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Jeremy Lin has been the best personal story of the NBA in years! The phenomenon of Linsanity gave the Knicks and the NBA a feel good story that had the world rooting for the underdog.
The twenty-three year old point guard received zero athletic scholarships out of high school, became a walk-on for Harvard, graduated, went undrafted in the NBA, and then reached a small contract deal with the Golden State Warriors; his hometown team. With little playing time his rookie season he bounced back and forth from the D-League before making a roster spot with the New York Knicks for the 2011-2012 season.
It was no surprise when sports fans voted for Jeremy Lin as the Best Breakthrough Athlete at the 2012 ESPY awards.
In the 35 games that Lin was healthy, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds with 25 starts before he had surgery on his knee to repair torn cartilage and earned a $788,000 paycheck as a restricted free agent.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Lin would be the starting point guard next season. But after acquiring point guard Raymond Felton in a multiple trade with the Blazers and then on July 5th the Knicks signed a three-year deal with point guard Jason Kidd making the Knicks look Lin-sane.
The Houston Rockets have offered Lin a three-year, $25 million offer that give the Knicks 72 hours to match the deal to keep him. Fellow/former teammate, Carmelo Anthony called Lin’s deal “ridiculous”.
Are the Knicks Linsane or are the Rockets Linsane? According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith the Knicks will not be matching Houston’s offer. As a fan, I liked Lin in a Knicks jersey. This is a 6’3 kid and an Ivy League graduate who started off 2011 sleeping on his brother’s couch in a one bedroom apartment on the lower eastside of Manhattan. And according to Forbes, the overnight sensation earned the Knicks an extra $10-$20 million in revenue. So I think what Melo was trying to say is that Jeremy Lin has earned a Lin-diculous offer.
The debate that Jeremy Lin hasn’t “proven” himself will be the new LeBron story for next season. What surprises me most about the Lin-sane Knicks is forgetting that in the world of sports you can win and lose in the same game. Points can win the game and sold out games are a win for the franchise. The hype of Linsanity alone filled seats, moved merchandise, made media headlines, and gave Knicks fans a reason to be Lin-sational. Even if next season is Lin-barrassing, the franchise that recognizes how Jeremy Lin can Lin-pact a team from a revenue standpoint will be bal-Lin. Jeremy Lin is Win-Lin deal.