B’KLYN a BRAID NEW WORLD FOR LIN
Ex-Knick: I’m more than Linsanity phenomenon
Linsanity was a phenomenon, but Jeremy Lin is a man. The Nets’ new point guard said he’s not coming to Brooklyn to be a fad or a craze, but just to be himself.
And unlike 2011, when being thrust into the limelight overnight was an overwhelming burden, this time he plans to own his platform rather than let it own him — from his social activism to his ever-changing hairstyles.
“I’ll be myself. But I don’t draw too many comparisons to Linsanity, the phenomenon,’’ Lin, 27, said. “People will always compare me to that. In a lot of ways — not in a negative way or that I’m offended — it dehumanizes me to refer to me as a phenomenon. I’m going to be here, keep playing my game, do the best I can and whatever you guys want to call it, that’s up to you.”
The Nets unveiled a half-dozen new players Wednesday, but Lin stood out. He’s used to that.
He arrived at his introductory press conference in jeans, a black shirt and quasi-cornrows, akin to French braids. And like everything Lin does, it became a thing.
“I’ve been wanting to do this and a bunch of different hairstyles for a long time,’’ Lin told the team’s website. “I’ve got all these different hairstyles. I don’t really know any braiders in the Bay [Area] where I am in the offseason. But I came to Brooklyn and I said there has to be some braiders out here, and I found a really good one and she helped me out.”
Lin made himself a household name with a magical 11-game run for the Knicks in 2011, with new Nets coach Kenny Atkinson as an assistant.
“He’s grown [since Linsanity]. And he’s certainly grown in terms of his basketball IQ and what he can do. He’s far more than just that now,’’ general manager Sean Marks said.
“Everything happened overnight. When it first started, I’m not going to lie, it was cool. Then it became a burden, because I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into. I didn’t know how big things had become,’’ Lin said. “Every year, I embrace it more. Every year, I’m more appreciative. Every year, I love it more, and that’s where I am right now.”
Where Lin is right now is the unquestioned floor leader for just the second time in his career. Where he is right now is enjoying a fanatically loyal fanbase (1.9 million Twitter followers, twice as many likes on Facebook), in a city with 570,000 Chinese and wielding the power to enact real social change.
After going through six NBA teams in seven seasons, Lin has gained the maturity to exercise that change.
“I’m in a much, much different place mentally as a person than I was when I was with the Knicks. When you talk about that platform, I want to embrace it,’’ Lin said. “I’m not just saying Asians. If you look at what’s going on in the world, and a lot of violence that’s going on in the world in terms of the justice system and all these different things, that’s real life. That’s so much bigger than basketball.
“I have a voice because of basketball to be able to talk and influence, and do things that are related to things that are affecting people’s lives every day. That’s a very unique situation.”
The Nets’ situation is they went 21-61 last year and are likely to struggle again as they build from the ground up.
“The way I was thinking of free agency was like when you invest in a startup company,’’ Lin said. “You don’t necessarily look at the product right then and there. That’s a big part of it, but you’re betting on the founder a lot of times, betting on what that person is capable of doing, because sometimes as you go through the process, the final product is going to change a lot.
“That’s very common in startups, and that’s how this is. I’m betting on certain people: I’m betting on Kenny, I’m betting on Sean, I’m betting on myself.’’