Jeremy Lin Doesn't 'Actually Know' If Carmelo Anthony Tension Led to Knicks Exit

Former New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin declined to "feed the speculation train" regarding whether Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was jealous of his rapid rise and helped play a role in his exit from the Big Apple.

Speaking with the Daily Beast's Marlow Stern, Lin acknowledged "that's the theory" and "that's what everyone says," but he added that he doesn't "actually know."

While not singling Anthony out, he referenced broad opposition he felt inside the organization:

"I know, and I’m saying this truthfully, that there were multiple points of opposition completely outside of Melo within what was going on, and once [head coach Mike] D’Antoni resigned, there was already opposition within the organization—whether it was the coaching staff that took over or certain members of the front office. But there was definitely, from what I’ve heard or gathered in the few years after, it wasn’t all as rosy as people thought it was. I don’t know who to attribute it to, but I know there were multiple points of opposition."

For a brief time, Lin was the biggest story in the NBA. In February 2012, he averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 assists. The peak of "Linsanity" came when he dropped 38 points in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden.

Lin's rise carried greater meaning as well, as he was a role model for Asian American fans.

But "Linsanity" was fleeting, and the 6'3" guard only spent one season with the Knicks. He signed with the Houston Rockets in 2012. His departure may have been the culmination of internal drama bubbling below the surface.

In October 2012, ESPN The Magazine's Tim Keown wrote how Lin and Anthony didn't mesh well on the court because the former was the primary playmaker but the latter expected to be the focal point in the offense.

Anthony was the franchise cornerstone, which comes with plenty of privileges. The Knicks weren't in a position where they could afford to alienate a perennial All-Star, either.

Keown spoke to a source who said Anthony went so far as to undermine D'Antoni.

"Lin was getting what Carmelo was promised," the source said. "And Carmelo thought D'Antoni was going to favor Jeremy, so he had to get D'Antoni out of there."

Amar'e Stoudemire, who was on that Knicks squad, alluded to the friction in a February 2016 interview with the New York Post's Marc Berman:

"If [Lin] stayed, it would’ve been cool. But everyone wasn’t a fan of him being a new star. So he didn’t stay long. Jeremy was a great, great guy, great with teammates, worked hard. He put the work in. We were proud of him having his moment. A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else’s success. That wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn’t think everyone was pleased with that."

That July, D'Antoni discussed with Adrian Wojnarowski the difficulties Lin's sudden rise presented (h/t SB Nation's NetsDaily):

"Amare, Melo, whatever, had to play a certain way too to be really, really good. So there was that inherent conflict of what's better for the team, what isn't. Can they co-exist? Can they not? And again, they could have co-existed if Melo went to the 4, which he really didn't want to and Amare came to the back up 5, like with Tyson, which he really didn't want though."

Lin proceeded to have a productive NBA career. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.3 assists over nine seasons. In addition, he collected $65.8 million during his time in the Association.

Still, the notion of what could have been remains regarding Lin's run with the Knicks.