Jeremy Lin, who was a restricted free agent of the New York Knicks, signed a 3 year $25 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets. The Knicks brass decided not to match this offer sheet and consequently, Lin is now a very rich man and projected starting point guard for the Rockets. This recent series of events is just the latest chapter in one the greatest sports stories I have ever witnessed. I just wish the media and other folks just let it naturally be what it is and stop trying to create more of a story.
Lin burst into the media spotlight earlier in 2012 when due to an abundance of key Knicks injuries, he was given an opportunity to play and he made the most of it. It was truly a sports magical moment. He sparkled on court, giving opponents fits, the Knicks a needed boost and the fans something great to cheer about. And not only did he play great, he was helping the Knicks win games.
What really made Lin's story amazing was his background. He was the ultimate underdog story, making it big against all odds. It wasn't just that he was an unknown bench player who capitalized on his opportunity, Lin is of Asian decent and played college basketball at Harvard. Bottom line is you just don't have many Asian or Ivy League players making it in the NBA. It was refreshing to see and couldn't have been written any better if it was a fictional tale.
The problem is people are trying to rewrite this story. No one enjoyed Lin's rise to fame more than I did, but the truth is Lin is not a superstar player. I predicted in a previous post that Lin would not even be starting for the Knicks at the end of last season and he wasn't - it was really due to injury but his "pixie dust" was fading too. It's amazing how your fortune can change when you've now been scouted and analyzed by other teams. I think Lin is a good player, a role player that can contribute and he can have a decent NBA career. But that doesn't fit the fairy tale most are setting out for him, which created all the hype around whether the Knicks should have matched the Rockets' offer sheet.
I believe the Knicks not matching the Rockets offer was the right move. New York went in another direction and traded for point guard Raymond Felton, who recently had success in the the Big Apple. Felton is a better player than Lin. Felton is totally an upgrade at that position. And for Lin, he was able to parlay his "moment" into a nice healthy contract - I can't blame him at all for signing it. So it really was a win-win for the Knicks and Lin. The Knicks should not be trashed for allowing Lin to leave; they will always have the most exciting chapter in this story. Unfortunately for those that believe the hype, the best part of this tale is probably already over.
From what I understand, the Knicks front office had an issue with the 3rd year of that contract, which would have put them in a bind, making it nearly impossible avoid paying that luxury tax. Kinda ironic, considering how for over the last decade, the Knicks have been throwing lots of money to players that are mediocre on their best day.
ReplyDeleteStill, whether or not I agree with the move, the Knicks had to make their move. This is how I look at it, and any case where a player is trying to get paid; it's not my money, so why should I care?
What I don't get however is the people that are now trashing Lin for cashing in his chips by signing that offer sheet from Houston. Did they care when they guy went unknown? Were any of these people going put their own money to match Houston's offer? *Drake voice* "They wasn't with him sleeping on the couch."
LOL I agree with you totally about Lin. It was a move he had to make. He may never see a pay day like that again. You can't fault him whatsoever.
DeleteThe Rockets tweeking the offer in that 3rd year did put the Knicks in a bad position. The Knicks totally did the right thing. And bringing in Felton even made it a better move. The Knicks losing him for nothing kind of stinks but I still think ultimately the team will be better off.
You can't fault either side for their actions. You hope it works out for both Lin and the Knicks.
Felton's career never quite lived up to the promise, but it took a turn for the better when he first joined the Knicks. He was having a good run until the Carmelo trade, and any progress he had made has been stunted since.
DeleteThe Knicks gave up the farm and didn't get good pieces in return, while Denver got a lot better. They should have, at the very least, either kept Felton, or requested for Ty Lawson in a trade, coz either one of them could have played well in D'Antoni's system.
Denver stripped the core of the Knicks in the 'Melo deal and it pretty much sent NY into rebuild mode. That's why I can't undrstand a lot of the criticism of the Knicks recently - between that trade and the lockout it sent the Knicks backwards a bit.
DeleteFelton apparently had weight issues in Portland this past season which I could only assume was motivational issues. I am confident that he will be motivated again back in NYC especially since some are comparing his worth against Lin's.