Lin’s significance complex for Rockets

Jeremy Lin is taking his talents to Houston. (Photo by Associated Press).

In all honesty, I know why it was done, but then again I don’t. Yes, the Rockets needed a point guard. Yes, the Rockets needed a signature star. And, yes, the Rockets were desperate to do anything – everything – in order to climb quickly up the latter back to relevancy. I certainly understand that much.

But I still am uncertain about whether it was right. I still have doubts about whether it makes sense to toss $25.1 million to a point guard who has played just 65 games in the NBA and has been waived twice, including by, you guessed it, the Rockets. I have my doubts about exactly how smart it was to bypass sure things like Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic in order to hand the keys to Lin, who has started just 25 games, though almost all masterful and on Broadway. I have my doubts about if the Rockets truly felt Lin was the answer to their problems – if he is truly part of the solution – or if it was a decision of haste, of chaotic minds and blurred thinking. I have my doubts about how Lin’s game – not so much the turnovers (those should subside with more experience), but the iso-heavy, ball-controlling facets – will fit into an offense that has the potential to be so dynamically diverse, that it may have not been wise to acquire Lin for the sake of possibly taking the ball out of the hands of playmakers like Chandler Parsons, Royce White and Jeremy Lamb and force defenses into complete madness. And, indeed, I have my doubts about a professional who refused to play in the postseason and help his team when even he admitted he was about “85 percent” healthy after months of rehab following a knee injury. Reeks of selfishness, though I grudgingly understand as he was putting his best interests (specifically a sexy financial deal for the next few years opposed to aiding a No. 7 seed against a too-much-to-handle Miami Heat team) at heart, which is what many of us would do as well.

Even with those doubts, however, it comes down to this: Houston simply had no choice. This was the bed it made. These were the cards the Rockets dealt themselves. After whiffing on previous franchise stars like Chris Bosh, Deron Williams and (maybe, maybe not) Dwight Howard, this was an offseason headed toward glorious failure if something wasn’t done, and done quickly. Because for all of the hype and praise thrown the way of boy wonder GM Daryl Morey, the bottom line is the bottom line. And that bottom line reads as follows: Five years, two playoff appearances, one playoff series win, three consecutive lottery seasons with not even a top-10 pick. This offseason is not so much about the Rockets’ reclaiming their bid as contenders as it is about Morey, the king of “all smoke, no fire.”

With all that said, Lin is a superior  acquisition. I love his pick-and-roll game, I love his swagger and I love his resilient nature. I don’t think he’s a perfect fit, but I think he’s a notch below. Where I think the ideals will clash is if the Rockets manage to actually get Andrew Bynum, and obviously will then have to turn schematically from a guard-oriented offense to a post-centric one. If the Rockets truly want to build around Lin, interestingly enough the best complement would be Howard, who doesn’t need the ball to be effective yet still commands double teams (only God knows why) and thrives off rebounding and shot-blocking. However, with the stable of young talent that’s been on display at the Rockets’ summer league in Vegas, I’d be very cautious before surrendering most of it for a one-year rental of Howard. A core of Lin, Donatas Motiejunas, Chandler Parsons, Royce White and Jeremy Lamb is tantalizingly special. Of course, I’d like Howard if possible, but if he’s not going to give any promise of re-upping, why sacrifice the future? The Rockets have a bevy of draft picks and cap space at their disposal to further build the club, and I’d like to see how the aforementioned core grows together. Howard could thrive playing off Lin’s dumpoffs and alley-oops, whereas Bynum needs the ball with his back to the basket and his defense is predicated upon his offense, not vice versa, and that’s a no-no with a ball-dominating guard like Lin.

Aside from the basketball aspect, there is no question Lin also puts the Rockets back in the limelight nationally and internationally. This all goes back to Morey wanting to bring the team back to relevance, and he managed to kill two birds with one stone: not only did he make his team better and acquire that big star, but he also managed to produce a big wave for the team’s bottom line in revenue. National pundits can now ignore the fact that this Rockets team still has underachieved greatly this summer and can focus on the fact that media darling Lin is now wearing the red and silver. I’m amped up about this. I won’t even lie; I can’t wait to get my hands on a Lin jersey. Not only am I a fan of Lin’s game, I’m a fan of what he represents: an astute, savvy businessman who is marketable, humble and represents his team in the appropriate fashion.

It’s very much the second coming of Yao Ming. Like Yao back then when he was drafted No. 1 overall by Houston in 2002, Lin signals the berth of a new era. I hate to sound cliche, but he does. Rockets fans have longed to hold onto someone – anyone- who symbolizes the Rockets with the grit and thrive-amongst-adversity swagger that Houston represents. Yes, we’ll miss Luis Scola and Lowry, and yes there are some nutty fans who still haven’t gotten over the trade of Chase Budinger, but no talent or personality has gripped our attention like Lin has these last 48 hours or so when it became clearer and clearer that the New York Knicks wouldn’t match Houston’s offer. And even re: Yao, we didn’t really know what we were getting when he was drafted. We knew he was tall and boasted a myriad of brilliant skills for a man his size, but we didn’t truly know. With Lin, we do. We’ve seen him destroy the defense of the Dallas Mavericks and put up 38 points on the Los Angeles Lakers. We’ve seen him create for others and get to the rim seemingly at will. There is substantial proof that Jeremy Lin has the skillset to be a transcendent star for the Rockets, and that’s the difference.

Top to bottom, there is no reason to not like this move by the Rockets. A move of desperation, yes, but a move nonetheless. This is a fastball that Morey has whiffed upon so many times in his tenure, and finally he got it right. I don’t care if I should be wary that free-spending New York felt it was too much to match Lin and instead thought Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton were just as qualified to hold down its point guard fort. I don’t care if there are questions about Lin’s defense and propensity for turnovers. I don’t care if Jeremy Lin really, deep down wanted to play for the Knicks and simply accepted Houston’s offer, not because he really wanted to be a Rocket, but because it was too good to pass up.

I just care that he’s on our side. I just care that he’s only 23 years old. I just care that he averaged 18 points and 7 assists in his 25 starts. I just care that Morey finally struck it big. I just care that the Rockets are finally relevant again, even if fools will consider that because of Lin’s race and not because of his vast array of skills.

As a Rockets fan, I just care again. Not that I didn’t care before, but certainly not with this much guile and with this big of a smile on my face. As a Rockets fan, I’m in love again.

And isn’t that the point?