Jeremy Lin: Why Warriors and Rockets Shouldn't Be Blamed for Cutting Rising Star

With New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin's rise to prominence, many have wondered how the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets could have cut the biggest thing in basketball. Even knowing what we know now, those teams can't be blamed for cutting bait.

Lin was signed by the Warriors as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard last season. He played sparingly in 29 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 assists per contest. Lin's stay with his hometown team was short lived, though, as he was waived during the offseason.

Golden State needed his $800,000 salary off the books in order to make a play Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who was a restricted free agent. The Clippers were ultimately able to retain Jordan, but it was a sensible move for the Warriors as they have lacked a viable defensive force in the paint for a long time.

At the time, it had to feel like releasing Lin was a small price to pay in order to make a run at Jordan. Obviously that no longer seems like the case. Lin was able to catch on with the Houston Rockets, who claimed him off waivers. Lin would never play a game for the Rockets, though, as we was waived once again.

The Rockets had only claimed Lin in order to be a third-string point guard behind Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic. Lowry has played All-Star-caliber basketball this season, so Lin likely wouldn't have received much if any playing time had he remained with the Rockets.

Ultimately Houston needed cap space to sign center Samuel Dalembert, and while he may not be the greatest player, he has been a stabilizing force for the Rockets' front line. In the end, this allowed the Knicks to claim Lin as a third point guard behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby, and a possible cut candidate once Baron Davis returned.

Lin played very sparingly in the early part of the season and was even briefly sent down to the D-League. His stint in the minors was short, though, as he dominated and was quickly recalled. Ten days ago, Line finally got his big break as he torched the New Jersey Nets for 25 points and seven assists.

Since that game Lin has turned in four more spectacular performances in a row and has scored more points in his first four career starts than any player since the NBA-ABA merger. With all of that said, you would have to think that the Warriors and Rockets are both kicking themselves right now.

The fact of the matter is, however, that had Lin stayed with either team, the chances of him getting to showcase his skills would have been very low. As already mentioned the Rockets have Lowry and Dragic, while the Warriors pretty much rely on Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis going wire to wire.

Truth be told, Lin could have easily been a casualty of the numbers game with the Knicks had Davis returned when he was supposed to. He really lucked out, though, as Douglas and Bibby were ineffective, so head coach Mike D'Antoni decided to give him an opportunity.

Lin obviously made the most of that one opportunity and it doesn't seem as if he plans on giving up his starting spot. Some combination of luck, skill and D'Antoni's offensive system has made Lin the biggest star in basketball.

There is no question that the Warriors and Rockets wish they had unleashed the beast inside Lin, but they weren't the right situations for him. A number of factors have come together in New York to create the perfect storm for Lin.

It's impossible to say if Line ever would have gotten a fair shake in Golden State or Houston. Both of those teams did what they felt they needed to do in order to improve. Because of that they shouldn't be blamed for cutting a player who most figured was destined to be bench fodder for the rest of his career.