Think the loss of Jeremy Lin wasn't much of a loss for the Charlotte Hornets?
The Hornets had eight free agents at the end of last season. They kept their big name, Nicolas Batum, but lost three others: Al Jefferson to the Pacers, Courtney Lee to the Knicks and Jeremy Lin , of course to the Nets.
As Kemba Walker told the Charlotte Observer, "it sucks" for the Hornets. He also said the loss of Lin presented him with mixed feelings.
"I hate to see him go, but at the same time I’m definitely happy for him," Walker said. "He deserves to be a starter in this league. He’s such a great player and he proved that last season. There were games where I was off and he carried the team."
Batum felt the same way, telling a blogger last month how much he and the Hornets will miss Lin but how glad he is that his teammate landed in New York.
Batum said "It's huge for Hornets losing Jeremy Lin. He's a great player." in #FIBAOQTManila2016 pic.twitter.com/kblzkPT9iG
— ☝Dennis Ginobili (@manu77728) July 9, 2016
Lin had said he loved playing in Charlotte with his Hornets teammates and coach Steve Clifford, but as Walker said, the lure of being a starter, the first time since 2012-13 when he started all 82 games for the Rockets, was too big of a lure.