Jeremy Lin News: Brookly Nets Point Guard's Comeback Not Returning Until After Trade Deadline?
With the All-Star Break and the trade deadline coming up, fans are wondering what will become of Jeremy Lin, who is still sidelined from the Brooklyn Nets due to his hamstring injury.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson said via Nets Daily that there is "nothing, no date or anything" set for Lin's return at the moment. He added that while the point guard is "working out on the court," no timetable has been designated yet.
This gives media outlets the impression that Lin will be out of the game a little longer than expected. After all, when Lin was reported to have experienced setback during his rehab, it was announced he will need three to five weeks more to recuperate.
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Lin being sidelined comes at a complicated time. The Nets' match against the Memphis Grizzlies this Monday will mark the third week of Lin's recovery.
This match is one of the two games Lin's team will play before the All-Star Break. The other one is against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. After that, the team won't play until Feb. 24.
Atkinson's comments have many believing that they will have to wait for the All-Star Break and the trade deadline to pass before they learn of Lin's fate.
However, the Brooklyn Nets coach warns fans not to assume anything. "He's progressing. He's working hard, improving every day, but we're not going to put a date or a time on it," Atkinson emphasized.
Should Lin end up returning after the trade deadline, he will have to work and adjust with a brand-new lineup for Nets. The California-born National Basketball Association (NBA) star has also been adamant about not returning until he is perfectly fine.
So far, Lin has missed 42 games, which is more than half of the whole season. As he recovers, Lin is regularly monitored in order to track his progress.
The fifth anniversary of the point guard's Linsanity stardom was recently celebrated. Half a decade ago, he clocked in 38 points for the Knicks in a victory over the Lakers, outscoring Kobe Bryant with his 34 points. Atkinson says that should Lin get back, he might get a chance to do this again.
"My memories of Linsanity are special. It's a great story, a guy who was clawing to make it in this league, an underdog story, just New York, the whole thing. A special guy, a special player," Atkinson said.
"My hope is that there's another chapter to this, and not necessarily 'Linsanity.' We brought Jeremy in for a reason, and we're still excited that the small sample size we had was really positive. I'd love to say this can be chapter two. It doesn't have to be 'Linsanity' per se, but just a guy that can play starting point guard in this league and be really productive. That's my hope, and I know that's Jeremy's hope. Nets fans are excited about it, so I'm looking forward to when he gets back," he went on to say.
