New York is getting (L)insane

And So It Begins

I’m studying in Seville, Spain this semester and am currently sitting in a hostel in Madrid. I’m about 5,000 miles away and 6 hours ahead of New York and the Eastern Time Zone. But yet, Linsanity (much like Lin himself) knows no boundaries. I don’t want to sit here and run through his life story, as impressive as it is, because I’m sure everyone has heard all about it: Harvard grad, undrafted rookie, released by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets in the same summer, Knicks last man off the bench. But just when things got desperate and Coach D’Antoni entered his “I’ll try anything” phase due to the continued poor execution of the Knicks offense and rain of boos and chants coming from the Garden crowd, in came Lin against the New Jersey Nets. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Now I’ll admit, as should everyone else, that I thought Lin was a one game fluke. A one game fluke. Then a two game fluke. Then a three game fluke. After all, in those three games Lin may have averaged 25 points and 8 assists but it was against the Nets, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards. So how much credit could we give Lin after that? The numbers are without a doubt impressive but what would happen if he went up against a team that has legit aspirations to not just keep their heads above water (Nets, Wizards) nor simply be content with making the playoffs (Jazz) but rather a team that was title worthy. Cue the Los Angeles Lakers.

A Test for the Ages

The game was on at 2:00AM in Spain. However, this morning I managed to catch the replay of the second half of the game because ESPN reran it at around 10:00AM Spanish time. It was a game against the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers, against Kobe Bryant, THE Kobe Bryant, in Madison Square Garden, on national television. If there were a game to truly prove that he belonged in the starting lineup of an NBA team, this was it. The Knicks, without Amar’e and Carmelo, walked out with a starting lineup that seemed to closely resemble that of a summer league team: Lin, Landry Fields, Bill Walker, Jared Jeffries, and Tyson Chandler. Chandler is obviously the exception to that summer league comment. But Lin was an undrafted rookie, Fields was drafted in the middle of the second round, and Walker/Jeffries are decent role players when they are at their best. The team was in no way, shape, or form fit for a national television appearance against the Lakers. Lin was going to have to deal with veteran players who have seen it all; Kobe and Matt Barnes are two of the best on-ball defenders in the league. Surely they can stop this lowly Harvard grad that has taken the nation by storm.

Think again.

It was more than weird seeing ESPN’s “star comparison” of the stats between Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin. But by the end of the game it was all Lin. 38 points (highest point total this season by a Knicks player, a team that includes a starting All-Star forward on it in Anthony) and 7 assists. Sure, he had 6 turnovers as well as 8 turnovers in the game against the Jazz but give the guy a break, he is still learning how to play big minutes in the NBA.

Sparking the Team

Jeremy Lin has injected this New York Knicks team with life. He’s made basketball fun for this team and for the city of New York again. I can’t remember the last time this team truly looked this happy playing the game of basketball. Lin seems to be able to do it all. He has tremendous vision and a first step that is so quick that defenders don’t know what hit them. Think you can switch on a pick and roll? Lin will shoot it from the outside over your reeling big man. Can he move the ball and find the open man? Tyson Chandler hasn’t played pick and roll this well since he was catching lobs from Chris Paul in New Orleans. Jeremy Lin, in his first true four games of his NBA career, has been nothing short of stupendous.

The Return of the Big Names

All the pressure is on Carmelo Anthony now. Stoudemire is going to return and fit in very nicely with Lin. Stoudemire, much like Chandler, knows how to play the pick-and-roll. But Carmelo Anthony needs the ball in his hands but has proven this season that he cannot be trusted with playmaking responsibilities. Can Lin and Carmelo coexist? Or more specifically, can Carmelo accept the fact that the ball won’t be in his hands all the time now?

This team went down the toilet with ‘Melo on the court and Lin on the bench. The same team is now flourishing with Lin on the court and ‘Melo hurt on the bench. Lin is now a fan favorite, receiving M-V-P chants whenever he gets to the foul line. If Carmelo comes in and breaks up the chemistry of this team I more than expect to see the 2012 All-Star starter sitting on the bench during big games, taking a back seat to Lin. ‘Melo may make more money, but winning, especially in New York, comes first.

Lin passed his test when it came to playing a respected team, but his next test will come when he has an off night. He is not going to be able to shoot over 50% every game this season. He is a starting point guard now, which means that teams are now going to plan against him. He is the newest sensation in the NBA, but he is no longer the NBA’s biggest surprise. This honeymoon phase in Lin’s NBA career can’t and won’t last forever, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still remain a starting point guard.

It’s tough to tell what the future holds for Jeremy Lin and his role of starting point guard/Knicks savior. Our first impressions tell us ‘no way’ when it comes to Lin being able to keep the team winning. But people have doubted Jeremy Lin his whole basketball career and they have been proven wrong every time.