Patrick Beverley -- not Jeremy Lin -- will be on the floor when the revamped Houston Rockets tip off their season Wednesday.
After coach Kevin McHale declined to reveal his opening-night starters, forward Chandler Parsons told reporters that Houston's lineup would include Beverley instead of Lin.
For his part, Lin downplayed the situation.
"I have known for a while so it is not really a surprise for me," Lin said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I think for me, I am just focused on basketball. You know, I need to control what I do when I am out there, like I said. I feel like I am beating a dead horse with some of the things I'm saying."
Lin said minutes mean more than starting.
"Last year, I started and there were games where I didn't play much," he said, according to the Chronicle. "I might play the first six minutes of each half and that was it. You have to look at the game as a whole, like how many minutes you play and what you do when you are on the floor. So for me, it is not that big of a deal for me being in the second unit and being able to attack and have that freedom to be able to be freelancing a bit. I think that will be fun."
Parsons had let the cat out of the bag Tuesday. "Did [McHale] not tell you guys who is starting? I don't know why it is a big surprise," he said, according to the newspaper.
Beverley, who spent parts of five years playing overseas before joining Houston last season, outplayed Lin throughout the preseason, drawing rave reviews from Rockets coaches and the local media.
McHale, who proclaimed during the preseason that Houston has "two starting point guards," has said he would not disclose his opening-night starting lineup until Wednesday evening, hours before the Rockets play the Charlotte Bobcats.
"I haven't had the fortune to play in the NBA on opening night," Beverley said, according to the Chronicle. "This will be my first one. I am definitely excited."
Lin said earlier this week that he "would love to start" but that he will accept a lesser role.
Lin and Beverley were on different trajectories last season.
After averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in the regular season, Lin slumped to 4.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in the playoffs. Beverley went from 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in the regular season to 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in the postseason.