If the doctors didn't find much damage to the bone surface, Jeremy could recover in 2-3 weeks and "certainly" in 4 weeks. Six weeks is basically a worst-case scenario. That's what this doctor said, anyways, and apparently other doctors agree.
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7765724
For example, he says it's common for football players with the same surgery to come back in 3 weeks. Even if Jeremy takes an extra week just to be cautious (which he should), he could be plenty healthy enough for the playoffs. With J-Lin, the Knicks have a real shot at beating the Bulls.
I don't want Jeremy Lin rushing back. Let him take all the time that he needs in the interests of his long term health. If the Knicks don't make the playoffs oh well ... that is what you get for hiring guys like D'Antoni in the first place.
Not only that, D'Antoni was a winning coach for the Suns (which is why the Knicks wanted him in the first place), while Woodson was a losing coach for the Hawks.
Dolan got rid of 4 of 6 top players in the 2011 trade; that also caused so many new players and the coach to try to build team chemistry from scratch again; combine that with Dolan mismatching the coach with a certain key player.
Also, according to J.R. Smith (a 3 point specialist), the D'Antoni-Lin caused Linsanity is the reason he signed with the Knicks over other teams because he wanted to be part of it. However, once the the two mega-money stars returned from injury, Jeremy Lin was reduced to being a *semi* role player (this is why Lin stated in the media that his scoring and stats will go down) and the backup players that Lin meshed so well with (on such short notice) went back to being backups. Subsequently, we all know about the 6-game losing streak right off the ball. Of course when Woodson took over, Lin was fully (or almost fully) reduced to being a role player - which I CAN UNDERSTAND under the circumstances.
D'Antoni gave Lin his first break only after everything else that he tried at point guard (not only Bibby and Douglas but a 2 shooting guard lineup with Shumpert and Fields) failed, and was still trying to replace Lin with Deron Williams even after Lin was burning up the NBA. As far as "while Woodson was losing with the Hawks" ... where D'Antoni had as many as 5 All-Stars on his team simultaneously in Phoenix, I dare you to name 3 players that Woodson coached in Atlanta. Even with Lin, Melo and Stoudemire fully healthy and playing at the same time, the Knicks are nowhere near as talented as were the Suns under D'Antoni, and that's why he was unable to replicate his success there in New York.
"Dolan got rid of 4 of 6 top players in the 2011 trade; that also caused so many new players and the coach to try to build team chemistry from scratch again; combine that with Dolan mismatching the coach with a certain key player."
Oh please. If they were "top players", why did they go 32-50 in 2008? 29-53 in 2009? And in 2010, they went 42-40 only because Anthony came in at the end of the season and helped them sneak in the playoffs by scoring 26 points a game. Yes, the Knicks hired D'Antoni because he won a lot of games, but don't ignore that the Suns fired him because he couldn't deliver a championship despite all that talent. There is no way to be certain that the Knicks will be able to assemble as much talent as D'Antoni enjoyed in Phoenix, and more to the point even if they do there is no reason to believe that he will produce superior results. Plenty of NBA titles have been won with less talent than D'Antoni failed to so much as even guide to the NBA Finals. D'Antoni underachieved with the Suns, and it certainly looks like he was underachieving with the Knicks too. Leaving Lin on the bench while starting both Shumpert and Fields was part of that underachievement.
Basically what I said was if there were no D'Antoni, Lin might not even had a chance to show his skills. His first two teams didn't see it. I didn't say how great coach D'Antoni is. But as a fan of JLin, I have to be thankful that he gave Lin a chance. (Even if it was desperation). Sometimes you have to go through a lot of negative to be bless with something positive.
I'm not sure if I was watching the same NBA that unknown was watching.
I'm a Phx fan, and I will emphatically state that Dantoni did not "underachieve" with the Suns.
The Suns were a terrific team that simply kept running into Dirk, Tim, and Kobe. It took superstar efforts to beat Dantoni and the Suns, but that's what was in the West during those years. Dantoni did a MASTERFUL job with those Suns teams but just couldn't beat guys like Tim Duncan. I don't know if the Suns would've beaten Duncan's Spurs in Dantoni's final Suns year had Grant Hill not had that midseason appendectomy that caused opponents to attack him on both ends, but I certainly wasn't going to blame Shaq who played excellently for Phx.
I don't remember a lot of things, but I defintely remember that DAntoni was NOT fired by the Suns. When his contract with the Suns ran out, GM Steve Kerr wanted him to stay. Chicago and NY offered Dantoni more money, and NY is where Dantoni ended up.
Mike Dantoni probably would've started Deron Williams and Lin together. In his system, the point guards play off the high pick and roll on either side of the court. If Lin failed to get a score, the ball would swing to Williams. This is no different from how Dantoni started Joe Johnson and Steve Nash together as essentially two dribble driving pgs. Lin played SG in college and would have been terrific alongside DWill in the starting lineup.
For some reason, unknown has totally forgotten that the 2009 Knick season was thrown away by Dolan and upper management in their effort to acquire Lebron James. The Knicks "settled" for Amare Stoudemire but also added Raymond Felton in free agency. With a maturing Gallinari and draft steal Landry Fields, the Knicks under Dantoni were a winning team. Then Dolan forced the Carmelo Anthony trade which disrupted the Knicks and caused the team to lose more than it won.
unknown also forgot that the Knicks in 2008 traded their two leading scorers Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford at the beginning of the season. Plus, Dantoni had to wrestle with Stephon Marbury who has been a cancer for every NBA team he played with but wears a halo and championship ring in China. Dantoni had Chris Duhon playing better than he's ever played, and history has amply demonstrated that Chris Duhon is a solid backuo pg but no starter like he was for Dantoni. Plus, malcontent and overweight Eddy Curry was in the process of running himself out of the NBA.
Woodson had a very good team assembled for him in Atlanta. They were Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress (averaged 10 ppg as a key reserve before signing the $35 million contract with Olympiacos), Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia. That team had 4 All Stars and a 6th Man of the Year, so that's pretty stacked.
Mike Dantoni overlooked Lin in the first part of the season, but he DID give Lin a chance and deserves credit for that.
"The number of days missed for lateral meniscal tears and medial meniscal tears was 43.8 ± 35.7 days and 40.9 ± 29.7 days, respectively, and was not statistically different. ... Twenty-five players (19.4%) did not return to play. For those who did, upon returning to competition, there was no statistical change in PER from their preinjury status, and the mean number of seasons completed was 4.1 ± 3.7 seasons."
Lin *might* be stuck with the Knicks for one more year because only for next year, no team can offer him more than the league's average salary of about $5 mil, and they have the first right of refusal. Of course Lin could get lucky if they let him go (It *is* possible because things could be complicated for the Knicks) or if he insists on leaving. After that, starting 2013, Lin is an unrestricted free agent.
According to a few articles I've read regarding Lin's *restricted* free agent status next year : IF Lin does re-sign with the the Knicks, it would be THE BEST THING for Jeremy Lin (but the WORST THING for the Knicks) if he re-sign for JUST ONE YEAR. And of course JUST THE OPPOSITE if the Knicks can manipulate Lin to sign a long-term contract at mid-level salary (by convincing Lin that it's a great deal because his value and marketability wouldn't last).
Hhahaha.... Lin is too smart to be taken advantage of like that.
And Lin has just started, thus Lin will ONLY IMPROVE with more experience.
I think Jeremy will be in new york at least one more year cuz the Knicks are not trying to lose him after all the money he help the organization make and I highly doubt Lin is the type of guy to demand a trade or make a scene.The knicks would be crazy not to pay him the 5 mill. That being said, I hope he ends up staying in New York for a while since its just convenient for me since I'm a Knicks fan :)
"... I highly doubt Lin is the type of guy to demand a trade or make a scene... "
Hi Rizzy - of course not!
But he can say, "Can I handsome-please go and play in my HOMESTATE?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the REAL superstars?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the DEFENSE-dominated system? How about replacing me with a freak athlete to help implement THE WINNING strategy".
I agree, Lin needs to keep his options open. Lots of teams are a point guard like Lin away from being champions. Can you imagine him on the Heat? He'd take a paycut but he would win rings.
"But he can say, "Can I handsome-please go and play in my HOMESTATE?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the REAL superstars?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the DEFENSE-dominated system? How about replacing me with a freak athlete to help implement THE WINNING strategy"."
He will say that, and the Knicks will say no. And that will be the end of it.
Lazy:
So, you don't think that Lin will mesh with Melo, but you think that he will with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James? I know that Wade and James aren't considered "selfish hero ball" types, but those guys plus Bosh will demand PLENTY of scoring opportunities. Also, they are a half-court oriented defensive team just like the Knicks are going to be under Woodson, so wherein lies the improvement? Further, Wade can play both guard spots: point and shooting guard. James has point guard skills too. Neither of those guys - both likely future NBA Hall of Famers! - are going to change their games to accommodate Lin. So, Lin would handle the ball MORE and come off the ball LESS than he would in New York, because where in Miami you would have THREE guys in the starting lineup with point guard skills instead of in New York where you would only have LIN with that game and the other 4 guys needing Lin to get them the ball. (That is another thing: Wade, Bosh and James can all create their own shots and don't need a point guard to set them up.)
Other than Miami being more likely to win a title, the Knicks are a better situation than the Heat for Lin in every way.
For the record, Jeremy doesn't owe the Knicks anything.
They didn't give him a chance until the last possible moment. They sent him to D-League. They were about to cut him until he had an incredible game against the Nets. And many if not most Knicks fans and media members called him a scrub who could never amount to anything. And even during Linsanity they kept picking on his turnovers and underselling his defense and potential.
If Melo is here to stay, Jeremy should consider other options. Their styles of play just don't mix very well. Can they "make it work"? Probably. But Jeremy will never realize his full potential. So he should do what is best for his career. He could be a franchise-type player for the Nets (D-Will's leaving) or Suns (once Nash retires).
Their styles of play mix fine. The "problem" is that Lin wouldn't lead the team in scoring. He would still score plenty, get a ton of assists and win a lot of games, possibly a championship. But if he goes to the Nets or depleted Suns, sure he will lead that team in scoring, but how many games will he win?
I think that Lin could lead either the Nets or Suns to the playoffs.
In the case of the Suns, Lin's biggest contribution would be on defense. While I have always believed that Steve Nash is a far better 1on1 defender than people realize, he's not the physical rangy lane clogging shot blocking help threat that Lin is. The three guys that would turn their careers around with Lin helping them are Robin Lopez, Hakim Warrick, and especially Josh Childress.
New Jersey has some nice players despite Deron Williams' tendency to put on the blinders when it comes to looking for his own shot. Lin would turn Kris Humphries into the Eastern Conference Blake Griffin while turning Anthony Morrow and Marshon Brooks into big time scorers. Plus, Lin is a far better and headier 4th quarter player than Williams who dribbles all over the place to beat his defender and then gets his bailout passes easily picked off by defenses waiting patiently for his moves to run out.
I like the idea of Lin going to the Brooklyn Nets after another 1-2 years seasoning on the Knicks ...
1. Lin already has an adoring fan base with NYC basketball fans. The idea that NYC basketball fans don't appreciate Lin is wrong. The Linsanity streak has already been mythologized. Ironically, the knee injury has raised Lin's public image in NYC. While Lin's game would be furthered by play-off experience, his 'Q rating' would actually go up if the Knicks miss the play-offs without him. (Don't think Anthony doesn't understand that in the team alpha-dog race, he wins if the Knicks make the play-offs with him leading the way, without Lin and Stoudamire.)
2. The Brooklyn Nets will be new and in search of a brand and identity. There is no better identity for a NYC team than one based on Jeremy Lin's leadership, swagger, and tough gutsy play on the court, and his grounded humility and meta self-awareness off the court. Brooklyn is also proudly ethnic and full of immigrant stock, and Lin is ethnic, a 1st generation American. With Lin as their face, the Nets would become the descendants of the Brooklyn Dodgers in that regard. Even Lin's evangelical Christianity would play better in the outer boroughs, where traditional religiosity is respected, than secular Manhattan.
3. The team pieces should fit. Assuming Deron Williams is on his way to the Mavs, the Nets will have all the makings of a rebuilding team in search of a franchise-defining leader. Lin is now in his Mavs Nash phase, except he's younger than Nash at the same juncture; after 1-2 years of his game maturing with the Knicks, Lin could join the Nets ready to take over in his Suns Nash phase.
4. An immediate Knicks-Nets city rivalry, with a Lin-led Nets versus a Melo-led Knicks, would polarize the city. The Nets ownership couldn't ask for a better start to their Brooklyn franchise than that.
5. If Lin stays in NYC with the Brooklyn Nets, I'd get to watch him all the time on a local broadcast.
Brooklyn basketball fans are Knicks fans, and while many will convert to the BK Nets eventually, it's not a given that they will change allegiances quickly. Lin would convert Brooklyn fans from the Knicks to the the BK Nets right away.
To me, it doesn't matter if he plays in the post season or not:
1. He's already proved that he can play at the NBA level.
2. He will better and he will be an All Star someday.
3. He is what the NBA needs more of: An unselfish player with good heart and a likeable character.
Seeing him return to play for a Knicks playoff team will be icing on the cake .... but I am already satisfied by what he's done so far, and I think most Lin fans will agree.
It's about the man he is, not the games he has won :)
There are pro/cons for Lin in the Knicks missing the play-offs or limping into the play-offs and getting knocked out quickly versus the Knicks playing well enough without Lin so Lin can come back in time to gain valuable play-off experience.
I'm inclined to root for the Knicks making the play-offs so Lin can gain that experience. You can't substitute for play-off experience, especially against a play-off tested team like the Heat or Bulls. Steve Nash got plenty of play-off experience before he took over the Suns.
Great! Get well soon JLin!
ReplyDeleteIf the doctors didn't find much damage to the bone surface, Jeremy could recover in 2-3 weeks and "certainly" in 4 weeks. Six weeks is basically a worst-case scenario. That's what this doctor said, anyways, and apparently other doctors agree.
ReplyDeletehttp://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7765724
For example, he says it's common for football players with the same surgery to come back in 3 weeks. Even if Jeremy takes an extra week just to be cautious (which he should), he could be plenty healthy enough for the playoffs. With J-Lin, the Knicks have a real shot at beating the Bulls.
I don't want Jeremy Lin rushing back. Let him take all the time that he needs in the interests of his long term health. If the Knicks don't make the playoffs oh well ... that is what you get for hiring guys like D'Antoni in the first place.
DeleteD'Antoni gave Jeremy his first break, without him there might not have Linsanity.
Deleteswagcityusa,
DeleteNot only that, D'Antoni was a winning coach for the Suns (which is why the Knicks wanted him in the first place), while Woodson was a losing coach for the Hawks.
Dolan got rid of 4 of 6 top players in the 2011 trade; that also caused so many new players and the coach to try to build team chemistry from scratch again; combine that with Dolan mismatching the coach with a certain key player.
Also, according to J.R. Smith (a 3 point specialist), the D'Antoni-Lin caused Linsanity is the reason he signed with the Knicks over other teams because he wanted to be part of it. However, once the the two mega-money stars returned from injury, Jeremy Lin was reduced to being a *semi* role player (this is why Lin stated in the media that his scoring and stats will go down) and the backup players that Lin meshed so well with (on such short notice) went back to being backups. Subsequently, we all know about the 6-game losing streak right off the ball. Of course when Woodson took over, Lin was fully (or almost fully) reduced to being a role player - which I CAN UNDERSTAND under the circumstances.
swagcityusa:
DeleteD'Antoni gave Lin his first break only after everything else that he tried at point guard (not only Bibby and Douglas but a 2 shooting guard lineup with Shumpert and Fields) failed, and was still trying to replace Lin with Deron Williams even after Lin was burning up the NBA. As far as "while Woodson was losing with the Hawks" ... where D'Antoni had as many as 5 All-Stars on his team simultaneously in Phoenix, I dare you to name 3 players that Woodson coached in Atlanta. Even with Lin, Melo and Stoudemire fully healthy and playing at the same time, the Knicks are nowhere near as talented as were the Suns under D'Antoni, and that's why he was unable to replicate his success there in New York.
"Dolan got rid of 4 of 6 top players in the 2011 trade; that also caused so many new players and the coach to try to build team chemistry from scratch again; combine that with Dolan mismatching the coach with a certain key player."
Oh please. If they were "top players", why did they go 32-50 in 2008? 29-53 in 2009? And in 2010, they went 42-40 only because Anthony came in at the end of the season and helped them sneak in the playoffs by scoring 26 points a game. Yes, the Knicks hired D'Antoni because he won a lot of games, but don't ignore that the Suns fired him because he couldn't deliver a championship despite all that talent. There is no way to be certain that the Knicks will be able to assemble as much talent as D'Antoni enjoyed in Phoenix, and more to the point even if they do there is no reason to believe that he will produce superior results. Plenty of NBA titles have been won with less talent than D'Antoni failed to so much as even guide to the NBA Finals. D'Antoni underachieved with the Suns, and it certainly looks like he was underachieving with the Knicks too. Leaving Lin on the bench while starting both Shumpert and Fields was part of that underachievement.
a mole in this site, supposedly an "asian" but probably related to m or w, ha! Or one of the man's inner circle. lmao.
DeleteArguing in circles.
*top player* is correct - DON'T TAKE IT OUT OF CONTEXT !!! 4 of 6 top Knicks' players at the time ... do some research if you're not sure.
Basically what I said was if there were no D'Antoni, Lin might not even had a chance to show his skills. His first two teams didn't see it. I didn't say how great coach D'Antoni is. But as a fan of JLin, I have to be thankful that he gave Lin a chance. (Even if it was desperation). Sometimes you have to go through a lot of negative to be bless with something positive.
DeleteI'm not sure if I was watching the same NBA that unknown was watching.
DeleteI'm a Phx fan, and I will emphatically state that Dantoni did not "underachieve" with the Suns.
The Suns were a terrific team that simply kept running into Dirk, Tim, and Kobe. It took superstar efforts to beat Dantoni and the Suns, but that's what was in the West during those years. Dantoni did a MASTERFUL job with those Suns teams but just couldn't beat guys like Tim Duncan. I don't know if the Suns would've beaten Duncan's Spurs in Dantoni's final Suns year had Grant Hill not had that midseason appendectomy that caused opponents to attack him on both ends, but I certainly wasn't going to blame Shaq who played excellently for Phx.
I don't remember a lot of things, but I defintely remember that DAntoni was NOT fired by the Suns. When his contract with the Suns ran out, GM Steve Kerr wanted him to stay. Chicago and NY offered Dantoni more money, and NY is where Dantoni ended up.
Mike Dantoni probably would've started Deron Williams and Lin together. In his system, the point guards play off the high pick and roll on either side of the court. If Lin failed to get a score, the ball would swing to Williams. This is no different from how Dantoni started Joe Johnson and Steve Nash together as essentially two dribble driving pgs. Lin played SG in college and would have been terrific alongside DWill in the starting lineup.
For some reason, unknown has totally forgotten that the 2009 Knick season was thrown away by Dolan and upper management in their effort to acquire Lebron James. The Knicks "settled" for Amare Stoudemire but also added Raymond Felton in free agency. With a maturing Gallinari and draft steal Landry Fields, the Knicks under Dantoni were a winning team. Then Dolan forced the Carmelo Anthony trade which disrupted the Knicks and caused the team to lose more than it won.
unknown also forgot that the Knicks in 2008 traded their two leading scorers Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford at the beginning of the season. Plus, Dantoni had to wrestle with Stephon Marbury who has been a cancer for every NBA team he played with but wears a halo and championship ring in China. Dantoni had Chris Duhon playing better than he's ever played, and history has amply demonstrated that Chris Duhon is a solid backuo pg but no starter like he was for Dantoni. Plus, malcontent and overweight Eddy Curry was in the process of running himself out of the NBA.
Woodson had a very good team assembled for him in Atlanta. They were Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress (averaged 10 ppg as a key reserve before signing the $35 million contract with Olympiacos), Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia. That team had 4 All Stars and a 6th Man of the Year, so that's pretty stacked.
Mike Dantoni overlooked Lin in the first part of the season, but he DID give Lin a chance and deserves credit for that.
6 weeks isn't the worst case. It's the average case.
DeleteGood to hear that it was successful. Take your time to heal. I look forward to seeing a healthy Jeremy bring the excitement to the NBA again.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehoping for a speedy recovery for Lin in time for the playoffs...Linsanity is not over this season till the fat lady sings!...go knicks!...
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see you play
ReplyDeletepraying that he heals and recovers well....
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling this injury is a prelude to the second phase of linsanity....in the PLAYOFFS.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22130472
ReplyDelete"The number of days missed for lateral meniscal tears and medial meniscal tears was 43.8 ± 35.7 days and 40.9 ± 29.7 days, respectively, and was not statistically different. ... Twenty-five players (19.4%) did not return to play. For those who did, upon returning to competition, there was no statistical change in PER from their preinjury status, and the mean number of seasons completed was 4.1 ± 3.7 seasons."
Wish Jeremy a thorough recovery....
ReplyDeleteThen it's time to sign with another team.
Lin *might* be stuck with the Knicks for one more year because only for next year, no team can offer him more than the league's average salary of about $5 mil, and they have the first right of refusal. Of course Lin could get lucky if they let him go (It *is* possible because things could be complicated for the Knicks) or if he insists on leaving. After that, starting 2013, Lin is an unrestricted free agent.
According to a few articles I've read regarding Lin's *restricted* free agent status next year : IF Lin does re-sign with the the Knicks, it would be THE BEST THING for Jeremy Lin (but the WORST THING for the Knicks) if he re-sign for JUST ONE YEAR. And of course JUST THE OPPOSITE if the Knicks can manipulate Lin to sign a long-term contract at mid-level salary (by convincing Lin that it's a great deal because his value and marketability wouldn't last).
Hhahaha.... Lin is too smart to be taken advantage of like that.
And Lin has just started, thus Lin will ONLY IMPROVE with more experience.
And Lin will maintain his marketability.
And what if Lin prefers to play in another city.
I think Jeremy will be in new york at least one more year cuz the Knicks are not trying to lose him after all the money he help the organization make and I highly doubt Lin is the type of guy to demand a trade or make a scene.The knicks would be crazy not to pay him the 5 mill. That being said, I hope he ends up staying in New York for a while since its just convenient for me since I'm a Knicks fan :)
Delete"... I highly doubt Lin is the type of guy to demand a trade or make a scene... "
DeleteHi Rizzy - of course not!
But he can say, "Can I handsome-please go and play in my HOMESTATE?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the REAL superstars?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the DEFENSE-dominated system? How about replacing me with a freak athlete to help implement THE WINNING strategy".
I agree, Lin needs to keep his options open. Lots of teams are a point guard like Lin away from being champions. Can you imagine him on the Heat? He'd take a paycut but he would win rings.
Deletehttp://www.dopewar.com
Lazy,
DeleteWhy would Lin be on the Heat; They already have Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers. Chalmers ain't the dude to sit on the bench.
displayname:
Delete"But he can say, "Can I handsome-please go and play in my HOMESTATE?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the REAL superstars?" and "Doesn't it conflict with the DEFENSE-dominated system? How about replacing me with a freak athlete to help implement THE WINNING strategy"."
He will say that, and the Knicks will say no. And that will be the end of it.
Lazy:
So, you don't think that Lin will mesh with Melo, but you think that he will with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James? I know that Wade and James aren't considered "selfish hero ball" types, but those guys plus Bosh will demand PLENTY of scoring opportunities. Also, they are a half-court oriented defensive team just like the Knicks are going to be under Woodson, so wherein lies the improvement? Further, Wade can play both guard spots: point and shooting guard. James has point guard skills too. Neither of those guys - both likely future NBA Hall of Famers! - are going to change their games to accommodate Lin. So, Lin would handle the ball MORE and come off the ball LESS than he would in New York, because where in Miami you would have THREE guys in the starting lineup with point guard skills instead of in New York where you would only have LIN with that game and the other 4 guys needing Lin to get them the ball. (That is another thing: Wade, Bosh and James can all create their own shots and don't need a point guard to set them up.)
Other than Miami being more likely to win a title, the Knicks are a better situation than the Heat for Lin in every way.
For the record, Jeremy doesn't owe the Knicks anything.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't give him a chance until the last possible moment. They sent him to D-League. They were about to cut him until he had an incredible game against the Nets. And many if not most Knicks fans and media members called him a scrub who could never amount to anything. And even during Linsanity they kept picking on his turnovers and underselling his defense and potential.
If Melo is here to stay, Jeremy should consider other options. Their styles of play just don't mix very well. Can they "make it work"? Probably. But Jeremy will never realize his full potential. So he should do what is best for his career. He could be a franchise-type player for the Nets (D-Will's leaving) or Suns (once Nash retires).
I vote *Like*
DeleteTheir styles of play mix fine. The "problem" is that Lin wouldn't lead the team in scoring. He would still score plenty, get a ton of assists and win a lot of games, possibly a championship. But if he goes to the Nets or depleted Suns, sure he will lead that team in scoring, but how many games will he win?
DeleteI think that Lin could lead either the Nets or Suns to the playoffs.
DeleteIn the case of the Suns, Lin's biggest contribution would be on defense. While I have always believed that Steve Nash is a far better 1on1 defender than people realize, he's not the physical rangy lane clogging shot blocking help threat that Lin is. The three guys that would turn their careers around with Lin helping them are Robin Lopez, Hakim Warrick, and especially Josh Childress.
New Jersey has some nice players despite Deron Williams' tendency to put on the blinders when it comes to looking for his own shot. Lin would turn Kris Humphries into the Eastern Conference Blake Griffin while turning Anthony Morrow and Marshon Brooks into big time scorers. Plus, Lin is a far better and headier 4th quarter player than Williams who dribbles all over the place to beat his defender and then gets his bailout passes easily picked off by defenses waiting patiently for his moves to run out.
I like the idea of Lin going to the Brooklyn Nets after another 1-2 years seasoning on the Knicks ...
Delete1. Lin already has an adoring fan base with NYC basketball fans. The idea that NYC basketball fans don't appreciate Lin is wrong. The Linsanity streak has already been mythologized. Ironically, the knee injury has raised Lin's public image in NYC. While Lin's game would be furthered by play-off experience, his 'Q rating' would actually go up if the Knicks miss the play-offs without him. (Don't think Anthony doesn't understand that in the team alpha-dog race, he wins if the Knicks make the play-offs with him leading the way, without Lin and Stoudamire.)
2. The Brooklyn Nets will be new and in search of a brand and identity. There is no better identity for a NYC team than one based on Jeremy Lin's leadership, swagger, and tough gutsy play on the court, and his grounded humility and meta self-awareness off the court. Brooklyn is also proudly ethnic and full of immigrant stock, and Lin is ethnic, a 1st generation American. With Lin as their face, the Nets would become the descendants of the Brooklyn Dodgers in that regard. Even Lin's evangelical Christianity would play better in the outer boroughs, where traditional religiosity is respected, than secular Manhattan.
3. The team pieces should fit. Assuming Deron Williams is on his way to the Mavs, the Nets will have all the makings of a rebuilding team in search of a franchise-defining leader. Lin is now in his Mavs Nash phase, except he's younger than Nash at the same juncture; after 1-2 years of his game maturing with the Knicks, Lin could join the Nets ready to take over in his Suns Nash phase.
4. An immediate Knicks-Nets city rivalry, with a Lin-led Nets versus a Melo-led Knicks, would polarize the city. The Nets ownership couldn't ask for a better start to their Brooklyn franchise than that.
5. If Lin stays in NYC with the Brooklyn Nets, I'd get to watch him all the time on a local broadcast.
Brooklyn basketball fans are Knicks fans, and while many will convert to the BK Nets eventually, it's not a given that they will change allegiances quickly. Lin would convert Brooklyn fans from the Knicks to the the BK Nets right away.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it doesn't matter if he plays in the post season or not:
ReplyDelete1. He's already proved that he can play at the NBA level.
2. He will better and he will be an All Star someday.
3. He is what the NBA needs more of: An unselfish player with good heart and a likeable character.
Seeing him return to play for a Knicks playoff team will be icing on the cake .... but I am already satisfied by what he's done so far, and I think most Lin fans will agree.
It's about the man he is, not the games he has won :)
There are pro/cons for Lin in the Knicks missing the play-offs or limping into the play-offs and getting knocked out quickly versus the Knicks playing well enough without Lin so Lin can come back in time to gain valuable play-off experience.
DeleteI'm inclined to root for the Knicks making the play-offs so Lin can gain that experience. You can't substitute for play-off experience, especially against a play-off tested team like the Heat or Bulls. Steve Nash got plenty of play-off experience before he took over the Suns.
We should remember Oikos University in our prayers, especially the wounded and those grieving their family members and friends who are deceased.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20308834/oikos-university-attracts-nursing-music-religion-students