D'Antoni cautious, but praises Lin
Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks in action against Jordan Farmar of the New Jersey Nets. (Feb. 4, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
TORONTO -- Mike D'Antoni isn't ready to say Jeremy Lin should be an All-Star or that the Knicks are his team -- yet.
During an over-the-top and rare pre-shootaround news conference that shows how Lin-sanity has gripped the country, D'Antoni praised his point guard but added some perspective. Lin's star has been bright but to that point it had been just five games.
"It's not his team yet, although it's getting close," D'Antoni said. "He's a good leader because he does everything right. He's a great kid. He's humble. He goes out and plays hard. He's not afraid of the moment. On the floor he's what a coach needs and he leads by example."
The hard part -- especially for D'Antoni -- comes now. Amar'e Stoudemire returned Tuesday night and Carmelo Anthony (groin injury) could be back Friday. Getting those three to play well together will be the key to the Knicks' season.
"A lot of people are hoping that it doesn't work," D'Antoni said. "There's no reason why it doesn't. The only reason it wouldn't is if they can't get on the same page. Up to now I have not seen anything except cooperation from all the players.
"We'll see. Are there going to be problems? Maybe it pops up. But if we sit down and talk about it and work it out, what is best for the New York Knicks, we keep that idea, then they should play better with each other."
As for the All-Star question, D'Antoni said, "I don't think you can go back and redo the All-Star Game. It's only five games and he's playing well. He's playing at a very high level. He still has got some improvement. He has about eight turnovers every game so there's some things he can get better at."
Amar'e needed breather
Amar'e Stoudemire admitted he was trying to catch his breath during his first game in 11 days. Stoudemire was in Florida the prior four games for his brother, Hazell's funeral. He missed his first four shots, but was 6 of 13 in the second half when he scored 13 of his 21 points. "The second half I was looking to come out and dominate," Stoudemire said. "I was able to get it going there."
Stoudemire got a tattoo of a tear drop under his right eye in memory of Hazell, who died in a car wreck. "It's hard to explain how close me and my brother were," he said. "He was more like a father figure, more like a mentor. He's a reason I made it to where I am. He's a big part of my success. It's really hard for me. I'm always crying inside."
Ignoring Mayweather
Lin brushed aside boxer Floyd Mayweather's controversial tweet that "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian." Lin was asked whether he thinks his heritage has anything to do with his sudden fame. "I don't really know," Lin said. "I guess. I'm not going to guess because I don't really have an answer to that question. I'm not too concerned about what anyone says."
A thanks in Mandarin
During the news conference, an Asian journalist gave Lin a gift. It was a Canada Post "Year Of The Dragon" stamp set. Afterward, she asked Lin to say something in Mandarin to his fans. He did and then translated it: "I just said thank you to everyone for watching us play basketball."
