Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls finished his two-day trip to Taiwan today.
Take a look at the following videos. The first one was Rose’s interview with Videoland TV. The English efficiency of the host was less than desired and the questions he posed were…urghh…You know.
But I like the second video in which you can see Rose played with hand puppets, one of Taiwan’s best known traditional folk arts.
Former NBA head coach Bob Hill arrived in Taipei Saturday and wasted no time to function as Taiwan NT’s technical consultant by observing the team’s practice on the same day.
The veteran coach told reporters that he would have to attend more practices before making the initial assessment. The 62-year-old coach did say the team committed too many turnovers in the practice.
Golden State Warriors guard Jeremy Lin does not rule out the possibility to play for Taiwan in Asian competitions after meeting with Ting Shou-chung, the President of the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA), last week in San Francisco, local media reported.
Former NBA head coach and current Tokyo Apache head coach Bob Hill will become the technical consultant for the Taiwan NT during the East Asian Basketball Championship and the FIBA Asia Championship this year, local media reported.
Jeremy Lin, who is currently in the training camp with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, has signed an endorsement deal with NIKE Taiwan, the United Evening News reported Saturday. However, NIKE Taiwan denied the report.
Several U.S. websites have reported in early August on Lin’s signing with NIKE.
According to Liberty Times, if Lin, the first Taiwanese-American to sign with a NBA club, had signed with NIKE Taiwan, the company would have had a lot more say in terms of how to market Lin in Asia and particularly in Taiwan. NIKE Taiwan might invite him back for clinics or PR events. Now, their plan will have to be approved by people in the HQ before proceeding further.
NIKE Taiwan declined to disclose Lin’s contract with the brand, Liberty Times reported.
Twenty-two years-old Jeremy Lin, who signed a two-year partially-guaranteed contract with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors last week, was back in Taiwan for a charity game and a children basketball camp.
All of these happened after a simple phone call from Yao Ming, who told Taiwan media that he was impressed with what Lin has accomplished and invited him to join Yao Foundation in Taiwan for its charity tour.
Less than 12 hours later, the Lin family — including Lin’s father Lin Gieming, his mother Wu Hsinhsin and two brothers — was on the plane back to Taiwan.
In case you’ve never heard of him by now, it’s not difficult to find him on the internet. (See Jeremy Lin on Wikipedia)Also make sure to watch these Youtube clips below. Lin became the first Harvard graduate in 57 years to make it the the NBA. He is also the first Taiwanese-American player to sign with a NBA team.
Jeremy Lin vs John Wall NBA Summer League Mavs vs Wizards Highlights
Lin became the overnight sensation in Taiwan after his signing. He was everywhere from newspapers, magazines to television news. In fact, the news reporting in Taiwan did not lag far behind that in the U.S., where Lin has been featured constantly since March.
NBA Taiwan called a press conference for Lin on Wednesday, featuring him as “the first Taiwanese player in the NBA.” The press conference attracted tons of media. I personally counted there were more than 30 TV cameras and about 100 reporters at the Westin Hotel, where the press conference was held. (See Jeremy Lin attributes achievements to family, faith)
Lin attributed much of his “success” to his family and religious faith — he was a devout Christian who still envisions himself as a pastor some day.
He said he chose the Warriors because of many factors, including the size of the contract, the style of play, roster space and location — the Lins live in the Bay area.
Being an Asian-American player out of Harvard was never an advantage, he also told the media, because of stereotypes that Asians are weaker than other players and that Ivy League graduates are better at academics than basketball.
About the possibility of representing Taiwan in international competition, Lin said he knew that many rumors "are flying around, " but "no decision has been made."
Meanwhile, religion has been a major part of life for Lin, who has said he would like to be a pastor someday and help underprivileged children in urban areas — the reason he chose to major in economics and sociology at Harvard.
Lin, who idolized Michael Jordan growing up, said the transition from the college game to the NBA will require work on "almost everything, " from ball-handling to strength to a different shot- clock.
His goal for the upcoming season will initially be getting "in the rotation, " and then becoming the starting point guard. Longer term, he said he wants to win an NBA championship.
About the comparison between him and NBA standout Steve Nash, Lin said it’s been a honor to be compared with Nash, but all he could say was that both of them “are point guards, play with basketball IQs, and love to run the pick-and-roll.”
Lin has been very cautious and low-key in the question and answer session of the press conference. As a fan, I like that because he tries to keep everything in perspective and not to be big-headed. After all, the road ahead is long.
Lin scored 17 points in the charity game Wednesday night. The game featured a team of NBA active players against a mixed team of Taiwanese and Chinese players. It was like any other charity game or All-Star game which players showcased their one-on-one skills and dazzled the fans with highlight-reel dunks. Team NBA, consisted of Lin, Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Hasheem Thabeet of the Memphis Grizzlies, DaJuan Summers of the Detroit Pistons, Amir Johnson of the Toronto Raptors, Luke Babbit of the Portland Trail Blazers and a pair of Yao’s Houston teammates, Aaron Brooks and Chase Budinger, won by the score of 137-103.(See Jeremy Lin, Jennings catch fans’ eyes at Yao’s charity basketball game)
It was not a competitive game at all. But it seemed to me that Lin was more comfortable driving than shooting. In fact, Lin was able to do so because he was actually more athletic than people thought. From what I’ve seen, he has good shooting mechanics, so he will be able to develop his perimeter game in the NBA with no problem.
I agreed with Taiwanese player Chen Chih-chung’s observation that Lin knows very well how to protect the ball on his drives, which is very important for a slashing type of player. Fans were unable to witness Lin’s skill to run the offense as a point guard though, given the fact that it was a charity game and Lin was not familiar with his NBA teammates at all.
Sources told me that NIKE Taiwan is negotiating with Lin’s agent Roger Montgomery for a show deal, but it’s possible that NIKE global will take over if it finds Lin is worth it. Lin wore NIKE shoes at Harvard, which is sponsored by NIKE.
Lin wore Adidas shoes and apparels though when he appeared with Dwight Howard at a children basketball camp in Taipei Thursday morning, which is sponsored by Amway and is a project under the NBA’s Junior NBA program.
The Lins met with their relatives in Taiwan, including Lin’s grandmother whom he is very close with but hasn’t met for years, before flying back the the U.S. Thursday night. In between, Lin also met with Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou.
Lin is expected to fight for playing time at the point guard position with Stephen Curry and newly-signed Jannero Pargo at Golden State, but he should be able to enjoy Don Nelson’s fast-tempo offense and make solid contribution as a backup or third point guard in his rookie season.
No matter what happens, Taiwanese fans will be watching and giving support. At least two local newspapers have decided to send correspondents to the Bay area to cover Lin in the pre-season training camp as well as the regular season games.
As far as representing Taiwan in international competitions, I think Lin will be very carefully weighing that decision, especially at the most important time of his young NBA career. Personally, I think Lin’s agent will advise him against it because too much is at stake.
Taipei, July 28 (CNA) All eyes were on Chinese star center Yao Ming and Taiwan’ s newest hero Jeremy Lin, the first Taiwanese-American player to join the U.S. National Basketball Association, as a charity game got underway Wednesday night in Taiwan.
The 48-minute game, organized by the Yao Foundation as a part of a charity tour in Taiwan, was played between two teams composed of active NBA players and players from China and Taiwan. All proceeds will be donated to local charities.
Hometown favorite Jeremy Lin, who signed a two-year contract with the Golden State Warriors last week, drew a standing ovation when he took the court with 6:45 to go in the first quarter.
Lin was a late addition to the team, returning to Taiwan early Wednesday for a whirlwind two-day visit after he received a phone call from Yao.
With his parents and brothers watching on the sidelines, Lin shot a three-pointer late in the quarter but also committed a 24-second shot-clock violation, which showed that he still has to adjust to the professional game.
Yao Ming did not play in the game because he is still recovering from a foot injury. However, the 2.29-meter tall center was the reason the game took place.
The Yao Foundation, established in 2008, organized the charity tour during which Yao visited underprivileged children in southern Taiwan.
Team Love, which consisted of NBA players, matched up against Team Heart, which was made up of players from the Shanghai Sharks and an All-Star team in the local Super Basketball League. The Sharks played in the first and the final quarter, while the SBL All-Stars took the court in the remaining two quarters.
The NBA team, included active NBA players Lin, Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Hasheem Thabeet of the Memphis Grizzlies, DaJuan Summers of the Detroit Pistons, Amir Johnson of the Toronto Raptors, Luke Babbit of the Portland Trail Blazers and a pair of Yao’s Houston teammates, Aaron Brooks and Chase Budinger.
They opened the game against the Sharks with a 23-5 run and quickly established a 20-point lead.
Taiwan’s All-Star team was unable to contain the stronger taller U.S. visitors, who scored in runs on easy baskets, in their designated two periods.
Team Love beat Team Heart 137-103.
Jeremy Lin attributes achievements to family, faith
Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Jeremy Lin, the first player of Taiwanese descent to sign a regular season contract with a National Basketball Association (NBA) team, attributed his achievements to his passion for the game, support from his family and Christianity during a press conference in Taipei Wednesday.
The 21-year-old told about 100 reporters and more than 30 television cameras that he was thankful for the overwhelming support and attention he has received in Taiwan, where his parents lived before emigrating to the U.S. in the 1970s and where he still has many relatives.
Lin, who signed a partially guaranteed two-year contract with the Golden State Warriors worth approximately US$500,000 last week, arrived in Taiwan early Wednesday with his family to participate in a charity game hosted by Chinese star player Yao Ming.
He will also attend a children’s basketball camp Thursday — part of the Junior NBA program sponsored by Amway — before flying back to California to prepare for the upcoming season.
Lin burst onto the scene this past year as he was named Ivy League Player of the Year, averaging 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks. He was passed over in the NBA Draft in June, but his strong performance in the summer league caught the attention of several teams.
The Warriors signed him on July 21, making him the first Harvard graduate in 57 years to formally sign with an NBA team.
He said he chose the Warriors because of many factors, including the size of the contract, the style of play, roster space and location — the Lins live in the Bay area.
Being an Asian-American player out of Harvard was never an advantage, he said, because of stereotypes that Asians are weaker than other players and that Ivy League graduates are better at academics than basketball.
About the possibility of representing Taiwan in international competition, Lin said he knew that many rumors "are flying around, " but "no decision has been made."
Meanwhile, religion has been a major part of life for Lin, who has said he would like to be a pastor someday and help underprivileged children in urban areas — the reason he chose to major in economics and sociology at Harvard.
Lin, who idolized Michael Jordan growing up, said the transition from the college game to the NBA will require work on "almost everything, " from ball-handling to strength to a different shot- clock.
His goal for the upcoming season will initially be getting "in the rotation, " and then becoming the starting point guard. Longer term, he said he wants to win an NBA championship.
![DSC09065[4]](http://taiwanhoops.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/dsc090654.jpg "DSC09065[4]")
