Fmr. President Clinton Gripped By "Lin"sanity
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There's only a few people who could upstage the Big Three of the Miami Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Sunday, one of those people showed up and shared his thoughts on the "Linsanity" that is gripping the nation.
Former President Bill Clinton was in Miami and took in part of the Heat's victory over the Orlando Magic Sunday afternoon.
The Heat won the game 90-78, but it wasn't the Heat that was getting the attention of President Clinton, instead it was the "Linsanity" that is following New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin.
"Well, I'm a New Yorker I like it," former President Bill Clinton told CBS4's Jim Berry of the Jeremy Lin-phenomenon. "You know, he's a very impressive guy. He makes the most of the team."
Lin has come out of nowhere to become one of the leaders of the New York Knicks team.
Playing in Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni's point guard friendly system has helped, but Lin has been playing lights out, with the exception of having problems with turnovers.
Lin played his college ball at Harvard and then disappeared before showing up for the Knicks a few weeks ago.
Since then, he's averaged 14.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game while playing only 24 minutes a game.
Sunday, Lin poured in 28 points, 14 assists and 7 turnovers, in just his latest stellar performance that has earned him a trip to All-Star weekend in Orlando this weekend.
One of the biggest problems that many NBA pundits have pointed to is that when Carmelo Anthony finally returns to the lineup, Lin's numbers and ability to make plays will drop dramatically as Carmelo begins to hog the ball and the shots.
Clinton isn't worried about his Knicks making the transition.
"They're [the Knicks] playing like a team and I think they'll integrate Carmelo and Amare fine," Clinton said. "I think it will be great. I think they're a real team; look what they did today, it's great."
Lin's story has become something of a legend as he's come out of nowhere to be the hottest thing in the NBA not in Miami. Clinton said it's easy to see why people identify with the former Crimson star
"He was sleeping on his brother's couch and then became the starting point guard for a pro basketball team. I mean that is a smart, hard-working kid, good values."
No one knows how good Lin can be this year or in the following seasons. But, Clinton believes in Lin just like the rest of New York and knows in the end, for Lin, it's all about the win.
"I think it's a Cinderella story," Clinton said. "He's a winner. He's just one of those guys that knows how to win."
