Jeremy Lin Heads To Houston, Leaving a Disappointed New York Knick Fanbase
It has been a gloomy 48 hours in New York.
Weather-wise.
And it is somewhat poetic, considering the departure of one Jeremy Lin, who has been the Big Apple’s latest cult hero since Derek Jeter first came to town in 1996. The Mecca and its people have been left in a state of disbelief – to let the restricted free agent go to the Houston Rockets by not matching the offer Lin had been given – a contract for three years, $25.1 Million.
“Linsanity” took the city, heck, the world by storm.
We must all know his story by now – undrafted Asian-American player from Harvard University, jumping from his hometown team in Oakland, to playing last summer for Dallas’ summer league team, to joining the (same) Rockets early last year (who just signed him to “that ridiculous contract”).
The Rockets then decide to cut him with their point guard depth chart set with Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry, and Lin is claimed by the Knicks off waivers.
And then he gets off the bench on that Feb. 4 game versus the Nets.
A star was born.
There has been quite a bevy of movement within the League as far as players were concerned, but consensus was that the Knickerbockers were going to match whatever contract was thrown their point guard’s way. ESPN’s flagship SportsCenter and other similar outlets were talking about how the Knicks said they would “match anything up to a billion dollars,” but ultimately they rescinded.
Instead, they traded for a former Knick in Raymond Felton, who was actually effective during his stay in Madison Square Garden before being traded for Carmelo Anthony. They also signed an old nemesis in Jason Kidd, whose best years playing were as the Captain of the then-New Jersey Nets. With substantial financial commitments to their three stars in Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and (reigning Defensive Player of the Year) Tyson Chandler, the Knicks thought it best not to absorb the luxury tax penalties Lin’s contract would have presented because of the NBA’s salary cap rules.
I was at that game on Feb. 10th, when my beloved Los Angeles Lakers were in town for their annual lone visit to New York.
I share the exact following sentiments, as I quote our buddy from GotEmCoach.com:
“I paid for Kobe. I got my money’s worth from Lin.”
Jeremy Lin could do no wrong that night. And the energy in the Garden was unlike anything I have ever been a part of. It kind of made me wish I could root for the Knicks.
Maybe I was, a little.
You have to respect that stat line, and the fashion in which he delivered – 38 points against one of the best teams in the League, with a pair of 7 footers guarding the paint, and two excellent perimeter defenders in Kobe Bryant and the former Ron Artest, now Metta World Peace. I was seated in a section of mostly Laker fans.
“I paid for Kobe. I got my money’s worth from Lin.” – GotEmCoach.com
We were all quiet for most of the game.
Speaking as an Asian, there is a sense of pride with his success, and I think it is something a lot of us share. As a New Yorker, Lin also represented the city with that much more appropriateness. He has created such a likable persona, with his humility and eloquence serving as the perfect tools to attract all sorts of people. Including big time sponsors.
Oh by the way, a couple of nights after that Laker dominance, Jeremy goes to Toronto and delivers another clutch moment:
The video above also mentions how MSG stocks had been rising with the emergence of Lin. This was one of the many awesome things that his implosion has brought, along with new interest generated from people who do not watch basketball, as well as viewership from the Asian community not just in the U.S., but worldwide.
As of yesterday, MSG stock dropped 8.5% when it was clear that the Knicks were not re-signing Lin.
And so now Lin moves on. It’s a win for him in regards to playing time, as he goes to a team that got rid of the two point guards they had. He gets to step away from the hindrance that is the ball-stopping tendency of Carmelo Anthony, who for some reason veered away from the team-oriented system Mike D’Antoni implemented. That same system provided results once the right point guard was in place to run it.
D’Antoni eventually gave in and just up and left, and now it’s Lin’s turn to walk.
The Knicks and Lin do have one thing in common – they now have to prove they can win without each other.
Thank you, Jeremy, for providing the most fun stretch of basketball for all of us last season.
