Jeremy Lin: Friday's Top Tweets, Rumors and What the Pundits Are Saying

Jeremy Lin has taken the NBA by storm. A day doesn't go by where Linsanity isn't discussed to the point of nausea. He's taken over for Tim Tebow as the most talked about player in sports with the NFL season over, and it appears the Asian-American point guard has staying power.

Lin and the Knicks return to the floor on Friday night to take on the New Orleans Hornets. Since it's a home game, the crowd is sure to be in full-blown Linsanity mode, which should make for a tremendous atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden.

Before the game, though, let's take a look at some of the news making headlines today involving Lin, tweets about the Harvard product and other interesting nuggets.

All-Star Jeremy Lin?

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports believes the Rising Stars Challenge isn't enough for Jeremy Lin. Instead, the columnist offers an argument that Lin should be playing in the All-Star Game itself because of the impact he's made on the Knicks in such a short timeframe.

Here's a portion of Doyel's argument:

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Wouldn't you like to care about the All-Star Game, maybe even watch it? I've not watched that thing in years because it's unwatchable, a joyless slam-dunk competition. The NBA All-Star Game is like cotton candy, which I can also endure for about 45 seconds until I start to feel sick.

But if Jeremy Lin plays in the All-Star Game, I'll watch. Hell, I might even try to attend—as a writer, sure, but as a fan as well, because I'm on the bandwagon. Jeremy Lin is that different, interesting, fun.

"

My Take

I'll admit Doyel made me think twice after initially dismissing the idea. I still don't believe it's the right move, though. The All-Star Game is for players who earned their respective spots with strong play throughout the season, not just a couple weeks of stardom.

Lin will already make his presence felt throughout the weekend in the other events, so it's not like he's being left out all together. Since fan voting plays a role, he's destined to make many midseason showcases in the future as long as Linsanity doesn't flame out before next season.

There's not enough reason to take playing time away from a player who earned their spot on the team in order to make room for Lin. He hasn't accomplished that much just yet. 

Awesome Lin Parody

Just like Tim Tebow parodies went viral after the Broncos quarterback captured the imaginations of sports fans, the same is beginning to happen with Lin. The embedded video is one of the best efforts to date, and its creators clearly put a lot of effort into creating the lyrics.

There are mentions about everybody from Charlie Ward to Stephon Marbury and even includes a subtle dig at the Raptors. It has already been watched by nearly 60,000 people, showing how much star power Lin has already garnered.

My Take

The video itself is terrific, but I fear what it may bring. Usually when a phenomena like this breaks out there is a lot of good content early on and then it just becomes a mess. For every 100 videos made, only one or two are actually worth watching.

I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before “Linning” catches fire. Eager fans are just waiting for him to show off any type of unique pose, and then it will get crazy. In other words, Linsanity is just beginning.

How Will J.R. Smith Impact Lin?

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports the Knicks will sign free agent guard J.R. Smith at some point today, but he won't play in tonight's game. The question that immediately comes to mind is how will it affect Lin once Smith does enter the lineup?

Along with Smith's arrival, Carmelo Anthony is due back soon as well. Lin has been successful because the coaching staff has basically given him free reign, but adding two more talented to the players to the equation makes it a little murky.

Berman also provides this interesting tidbit:

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Ironically, if Smith had been eligible to be signed two weeks ago, the Knicks probably would have cut Jeremy Lin for financial reasons because his contract wasn’t guaranteed and he hadn’t convinced D’Antoni he belonged in the mix.

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My Take

First and foremost, a Smith signing would give the Knicks a rock-solid starting five and immediately push them back into the championship conversation. As for Lin, it basically means he would need to focus more on the distribution side of his game.

The one problem for him so far has been turnovers, which isn't a surprise given how long it had been since he was given extended playing time. Those issues should fade away as the game begins to slow down for him.

Lin likely won't keep dropping 25 points on a regular basis, but that's only because he won't need to. He just needs to find a good balance between taking his own shots and working his talented teammates into the mix.

Even though it's a lot to handle, he's passed every test the Knicks have given him so far, so it wouldn't be a shock for him to do it again.

Saved by the Bell

Darren Rovell, a sports business guru from CNBC and All-Star Tweeter, passed along information from Lin's agent which backs up the earlier comment from Marc Berman. Lin was literally on the brink of getting cut from the Knicks before his run began.

It's not a major surprise because he hadn't been getting playing time and New York was going to need the space, but it makes for a better story. Everybody has been trying to find a parallel, but the fact of the matter is there really isn't one.

My Take

I wrote an article about Lin back in December when he was waived by the Houston Rockets, saying his best opportunity would be with the Golden State Warriors. It's amazing how quickly things can change in sports. All he needed was a chance to shine and he took full advantage of it.

The fact that Lin basically had one foot out the door makes you think about all of the other players who have sat on NBA benches for a handful of years and never got a chance. There isn't a better inspirational story than his for players to keep chasing their dream.

Not Quite Tebow

Public Policy Polling, which is a name you'll be hearing a lot between now and Election Day in November, took a poll about Linsanity and discovered it hasn't reached the height of Tebow Mania. At least not at this point.

One out of every four people already know about Lin, which is actually an eye-popping result because he didn't have the strong base of fans Tebow had before his run. If he keeps playing well, the number will keep growing toward Tebow range.

My Take

What gives Lin a chance to surpass Tebow is the fact he's playing like a star for all four quarters. The Broncos quarterback usually needed his defense to carry him for the first three before making key throws in the fourth to pull out a win.

Playing in New York also helps his cause. If he was doing it in Memphis or Milwaukee, the amount of hype wouldn't be nearly as large. But making the Knicks contenders again? That's grounds for a movie script.

It's impossible to know what will happen with Lin over the next couple games let alone the entire season, but it's been an awesome ride so far. Let's see where it takes us from here.