WARRIORS NOTEBOOK

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Jeremy Lin took a seat in a small room in front of an array of television crews, photographers and print media Wednesday afternoon. He'd never seen anything like that at Harvard.

"This is unbelievable," Lin said after the Warriors signed the undrafted free-agent guard. "I've never been part of something like this."

He's being celebrated as the first Asian American player signed by the Warriors since Raymond Townsend in 1980 - and one of a handful in NBA history.

"I consider myself a basketball player more than an Asian American," said the Palo Alto High grad who led his team to a Division II state championship in 2006. "I'm ready to play at this level and I appreciate the support of the Asian community. This is a dream come true. I always wanted to be in the NBA and now I get to do it with the Warriors, the team I grew up watching. ... I had my Latrell Sprewell poster and Joe Smith jersey."

The 21-year-old Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Harvard, highlighted by a 30-point, nine-rebound performance against Connecticut.

"I understand there are not many Asians in the NBA and there are not many Ivy Leaguers in the NBA," Lin said. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype."

Lee should be ready: Forward David Lee will have the injured middle finger on his right (nonshooting) hand in a splint for about six weeks and the Warriors expect him to be healthy before training camp opens in late September.

The Warriors said Dr. Bill Green, who examined the finger in San Francisco, called Lee's injury a "mallet finger" - described on medical Web sites as damage to the extensor tendon that helps one straighten a finger. It happens when a ball hits the tip of a finger.

Lee's injury occurred Tuesday, the first day of tryouts for USA Basketball, and the injury will keep him out of the World Championships in Turkey later this summer.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/21/SPTF1EHVRL.DTL#ixzz0uYF9bUcF