Opinion | Blood, sweat and tears for Jeremy Lin in first week with Beijing Ducks in Chinese Basketball Association
- Former NBA star is floored 25 times in three games but despite the hard knocks, he is fulfilling his promise in Beijing
- The 31-year-old’s career has been ravaged by injuries since his Linsanity breakout with New York Knicks in 2012
It’s been a tough first week in the Chinese Basketball Association for Jeremy Lin. The Beijing Ducks star has had a rude introduction to the league, starting with his debut against the Tianjin Pioneers last weekend.
That game finished with Lin’s knees bleeding through his white support tights. An injury that he picked up in the game. He then went and did his postgame media commitments, waiting for his turn rather than being moved up the order to go and get treatment.
His first home game at a packed Cadillac Arena in Beijing saw his left forearm covered in blood from another injury caused by the attentions of the Shandong defence.
While his third game was blood free, it was not without incident. Lin was sent to the floor six times against the Shanghai Sharks on Friday night. At one point he had two defenders rolling around with him as they scrambled for the ball.
Lin has been floored 25 times in three games. He has been double and triple teamed with opponents seeming to put in extra effort against the new star man. Welcome to China. This is part of the learning curve for Lin. It is also a cause for concern because rightly or wrongly he has a reputation for being injury prone.