Why Mike D'Antoni's Exit Will Send Jeremy Lin into Tailspin

With the exit of Mike D'Antoni, Jeremy Lin's future won't be quite what it looked to be just a few weeks ago. Lin shot to stardom as a result of D'Anton's style of offense. Now he's likely to plummet just as quickly. 

In fact, Sports Illustrated Chris Mannix reports that one scout says that D'Antoni's departure by mutual decision is "probably going to cost Lin millions in new contract." 

There are a couple of reasons for this. First there was a particular kind of skill set which D'Antnoi's system worked off of. Specifically, it utilized an aggressive point guard who can penetrate, keep his head up and either pass or score. 

Now Lin's going to be in an offense which likes to emphasize the talents of the best offensive players and put the best scorers in isolation situations. Mike Woodson, the new head coach, is the architect of the offense which featured "iso-Joe" Joe Johnson with the Atlanta Hawks.

Having a far more talented player at the same position can only mean a lot more isolation plays for a player that loves them. 

As much as D'Antoni was the perfect fit for Lin, Woodson is the perfect fit for Anthony. Since Anthony is the vastly superior player of the two, this makes a lot more sense. Take note that when I say "vastly superior player," I'm being kind to Lin.

The bottom line is that taking the ball out of the hands of Lin and putting it into the hands of Anthony is not going to help Lin's numbers. 

Additionally, Woodson's future isn't as tied to Lin's as D'Antoni's was. He doesn't have the same incentive to ride him out. Baron Davis' experience and skills are a better fit for his system as well, meaning that Davis is going to be getting more minutes. 

Look for Lin to take a serious dip in his numbers as the Woodson offense starts to take shape.