Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports that the Warriors are sheltering Lin from the media as he transitions from Ivy League legend to an NBA rotation player. Lin takes it in stride and acknowledges and respects the Warriors mediating the media requests for him:
"I just have to stay focused,’’ he said. "I can’t let any of that stuff get me off track. I know I have a lot to prove still. That really doesn’t mean anything when it comes down to it because I haven’t scored a point in an NBA game yet."
"It’s been a lot of work physically, mentally, and emotionally trying to earn my spot in the rotation.’’
Later on in the article, Smart talks about Jeremy Lin getting down on himself in his early struggles:
"I remember one day conversing with him and saying, ‘Hey man, you’re playing bad but that’s not bad,’ ’’ Smart said. "He said, ‘Man, I never played this bad.’ I told him, ‘You’ve never played in the NBA.’
"Everything is fast, and as you understand, Stephen went through the same thing last season. Everything was going so fast, he couldn’t make a shot, turned the ball over. Slowly you start to figure things out. The game slows down."
Welcome to the L, young man.