Atkinson provides Lin update, including why he’s in Vancouver

The Nets decision to send Jeremy Lin to a British Columbia sports institute for a season-long rehab was “collaborative,” Kenny Atkinson told reporters Friday afternoon.

“It’s was a collaborative effort from Sean (Marks) and I, our performance team, and the group in Vancouver – plus Jeremy’s group too,” Atkinson said after practice on Friday afternoon.

“It was a collaborative decision. We are monitoring it and we just want everyone to make sure that we are on top of it daily, in contact with the people in Vancouver. The coaches are in contact with Jeremy, I’m in contact with Jeremy all the time. Collaboratively, we felt like it was the best place to get this thing done.”

Lin, in an Instagram video Thursday, said he agreed to the regimen, hoping to “rebuild my body from the ground up,” not just his ruptured patellar tendon. Lin went down Opening night and will miss the season. Last year, he played only 36 of 82 games due to recurring hamstring issues.

The Nets did not have a direct connection to Fortius Sport & Health in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby until now, Atkinson said. The reasoning behind the choice of Fortius is something that should be discussed with Marks, he said.

“That’s definitely a question for Sean,” said the coach. “I know they’re world renowned and world respected. I think Jeremy did his homework, I think we did our homework like ‘hey, let’s find the best scenario for you.’ I think we had a lot of discussion about that. It was really a collaborative effort that we’re really happy with.”

The institute does have connections with Lin buddy Steve Nash who’s developed training programs for Fortius.

Regarding an actual rehab update, Atkinson says that Lin is doing well, that if it were up to Lin, he’d be playing right now. While that obviously won’t happen, Atkinson did maintain that Lin is in great spirits, and trying to aid the team in any fashion, including coaching.

“He wants to play tomorrow, that’s how he is, so I take everything he says with a grain of salt,” Atkinson said, grinning. “He’s loving it, I know he’s in a good place when he’s offering me coaching tips like ‘hey, what the hell are we doing playing zone the other night?’ It’s that type of relationship we have. I think Sean has that type of relationship with him. But again, we just felt like this would put him in the best situation.”

On Saturday, Lin was interviewed by Chinese social media site Weibo in his Vancouver apartment...

• Jeremy Lin going out of the country to recover - Alex Squadron - New York Post