Jeremy Lin: Grading the Best Nicknames for New York Knicks' Linsanity Sensation

Jeremy Lin and the #linsanity campaign is absolutely taking the NBA by storm.

A little more than a week ago, Knicks fans were talking about how the fate of their 2011-12 NBA season rested on the shoulders of injured point guard Baron Davis.

Fast forward to today, and Knicks fans are clearing their calendars in the month of June to make way for the Knicks' NBA Finals appearance, thanks to none other than #linsanity himself.

Jeremy Lin has single-handedly saved the Knicks' 2011-12 season, and the NBA world has thanked him by coming up with some pretty great nicknames for the boy-wonder.

Ahead are grades for the best of the best Jeremy Lin nicknames.

Linjoy.  

Linsanity: D

It's OK Vince Carter, no one's going to let Jeremy Lin steal your nickname.

"Linsanity" is Jeremy Lin's top nickname thus far, but it gets the lowest grade because it's a blatant rip-off of Vince Carter's nickname: "Vinsanity."

The media just hopped on the #linsanity bandwagon before they took some time to come up with something a little more creative. Shame on you, media.

"Linsanity" will probably be the nickname that sticks with Jeremy Lin, but it's not nearly the most creative.  It does look nice on t-shirts; there's no doubting that.

Grade: Solid D

Hustle-Lin: C+

Jeremy Lin didn't get to where he is today without doing a little "hustle-lin."

One of the staples of Jeremy Lin's game is his motor, which seems to never run out of gas. There's no doubt Jeremy Lin hustles more than most players in the NBA, and that's why this nickname fits.

The only problem with "hustle-lin" is that it can be confused with "hustling," which isn't exactly what the nickname's going for, regarding Jeremy Lin. It does work well with LMFAO's party rock anthem, though:  "Every day he hustlin."

Grade: C+  

The Harvard Hurricane: C+

A nickname that pays homage to a player's background is always impressive, and that's exactly what the "Harvard Hurricane" does.

Before wowing the fans in the Big Apple, Lin amazed fans with his solid fundamentals at Harvard University. Yes, the same Harvard University that only really, really smart people can go to.

Jeremy Lin worked his butt off to get to where he is today, and his journey to the NBA started by being the "Harvard Hurricane." Not too shabby of a nickname for J.Lin.

Grade: C+

The Linja Assassin: B-

Disclaimer:  This nickname has nothing to do with Lin's Asian heritage. It does, however, have everything to do with the fact that Lin has been killing it on the court the past five games.

Jeremy Lin has absolutely dominated the NBA over the past week, and he's done so by keeping relatively quiet. "The Linja Assassin" mantra pays homage to that fact, which is something that the Knicks hope to keep going.

Jeremy Lin's humble and quiet personality is silently taking the NBA by storm, and the way he slices into the lane and destroys defenses is exciting to watch. "The Linja Assassin" strikes again.

Grade: B- 

Linception: B

The catchphrase for the movie Inception is, "a dream, within a dream, within a dream." and if you replace the word dream with the word drive, you've pretty much got the concept of the movie Linception.

While Jeremy Lin's recent success has been a dream scenario for the New York Knicks, I'm sure it all seems like a dream for Jeremy Lin, too.  A dream that I'm sure he hopes he never wakes up from, just like the ending of Inception.  This nickname just gets better and better doesn't it?

"Linception" could work for Jeremy Lin, as long as he doesn't ever wake up from the dream that is his ridiculous 2011-12 NBA season. Linception; "A drive, within a drive, within a drive..." 

Grade: B

Linvincible: B+

Jeremy Lin's looked pretty invincible so far during the 2011-12 NBA season.

Lin has yet to lose a game as a starter, and even when he shoots 33.3 percent from the field, he still finds ways to help the Knicks win. Oh, I forgot to mention that Lin has single-handedly saved the New York Knicks franchise.

Put all of those things together, and you've got yourself one pretty invincible player, and when his name just so happens to be Jeremy Lin, the only reasonable thing to do is give him the nickname Linvincible.  We've yet to find out what Mr. Linvincible's kryptonite is, and Knicks fans are hoping that they never have to find out.

Grade: B+

 

Super Lintendo: A

Alright, finally some serious creativity. "Super Lintendo" works on a lot of levels.

Not only is Jeremy Lin's recent production of 26.8 points and 8.0 assists per game the kind of production you see in video games, the fundamental way that Lin plays the game is also reminiscent of the olden days of basketball.

"Super Lintendo" gives the nod to both those aspects of his game, while referring to the olden days of video games with the Super Nintendo. The New York Knicks made the right choice by dusting off their "Super Lintendo" and plugging him in to the starting rotation. See how well that works?

Grade: Solid A 

Mr. Lincredible: A+

Jeremy "Mr. Lincredible" Lin. It just sounds so perfect, doesn't it?

So far this season, and especially in the past five games, Jeremy Lin has been nothing short of incredible. Wowing fans with his fearless drives into the paint against big-time NBA centers, and amazing fans with his solid fundamentals.

Every NBA superstar has a nickname that just plain works, and for Jeremy Lin that nickname is "Mr. Lincredible." The only problem is that Jeremy Lin is a pretty humble guy, and "Mr. Lincredible" isn't going to be a name that he'll openly endorse.

There's no changing the fact that Jeremy Lin is absolutely incredible, and if he keeps playing like he has recently, "Mr. Lincredible" is going to be his nickname moving forward. 

Grade: A+