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Jeremy Lin: The Most Important Acquisition?

By John Woodcock

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Jeremy Lin was an important addition to the Charlotte Hornets. Was he the most important addition? Owner Michael Jordan seems to think so, or at least he was willing to say so. This seems a bit out of place for a backup point guard, but context is important here. The Hornets are currently in a two game swing in China against the Los Angeles Clippers. Here is why Jordan said what he said, and I will follow with why he might be wrong.

Lin Is The Most Important:

Marketing – Jordan’s Hornets were sent on a two game series in China. Lin is Chinese descended, from Taiwan sure, but he has a large popularity in China. If Jordan hints that Lin is important to the Hornets then Asian fans will support the Hornets to support Lin. That means more Hornets jerseys and by extension more Jordan shoes sold in China in connection with Lin. The NBA’s move to dissociate Jordan Brand from free agent pitches may have had someone like Lin in mind.

In the early years of the Charlotte Hornets, the franchise had worldwide recognition for color palette and uniform design. Those were European fans. Now the new basketball market is China and having a strong Hornets brand there would be ideal.

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Mo Williams 2.0 – Kemba Walker has had his share of injury troubles, and the Hornets need a strong pinch hitter if that was to happen. Lin offers most of the things that Mo Williams gave the Hornets last year. He can shoot and run an offense. He is also a better passer than Williams was, and offers a different look from the one spot than Walker. Most importantly he has range, which the Hornets need to maximize their Al Jefferson first strategy.

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Why Lin IS NOT the most important

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist injury – the loss of the defensive force that was Kidd-Gilchrist makes the minutes mix for his position critical. That means that Nicolas Batum would become the most important acquisition since his performance will decide how much Kidd-Gilchrist hurts.

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    • He’s On the Bench – Lin is the sub for Kemba Walker. His minutes will be limited in favor of Walker while Batum will be starting from the word go. A bench player can’t be the most important acquisition on a team.

    Defense – With the Knicks and Rockets, Lin never displayed the individual defense acumen required by the Clifford system. He has good size for a point guard, but no one has ever been scared to go at him.

    So I think Jordan is a smart business man, but I do not think that Lin will ultimately be more critical to team success than Batum.

    Next: Carmelo Anthony: Potential Hornets Target

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