Would Jeremy Lin be experiencing the same success if he were wearing a Mavericks jersey? Well, it almost happened.
The New York Knicks point guard has taken the NBA by storm over the past week, averaging 25.3 points and 8.3 assists in three consecutive New York victories. Lin's play-making has turned him into a fan favorite and a Twitter sensation, gaining more than 60,000 followers in five days.
The Harvard graduate was a member of the Mavericks' summer league squad in 2010 and impressed the front office enough to earn a guaranteed one-year contract offer, according to Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson.
"We liked him," Nelson said Thursday on "The Ben and Skin Show" (KESN-FM). "He ended up going to Portsmouth. It was just like J.J. (Barea). It was two teams, it was ourselves and Golden State, that liked him. We won the J.J. battle, and we lost the Jeremy Lin battle. What can I say? You win some and you lose some.”
Nelson said Lin, who was born in Palo Alto, Calif., chose the Warriors because they offered two years and were his hometown team.
“We thought when we offered him the one year guaranteed, we felt like he was ours," Nelson said. "But, like I said, there’s no place like home.”
When analyzing Lin's play, Nelson said the 24-year-old is a "really, really good young player" that's still developing.
"We were high on him then, and we’re still high on him today," Nelson said.
So maybe there's a chance he could still play for the Mavericks after all.
Nelson joked: "We do have the cap room next year."
--
Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
