Last night, the Sundance Film Festival got to relive a little Linsanity, as Evan Jackson Leong’s documentary on Jeremy Lin premiered to a sold-out crowd.

LA Times’ Steven Zeitchik reviews the film here, but the more interesting stuff is on the film’s Facebook page where the production team posts updates and behind-the-scenes photos from the festival in Park City, Utah. And, check out their Twitter for personal reactions from the audience.

Here’s a few, with high praise from Zeitchik:

‏@Selah_V: “The best movie @sundancefest : @LinsanityMovie…tears streaming down my face the whole time. Truly inspiring in so many ways. A MUST see!”

@derekcrocker: @linsanitymovie lived up to the hype! Filmmakers got lightning in a bottle w/ #linsanity and captured it per http://instagr.am/p/Uufh6-H2NR/

‏@ZeitchikLAT: Linsanity is as exceedingly likeable as its subject, and by far the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen thus far at #Sundance.

The doc is currently seeking a distributor at Sundance, and early reviews like the Times have been positive. If you feel so inclined, you can help support the documentary through their Kickstarter page, where they have teaser footage of the film.

I know what you Lin purists are thinking. Were you put off by all those ironically Chinese-style bootleg Jeremy Lin biographies? Have no fear, the doc is legit.

Director Leong started the film years before Linsanity ever popped off, and the production team includes Chris Chen, who co-produced The Year of the Yao. Not to mention my dude, Brian Yang is a producer, and without a doubt the world’s biggest Jeremy Lin fan. Yang is also a regular on CBS’ Hawaii 5-0, and not so coincidentally, the doc is narrated by 5-0 star Daniel Dae Kim.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

Last night, I watched Jeremy Lin’s return to Madison Square Garden on what was probably a 32″ flat-screen TV mounted to the ceiling of Chinatown’s Nom Wah Tea Parlor with barely audible volume. I was joined by Leonard Shek and Liren Teng, both members of Dat Winning, a podcast we do to try to give an APIA take on sports.

Nom Wah was offering $3 beers along with their great dim sum menu, but there was another reason I wanted to watch it there. It was here last February that I realized how big this #LINSANITY thing was. MSG Network hosted a viewing party at Nom Wah for residents of Chinatown unable to see the game due to MSG’s spat with Time Warner Cable.

The event was essentially a thinly veiled attempt to mobilize the Chinese American community with free dim sum and Jeremy Lin swag into pressuring Time Warner to come to terms with MSG. It worked. Time Warner worked out a deal shortly thereafter.

The restaurant was packed wall-to-wall, with a line of people outside waiting to get in. To watch a game against the Sacramento Kings on television. The swarming and perhaps laughable extent of international media coverage of this little viewing party at this little old restaurant on Doyers said it all. #LINSANITY was some crazy shit.

Watching the game there last night felt like a full circle. Win or lose, good or bad, it seemed to be the right place. About 7  people, including our group, seemed to agree. There were other patrons at the restaurant, none interested in the game, but the seven of us, and one reporter working on a story for the New York Times, stayed long after closing to watch Jeremy Lin put 22 points and 8 assists on the New York Knicks.

The Rockets won convincingly 109-96, and Houston became the first to beat the Knicks twice this year. They were also the first to beat New York at the Garden. Which to say, the Knicks have been very good so far this season, and they did have to play without Carmelo Anthony (sprained ankle).

In his introduction, Lin was mostly cheered, but received audible boos. When he left the game for good, with Houston already carrying an insurmountable lead, it was roughly the same reception. Mostly cheers, some boos, even with most fans long gone for the night.

It’s hard to tell what Lin expected from the crowd, but he did reveal that awkward smile you get with slight disappointment during the introduction. Getting the win surely made any lingering bitterness go away. It was a good win for the 12-12 Rockets.

In fact, the past five games have been a decent run for Houston with wins against the Knicks, Celtics and Wizards, along with a hard-fought overtime loss to the Spurs. These five games have also been a sort of snap-shot of Jeremy Lin’s career since #LINSANITY began. Exciting yes, definitive no. Since last February, and particularly through these five games, Jeremy Lin has been the most difficult player to peg in the NBA.

Just when you think he’s settled in as James Harden’s set-up man, he gives you 38 against the Spurs, playing without Harden in the line-up. But, when the Beard returns, he goes quiet again, and doubts start to rise about whether or not the two can co-exist.

Then Lin comes back to the Garden, and the Rockets look like a well-oiled machine, Harden and Lin operating in synchronicity. This game, not his 38-point burst in San Antonio, was his best of the season so far. Lin looked right at home in the Garden and played with the kind of swagger we had gotten used to when he was a Knick. It wasn’t perfect by any means, Lin still finished with 4 turnovers, but he and Harden forced a flat Knicks backcourt into submission with relentless attacks to the rim in transition.

The Knicks couldn’t keep up with the Rockets’ speed. And, it seemed like the more reckless Lin and the Rockets played, the harder it was for the Knicks to recover. Twice now, the Rockets have looked like an offensive juggernaut against a defense-focused Knicks team. Both losses should be a testament to how much the Knicks still need Iman Shumpert.

So, what is Jeremy Lin? Is he the 22 points and 8 assists he put on the Knicks?

Well, let’s put it this way, no one is right or wrong about Jeremy Lin yet. His game is still unpredictable, and his demeanor isn’t any easier to read. Most nights he has a sort of dopey blank stare on his face, often too exhausted to reveal any ulterior emotion or motivation. But, as if he needed to reaffirm the fact in New York, Lin certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He knows which games are bigger than others, and he wants to play bigger in those games.

In the Spurs loss, by far his best performance of the season to that point, he seemed to know he needed another basket late in the overtime to reach a new career-high. Even when the game was over, he raced down the court and tried very hard to get it. He knew the significance of that basket. He took two forced shots at it and didn’t make either.

The attempt was maybe a little desperate, but it also felt like a sign of something a little more sinister than a simple god-fearing kid playing for his savior. It was competitive, personal, a little selfish. A perhaps darker side of Lin that seemed to manifest again in New York.

Lin took it right at Raymond Felton last night, his replacement on the Knicks. He displayed the kind of confidence, decisiveness, and flat out competitiveness he had shown through most of his run with the Knicks. Something we hadn’t seen much of all season. I like this version of Lin. Veer towards the dark side, it will mesh better with Harden.

The Beard will get his, a more aggressive Lin will force teams to deal with two relentless attackers coming off the bounce in every game. In Lethal Weapon terms, they can’t be Mel Gibson and Danny Glover right now. They both have to be Mel Gibson.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

You’ve probably seen or even played this in the summer at Seward Park. 9 on 9 games that resemble volleyball, only much more intense. What you might not know is the history behind the unique Chinese-American game. Now, a feature documentary wants to tell that story. It’s a celebration of Asian American athleticism, swagger, and masculinity that has never been done before. Cue 9-Man, a project currently looking for backers on Kickstarter.

9-Man leagues and intercity tournamentsstarted as early as the 1930s when anti-Chinese sentiment was high and the Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect. The sport offered a means of escape and community for young males who were away from home and facing discrimination in a new land. Today, 9-Man is more competitive than ever. It remains a game for Chinese-Americans (two-thirds of players must be “100% Chinese”) to test their skills and connect with their heritage.

Director Ursula Liang started the project to tell the story of Asian American athletes. As a sports journalist, she was always bothered by how they were and were not covered. With the spotlight on Jeremy Lin, now is a good as time as any to truly show what Asian Americans are made of.

To put it bluntly, mainstream sports coverage is not friendly to the APA community—it’s full of long-held ideas that reinforce the notion that Asian athletes are inherently inferior. I struggled with this as I tried to navigate the politics of my career and fight for what is right. That’s why I’m so passionate about this independent documentary and have dedicated more than four years of my life to film it. This is an opportunity to show Asian-American athletes without the filter of mainstream misconception.

Kickstarter: 9-Man – a streetball battle in the heart of Chinatown. The project has until Dec. 21 to complete their goal. Support them to have this story live on!

Scott Halleran, Getty Images

Last Friday, the Houston Rockets hosted the New York Knicks at the Toyota Center in Jeremy Lin’s first game against his former team. If this was some kind of redemption game, both teams downplayed it.

The Knicks’ Jason Kidd even went so far as to say no one is looking to “embarrass” Lin, which seemed unnecessary and odd to mention if you’re trying to downplay the game, but if Lin had any added motivation to win this game other than improving on the Rockets sub-.500 record, he didn’t openly speak about it.

Fans, however, had different expectations. For every fan of Jeremy Lin, and to some degree, non-Lin-specific Rockets fans as well, this was a chance to show up the team that dumped him. This was more fan redemption than Lin’s redemption. And, Lin was far from embarrassed.

On the contrary, the Knicks suffered from a meltdown so thorough it’s difficult to even imagine the Knicks as a contender without forgetting this game in its entirety. The Rockets forced down humble pie, by way of a 131-103 beat down, like grandma trying save room in the fridge after Thanksgiving.

Eat it, Knicks.

This was sweet, sweet justice for Jeremy Lin fans worldwide, and anyone who had a notion that Lin was mistreated in his unceremonious exile from Gotham. Which isn’t to say it was Linsanity all over again, Lin had a solid 13 points and 7 rebounds, but they were modest numbers compared to teammate Chandler Parsons, who made his first 8 shots, and finished with a career-high 31 points. Bearded dragon, James Harden, quietly finished with 33 points as the duo made Carmelo Anthony’s 37 instantly forgettable.

A good smack down is always fun to watch for fans of the team laying down the smack, just ask Giants fans about Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers. But, what made this win even better was seeing Lin play with confidence again. Interim coach Kelvin Sampson even mentioned that Lin had gotten his “swagger” back. Which was contagious.

The Rockets scored a season-high 35 points in the first quarter and the entire team looked more comfortable in the offense against a Knicks team that prioritizes defense. Lin shot .500 for the first time since Nov 9 at Memphis and made his first 3-pointer in six games. His shooting percentages still need significant improvement but this is as good spot as any to hit reset and leave the previous 5 games in the ether.

If the Houston Rockets didn’t play for any greater, unified purpose than simply getting a W, they could have fooled me. In the end, though, it was just a good win for the Rockets, but a great win for the fans.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

Pat Sullivan/AP

Last week, after recording the Dat Winning podcast at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) with our guest Hua Hsu from Grantland, I sat in on MOCA’s GQ “Rocket Man” panel on Jeremy Lin which featured Hua, Rembert Browne (Grantland), Devin Gordon (Articles Editor, GQ), Ursula Liang (documentary filmmaker) and Will Leitch of New York Magazine. Leitch was also the writer who did the GQ cover story on Lin.

The panel covered a wide spectrum of topics with Lin as the centerpiece but the most interesting part for me was during the Q&A when someone compared the ascent of Lin for Asian Americans to the election of President Obama to African Americans. Was it at all comparable?

There were different opinions but Ursula Liang thought it was a resounding yes, that Lin’s success on the playing field of professional sports on a global scale breaks the mold in as significant a way to Asian Americans as Obama broke stereotypes for African Americans. The scale is different, but the impact to Asian Americans at least felt as strong as Obama’s election in 2008.

Rembert Browne broke it down even more to say that “Linsanity” reminded him personally of when Obama won the Democratic nomination. It was that idea of the rise of a young upstart from Chicago, who seemed to come from nowhere. That he won the election, for Browne, was icing on the cake. The great inspiring moment was the nomination. “Linsanity” was Jeremy Lin’s nomination.

Jeremy Lin is essentially still trying to win his first term in office. So far, the results are mixed.

Lin’s Houston Rockets took on the Miami Heat on Monday. Lin was quiet for most of the game but had a strong 3rd quarter to help the Rockets build an unlikely lead over the defending champions.

In the 4th quarter, however, Lebron was Lebron and Miami took the lead back by 1-point on a James layup with roughly 16 seconds remaining in regulation. In the next possession, Lin had a wide-open look at a 3-pointer that would have regained the lead. He airballed it.

Social media was instantly abuzz with the kind of generous and racially sensitive feedback you have come to expect. In that the reaction was the complete opposite of that. The fact that you can actually YouTube different variations of this particular shot is indicative of the kind of scrutiny that Lin faces. Forget about the fact that Lin made the right play, took the right shot. Forget about that on paper, it’s still just a missed FG.

Never mind that the Rockets still had another play to tie and it was James Harden that eschewed the play that was drawn up and forced a contested 3 over Lebron James that had little chance. The hot button topic here is instead Lin’s airball.

I can’t say the comments on YouTube and the inevitable flaming on Twitter isn’t to be somewhat expected, but I’m always surprised by the sheer level of racism that is so cavalierly thrown about. To take it back to Obama, it reminded me of the Twitter reaction to the President’s re-election earlier this month.

The reaction to Lin is a whole lot of hate for a guy that has played just 8 games as a full-time starter. This is Lebron James level treatment after “The Decision.” For everyone that claims that Lin doesn’t deserve to be in the spotlight and doesn’t deserve stardom, they sure do a great job of keeping him there.

This game happened to coincide with an enlightening article by Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski who writes that whether Lin likes it or not, was prepared for it or not, he has become a “flashpoint on race and opportunity.”

The Heat loss, in and of itself, has nothing to do with race, though Lin does say that he feels players in the NBA target him. Essentially, no one wants to be embarrassed by the Asian guy. But the loss was not an issue of race.

You wouldn’t know that from the Twitter and YouTube commentary. I’m not going to post specific remarks here but essentially, the reaction was that the Asian kid sucks, because he’s an Asian kid, in not so nice words.

Not that what we see on Twitter is necessarily an accurate illustration of the state of American society but it is representative. Twitter is like the id of America’s adolescent consciousness, one that is defined on the internet. This consciousness is dark as it probably always has been, but for the first time in history it is so accessible. And yet, it’s usefulness is still so undefined.

What we know is that today’s athletes and celebrities are far more aware of their surroundings and the media landscape, and we can probably thank social media for a big part of that. On that note, two quotes from Lin stuck out to me in Wojnarowski’s story:

“I get scared of a lot of attention,” Lin says. “I get scared of the spotlight. And I’m not talking about on the basketball court. So I was just in shock when everything happened. I was startled about it all. I just thought, ‘Oh man, I wish some of this stuff could slow down.’

“Now, I’m at the point where if I meet somebody, I look at their reaction: If it’s over the top, that’s a huge red flag. … I won’t let any of my friends become a fan. To me, you’re either a friend or you’re a fan. That doesn’t mean my friends can’t support me, because they all do, but they can’t treat me differently than they would treat someone else. None of my friends are in awe of me.”

We seem to live in an era now that an inordinate amount of our youth crave stardom and public attention. Not just by their presence on social media, but the way in which they are present on social media seems to indicate that notion. So maybe it feels like lip service to most of us that Lin would not want this kind of fame.

The truth is, the kid never asked for It. We give it to him, idolize him, and then hate him for having to deal with it. It’s all part of the game, sure, and it’s a business. One that has made Jeremy Lin a millionaire, but you know what? I don’t envy the kid or the position he’s in right now. And, we’re still only 8 games into this season.

Rockets play the Portland Trailblazers tonight, 10pm Eastern.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

I don’t think anyone really thought that “Beard-Sanity” aka Houston Rockets back-court James Harden and Jeremy Lin could keep up that record pace. Following two wins in their first two games of the season against Detroit and Atlanta, the duo was averaging a searing 57.5 points per game and 24.5 assists per game. Harden was leading the league in scoring at 41 ppg.

They were so good, people actually asked if they were the best back court tandem in basketball. They looked so fresh, so clean out on the court, you could almost imagine they could actually keep this going. Almost.

A fall back down to earth was inevitable. It was just a matter of when. Two tough losses to Portland and Denver at home, and here we are. Earthbound. In those two losses, Beard-Sanity combined for only 29 points per game while barely shooting 33% from the field. They also turned the ball over a combined eight times per game.

It wasn’t simply a matter of their talent catching up to them, there were distinguishable reasons for their descent to normalcy. Denver game-planned to stop Harden, something Detroit and Atlanta never got a chance to do. Harden will adjust, he’s that good of a player, but those scoring binges won’t be so easy to come by with teams preparing to stop him and Houston having limited scoring options.

More troubling perhaps is that neither Harden nor Lin looked as fresh or explosive as they did in the first two games. Even worse, they often looked tentative and unsure. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports that coach Kevin McHale and his staff have been trying to re-tool since the acquisition of Harden and it’s gotten worse before it will get better.

In both losses, Harden and Lin struggled to finish consistently around the basket. They looked sluggish. For Harden, it may be that he’s never played this many minutes and never as the no. 1 option. In Lin’s case, he may still be working on his fitness after an extended layoff recovering from knee surgery. Even if that is true, it may be too much to expect either of these players to carry that kind of load through 82 games. They need more consistent scoring from the supporting cast. Carlos Delfino has been a solid option off the bench but they need more scoring, especially in the paint.

It is worth mentioning that the officiating in the NBA has changed, at least in this early part of the season. Referees are leaning toward more physical play and offensive players are not getting bailed out while trying to draw fouls rather than take open shots. The attacking style that made Lin a success in New York hasn’t quite worked in Houston yet.

Jeremy Lin is shooting just 36% from the field right now, which might be typical of a struggling guard who’s settling for too many perimeter shots, but 52% of Lin’s attempts come in the paint. Take away his 3-13 attempts from the 3-point line and he’s shooting just 41% from inside the arc. Now take away his 4-11 mid-range jumpers and Lin is shooting a troublesome 11-26 or 42% in the paint. Let’s not even get started on Omer Asik.

Maybe Lin’s legs aren’t under him yet but whereas Harden has a variety of shots he can use to adjust to more physical play, Lin does not. He may need to add a floater to his game and certainly a consistent step-back jump-shot that he is willing to shoot. It’s not enough just to have it, he has to be confident enough in it to use it.

That’s not going to happen overnight but more versatile scoring may be the only way to make Lin a viable second option to Harden and keep both of them healthy if the whistles aren’t going to fly.

The reluctant truth for Rockets fans is that Beard-Sanity wasn’t going to be that good all season, but there is nevertheless an optimistic air in Houston. Let’s not forgot that these are but the first four games that both Harden and Lin have ever played for the Rockets. As they learn the offense, learn each other and their teammates, they will improve.

Just watch them in games, they don’t quit. They compete every night and want to win as a team. There aren’t any head cases on that roster. GM Daryl Morey has put together a good young team that may need just one more big piece to be a regular playoff contender.

It’s almost a shame Beard-Sanity went off so well so early, because you almost come to expect it now. It’s like that phenomenon when one’s early work is so powerful, so compelling, nothing that follows ever seems to live up to it. Perhaps like Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane.

As I’ve now compared Beard-Sanity to Citizen Kane, it’s time to wrap this up. If anything, Rockets fans, Beard fans, and Lin fans should be happy to have even seen that performance at all. That this potential exists makes this team very watchable. Now they just have to adjust to the idea that other teams are now watching them, too.

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This week we will be recording our sports podcast Dat Winning at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) with special guest Hua Hsu, a regular contributor to the goodness that is Grantland.

He will also be a part of MOCA’s “Rocket Man: The Future of Jeremy Lin” panel starting at 7pm at the museum featured here in our See & Do.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

DAN LIPPITT/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Jeremy Lin must be smiling ear to ear right now, one of those foolish, giddy smiles that just can’t be wiped off your face. Like being in love.

The Beard is here.

Just days before Lin was to be thrust into the spotlight of opening day and great expectations on a bum knee and not yet adequate conditioning, the Houston Rockets made the deal that may have saved not only Lin’s career but Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s job.

They acquired James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The rest of the details are unimportant.

The move has no downside for Houston or for Jeremy Lin and here’s the short list as to why:

1.) The Rockets got their bona fide star player. If there were any doubts, they were put to rest in the Rockets 105-96 win over Detroit on Tuesday. Harden finished with 37 points on 14-25 shooting and 12 assists. And, Lin put up a solid 12 points and 8 assists.

Even if it was just one game, and even if it was against the Detroit Pistons, there was nothing about that performance that indicated some kind of fluke. Harden wasn’t lights out, or playing out of his head, he just did work. Lin complemented him well. This was an indication of bigger things to come.

2.) James Harden joined the Rockets to build a franchise in his image. Make no mistake that this is his team now. And, that’s a good thing for Lin, who can now get his conditioning up at a more reasonable pace. He doesn’t have to overextend himself to prove he can carry the team. Harden will do that and keep Lin healthy at the same time. He will give Lin the opportunity to be more effective as the season progresses.

Try to imagine this team without Harden right now. It wasn’t going to be pretty. Lin having to carry this team with still questionable explosiveness and stamina, with the pressure he was already facing, wasn’t inspiring very many. It was going to be a long season.

The arrival of Harden not only helps on the court by taking the onus off Lin to score and by giving Houston another primary ball-handler, he takes the focus off Lin in the media as well.

For Harden, Lin is just the kind of point guard he needs. One who can be a facilitator who is willing to give up the ball, and still score when needed. Lin is also a closer, and Harden won’t have to worry about carrying it all by himself. Lin is willing and able to make big plays when the game is on the line.

3.) If the promise of a built-in market from Asia wasn’t enough to attract marquee free agents, the stability of a long-term back court that includes Harden should do the trick. Harden is what Morey calls a foundational player, someone you can build a franchise around.

Name players want to play with a budding star like Harden but only if he’s committed. Harden answered that question by signing a 5-year, 80 million dollar max deal with the Rockets right before they played the Pistons.

This is now a team that has considerable appeal to free agents, a list that includes: Josh Smith, David West, and Paul Millsap, all of whom are unrestricted at the end of the season.

So it’s smiles all around in Houston right now. Potential is a hell of a drug. And that Cheshire grin you’ll start seeing on Lin’s face is love, true buddy cop love. Like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon sequels, but neither of these guys are gunning for that pension just yet.

Lin is all but 24 years old and Harden, with all his playoff experience, is actually younger at 23. Few back courts have generated this much excitement in Houston.

The Beard + Linsanity = BeardSanity, if that makes any sense. This could be the next Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. BeardSanity might not match Franchise and Cat on alley-oops and contests of how many crossover dribbles you can fit into one possession, but they have all the tools to be a better overall unit for this team.

Which isn’t to say the Rockets don’t have a long way to go, but at least a real foundation is in place for the next couple of years. Harden and Lin are players wired to make the winning play over the flashy play, the team play over the selfish play. That self-awareness in the game is why fans don’t have to worry about whether or not they will mesh. They have each come from situations where they found a way to make it work.

That’s what makes Harden feel like such a great fit. He must have known he could do this. He had to have some inkling he could be a franchise player or he wouldn’t have been so ready to prove it. Yet he never made it an issue in Oklahoma City. With Russell Westbrook posting another classic “Russell being Russell” performance late in their loss to San Antonio last night, the Thunder might be wondering if they didn’t trade the wrong guy.

BeardSanity and the Rockets will face the Hawks tonight in Atlanta, 7:30pm Eastern. I will be live-tweeting the game on OurChinatown’s Twitter.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor for OurChinatown. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

AP Photo

This fall, Leonard Shek and I are launching a sports podcast we call Dat Winning. “Five Burning Questions” was actually part of a segment we used in a run-through of the show with our co-host Duke Hogwild.

Although we’re not using the recorded version, I thought these questions might be an interesting way to launch this blog and to start a conversation here about Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets’ upcoming 2012-13 NBA season.

1.) Are we reading too far into Jeremy Lin’s lackluster pre-season performance?

Yes and no. It hasn’t been pretty. Lin is shooting 22% from the field, is 0-9 from 3-pt territory and is giving up 3 turnovers a game. However, it’s also the pre-season, so it all means about as much as playing online poker for free.

What is more important is to observe his progress in returning from that knee injury. My co-host, Duke, has been carefully analyzing each game, not so much by the numbers but by gauging Lin’s physical improvement. Lin started the pre-season struggling to get to the rim, but he’s gradually improved. Against the Hornets on Wednesday, he looked much more explosive. He was getting to the basket but just struggling to finish. That’s the next step.

That ability is integral to Lin’s game. He has to be able to attack and finish at the rim to be effective.

2.) Where does Jeremy Lin rank among current NBA point guards?

There is a whole lot of talent running the point in the NBA, but there are few true superstars at the position: I’d name Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Tony Parker and Steve Nash – and I’m convinced Kyrie Irving will make a run at this list. For now, you can most certainly rank Lin below these names.

ESPN 2013 Fantasy Basketball projections has Lin ranked no. 18 among point guards, right below John Wall and above Isaiah Thomas. Not bad company, but the two players he is replacing in Houston – Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry – are ranked no. 7 and no. 15 respectively.

These projections, though purely stat-based, aren’t too far off from where Lin should probably be ranked anyway. Raymond Felton is ranked no. 20.

3.) How many wins will the Rockets finish the season with? (Vegas has it +/- 30.5)

These are some very young bucks. It should be obvious very early on whether or not they will top 30 wins. If the chemistry isn’t there at the beginning of the season, it won’t be there later. Not that they have to be a well-oiled machine right away – they still have a lot to learn as a team. But they need good interpersonal chemistry; they have to like playing together.

This isn’t one of those Rockets teams that can correct itself over the course of a season. Those teams had veteran leadership and a resolve that comes with having been there and done that. This team will have to get along right away to have a chance at 30 wins. There is plenty of talent on the roster.

4.) What would it take for Jeremy Lin to be replaced in the starting line-up?

Injury. The Houston Rockets have gone all in, so to speak. This is Lin’s team for the next couple of years. There is no quarterback controversy; they aren’t making the best man win the job in camp – or why would they have signed Toney Douglas?

The Rockets have no immediate need to make the playoffs right away. Duke suggests that Rockets GM Daryl Morey is ingeniously rebuilding and turning a profit by putting Lin in the saddle – the rare win-win.

5.) Will Jeremy Lin be voted in as All-Star starter?

We Asian American fans will certainly try. But no, he won’t. Even if we leave it to those 1 billion Chinese fans with an iPad and a vote, it still won’t happen.

Today’s Chinese fan is too savvy; they know the NBA too well. They know Chris Paul is the starting PG in the West. And if not, then Russell Westbrook. They know this, man. If Lin can make any of the events at All-Star Weekend, which is in Houston, it will be as an honor and not as a token addition.

BONUS QUESTION: Where should Jeremy Lin be drafted in fantasy basketball?

As mentioned above, ESPN has him ranked no. 18 (at PG position, not overall) but you know he’s not going that low in any league with an Asian dude/dudette at the helm.

I’m in a league with the SI Universe crew, creators of the upcoming Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology. Shout-out to editors Keith Chow, Jerry Ma, Parry Shen and Jeff Yang – this is your plug. Seriously, it’s fine work. Pick one up and not just because I wrote a story for it.

Anyway, in the SI Universe league, a mandate was proposed that the randomly selected no. 1 pick would have to be used on Jeremy Lin. Get that right out of the way. I’m not sure how I feel about that rule.

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Ren Hsieh is a contributing editor. You can find him on Twitter at @TheRealRenHsieh. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

By Melody Ju

In the year that double-amputee Oscar Pistorious makes history by qualifying for an Olympic final in London and that we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the Fred Korematsu Institute brings its third annual RightsFest Film Festival—which opens dialogue on the intersection between civil rights and sports—to New York City, fittingly the birthplace of the pandemic inflamed by Jeremy Lin. Tomorrow’s closing night showcases two documentary films about athletes who transcend the adulation of celebrity and financial incentive in sporting, pioneering equality for race, gender and disability in the arena.

Director Chris Bridger’s Blind Ambition, a twelve-minute portrait of Paralympic soccer player Simon Hill, explores challenges faced and fought by participants of the underdog sport of blind football. The film recounts challenges faced both on and off the field, from Hill’s strict training regime to his full-time job to the struggle to balance both in order to finance an international career. Ultimately, the film depicts Hill’s triumph, his sustaining love for the sport.

The second part of the night features Geoff Small’s Black Power Salute, an exploration of the story behind the image that upstaged the 1968 Olympic Games. After racing to gold in the men’s 200 meters in Mexico City, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raced a clenched fist clad in black in a historic stand for Black rights, and in what has endured as an iconic image of human rights, liberation and solidarity. The film explores the events leading up to the infamous “Black Power” salute, the subsequent backlash and destruction of three athletic careers, and the permanent transformation of the Olympic Games. The showing will be followed by a Q&A discussion with Tommie Smith, now age 68, and director Geoff Small.

Tickets are available for purchase here.

The Korematsu Institute describes their inspiration for this year’s festival line-up:

Inspired by the national dialogue about sports and equality during the height of “Linsanity” in February, the 40th anniversary of Title IX in June, and Oscar Pistorius’ historic participation in the London Olympics, RightsFest 2012 shines a spotlight on civil rights and sports. This year’s festival offers six documentary films about athletes who face equal challenges on and off the track, field or court, due to their race, gender or disability.

The RightsFest line-up also includes a centerpiece presentation of Transcending: the Wat Misaka Story, which chronicles the journey of the first minority basketball player in the NBA, becoming the New York Knicks first-ever draft pick in 1947.

Co-directors Christine Toy Johnson and Bruce Alan Johnson will be present for a Q&A discussion following the screening.

The second film in the centerpiece presentation is In Her Corner, a profile on 2012 Olympic bronze medal boxer Marlen Esparza. CNN host Soledad O’Brian will join a Q&A discussion following the screening.

Olympic gold medalist, Tommie Smith, will also be on hand to discuss one of sports’ most iconic images following Saturday night’s screening of Geoff Small’s Black Power Salute.

Tickets are only $8 per night (each night includes two films). For more ticket information and a full listing of the festival line-up, visit www.rightsfest.org.