Jeremy Lin Will Rebound from the New York Knicks' Loss to the Miami Heat

Jeremy Lin came crashing down to earth Thursday night when he put up eight points with eight turnovers on 1-of-11 shooting while the Knicks suffered a 102-88 loss.

But what did everyone expect? Was Lin supposed to average 25 points and 10 assists and win every game? Obviously not. 

Lin ignited a fire under the Knicks and saved their season. But he is no Magic Johnson. Now it is up to the Knicks' stars to coalesce around their young savior and lead the team to the playoffs.

Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are both All-Star-level players who can average 25 points per game or more for a playoff team. That should provide the Knicks with enough scoring punch to contend. Tyson Chandler is one of the league's best defenders and can lead the team without demanding the ball.

Even better, the Knicks now have a capable bench: gunner J.R. Smith and a healthy Baron Davis will join Jared Jeffries, Bill Walker, Toney Douglas, Iman Shumpert and Josh Harrelson to form an underrated second unit.

Lin is still critical to the Knicks' success, but not because he needs to keep putting up Kobe Bryant-like numbers. Instead, Lin is the steady, intelligent, visionary leader at point guard that New York desperately needs to run coach Mike D'Antoni's offense.  

The best comparison to the Knicks' current situation is when the Pacers found guard Mark Jackson in 1994. Jackson was no All-Star, but he was exactly what the Pacers needed: a steady hand at the tiller to distribute the ball effectively and lead them to victory in big games.

It was no coincidence (though one cannot forget Reggie Miller's contributions) that the best years in Pacers history were when they had Jackson running the point from 1994 to 1996 and 1997 to 2000. Lin may not be Magic, but he can certainly be the Knicks' new Jackson.  

The Heat loss was a bump in the road—an ugly one, but just a bump. Considering that the Knicks have added four impact players to their lineup in the last week in Anthony, Stoudemire, Smith and Walker, there were bound to be bouts of miscommunication and poorly-played games.  

Now the Knicks need to gather around their new point guard of the future. It's not a time to get discouraged or fear the worst. Instead, its a time for Knicks fans to realize both what Lin is not and what he can be.

He's not the next Magic. But he is the new emotional leader of the Knicks. If New York embraces that fact, they will become the most dangerous team in basketball.