Reflect on your life beyond the past two weeks. With the exception of Valentine's Day, chances are that you have not had any life-changing experiences or moments where you think to yourself, "I'm going to remember this day for the rest of my life." However, two weeks ago, 99% of the United States had never heard of Jeremy Lin. One fortnight ago, Lin was the last player on the bench of the 8-15 New York Knicks. He had played double-digit minutes only once all season and had 3.5 points per game to his name. Luckily for the twenty-three-year-old Harvard grad, his brother in medical school was letting Jeremy sleep on the couch in his apartment.
And then came the
perfect storm. In a horrible tragedy, Amar'e Stoudemire's brother died in a car accident the morning of February 6th and missed four games as a result. If that wasn't enough for the New York Knicks, NBA All-Star and the league's seventh leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony, injured his groin. His status remains uncertain as he has missed five games and counting for the Knicks. New York's season appeared to be in shambles before the absence of their two elite, eighteen-million-dollar players, so the Big Apple braced itself for a nose dive when the Knicks' starting lineup was without Melo and Amar'e for the time being.
The New York Knicks needed someone to step up and lead while its stars were gone, and more specifically, they needed a point guard. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive system lives and dies on whether the team has a point guard who can distribute the ball, as well as being able to score when the game calls for it. Before February 6th, despite having four point guards on their roster, the New York Knicks were relying on Carmelo Anthony to run the offense. It was no wonder why they were losing, and Carmelo Anthony was definitely not the cause of their struggles. Carmelo Anthony is
6'8" 230 lbs. and plays
small forward. He averages
22.3 points per game because he is a natural scorer, not the orchestrator of New York's offense. Mike Bibby and Baron Davis are on the other side of thirty and clearly past their prime. They provide necessary veteran leadership but are not the players to depend on to make a high-powered offense run. Toney Douglas is a much younger option to run point, but averaging seven points, two assists, and two rebounds per game don't meet the qualifications to start in the NBA.
That left the Knicks at 0-for-4 (including Melo) in their search for a point guard with one option remaining-Jeremy Lin. Lin was claimed off of waivers on December 27th. He had been cut twice and passed up more times than that in just over one year playing professional basketball. If it weren't for Carmelo Anthony insisting on giving Jeremy Lin a chance to prove himself, he would likely be warming a seat cushion for another team or even finding a new career for himself. New York was planning on cutting him in the first two weeks of February. D'Antoni gave Lin the opportunity to make his first career start at Madison Square Garden against geographical rivals, the New Jersey Nets. Lin played three-quarters of the game and had a career night with 25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, a pair of steals, and only one turnover. More importantly, the Knicks won the game.
Sure, it was just one game, but those numbers are very impressive for a player making his first career start. So where did Jeremy Lin come from? Lin played for Palo Alto, a school that has received national publicity from its athletic accomplishments, won a California DII State Championship, and achieved the All-State honor. Similarly to his career in the NBA, colleges were unwilling to be committed to him, as University of California, Stanford, and UCLA did not offer an athletic scholarship. Lin decided on Harvard, where he was guaranteed a spot on the basketball team. Lin started turning heads as a sophomore at Harvard and averaged over sixteen points per game as a senior. His greatest performance and greatest praise were the result of a thirty point, nine rebound performance on the road against #13 Connecticut Huskies. UConn coach Jim Calhoun told reporters that Lin could play for any team he's seen play because of his skill and knowledge of the game.
After graduating from Harvard, Lin was undrafted but played with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League but was eventually cut from the roster. Lin was then signed by the Golden State Warriors, where he saw minimal playing time and scored less than three points per game. As soon as the NBA lockout ended, Golden State parted ways with the point guard and the Houston Rockets picked him up three days later. He saw the court in the preseason with the Rockets but was cut on the day before the season started on December 24th. Due to a depleted roster from injuries, the New York Knicks took their chances on Lin and signed him on the 27th.
Jeremy Lin has led the New York Knicks to their seventh straight victory and they have climbed back to .500. During this streak, Lin has averaged 24.4 points, 9.1 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. His minutes have skyrocketed and what may be most impressive about Jeremy Lin thus far is that he has sustained All-Star caliber numbers on back-to-back nights while showing only small signs of fatigue. Other than his 1-12 second half shooting against the Timber Wolves, the New York Knicks point guard has never played poorly since his rise to stardom. And remember, this win streak occurred while Amar'e was out for four games and Melo was injured for six of the seven. Lin has single-handedly revitalized Madison Square Garden and Knicks fans across the country. Never before in any professional sport, has a player gone from being unheard of to untouchable overnight.
It makes one wonder how so many teams passed him up and didn't see this potential in him, yet it was always there. He showed his basketball talents in high school at Palo Alto and then at Harvard, but the he never fit the team that signed him until now. Mike D'Antoni hit the jackpot and may have saved his job by starting Jeremy Lin on February 4th. Lin is the ultimate D'Antoni point guard and lets us reminisce about D'Antoni's stay in Pheonix, where Steve Nash was a two-time MVP. The Suns scored over one-hundred points almost every night because of their high-octance offense featuring Nash, Stoudemire, Shaun Marion, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa. Lin's court vision, unselfishness, and scoring ability have guaranteed him the starting job for the forseeable future with the Knicks. He has few apparent weaknesses so far but they can be corrected as he gets more game experience. He sometimes struggles going to his left, he has set a record for the number of turnovers he had in his first few games, and he is not a superior athlete. However, he has the right demeanor and motivation that should propel New York to a successful future.
Many fans and analysts are curious about how Carmelo Anthony will fit in the mix with Amar'e and Lin. As long as Lin continues to create open shots for his teammates and Melo doesn't feel pressured to hold onto the ball too much, the Knicks should continue to improve as they add another elite player to their starting rotation. Jeremy Lin's points per game will decline from the twenties to the twelve to fifteen range, but that is no sign of caution. Instead, he has the chance to average at least ten assists per game once he has two talented forwards who can put up big numbers on the offensive end of the court.
Jeremy Lin is a great change of pace for the league. We aren't stuck with talking about who will take the last shot for the Miami Heat, where will Dwight Howard land, or can the Lakers put enough talent around Kobe Bryant to make another Finals run. In a league filled with many self-centered players, Lin is the NBA's Tebow. He is an extremely humble, team-centered player who has exceeded expectations. While Lin isn't as outwardly religous as Tim Tebow, he frequently tweets about his Christian faith, which is never a bad thing. The Knicks are one of the most entertaining teams to watch now, with their underdog, in every sense of the word, putting up draw-dropping numbers night in and night out. Professional sports could use more stories like Jeremy Lin-an Asian-American, Ivy League graduate who has broken every stereotype about his background and athletics. When was the last time a player's name was added as a prefix to half of the words in the English language (Some of my personal favorites are the "Lintendo 64" and "Linternational House of Lin-cakes"). Two weeks ago he wasn't owned in a single ESPN Fantasy Basketball league...now he is owned in 100% of the leagues, which is all that needs to be said about his rise in popularity. New York may be on its way to becoming the third best team in the Eastern Conference if Jeremy Lin's success and the Knicks' team chemistry continues into the spring.
Don't b-Lin-k, because the combination of New York City, the Knicks being without Amar'e and Melo, social media, and a multi-racial Ivy League graduate may never be reproduced. There has never been a sensation, or Linsation, such as this. Even people who could care less about the NBA are tuning in to watch this Linspirational player. Good luck with the rest of your bright future in the NBA Jeremy Lin, and basketball fans, good luck thinking of creative ways to incorporate "Lin" into your everyday vocabulary.
