The Lakers finally got the point guard who intrigued them over the years.

They initially tried to sign Jeremy Lin as an undrafted rookie in 2010 but he chose Golden State for the same amount of money. (It was closer to home.)

In a less-publicized action, the Lakers put in a waiver claim for Lin when Golden State dropped him in 2011. Houston had a worse record than the Lakers and was awarded him.

But the Lakers acquired him in a trade with the Rockets this month.

“This time, we got Jeremy Lin,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday at a news conference officially introducing the 25-year-old point guard.

One thing is certain. Lin isn’t looking to repeat the intense attention that accompanied him while playing for New York in 2011-12.

“I’m not trying to relive that banner season and I think that’s been a big weight off my shoulder. I’m not trying to recreate a ‘Linsanity,’ ” he said. “I’m not trying to be that phenomenon that happened in New York. I just want to be myself more than ever.”

It took a salary dump from Houston to make Lin a member of the Lakers. The Rockets eagerly sent him to try to make room for free agent Chris Bosh. They even included a lottery-protected first-round pick next year.

But Bosh declined Houston’s offer and returned to Miami.

The Lakers might have found a starting point guard, seeing how Steve Nash played only 15 games last season because of recurring injuries.

“I obviously believe that I can start for an NBA team and help that team win,” Lin said. “As a competitor I would obviously love to, but that’s not me coming in saying, ‘I need this or I need that.’ ”

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SOURCE: The Los Angeles Times
Mike Bresnahan