Houston Rockets welcome Jeremy Lin back

 HOUSTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Houston Rockets' newest icon¹ Jeremy Lin told a crowded welcoming press conference here Thursday that he is excited about playing with the Rockets again and hoped to get better in the new season with the Rockets.

Lin, who became a Rocket after the Knicks refused to match the Rockets' three-year, 25.1-million-dollar deal for him, arrived in Houston on Wednesday for his new career in Houston.

"I'm just excited to be here," Lin told some 150 media personals at the conference. "I think the biggest thing that excites me is the fact that I know what this organization is about."

Lin was speaking on the same practice court at the Toyota Center where he worked briefly² with the Rockets' training camp before he was waived³ last season. Houston waived him because they had already had Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic on their roster⁴ at that time.

In contrast to his virtual anonymity⁵ seven months ago on the court, Thursday's media gathering⁶ was much bigger than that for Scottie Pippen when the former Chicago Bulls star came to Houston.

"It's been an unbelievable ride," Lin said of his return to the Rockets. "Just a lot of things I didn't expect to happen, in terms of just the way last season went."

"I still have to be kind of remind myself that this is all actually happening, sometimes. But it's a huge blessing⁷. I can't believe how it all shaped up and for me to be here right now. I'm definitely excited and thankful," he said.

Lin, who was once quoted by media as saying that he "preferred New York" shortly after the Knicks declined to match the Rockets offer, said he had expected to be re-signed by the Knicks.

At Thursday's conference, Lin explained that his expressing preference for New York was set in the context of before the start of his free agency period.

"Coming into free agency, I didn't expect to be anywhere besides New York," Lin said. "I wouldn't have signed an offer sheet with Houston if I wasn't excited about playing here."

"Houston and New York," he said, "I was definitely excited about the possibility to go to both."

Equally excited about Lin's return to the Rockets were Rockets owner Les Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey who admitted that having Lin back is fixing a mistake the team had made.

When Lin hit a winning 3-pointer in Toronto on Valentine's Day, Alexander reportedly got mad and called Morey to ask him why Lin was no longer a Rocket.

"People are making a lot of us admitting to our mistake," Morey said. "But the only way to get better is to quickly say 'That was a mistake. How can we do better next time?'"

"We are always looking for the best player available. He is obviously the best player available. We wanted him badly," said Alexander, adding that the team is not overpaying Lin with the 25.1-million-dollar contract.

He said he had expected that the Knicks would not match the Rockets offer because of the luxury tax.

While Alexander said the decision to get Lin was "all basketball," he acknowledged that Lin, an American-born player of Chinese descent, could potentially impact on the Rockets' brand in the way that Yao Ming did, increasing the team's reach in Asia.

On the sidelines of Thursday's press conference, Lin said he was grateful to Chinese fans' support to him.

Alexander said that with Lin joining the Rockets, the team surely has new plans to increase the team's influence in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. "Surely, we always do," he said.

Since earlier this year, Lin, a Harvard-educated guard and the first American-born NBA player of Chinese heritage, has become an international sensation, with his skills, humour and work ethic⁸.

Lin averaged 22.1 points and 9.2 assists, making 47 percent of his shots, in his first 12 starts, keying a seven-game winning streak⁹.

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 waived   

v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• He has waived all claim to the money. 他放弃了索取这笔钱的权利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I waived the discourse, and began to talk of my business. 我撇开了这个话题，开始讲我的事情。 来自辞典例句

4 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

5 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

8 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

9 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？