Jerry West happy for Lin even though Warriors cut him
Hall of Famer and Golden State Warriors executive Jerry West joined the show to talk about Jeremy Lin and more.
West said that when he was hired by the Warriors, Lin was friends with the owner’s family and they brought him on to the team. West said when the Warriors were trying to sign DeAndre Jordan and needed to waive some players, including Lin. West, however, won’t play the blame game.
“To me, you don’t place blame,” West said. “You give credit. And all the credit goes to Jeremy. It’s an unbelievable story. There’s no blame here. It’s just some people didn’t see what he had inside. He’s just a terrific player. I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
West said he had a chance to talk to Lin before this run and was very impressed with him. “He has a presence about him that is really unique,” West said.
West thinks Lin is well suited for New York and gets it. “I think this is going to be one of the best stories we’ve seen in the NBA in years and years and years,” West said.
West also commented on the New Orleans Hornets. He thinks at the end of the day, Commissioner David Stern did what he thought was best for the franchise. He didn’t burden them with big contracts and a new owner can build from scratch. West thinks that’s what teams want to do.
West talked about Phil Jackson as well. He said he hopes that Jackson coaches again. West noted Jackson’s incredible ability to “organize” talent.
West had interesting comments on the Knicks franchise. He said he wanted to play for them when he was young, and loves the atmosphere in the Big Apple.
On a side note, West looked back at Kobe Bryant’s 81-point night. He said that Kobe could have scored more if Phil Jackson had let him.