Jeremy Lin: 4 Reasons Why the New York Knicks Are 'Just Right'

Jeremy Lin’s NBA path to early-career fame and glory with the New York Knicks aligns surprisingly close with the childhood story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

As with Goldilocks and her first bowl of porridge being too hot, the Golden State Warriors were too hot for a frontcourt acquisition (dumped Lin in the attempt to land DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers).

Relating to Goldilocks and the first chair being too big, it was too big of an undertaking for Lin to crack into the top-three players already entrenched at the point guard position for the Houston Rockets (couldn’t they have at least kept him over Johnny Flynn?).

And, when Goldilocks laid in the third bed, found it just right and subsequently fell asleep, so did Lin find the Knicks to be just right, falling asleep and waking up in a dream where he’s running point for one of the most storied NBA franchises.

(I don’t anticipate him waking up and screaming, “Help!” then running away from a trio of bears.)

Five notable factors come into play for why Jeremy Lin fits in so seamlessly with the New York Knicks.

Ineffective “Point” Guards

Quick note: I will omit the slow, aging corpse of the man formerly known as Mike Bibby from this discussion. The guy simply cannot run at age 33, and his .274 FG percentage and 6.14 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) speak for themselves. Nor was the chronically-injured and selectively-motivated Baron Davis ever going to revitalize this franchise.

Lin’s opportunity with the Knicks began when coach Mike D’Antoni realized that two “tweener” guards were running his offense.

In a game against the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 2nd, the 6’5’’ Iman Shumpert and 6’7’’ Landry Fields weren’t generating fluid ball movement. Carmelo Anthony was having a particularly poor shooting night (3-of-15). The team needed that proverbial spark.

All Lin did after being inserted into the game was produce a stat line of 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and only one turnover.

In the previous 23 games, Shumpert scored 20 or more just once, dished out seven or more assists just three times and grabbed five or more boards in only four games.

He’s young and athletic, but a raw and inexperienced tweener guard without a great feel for the PG position. His shooting percentages are also far below Lin’s.

Fields, clearly the prototypical shooting guard of the group, hasn’t scored 20 all season and assisted on seven or more baskets just once. (He will continue to improve and has a bright future nonetheless.)

Lin helped facilitate the 34 points between Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler on an off-night for Melo. Shumpert and Fields scored a combined eight points. Lin scored 25 himself.

The Knicks emerged victorious 99-92 with Lin at the helm. This began a seven-game winning streak.

Mike D’Antoni’s System

The run-and-gun, fast-paced and high-scoring system perfected by D’Antoni while with the Suns perfectly suits Lin’s abilities.

One need only look to two-time MVP Steve Nash to understand how well a point guard thrives in this offense.

It’s also not just that Lin is a mere product of a system (or Nash for that matter—that goes without saying), but that he executes it so effectively, in a way showing how his skill set can accentuate the system and not the other way around.

He possesses the speed, court vision and proficiency in the pick-and-roll. He can penetrate in the lane, dish it out to the open shooter when necessary and has recently developed a more accurate outside shot.

Put succinctly, he is a natural facilitator who can run the floor and generate points by himself.

By steadily improving his court awareness and reducing his turnovers, he will continue to ball for the Knicks.

Injury to Melo, Amar'e’s Absence

Melo exiting stage left due to a strained groin on Feb. 6th against the Jazz (played just six minutes) coincided with Amar'e’s departure to be with his family after the tragic death of his brother.

The Knicks featured an Amar'e-less starting lineup for the next four games, while Anthony missed a total of eight for all intents and purposes (minus six minutes).

Hey Jeremy, here are the keys to the Jag! Oh, did we mention that you’ll have to install the engine, steering wheel, clutch, accelerator, brake, and learn to drive a highly complex manual transmission on the fly?

Exaggerated analogies aside, Lin started his first career game for a team lacking its best players and primary offensive weapons. Granted, Chandler, Shumpert and Steve Novak (really?) were valuable contributors in this particular game.

But, Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker in the starting lineup, and a mummified Bibby coming off the bench?

It is fair to say that Lin assumed full responsibility for the team once Amar'e and Melo went down, being forced to become a veritable one-man wrecking-crew, if you will. One could argue that his elevated turnover numbers resulted from such an inferior supporting cast.

In any case, Lin conquered the obstacles.

For the next four games without Amar'e and Melo, Lin averaged 27 points, eight assists, four rebounds and shot 53 percent from the field. He led the team to four straight victories.

In the subsequent four with Amar'e but still without Melo, Lin averaged 22 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and again shot at a 53 percent clip. Three wins, one loss.

All told, not too shabby for the former D-leaguer and career vagabond.

Capitalized on the Opportunity

Since earning a starting role in early February, Jeremy Lin has compiled statistical achievements worthy of an All-Star selection at one of the most significant positions on the floor.

He has played general for a historical team deemed irrelevant before Lin’s arrival this season (at 8-15) and in season’s past. He has done so to the extent of eight wins in 10 games and a 16-17 record overall.

And NBA relevancy for the New York Knicks.

Through his prolific play and humble perseverance, this Asian-American phenomenon spawned the international media sensation known as “Linsanity.” It has given the fanbase of this franchise something to cheer for and inspired hope for any player seated at the far end of the bench.

He is a true success story made ever so palatable by his humility, personable demeanor and proud representation of an otherwise unrepresented minority in the NBA.

Whether or not the Lin-mania continues well into the future, Jeremy Lin has made an indelible mark on the history of the NBA.

I certainly anticipate a successful future for him in the league and elsewhere; one where the game of basketball may often take a backseat to humanitarian and other important causes.

As for now, I can guarantee Lin’s focus lies solely on the Hawks, Heat and a brutal opening schedule post-All-Star break.

If Lin continually embraces the massive target on his back, and the team survives the gauntlet through mid-March, prepare to appreciate the expansion of his legend, and a Knicks team poised for ascension into a playoff contender.

Mark my words.