Bad news gets worse for Brooklyn Nets, as Jeremy Lin suffers another setback
In yet another setback for Jeremy Lin and the Brooklyn Nets, the team’s starting point guard will miss even more time than expected after re-aggravating an injury, general manager Sean Marks announced.
“During the course of his rehab, Jeremy re-aggravated his strained left hamstring and will be out approximately three to five weeks as he continues to work towards a full recovery,” Marks said in a statement released on Monday morning. “We understand and appreciate Jeremy’s competitive desire to get back on the court with his teammates, however, we are going to be cautious with his rehab in order to ensure that he is at full strength once he returns.”
Lin originally injured the hamstring against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 2, just four games into the season. He missed 17 games before making his return off the bench against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 12. Lin appeared in seven of the Nets’ next eight games, working his way back into the starting lineup, but re-injured the hamstring in a day-after-Christmas game against the Charlotte Hornets.
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He has yet to play since the injury, missing another 11 games. The latest news that he’s re-aggravated the injury should keep him out for at least another 13 games until the All-Star break in mid-February.
Lin has appeared in just 12 of Brooklyn’s 43 games this season, averaging 13.9 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in only 25 minutes per contest. He signed a three-year, $38.3 million with the Nets this past summer, as marquee a free-agent signing as the team could attract during its recent downturn.
The Nets were off to a surprisingly competitive start with Lin at the helm of their offense, but have since fallen to a league-worst 9-34 record — a full five wins short of the NBA’s next-best mark. With the team in dire straits, they might as well protect the longterm health of their offseason investment.
Unfortunately, any losses that further result from Lin’s injury won’t benefit the Nets in the future, since the Boston Celtics own the rights to what is increasingly looking like the NBA’s best lottery odds.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
