Jeremy Lin: Nowhere to Go but Down for New York Knicks Superstar

Jeremy Lin has resurrected a franchise mired for years in mediocrity. He has risen from a D-League scrub to a household name, and now it's time for him to fall back down to reality. 

Please do not take this as a Jeremy Lin hate piece, because it is not. I have fallen for this assist machine with an answer for the clutch. He is a good player who may actually be a great one on a consistent basis. 

From what we have seen through the Knicks' current seven-game winning streak, Lin is a player who is playing like Steve Nash with Kobe Bryant's fearless demeanor. 

If that seems like ridiculous company for Lin to be placed into, well, these are silly times. 

As if scripted for a god-awful Disney movie that scoops hope and goodwill onto the screen en masse, Lin came onto the Knicks' scene only after every last option had been exhausted. 

Injuries and malaise meant Lin would get yet another shot at leading an NBA team on the court, only it would be one of his last. 

His contract would be up, and he was really just some filler anyway. That's what we all thought and firmly believed. 

That's when Lin dropped 25 points against the Nets. Those poor Nets, we thought, they can't catch a break. Then he scored 28 on the Jazz and 23 on the Wizards. Soon he was more than a cute story but a national curiosity. 

After seven games of winning and a career-high 38 points against the Lakers, Lin has reached a point that most players can only dream of. 

The endorsement deals will no doubt pour in, and the contract offers should come flooding in this offseason. 

More than that, he is beloved the world over. 

What now?

No player can keep up this kind of pace, even Kobe Bryant and LeBron James stall from time to time. Lin proved one important thing to me during a 9-of-20 shooting night against the Raptors: He is a fighter who will struggle and claw even on off nights. 

At some point, the buzzer beater will clank out, and the turnovers will prove too costly. While I firmly believe he is the Knicks' starter for the foreseeable future, it is humbling to think of where this story will go next. 

Lin is riding on cloud nine, but will we still appreciate cloud eight? He would just about have to win a title walking backwards to trump what he has already done. 

No, Lin will come back down to earth and simply be a great player, not one who puts together legendary feats each and every night. 

I will still appreciate, and I will savor this tremendous story a while longer because I don't want it to end. 

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