Jeremy Lin Trade News & Rumors 2014: 'Linsanity' Wants to Be Best Sixth Man; Patterns Game After Manu Ginobili

Despite talks of being traded off by the Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin is intent on becoming the best sixth man in the NBA. He particularly spoke about wanting to pattern his game similarly to Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, in a report by International Business Times.

The point guard was initially among the first five of the Rockets for his first season with the team, but was later on demoted to becoming a replacement for Patrick Beverley. He did not see the change as a problem and shared that he aimed to boost his skills further during the offseason so he can be like Ginobili. In the meantime, he said that he will not talk about trade rumors and instead, will focus on improving his game.

Lin specifically mentioned that he had difficulty adjusting to the changing minutes he was asked to play throughout the 2013-2014 NBA regular season. He said, "I think this year was an up-and-down year. A lot of good things, a lot of bad things, definitely an up-and-down year. A lot of adjusting, I would go through stretches where I played 35-40 minutes consistently; then  I would go back down to 15-20."

In an article by Black Sports Online, Lin played decently during the regular season, averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds in under thirty minutes of playing time. He said that becoming the best sixth man with the Houston Rockets would be beneficial in the same manner that it worked for Manu Ginobili who also had to play with many other talented players in the Spurs like Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and others.

Kevin McHale, head coach of the Rockets, shared that he expects Lin and Beverley to play consistently in the following season. "They really complement each other." McHale said. "They have different strengths and weaknesses, and they are great friends and really look out for each other."

In the meantime, Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers was awarded the Best Sixth Man in the NBA in May 2014, according to an ESPN report.