Jeremy Lin Rumors: 5 Reasons Jeremy Lin Will Be Better as a Houston Rocket

After the Knicks opted not to match Houston's offer sheet, Jeremy Lin becomes the new starting point guard for the Rockets and will thus take his Linsanity tour to another team for at least three years.

Lin and the Rockets have agreed to a three-year, $25 million offer sheet, one that will pay him $14 million in the final year of his deal.

As a Knicks fan, I'm not ashamed to say that it will be sad to see Lin leave New York.  He took the city by storm last season and was largely responsible for the team making it back to the playoffs, and it looked as though he would be back with the team in the long term.

Yet, as great as it would be to have him in New York, his most prominent future is in Houston.  With the Rockets, many factors would help him build his legacy and help him become the great player that he can be.

Rockets' Asian Ties

Lin is Taiwanese-Chinese American, and, as we all know, the Rockets built quite a following in the Far East when they drafted Yao Ming (pictured) with the first overall pick in 2002.  By having Lin on the team, it would reestablish Houston's prominence there and bring in a bevy of marketing opportunities.

More importantly, Lin isn't as injury prone as Yao and could easily become a superstar should he be able to lead the Rockets back to prominence.

He'd Be a Go-to Guy

Now that the Rockets have amnestied Luis Scola, there is an opening for a top contributor.  Nothing against Kevin Martin or any of the three rookies the team just drafted, but they can't really carry the team by themselves.

Lin, on the other hand, appears to be a born leader.  The fact that he carried the Knicks on his back to multiple victories in the absence of both Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony speaks volumes to his potential as a leader on offense.

If he can build positive relationships with Martin and the other scorers available to him, then the possibilities for him in Houston are endless.

Young Talent

The Rockets did a great job of bringing in some great rookies through the draft this year, and they used their three first-round picks on players who could potentially help the team instantly.

First, there's shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, who is deadly from any spot on the floor and is a phenomenal three-point shooter.  If he can get himself open and build a relationship with Lin, then both players could become the toast of Houston.

Next is forward Terrence Jones, a phenomenal defender and dunker who could be on the receiving end of multiple alley-oop passes from Lin.  Honestly, who doesn't love those?

Finally, there is Royce White, who is a total crapshoot due to his struggles with his anxiety disorder and fear of flying.  If Lin can build a positive on-court relationship with White and help him reach maximum potential, then both could become stars in their own right.

That said, with all of the new young players the Rockets have on the team, Lin is in a prime position to be on a squad that just does phenomenal work for years to come.

A Fresh Start

As great as it would be for Lin to stay in New York, he would peak quickly.  Coach Mike Woodson's system is one that will feature Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony as the primary go-to guys, and Lin's job will basically be to be seen and not heard.

In Houston, however, Lin will the be man controlling the offense and will probably be one of the scorers beside Kevin Martin.  Rather than just being stuck in one gear, he'll be given plenty of room to grow. And seeing as how he's just shy of 24 years old, it is important that he continue to develop his game.

Dwight Howard, Anyone?

As we all know, the Rockets want Dwight Howard badly and even amnestied Scola so that they could clear the necessary cap space to acquire the six-time All-Star and other pieces from the Orlando Magic.  Though Howard would probably be the go-to guy in Houston should they acquire him, think of what the Magic offense has been for the past few years.

In Orlando, Howard was the top scorer, and his point guard Jameer Nelson was essentially a scoring point guard.

When I watch Lin, I think of a more well-rounded version of Nelson.  He can score points, but he also makes an effort to distribute the ball as well as play tough defense.

If this trade goes through and Rockets coach Kevin McHale can find a way to make Lin and Howard the focus of the offense while finding a way to get the other players involved, then the Rockets will finally go from being pretenders to contenders.