Jeremy Lin set to miss season with knee injury

NEW YORK – Jeremy Lin’s 2017-18 NBA season looks to be over after the Chinese-American suffered a knee injury that left him writhing in pain on the court in his team’s season-opening loss, the Brooklyn Nets said on Thursday.

Lin, who was diagnosed with a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee, landed awkwardly and crumpled to the floor after driving to the basket for a layup in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 140-131 loss to the host Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old guard, who had 18 points and four assists in 25 minutes, immediately clutched his knee and said “I‘m done” before bursting into tears and being helped off the court.

“Jeremy worked tremendously hard during the off-season and in training camp and was excited for the prospects of the team this season,” Nets General Manager Sean Marks said in a statement.

“We feel awful that the injury will cost him the season, however our entire organization will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery. Jeremy remains an important part of this team and will continue to contribute in a leadership role.”

Lin, the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, went from an unknown professional basketball player to an overnight sporting sensation in 2012 when he led a winning turnaround for his former New Knicks team.

He averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in February of that year while leading the Knicks to 10 wins in a 13-game stretch that overwhelmed New York City and caught the imagination of Knicks fans.

Lin went on to appear on the covers of numerous magazines, and replicas of his No. 17 jersey soon became a top seller amid a media and fan frenzy around him nicknamed “Linsanity”.

Lin, who was benched later in that breakout season after suffering a knee injury, left the Knicks a few months later after they refused to match a restricted offer sheet in free agency.

He went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets before signing a three-year, $36 million contract with Brooklyn last year.

source: interaksyon.com

James Harden scores 38 as slow-starting Rockets down Lakers

Rockets 113, Lakers 99: James Harden poured in 38 points and added five steals as host Houston rallied from a slow start to send Los Angeles to its ninth loss in 10 games.

Dwight Howard tallied 20 points, 13 rebounds and four steals for the Rockets, who were without forward Chandler Parsons (knee) and reserve center Greg Smith. Terrence Jones added 15 points and 13 boards and Jeremy Lin scored 13 for Houston, which has won five of its last seven overall and seven of nine at home.

Nick Young scored 25 points off the bench despite a sore back to lead the Lakers, who committed 18 turnovers leading to 26 Houston points. Pau Gasol recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double and Jodie Meeks also scored 21 for Los Angeles.

After a strong first half, the Lakers hit a wall coming out of the break, going 6-of-18 from the field in the third quarter as Harden alone outscored them 17-15. Harden scored seven points during a 14-1 run as Houston opened a 16-point lead and never let the margin dip into single digits even when Los Angeles resorted to intentionally fouling Howard to try to close the gap in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the first half as Gasol and Young each scored 15 points before the break. Houston finished the half with a flurry, though, as Harden and Aaron Brooks each hit 3-pointers in the final 1:38 to help trim the deficit to 57-52 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden is the first Houston player with three straight 35-point games since Tracy McGrady in 2006. … Lakers PG Kendall Marshall struggled to five points on 2-of-13 shooting but dished out eight assists, giving him 46 in his first four career starts. … Houston finished 28-of-50 at the foul line with Howard going 10-for-24.

source: interaksyon.com

Knicks guard Jeremy Lin named to Time’s 100 Most Influential list

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who captured the world’s imagination earlier this season with his Cinderella run for the struggling NBA team, has been named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Lin, an Asian-American product of Harvard University, overcame long odds to become a cult hero for fans of the struggling Knicks. United Stated education secretary Arne Duncan, a fellow Harvard alumnus and also a former Crimson basketball player, wrote Lin’s profile for Time.

“He’s dispelled the idea that Asian-American guards somehow couldn’t hack it in the NBA,” Duncan said, “and that being a world-class athlete on the court is somehow at odds with being an excellent student off the court.”

Left undrafted by NBA teams last season, Lin was signed to a two-year deal by the Golden State Warriors after an impressive performance in summer camp. But he was unable to get any significant playing time with the Warriors, and was cut twice in his second season — first by Golden State and then by the Houston Rockets — before being picked up by the Knicks.

Lin was on the verge of being cut by the Knicks when former coach Mike D’Antoni took a flyer on the untested guard, and he responded by stringing along several memorable performances, leading the team to wins without stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.

But Lin’s amazing year was cut abruptly after he suffered a knee injury. He underwent surgery in April for a lateral meniscus tear, which rendered him out for the season.

source: interaksyon.com

Acer bids for Jeremy Lin as brand ambassador

Computer vendor Acer Inc. is bidding to have rising NBA superstar Jeremy Lin as its global brand ambassador, the company's chairman said Tuesday.

Acer Chairman and CEO J.T. Wang told an Acer corporate social responsibility forum they expect Lin to choose one PC maker and endorse that brand globally.

"We have submitted a proposal. Based on our understanding, there might be about four to five PC makers around the globe that have made proposals to Lin," he said, according to a report from Taiwan's Central News Agency.

Acer's proposal came after it announced a marketing partnership with the Knicks on March 14.

The partnership will allow Acer's logo to be featured courtside at the Knicks' home games for the rest of the 2011-12 NBA season.

But Wang declined to disclose how much Acer is offering Lin, first NBA star of Taiwanese descent.

He said Lin will discuss the matter with his family and agent before making a choice.

The Acer-Knicks partnership will give Acer mileage among the nearly 20,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden, and to TV and Internet viewers following "Linsanity."

Last January, Acer, the world's fourth largest PC maker, announced world's No. 1 female golfer Yani Tseng of Taiwan would act as its global spokeswoman.

It also disclosed it had renewed its contract with Major League Baseball Washington Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang of Taiwan, who will be the brand's spokesman in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Wang said Acer will build a pavilion at the at the London Olympics Games to host visitors and feature its products.

He said they will launch Olympics-related products in the second quarter of 2012, although the volume of the new models will be limited due to Acer's losses in 2011. — TJD, GMA News

article source: gmanetwork.com