serby's q&a
Jeremy Lin opens up: On Knicks heartbreak, racism and FitzpatrickBy Steve Serby
July 23, 2016 | 5:03pm
New Brooklyn Net, and former Knick, Jeremy Lin took a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: When you knew your Knicks days were ending, how sad was that for you?
A: I was really, really sad. I was sad the way everything went down, ’cause nothing happened the way I thought it was going to. I had wished that they had offered me a contract just in the beginning, and that didn’t even happen. And then, when I found out that they weren’t gonna match, I was even more sad, ’cause honestly, I wanted to finish my career there.
Q: Why?
A: I wanted to play for those fans who rallied behind that city, that came behind us and gave me that experience. I felt like I owed it to them.
Q: Now Linsanity will be in Brooklyn.
A: This isn’t the re-creation of Linsanity (smile), this is, for me, just the next chapter. That’s all I’m gonna focus on. If people want to call it whatever they want to call it, they can go ahead and do that, but I’ve kind of set out to see how good I can become and see how good I can make this team.
Q: Do you still encounter racism?
A: There’s gonna be racism everywhere I go, and some of it’s more subtle, some of it’s less malicious. I mean, every day there’s guys with certain stereotypes or whatever, and it’s not just me. But yeah, I still go through it.
Q: How do you handle it?
A: I just shake it off, it’s not a big deal. Sometimes the stuff people might say or tweet or comment, really racist things, but that doesn’t bother me like it used to. I still get stopped when I try to go through away arenas and stuff, and I’m walking with my teammates, and obviously none of them are Asian but I’m the only one that gets stopped, and they ask for my credentials, stuff like that. “Hey, we need your credentials,” or “Are you part of the team?” Stuff like that. But I really don’t let it affect me. … I’m so used to it now. It doesn’t bother me.
Q: What are your thoughts on flagrant fouls against you that are not called?
A: These things aren’t so black and white, or they aren’t quantifiable. But after watching the video (below), do I think some of those could have been flagrants? For sure. But they weren’t. I don’t control that, and I just keep playing, and I just keep attacking the basket. Does race have anything to do with that? I have no idea, I really don’t.
Q: Your thoughts on the world today in the wake of all the terrorist attacks and violence.
A: It’s awful. It’s scary. … Civilians getting shot, police getting shot, terrorist attacks, people getting run over. … I don’t even know what to think of it all ’cause it’s just so messed up. I’ve had a lot of questions about [Carmelo Anthony] and whatever. If you want to talk about what Melo’s done, talk about what him, LeBron [James], [Dwyane] Wade and Chris Paul when they got up there and they said what they needed to say, and when they’re asking our nation to stand and be more united. … I’m not black, obviously, but I can relate with a minority. And then I can also relate and understand how important it is to have a functional police and justice system in place to protect us and protect our country. I see like what’s going on on both ends, and it’s like, I’d be scared to be a cop, I’d be scared to be a civilian, I’d be scared to be anybody right now, and that’s just not the way that this country is supposed to be. The whole responding-to-violence-with-violence is one of the worst things that I can think of ’cause it’s just like it just gets crazier and crazier. Anybody who’s given the spotlight or a platform like we’ve been given, there’s that inherent responsibility that we should all carry to try to make this place better.
Q: Why do you think you’ve bounced around so much?
A: I haven’t been able to find a situation that I feel like is perfect for me. And because I’ve been in situations I didn’t want to be in, I’ve created and negotiated in terms of free agency a lot of shorter deals that give me the flexibility to leave if I’m not happy with the way things are going.
Q: Describe Nets coach Kenny Atkinson.
A: He’s a big part of my success in New York. I know the way he works, I know the way he views life, views the game. We see eye to eye.
Q: What traits will make him a successful head coach?
A: First off, his philosophy or his understanding of everything to me will make him successful. No. 2, he’s humble. And I think what’s really important is, especially as a young coach, is you have to learn and steal concepts, steal ideas. Like a basketball player, all these players are stealing moves from everybody. That comes from a level of humility of understanding, “I don’t know it all,” which he is very humble in that regard. And he’s hungry. For my story, one of the things that’s always been a little confusing is people always constantly count me out, or like I always find myself in an underdog position, and I feel like I’ve been able to overcome a lot of those situations. And I feel like for him, he’s someone that reminds you of someone who has that ability to rise above his circumstances and figure it out, figure out a way, and that comes from a level of like hunger that you have, or ambition, or drive, or perseverance, whatever word you want to use, and he has that.
Q: You still see yourself as an underdog?
A: In some ways. I still think people view me as a certain type of player, or there’s a lot of certain stereotypes me as a player that I think don’t give me the credit I feel like I deserve.
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Lin blocks Orlando’s Mario Hezonja last season.Photo: AP
Q: What stereotype on the basketball court bothers you the most?
A: I feel like when people say I can’t play defense or something like that, if you look at the numbers, or if you look at things I’ve been able to do … people just assume like, “Oh, I’m not that quick,” or “Oh, I can’t jump that high,” whatever. I’ve been top one or two in blocks per minute at the point guard position for the last two [or] three seasons. People don’t see me as a great shot-blocking guard partially because they look at me, and they’re like, “There’s no way he could be.” Just a lot of the old stereotypes, like “He can’t go left,” or, “He turns the ball over.” I feel like a lot of times when I see what’s going on, I feel like people are just trying to describe what they remember from me as a player four years ago. A lot of the small tricks, or things that people might not see or be able to quantify in a stat, I feel like I’m able to do more and to be better in.
Q: If you could pick the brain of one person in basketball history, who would it be?
A: It would probably be Steve Nash, because I felt like what Nash did, and the things that he did, are the things that I need to learn to grow as a player. I would ask him about every facet of professional basketball.
Q: Do you think you can be an elite guard?
A: I do. I wouldn’t have signed up for a starting point guard position if I didn’t feel like I had that ability to get to another level as a player.
Q: You think the best is yet to come for Jeremy Lin?
A: Yeah, I’m 27. I’m going into the next three years [thinking they] should be the best years from an athletic prime standpoint. If you look at when NBA players peak, a lot of times it’s 27-30. Nash had his best years even after 30, 33, 34, playing unbelievable basketball, and that’s something that I want to know too, ’cause I can’t be 27 the rest of my life.
Q: Maybe you can make some Asian-American Knicks fans and make them Nets fans. Is that possible?
A: That’s possible, and it’s possible for me to make non-Asian-American Knicks fans Nets fans, but that’s not my goal. I’m not here to steal fans or whatever. I’m not even that concerned about it. I just want to play, I want to be happy playing, I want to play for God, I want to play the right way.
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Front row (left to right): Joe Harris, Jeremy Lin, Caris LeVert. Back row: Trevor Booker, Anthony Bennett, Justin HamiltonPhoto: Anthony J. Causi
Q: Can you be an effective recruiter for this team in free agency?
A: Hopefully. I mean, we gotta turn things around and win more than 21 games for me to do that. But I know enough people, and I think I have friends in the league, and so I’ll be recruiting.
Q: Describe Brook Lopez.
A: He’s one of the least-talked-about really good players in the league, partially because the Nets just haven’t had the success to really push his name or validate and solidify what he has done.
Q: Did you pick owner Michael Jordan’s brain in Charlotte?
A: He’s just such a celebrity, like every time he’s around, he’s just like getting pulled in a bunch of different directions, and he’s getting bothered by everybody. So I didn’t get a chance to talk to him too much.
Q: What are your thoughts on Kevin Durant and the Warriors superteam?
A: Personally, as an NBA player, I was like, “Man, I hope that doesn’t happen,” just because it makes the league much more difficult, ’cause they were already 73-9 and now they have a top-five player in the NBA. But as a human being, I totally understand why he went. If they win two championships, three championships or whatever, in his mind, that would be like the best decision he ever made. And he’s giving himself the best chance to succeed at the highest level, like he’s worked so hard his whole life, who wouldn’t do that? If I was in position, and you told me, “Hey you can come here and you have a significantly higher chance of winning a championship,” I’m there.
Q: Was Kobe Bryant a good teammate?
A: To me, he always treated me well. He sent me a lot of text messages, he would watch film, he would talk to me about film, he’d talk to me about plays. And then, when he got hurt, we didn’t get to see him around as much.
Q: Kemba Walker.
A: He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had. He’s humble, he’s hard-working. … If you just hung out with him, you wouldn’t ever know he was a big-time NBA player. He treats people the right way, and he’s a competitor, man, he just wants to win.
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Lin and Duncan in 2012Photo: AP
Q: Why did you admire Tim Duncan so much?
A: Because he doesn’t care about a lot of the other things that a lot of the other players care about, and he wants to win, he wants to do it the right way. When you think of a selfless leader, I would think of Tim Duncan.
Q: Brandon Jennings.
A: Explosive scorer, and very skilled, very talented offensively. He’s one of those guys who you just don’t want to let him even make one shot because if he does, it could be a long night.
Q: Courtney Lee.
A: I’ve been on two teams with him. Really like that guy. Ultimate competitor. Simple game, he just makes the right play. He’s a two-way player, he’ll make it happen on both ends of the floor as we saw in the playoffs as we saw this past year.
Q: Derrick Rose.
A: It’s unfortunate what he’s been through, but you can’t discount someone with that level of talent, and someone who’s accomplished what he’s accomplished. I have a hard time counting people like him out because he’s so driven, he’s seen and tasted that success, he knows what it takes, and he’ll probably have a big year.
Q: Joakim Noah.
A: To me, similar to [Greivis] Vasquez in the fieriness, the competitiveness, and he’ll do whatever it takes. He just plays his role, he’s one of those guys when you think of like, “Oh he knows what he’s good at, he just does that really really well,” that’s Noah.
Q: You being a Harvard guy, would a Harvard guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick turn down the kind of money the Jets are offering — $12 million first year, three years at $24 million?
A: It’s never what the money is right there, it’s more just what are your other options, and what do you feel like you’re worth? Is he worth more than that, if you compare what he’s done to other quarterbacks? I think so. But again, I’m not the Jets, I don’t know what their salary-cap situation is, I don’t know what their roster looks like. I’m not Fitzpatrick either. But if you’re asking me would a Harvard guy turn down that kind of money? If they thought that they could get more somewhere else or if they thought that this was a disrespectful slight, then yeah.
Q: What is it like being Jeremy Lin today as opposed to four years ago?
A: It’s definitely less hectic. I would say my quality of life is much better because I take life a lot slower, I take some things less seriously, and I just really try to enjoy each day.
Q: What drives you now?
A: I want to be a great player, I want to see how great I can be one on the court, and I also want to do big, big things off the court, and I know that platform comes from basketball.
Q: If you were NBA commissioner, you would …
A: I would consider making the season a little shorter.
Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire?
A: I really admire the way Tony Dungy did things. I’ve kept tabs on Clayton Kershaw from a distance, and his personality and what he’s done.
Q: What was it about Dungy?
A: He talked about how like as a coach, he didn’t yell, and he didn’t cuss, but he was still able to command the respect of everybody. His players would run through a brick wall for him, and he had tremendous success. When people think of like, “What is a leader?” or “What does a competitor look like?” they think of a certain thing, and society has kind of memorialized certain personalities as, “Oh this is the way to succeed.” But some people aren’t built the same way, and that’s why I like Duncan, too. Big-time competitor. But he smiles, sometimes. He’s very stoic most of the time, and he very, very rarely gets outside of himself, and that’s more my personality.
Q: But a fire burns inside you.
A: If you listen to Duncan’s retirement thing, one of the things he said is, “I’m a big-time competitor, and you guys might not know it or understand it or see it, just because I don’t show it,” but to me how competitive you are isn’t how angry you get or how much you yell or how far you kick a ball when you get angry. I’m as competitive as they come in my opinion, I just like to smile, I like to have fun, and I don’t like to let opponents know that they’re in my head, and so I don’t show too much emotion when I’m really upset.
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Lin and Anthony in 2012Photo: AP
Q: Mike D’Antoni and Amar’e Stoudemire have said it wasn’t working with you and Carmelo with the Knicks.
A: I never have had personal issues with him, I’ve never had any amount of conflict or disagreement or anything in person. I was a lot younger, a lot more naive with everything, and I was just trying to do my best to help us make the playoffs. So a lot of what people are saying, and what people have said, are kind of things that I’m piecing into the story as well. I’m not able to speculate on behalf of what someone else is saying, if that makes sense. I can only tell you my experience with Melo myself, and I’ve never had any issues with him.
Q: Three favorite Linsanity memories?
A: No. 1 was the 3-pointer against the Lakers in the corner in the fourth quarter. No. 2 had to have been the game-winner against the Raptors, and No. 3 had to be the breakout game against the Nets, that first game where I had a big-time career high, and after that game, they couldn’t cut me.
Q: How driven are you to win an NBA championship?
A: I’m very driven. I’m a very ambitious person. It’s not gonna happen overnight, it’s gonna take time, for sure. But If I didn’t think that there was the opportunity, or if the people here were capable of putting us in a position, then I don’t think I would have come.
Q: What would you want to tell Nets fans, Jeremy Lin fans and Asian-American fans.
A: Nets fans: We’re gonna need you guys every game loud and proud, and we want to give you a product that you haven’t had the last few years. Jeremy Lin fans: I would say just keep being you. I got the best fans, man. They fly across the country, I get more gifts than I know what to do with, I have suitcases full of gifts when I come back from Asia. And Asian-American fans: I would just say keep believing in what you feel like you can become and don’t let other people tell you, “You can’t be this, or can’t be that.” I think if you look in the sports industry or you look in entertainment and acting and different things like that, Asians are really cornered and put into this box, these type of roles or these type of players. Even for me, before I came along, Asians in basketball were just 7-foot tall dudes from China who people thought were just there because they were tall. We’re just gonna keep breaking stereotypes, keep doing things people didn’t think we could do. That’s what I would say to Asian-American fans.
7/25/2016 4:36 PM