NBA Rumors: Breaking Down Why Jeremy Lin Won't Be Leaving NY Knicks

Jeremy Lin could end up being the most sought-after free agent this summer, but it is going to be difficult to pry him away from the New York Knicks. 

As free agency rapidly approaches, Lin figures to draw some interest from teams in need of a point guard and media attention. He is a restricted free agent, so the Knicks will have the chance to meet any offer Lin might get. 

According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, Lin could draw interest from Toronto if its plans to land Steve Nash fall through. 

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[The Raptors] like him and what he'd do for their attendance, but Toronto would have to "back-load" an offer to the restricted free agent, paying him gazillions in the final couple of years of a deal, and hope that the Knicks would not match. According to league sources, that's what the Raptors just might do if their Nash plan falls through.

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Lawrence also writes that the Knicks have no other options at point guard and love what Lin brings from a marketing standpoint, so they are "a lock to match any offer."

Therein lies the great dilemma that everyone faces: need and marketing. 

Regardless of how Lin ended the season, fans still love to watch him play. Part of that is because he does have talent. Part of it is the New York hype machine that latches on to a player or story and milks it for everything it's worth. 

Lin is the player the Knicks need to lead their offense. There could be some talk about his chemistry with Carmelo Anthony, but we never really got a good read on how they will work together. 

Lin went down with a knee injury in mid-March, so he and Anthony never really got a chance to blend their skills on the court. Give them an entire training camp to work together to see what they can do. 

Plus, with the Knicks no closer to contending for a title than they were at the start of the 2011-12 season, they are going to need someone to sell the fans on. Unless they can sign Deron Williams, who would cost a lot more money, Lin is the player for the Knicks to build around. 

Even if he doesn't live up to the "Linsanity" moniker that everyone dropped on him when he was inserted in the starting lineup, he has shown enough to prove more than capable of handling himself as a point guard in the NBA. 

Lin won't be going anywhere, because the Knicks need him and have the ability to match any potential offer that comes his way. 

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