already earned Scott's trust, many thought Lin would not have endured the up-and-down process in the first place had Mike D'Antoni, his former coach back in New York, decided to stay in Hollywood.
In a report by ESPN's Pablo S. Torre, D'Antoni reportedly reached out to Lin eight weeks after he resigned as head coach for the Lakers. The former Coach of the Year regretted the missed chance of reuniting with Lin, who he called a special point guard.
Via ESPN Magazine:
As the clock ticked toward 3 a.m. in Lin's hotel room, his mom, Shirley, handed him the phone for his inaugural conversation as a Laker. "Oh my gosh," Mike D'Antoni told Jeremy, in his unmistakable West Virginia twang. "I can't believe we missed each other."
Now he was calling Lin only eight weeks after resigning as coach of the Lakers amid discord with, yes, Kobe Bryant. "You hate to miss an opportunity to coach somebody that receptive, that good," D'Antoni says. "He's one of those special point guards."
With Lin set to become a free-agent after this season and D'Antoni expected to be a top candidate for any vacant head coaching job, the chance is very high the player and the coach could team up once again next season.
Lin, who considers D'Antoni an offensive genius and the man behind the Linsanity, is looking to revive his career after failing to live up to his full potential the past three seasons. There are going to be several teams trying to land the service of the Asian-American star, but all eyes will be on D'Antoni next coaching destination which could also be Lin's first choice.
