I'm going to begin this by saying I don't like the Lakers. I never have, never will. Ever since the 2002 Western Conference Finals and then later meeting Kobe Bryant in college at the gym (he was a complete jerk), I just cannot stand purple and gold.

But now they've gone and signed Jeremy Lin, and I'm absolutely torn.

Lin, the first Taiwanese-American professional basketball player in the NBA, become an international sensation in 2012 after nearly being cut by the New York Knicks, averaging more than 20 points and nearly nine assists in the dozen games he started in.

I had just moved to New York City when "Linsanity" hit, and it was electrifying. I've always loved the NBA, but watching Lin play brought back every feeling I had as a kid watching the Kings' starting dream team dominate Arco Arena: Bibby, Webber, Stojakovic. (For more of my long-time love affair with the Sacramento Kings, read here.)

But since being traded to the Rockets at the end of the 2012 season, Lin struggled to perform at the same level that created “Linsanity” in New York. In his first year in Houston, Lin started all 82 games, but ended the season well-below expectations. “I'll be my harshest critic but I'll go ahead and say it: I'm doing terrible,” Lin admitted after a December 2012 game against the Toronto Raptors.

This past season with the Rockets, Lin started in less than half of the games he played.