Jeremy Lin: Toronto Raptors Would Be Crazy to Offer Huge Deal to Star PG

Rumors suggesting that the Toronto Raptors may make an aggressive offer to Jeremy Lin surely rank among the more bizarre offseason scenarios.

Supposedly, courting the New York Knicks' restricted free agent would be a Plan B in the event Steve Nash doesn't want to go to Toronto. While it might make some sense to give Nash a boatload of money to return to Canada, the Plan B is utterly (L)insane.

New York has a symbiotic relationship with Lin. While the 23-year-old rising star only suited up in 35 games for the Knicks, he instantly took on the shape of a long-awaited answer to this team's most desperate needs.

Yes, the Knicks needed a point guard. But even more importantly, they needed an overachiever.

On a roster with superstars who can't get on the same page and a never-ending parade of scapegoats, Lin became the one guy everyone could gravitate toward. Fan appeal aside, that counts for something in the locker room as well.

Lin is more than just a "glue guy," but that shouldn't diminish how valuable he is to this team in a well-published litany of intangible ways.

Of course, New York is also an opportunity for Lin.

While the humble floor general might not demand the spotlight as much as some of his peers, there's still no better stage for his global popularity. In New York and the historic Garden, Lin can remain an icon—a symbol that transcends sports and epitomizes the archetypal underdog who could.

In Toronto, he'd forever be remembered as the guy discovered in New York who probably should have stayed there.

And while he wouldn't be destined for irrelevance, he'd certainly become less compelling headline fodder. Even if the Raptors improve, they'll never entail the same historic significance as would a career with the Knicks.

There are practical problems with the scenario as well.

The Knicks can match any offer to Lin, and it's virtually unthinkable that James Dolan would decide to all of the sudden get stingy this time. Mike Woodson certainly isn't particularly worried about Lin playing in another uniform.

Contrary to occasionally popular belief, Carmelo Anthony can't win games on his own—at least not a series of games when it really matters. Lin will play a crucial role in building a young nucleus of pieces that fit with Anthony, Tyson Chandler and the increasingly clear direction in which this organization is headed.

The Raptors need a lot of things, but they'll find a way to manage without Lin. The same can't be said for a New York squad that Lin has come to define.