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When the trade winds are swirling like they have in Houston over the last week, it's easy to forget that the rest of the team is still playing. And in Houston, Jeremy Lin has returned to practice after missing time recovering from back spasms over the last week. Lin suffered the injury against Golden State, and sat out the past two games against the Kings and Bulls while dealing with the spasms, but is apparently on the way back from it.
On the flight back from the Warriors game, the injury was apparently so painful that Lin could not even sit up, instead having to spend the entire flight with laying down on the floor of the plane. Spasms can be a major issue and can nag you for weeks, as we've seen with Chandler Parsons, but the hope is that Lin's spasms are less severe than Parsons were. Though Lin's status is still uncertain Friday night's game against the Pacers, at the very least it's clear that he is on the way back from his injury after having no timetable for his return just a few days ago.
Aaron Brooks has filled in admirably for Lin off the bench, but the Rockets have sorely missed his playmaking skills when Harden has left the game. At times, the bench looks directionless, and Lin can hopefully set players up for scores with his pick-and-roll ability.
With Omer Asik set to make his triumphant return to the bench, the Rockets second unit is starting to take shape again after struggling over the last few games. Injuries are a major variable factor to success, and hopefully this is the first step in many towards returning to full strength.
