Not in a first-time sense but in the sense of a non-chaotic situation. No expectations. No hype. No Linsanity.
As the first American of Taiwanese or Chinese descent in the league, the now 25-year-old, four-year veteran entered the league to grand expectations. The skill has always been bubbling on the surface, sometimes boiling over, but all of that was lost in the shuffle of a fan and media hail storm of which there seemed to be no end.
After a stint with Golden State and the spotlight of the Big Apple allowing him to spread his wings as a player, Lin wound up in Houston as the heir apparent to Yao Ming and the NBA's legion of fans in Asia, whether he liked it or not.
Now on the West Coast, his latest locale has the makings of one that will free him from the shackles of what has been a rather tumultuous four years:
Los Angeles truly is the perfect environment. It is one Lin can truly embrace, as the narrative is for castoffs (Carlos Boozer) and veterans with something to prove (Kobe Bryant) to make something happen, and he's already fitting right in, as illustrated by ESPN's Dave McMenamin:
A castoff himself so that Houston could engage in a futile pursuit of Chris Bosh, Lin has a chance to prove he belongs as a full-time starter in the league before his one year deal that pays him $8.3 million, per Spotrac, expires and sees him off to free agency.
Hardly anything stands in his way of the starting gig, even with 40-year-old Steve Nash still currently on the roster—he's appeared in a total of 65 games the past two seasons.
It won't be like Houston, where he seemingly wasted away as James Harden demanded the ball at all times, before actually being thrown to the wayside in favor of Patrick Beverly.
In fact, as much as Lin (who came to town with a first-round pick) is a renta...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
