Lin bids farewell to wrong rookie

Posted on October 29, 2012 at 7:08 pm by Jonathan Feigen in General, Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin, Rockets

Jeremy Lin thought he was doing the right, veteran thing. He called Scott Machado to say goodbye and good luck. The only problem was that he called the wrong rookie.

Machado had been nervously awaiting word on whether he had made the Rockets’ roster. As Lin wished him well, his heart skipped a few beats until he realized he did not need to worry. Lin had thought he called Jeremy Lamb, who had just been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

By Monday, Machado knew made the team when no one called.

“I was like, ‘Hey, it’s Scott, it’s not Jeremy,’ ” Machado said of his conversation with Lin. “’Did you hear something about me?’ I was all nervous. He was like, “Oh, I apologize, I apologize.’ It all worked out.”

Machado made the Rockets opening night roster when the Rockets waived veteran guard Shaun Livingston on Monday. Rockets coach Kevin McHale had given Livingston extensive praise and playing time last week, but the Rockets opted to go with Machado and Toney Douglas as backup point guards.

With the release of Livingston along with the players the Rockets had determined to let go on Sunday — Lazar Hayward, Gary Forbes, Jon Brockman and JaJuan Johnson – the Rockets moved $7.5 million under the luxury tax. All five had guaranteed deals, though just $1 million of the $3.5 million remaining on Livingston’s contract was guaranteed. After the roster moves, the Rockets will be an average of just 23.6-years-old on opening night, with just 1.93 seasons of NBA experience.

The moves also came as a huge relief to Machado, who had a non-guaranteed contract and many nervous moments when the trade filled the Rockets roster and a teammate accidentally gave him a call.

“I was a little nervous, even before they got traded,” said Machado. “We had four good point guards here and I was the newcomer, the undrafted one. With a whole bunch of people coming in there was nervousness.

“I was here (Monday) and nobody told me anything. I came out to practice and it felt good. I feel like it’s a true blessing. It’s something I always wanted. I’ve been working hard to get where I wanted to go. I feels real good.”

Lin come on dude.