SPORTS
July 21, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Rockets send Jeremy Lin to the Los Angeles Lakers
L.A. LAKER LIN. The Los Angeles Lakers landed
point guard Jeremy Lin during the National Basketball
Association’s free agency period. Lin was born in Los
Angeles and figures to be popular with the region’s
large Asian community. He was raised in Northern
California and played four years at Harvard. (AP
Photo/Tony Dejak)
By Jon Krawczynski
AP Basketball Writer
eremy Lin is still headed to the Los
Angeles Lakers even after the
Houston Rockets failed to land
coveted forward Chris Bosh in free agency.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey
plunged into the free agent market with
designs on adding a third star to play with
James Harden and Dwight Howard. He
made a brief overture to LeBron James
and hosted Carmelo Anthony for a visit,
but both of those efforts were rebuffed.
While James mulled his future, Morey
swung for the fences with a four-year max
offer to Bosh, the versatile forward who
was credited with being the defensive
backbone during the Heat’s run to four
straight NBA Finals.
To create the salary cap room to make
the offer, Morey reached an agreement to
trade Lin, who will make about $15 million
this season in the last year of a deal that
counts as only $8 million against the cap,
to the Lakers, who have the cap room to
absorb Lin’s contract without sending
much back in return.
When James chose to return to
Cleveland, the path appeared to be
clearing for the Texas-born Bosh to join up
with the Rockets and vault them into
contender status in the powerful Western
Conference.
But Heat president Pat Riley quickly
recovered from James’ rejection and
convinced Bosh to stay in Miami with a
whopping five-year, $118-million offer.
J
The bold move left the Rockets on the
outside looking in again, but Morey had no
second thoughts about dumping Lin, who
didn’t mesh well playing in the same
q
Seattle Reign’s Nahomi Kawasumi
voted NWSL Player of the Week
Nahomi “Naho” Kawasumi, a forward
for Seattle Reign FC of the National
Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), was
voted the league’s Player of the Week
during Week 13 of the season. Kawasumi
scored two goals in a 3-2 home win over the
Boston Breakers to earn the honor.
The Breakers were leading the Reign 1-0
until the 55th minute, when Seattle’s
Stephanie Cox crossed a ball that found an
unmarked Kawasumi on the right side of
the six-yard box. Naho buried the ball into
the far-left side-netting to level the score.
Later, with the match tied at 2-2,
Kawasumi scored the game-winning goal.
In the 83rd minute, Jess Fishlock dis-
possessed a Boston defender just outside
the penalty area and passed the ball to
Naho, who calmly finished the shot.
In 14 matches so far in the NWSL
season, Kawasumi has scored five goals
and given three assists.
A native of Yamato, Japan, Naho joined
the Seattle squad in February. On loan
from Japanese side INAC Kobe Leonessa,
she was the league’s second-leading scorer
and was named league MVP in 2013. She
was also a member of the Japan Women’s
National Team that won gold in the 2011
FIFA Women’s World Cup and silver at the
2012 Olympic Games in London. In May,
Team Japan won the 2014 Asian Cup.
The Portland Thorns play Seattle in an
away match on Sunday, July 27 at
Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled
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@TedLeonsis ... for two great years,” Ariza
tweeted. “I will (always) be grateful for you
guys.”
Morey did not match the Dallas
Mavericks’ three-year, $46-million offer
sheet for restricted free agent Chandler
Parsons, who plays a similar game to
Ariza.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were able to get
their hands on a talented point guard who
gives them a different dimension at the
position and could help ease the scoring
burden on Bryant, who only played in six
games last year because of injury.
Lin earned his big contract with the
Rockets thanks to a fantastic midseason
run with the New York Knicks in 2012,
when the “Linsanity” phenomenon was
born. He’s the kind of dynamic, shoot-first
point guard that has become more and
more popular in the league over the last
few seasons, which should help the Lakers,
who have pass-first Kendall Marshall and
the oft-injured Steve Nash on the roster as
well.
Lin averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists
last season, but he lost his starting job
alongside the defensively deficient Harden
because coach Kevin McHale preferred
Patrick Beverley’s tenacity on that end of
the floor.
But with Bryant likely needing some
time to ease back into things after missing
almost all of last season and gifted
offensive big man Pau Gasol on his way to
Chicago, Lin will provide some much-
needed offensive punch to a rebuilding
Lakers roster.
AP Basketball writer Brian Mahoney
contributed to this report.
backcourt with the equally aggressive
Harden. The deal allowed Morey to stay in
the hunt for other stars on the market, and
he struck a deal with Washington Wizards
swingman Trevor Ariza.
The 29-year-old Ariza had his best
season as a pro last year in Washington,
averaging 14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and
shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range
to help the Wizards advance to the Eastern
Conference semifinals for the first time
since 2005.
“I want to thank @WashWizards (owner)
When You Can’t Breathe,
Nothing Else Matters
GAME-WINNING GOAL. Nahomi “Naho”
Kawasumi of Seattle Reign FC controls the ball during
a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match.
Kawasumi was voted Player of the Week during Week
13 of the NWSL regular season. (Photo courtesy of
Seattle Reign FC)
for 4:00pm. Seattle visits Portland’s Provi-
dence Park for the last regular-season
NWSL match at 2:00pm on Sunday,
August 17.
The NWSL Player of the Week honor is
voted on by a selection of journalists who
cover the league on a consistent basis.
To learn more about the league, visit
<www.nwslsoccer.com>. To buy tickets to
an upcoming Thorns FC match, call (503)
553-5555 or visit <www.portlandthornsfc.
com>.
ASTHMA
IS
ON
THE RISE.
Help us find a cure.
1-800-LUNG-USA
www.lungusa.org
7
5 2
3
1
8 6
3
2 1
6
1
4
6
2
7
6 1
Give
blood.
9
9 4
6 3
3
8 2
9
Difficulty
MEDIUM
Help us find a cure.
1-800-LUNG-USA
7 6
1
level: Medium
#73521
# 2
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1
through 9 appear one time each in every row, col-
umn, and 3x3 box.
Solution to
last week’s
puzzle
Puzzle #89534 (Easy)
All solutions available at
<www.sudoku.com>.
2
7
6
1
4
9
8
3
5
8
5
4
6
3
7
2
1
9
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1
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1
9
8
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1
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5
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1
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3
6
1
3
1
8
2
6
5
7
9
4
4
6
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9
1
3
5
2
8
To schedule a blood
donation call
1-800-G IVE-LIFE or
visit HelpSaveALife.org.