Jeremy Lin: 5 Teams That Should Target New Sensation in Free Agency
Jeremy Lin and "Linsanity" was a phenomenon unparalleled in the annals of NBA history. Never before has a player enjoyed a meteoric rise from absolute nobody to international star in just two weeks.
Fast-forward to the present day, and he's become Jeremy Lin—a good player with a future in the league. But where will the future be?
According to a report by the New York Post, there's some question as to whether he'll be sticking with the Knicks.
"Jeremy Lin may be a global phenomenon, but he is no longer a Knicks phenomenon. Linsanity was the flavor of February, but he appears not to be new interim coach Mike Woodson’s favorite dish. Woodson, calling Lin “in a learning stage,’’ said yesterday he is turning the focus of his new deliberate offense to his bread and butter—Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks’ two stars who combine to make $37 million this season.
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And...
"Lin is auditioning too (along with Woodson for his coaching job), for the entire league, as a free-agent-to-be. A few weeks ago, it seemed a certainty that the Knicks would re-sign him, even if they had to use their entire mid-level exception. But D’Antoni is gone, the offense is changing and everyone has an interim title. A new coach and general manager could decide to spend the money elsewhere.
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Let's just say hypothetically that he doesn't continue with the Knicks. Who might some of the other teams be that would be interested in him? Certainly, he won't be picked up for the minimum next year, but he won't be commanding huge dollars either.
Earlier this year, Dwight Howard indicated that he wanted a better point guard. The Magic are second to last in the NBA in production from their point guards this year, so he's actually got a point. Jeremy Lin would be an interesting improvement over Jameer Nelson. The biggest weakness the Magic have is the lack of a player who can penetrate and get to the hole at will. Lin has that. He would certainly make the Magic a better team.
There's no polite way to tiptoe around the fact that the Trail Blazers are in a state of chaos. They need to put new players alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and start over. Portland has the 14th largest Chinese American population in the country, so there could be some fan appeal for a player like Lin coming to Portland.
Jeff Teague was going to be the answer for the Hawks, but he hasn't lived up to expectations. He's only 22nd among point guards in efficiency, which is four places behind Lin. Kirk Hinrich is going to be gone after this year, so at the very least, signing Lin and letting him compete with Teague for the starting job could push both to improve.
Devin Harris has been a huge disappointment for the Utah Jazz. He's averaging just 10.2 points and 4.5 assists per game. How a starting point guard can have only 4.5 assists a game on a team that has this many scoring big men is beyond me. This is a team that is really close to being a contender. A quality point man could put them over the top.
New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets have been getting serviceable performances from Jarret Jack and Greivis Vasquez in place of the traded Chris Paul. The closest thing they have to a star is Eric Gordon, who has missed basically the entire season. They are in desperate need of a player they can market, and Lin would fit that bill.
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