Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin Could Do Amazing Things for the New York Knicks

Earlier today, it was reported by the New York Daily News that Amar'e Stoudemire is lobbying for the New York Knicks to pursue soon-to-be free agent Steve Nash. The two have been good friends since their days together in Phoenix, and images of them together on the court bring to mind memories from the days when the duo led those Suns teams of the late naughts to the top of the Western Conference.

Knowing this, the question that follows is: what becomes of Jeremy Lin? The Knicks have found a transcendent star in Lin, one that is easily marketable on multiple continents and talented enough to commandeer an offense as embattled as the Knicks' offense.

And the Knicks brass having fallen in love with Lin's immediate success are poised to offer him the maximum allowed to a restricted free agent of his caliber. So does that leave room for Nash to have a role on this team? The answer is a resounding "yes."

In the latter stages of career, Steve Nash can offer the Knicks much needed leadership and a keen sense for providing unity to a sometimes contentious squad. His seniority will make him a shoe-in to become a starter, but it also makes him the ideal candidate to mentor a developing Jeremy Lin.

If there's anything Lin still needs help with it's dealing with the superstar egos that accompany a team as talented as the Knicks. The point guard is responsible for providing the right number of touches for all players on the team to keep them happy. Nash has been doing that his entire life—in Dallas, he had Dirk Nowitzki; in Phoenix, he had Amar'e—and no one has been better at knowing when to shoot and when to pass.

Last year, Nash somehow managed to earn second-place in the league for assists per game. He did so with an incredibly handicapped team with few offensive weapons. Imagine what he could do with the Knicks.

He has, at his disposal, a bona fide superstar in Carmelo Anthony, a swift cutter with exceptional intuition in Amar'e Stoudemire, and, perhaps the best alley-oop finisher in the game with Tyson Chandler. The star power in their starting lineup alone would be unfathomable—it would mean two, perhaps even three future hall-of-famers on the court at the same time.

And while all this is brewing, Jeremy Lin would be witness to one of the greatest point guards in league history. If there's anything we've learned from this season's bout of Linsanity it's that Lin is incredibly humble. He will take no issue with learning from Nash; in fact, most would argue that he'd embrace it and take more out the situation than most others could.

Perhaps a year or two from now, Nash will decide to ride off into the sunset, leave the Knicks (hopefully with a Larry O'Brien trophy in hand) for retirement, which would leave Lin well prepared to assume the starting role.

If the Knicks play this right, they could produce magic with this duo. The two could benefit tremendously from one another. At the very least, it could even spark Linsanity 2.0.