Jeremy Lin may have left New York for Houston and the $25.1 million contract they offered him, but the new Rockets point guard says he’s not about the money.
Lin did an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on Thursday and was asked an open-ended softball question: Are there any public perceptions out there that are bothering you? That’s when Lin tried to say he’s not greedy.
“That all I care about is money,” Lin answered. “Anyone who really knows me knows that I’ve never been about that.”
Regardless of what Lin says, many people will view him as greedy because he left the Knicks for a fat contract. Players don’t often get the benefit of the doubt from fans when it comes to contract negotiations, and Lin is no exception.
Lin also said he’s not sure why he’s not a Knick. He says he recognized that the Knicks were unlikely to match his offer sheet from Houston when he heard all the reports about New York acquiring Ray Felton.
Fans can talk all the trash about Lin that they want, but he says it won’t bother him.
“You have to say something about my mom or my family for me to really really get upset,” he said. “But I still have love for everybody out there.”
Lin may have killed the New York marketing dream by leaving the Knicks, but I think he’ll still do fine in Houston. And I don’t have any problem with him signing a rich contract offered to him by a team. Why shouldn’t he sign somewhere he’s really wanted and valued?
