Jeremy Lin has only been with the Houston Rockets for about seven months, but that was enough time for him to develop a sense of family with his new teammates. When the team announced on Wednesday that it had traded Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas and Marcus Morris, Lin says he was crushed.
“That was just pretty much the worst thing,” he told reporters after Wednesday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, via CSNHouston.com. “It sucks because we’re a close-knit team and we actually really, really care about everybody that got shipped off and it was just really emotional for me.
“To be honest, I was like ‘I don’t even want to play. I don’t even want to play tonight.’ It was really emotional. I wish them the best. It just sucks to see them go and I guess that’s a part of the business but that’s a tough part for me.”
Lin scored 29 points and added eight assists in the upset win over the Thunder, so it’s safe for him to make a comment like that given the circumstances. Had the Rockets lost the game, I highly doubt he would have admitted the trade made him not even feel like taking the court.
Players never like losing a teammate they have gained a level of comfort with, let alone being informed that they have lost four of them right before a game is about to begin. Lin’s emotional attachment is understandable, but Houston got tremendous potential by bringing in Thomas Robinson and taking advantage of the Sacramento Kings’ desire to dump salaries. The trade should put them in better shape going forward, and Lin of all people should be able to understand that the NBA is a business.
