Taiwanese-American professional basketball player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) yesterday remained tight-lipped about which National Basketball Association (NBA) team he hoped to play for next season, saying that the most crucial thing is that he should feel happy playing basketball.
“To me, the most important thing as a free agent is that I am happy when I play basketball or show up for work. I was happy last year, but I was not particularly happy for the first five years [as an NBA player],” he said at a press conference in Taipei. “To be happy, I need to consider a few things. Of course I am going to consider who is coaching the team, the team’s style, the players on the team and their chance of winning, as well as the on-court time I have and if I have a chance to start.”
As to which team he would prefer to sign with, Lin said his agent would call him after the June 23 NBA draft is completed, when the NBA teams are scheduled to trade players.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The 27-year-old Charlotte Hornets guard had quite a productive season, averaging 11.7 points, 3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. His average score went up to 12.4 points in the playoffs.
Earlier this week, US media reports said he had declined the player option on his contract and is to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Several NBA teams were reported to be interested in recruiting Lin, including the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets, the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lin was greeted by more than 200 fans on his arrival at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport early yesterday morning. Apart from giving autographs, Lin took selfies with his fans and gave away autographed caps and T-shirts.
Lin also attended a news conference organized by his sponsor, Adidas, where he met with some high-school basketball players.
Lin’s brother, Joseph Lin (林書緯), is a point guard with the Fubon Braves of the Super Basketball League.
Jeremy Lin said he is very proud of his younger brother’s achievement.
He said he knew many young players watched YouTube videos and copied the moves of famous players.
He said footwork and the fundamentals of the game are the most important things for young players to learn, adding that beautiful moves do not necessarily help increase a player’s shooting average.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS