Knicks Rumors: Why Jeremy Lin and Raymond Felton Could Coexist in the Backcourt
The NBA circus known as free agency is currently in full gear, and point guard Jeremy Lin is caught up in the thick of it.
In his role creating “Linsanity” last season, Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in 35 games, and essentially salvaged the Knicks’ season by leading them to a seven-game winning streak after taking over the starting role. Now the Harvard grad is feeling the love in free agency, receiving a four-year offer worth $31 million last night from the Houston Rockets, the team that cut him last preseason.
As Lin rose to prominence, Raymond Felton fell from it. After making the All-Star game for the Knicks, while averaging 17.4 points and nine assists per game in 54 games before his trade, Felton was shipped to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony deal and was then traded to Portland in the offseason. Felton started the season in Portland out-of-shape and was a main culprit on a Blazers team that disintegrated down the stretch and ended up getting coach Nate McMillan fired.
Now, the Knicks want both point guards to return to New York after rumored target Steve Nash ended up an LA Laker during a sign-and-trade deal yesterday. It looks like the first domino has fallen, and Felton looks to be headed back to New York. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported this morning that the Knicks look to be heavy favorites in getting Felton back in a Knicks uniform.
Re-signing Lin is a bit more of a quandary. The Rockets’ offer to Lin is “back-loaded”, which means Lin will make $5 million per year in the deal’s first two years, then just over $10 million a season in years three and four. Still, the Knicks look like they will match the offer even though the new luxury tax situation in the league will hit them hard in year three with Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler all on the books for 2014-15.
Now why would the Knicks want to go out and sign two point guards that started last year? Because the two can play together, that’s why. At shooting guard, defensive ace Iman Shumpert will miss time with an injury, previous starter Landry Fields looks to headed to Toronto, and J.R. Smith is not starting material even if he re-signs in New York.
If the Knicks are smart, Lin will be the starting point guard. Yet, Felton would be an ideal back-up at the spot, and if Lin continues to develop his emerging shooting and driving abilities he could become another valuable scoring option off-the-ball to go with Stoudemire when both point guards are on the court.
Additionally, Felton playing the point at times will likely curb Lin’s turnover issues. Lin averaged 4.7 turnovers per game as a starter, and would benefit from not having to play 34 minutes a game as the primary ball-handler like he did this spring.
In true Knicks fashion, Felton is not known for his defense. However, the Knicks backup last season in Toney Douglas was inept, to put it nicely, and Felton will be able to create for the Knicks and thus allow Lin to play less. Lin’s knee injury last season was more of a freak incident, but coach Mike Woodson would be best served not playing Lin heavy minutes in order to avoid attrition.
Outside of one game, Lin only played extensively in the 25 games he started. So while he is entering his third season, he still could hit the proverbial “wall” midseason during a full 82-game slate.
It will still be a Herculean task for the Knicks to topple the reigning Miami Heat in the East, and it remains to be seen how a full season of Lin and Anthony would play out. Still, the Knicks will win the marketing race by allowing the Lin-induced frenzy to continue in Madison Square Garden while creating a flexible backcourt by bringing Felton back to the city where he enjoyed the best 54-game run of his career.
