Pacific Notes: Lin, Black, Kings

Jeremy Lin‘s time with the Lakers may be just about done, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Lin has missed two straight games with an aching left knee, and although he could return before this season is done, prospects don’t look good for next season. Neither Lin, who will be a free agent this summer, nor coach Byron Scott has publicly addressed the situation, but Scott said the guard had an “up and down” season. Lin, who made $14.9MM this year after being acquired from the Rockets in an offseason deal, has been a frequent target of criticism from Scott and teammate Kobe Bryant.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The outlook is much different for Lakers rookie Tarik Black, according to Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com. Black, who was claimed off waivers from the Rockets earlier this season, leads all rookies in field goal percentage and is third in rebounds, and his future in Los Angeles seems bright. “This is probably the most growth I’ve had in a single season since I started playing basketball,” he said.
  • After taking over as Kings coach in midseason, George Karl is looking forward to the offseason to begin putting his stamp on the team, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Although there was opposition to it from inside the organization, Karl’s hiring may have brought stability to an unsettled organization. “We have to forget about the blame game, about who is this, who is that, and figure out who we are and what we want to become,” Karl said. “We have a very, very important summer ahead of us.”
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