To be sure, Lin is a different kind of Asian basketball player from Yao Ming. While Yao's size put him in a somewhat self-selecting group—people north of seven feet tall can certainly do a wide range of things, but they're frequently drafted into playing basketball—Lin went from Palo Alto High School to an economics degree at Harvard, but remained committed to making it as a professional basketball player. (Yao recently enrolled at Jiaotong University's Antai Economics and Management College as his post-retirement career rolls on.)

的確，林是一名不同于姚明的亞洲球員。姚明有明顯的身高優勢，7英尺高的北方人可以從事很多事情，而且他們通常都選擇打籃球。林來自帕洛阿爾托高中，進入哈佛大學學習經濟，卻決心成為職業籃球選手（近來姚明將進入交通大學的安泰經管學院學習，作為他退役后的事業）

It hasn't been an easy road for Lin. He has made several trips to the NBA's Development League, a minor league for players who show promise but need seasoning before they can compete at the highest level.

這一路林走得很辛苦。他和NBA發展聯盟簽了幾分協議，這是一個小聯盟。在這里球員有可能獲得成功，但在他們能夠在最高級別上與他讓人一較高下之前還需要很長時間。

It appears to have paid off. After keying the Knicks victory over New Jersey, Lin was named the starter for the Utah game, a position he appears to have a hold on in the shot term, as Baron Davis, signed in December to play the position, lingers on the disabled list due to a herniated disk in his back.

顯然，這一切都是值得的。在領導尼克斯隊打敗籃網隊后，在對陣爵士隊時，林被任命為首發隊員，還給他安排一個他可以堅持一段時間的位置。因為，12月任命的后衛拜倫戴維斯由于椎間盤突出不能出賽。

If he can stick with the Knicks, the stars may have aligned for Lin. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni made a name for himself with a frenetic style of play that puts particular focus on the point guard position.

如果林可以繼續呆在尼克斯，很多明星將會為他結盟在一起。尼克斯隊的教練Mike D'Antoni因其瘋狂的比賽風格而成名，他非常重視得分后衛這一位置。

After collaborating with guard Steve Nash for five successful seasons with the Phoenix Suns, D'Antoni moved to New York, where he hasn't won as much but has coached up previously middling point guards into stronger players. Chris Duhon and Raymond Felton both overcame images as limited talents under D'Antoni, blossoming into playmakers.

D'Antoni原在太陽隊任職，和納什合作，獲得了五個賽季的勝利。之后他轉到了尼克斯隊，雖然沒有獲得驕人的成績，但他卻將之前二流的得分后衛訓練成更厲害的球員。克里斯·杜洪和雷蒙德·法爾頓在D'Antoni的指導下克服天賦的局限，成長為球場上的進攻組織者。

Lin's knack for driving to the basket and finding open teammates makes him a good fit for the D'Antoni mold, but he still has a lot of work to do before he's a proven NBA star.

林運球進攻技巧純熟，還擅長找到空擋的隊友，這些特點都很符合D'Antoni的要求，但在稱為公認的NBA明星之前，他還要繼續努力。

The constant running in D'Antoni's offense, dubbed "Seven Seconds or Less" for the time expected in which the team should shoot the ball, demands great fitness—Lin appeared winded at the end of the Utah game. But he'll likely get stronger the more minutes he plays, and even if Davis returns, spelling the older, recovering player could be productive for Lin, a proven good student who can learn a lot from practicing against a veteran.

不斷奔跑就是D'Antoni的進攻戰略，叫做“七秒以內”。這是他希望球員出手投籃的時間，要求球員要有極好的身體素質。在與爵士隊的比賽結束時，林已經氣喘如牛。但精力更多地歷練以后他會變得更強。即使以后戴維斯重新歸隊，這位年長的球員也會對林產生有益影響。事實證明一個優秀的學生可以在與富有經驗的人的交流過程中學到很多。

And should things not work out for him in New York, he would almost certainly give former Knick Stephon Marbury a run for his money as the biggest star in China's own basketball league.

作為中國聯盟中的大明星，如果他沒有在尼克斯隊獲得成功，很可能會給馬布里提供機會重新上場的機會。