Jeremy Lin: How Carmelo Anthony Will Derail the Linsanity Hype Train

The Jeremy Lin hype train is in full effect, and for good reason.

On the past four games, the New York Knick is averaging 28.5 points, 8.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, with a stellar 58.1 shooting percentage.

Lin is an absolute international sensation, helping to regain the interest of Chinese fans in just a week.

While I'm a major Lin supporter, and I hope that he continues to dominate at a ridiculous level, I just don't think his production will stand the test of time.

But it won't be his fault.

Remember that moment when your significant other said, "It's not you, it's me"?  Well, that's exactly what Carmelo Anthony is going to be saying to Jeremy Lin within the next week or two, once Carmelo returns from his most recent groin injury.

Melo will be uttering those fateful words to Lin once he returns to 100 percent, and comes back into the Knicks' starting lineup.

Carmelo will steal the spotlight back from Lin mainly because the way Carmelo plays will force Lin's production to decrease.

Carmelo Anthony is the kind of player that thrives when the ball is in his hands.

No matter where he's gone, Melo's always been the main guy, and that's the role he is going to expect to fall back into when he returns to the Knicks' starting lineup.

Carmelo needs the bright lights of Broadway shining on him. Jeremy Lin doesn't necessarily need the same, but the number of touches Melo demands in the Knicks' offense will take away from Lin's recent explosion of production.

It all comes down to whether or not Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony can exist together.

Against the New Jersey Nets, both players played significant minutes, but Carmelo wasn't completely healthy, which resulted in him shooting 3-of-15 from the field.

When Melo returns to the Knicks starting lineup, he will throw a wrench in the Linsanity hype train because he can't fit into an offense that isn't centered on him.  If there's one thing that we've learned about Melo over the past few years, it's that he thrives when he's the center of his team's offense, and when he's not... well, he's not a happy camper.

The New York Knicks can be successful with Lin and Melo in the starting lineup, but that success will come at the expense of Jeremy Lin's production.

In three games without Carmelo in the starting lineup, Lin averaged 18 field goal attempts per game. Once Carmelo returns, Lin won't be able to put up that many shots.

It's not that Lin won't be able to score and grab assists like he is doing now, but he will have to do so in a more efficient way, which is going to be hard to do because he's already playing at such an impressive level of efficiency.

So what do you think? Can Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony coexist and lead the Knicks back to the promised land of relevance come the NBA playoffs?

Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below.