How far along is Jeremy Lin? Progress, but more work to get done

A ruptured patella tendon is a serious injury that requires serious recovery and rehabilitation regimens. Jeremy Lin’s injury was always seen as one that would deprive him of a full season ... and require a summer of slow, methodical work.

So, no real surprise that Lin is still not yet ready for training camp or that he feels he has things to address. He spoke to beat writers in Las Vegas about all this while cheering on the Nets Summer League team.

While Sean Marks said Friday that Lin had been cleared for contact six weeks ago, Lin noted that doesn’t mean full five-on-five contract drills. As Greg Logan writes, he told reporters that he’s been playing one-on-one but has yet to take part in any five-on-five contact as a precaution.

He also said he’s still working on his mechanics, that he doesn’t yet feel he’s explosive as he wants to be.

“I’m not moving the way I want or I’m not as explosive as I want,” Lin told reporters, as Brian Lewis notes. “It’s definitely hard. Every time you push the dynamicness of your movements, you almost have to relearn it to some degree. You learn it, but you learn it at 25 percent or stationary, and then you start moving and realize, ‘Wow, it’s not the same.’ Every time you progress to the next stage, you have to relearn a bit more and strip it back, let it go a bit and strip it back. So it’s definitely an up-and-down process.”

Lin has said that part of his rehab at Fortius Sport & Health outside Vancouver involved re-learning how to move, how to use his body to maximum effect, in part of avoid injury. As he told his fans back in November, “rebuild my body from the ground up, each and every muscle and joint, not just the patella tendon.” Kinesiology.

Still, he says he’ll be ready to go when training camp opens in a little than three months.

“I feel good right now, just still progressing. Everything is really good, smooth. I’ve been playing, working out every day. … Things are going as we planned. I’ll definitely be ready for training camp. There won’t be any issues,” Lin said.

He knows he wouldn’t be ready if camp were to open this week.

“I haven’t played in a long time, so it’s not like you come back and you’re better than you were before. It’s going to take a lot of time. My body’s not used to moving fast or playing against contact so that takes [time],” Lin said. “Having a year where you’re out, you don’t get that in four weeks. It takes a lot of time, which is why we’re going to keep building up and stay with the plan,”

And that plan calls for him to be ready on Opening Night and ready to finally combine his talents with D’Angelo Russell.

“Definitely. It’s very similar to multiple teams I’ve been on, having two playmakers,” Lin said. “It’s not a big deal for me to slide over or for us to play off each other. I think it makes us more powerful. It’s hard to stop when you have two dynamic playmakers coming downhill on you constantly.”

As for the persistent trade rumors and pundits’ suggestions the Nets move him?

“If something’s real, they’ll come and tell me. Rumors are rumors. At the end of the day, if something is real they’ll come and tell me,” Lin said. “We have great communication. I’m texting with Kenny and talking to him all the time.”

• Jeremy Lin on comeback trail but something’s still missing - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets won’t rush into deal to thin glut at point guard - Greg Logan - Newsday