New York Knicks Will Regret Keeping Jeremy Lin This Season

According to the New York Post's Marc Berman, the New York Knicks will match the offer extended to Jeremy Lin by the Houston Rockets:

"

Jeremy Lin yesterday accepted the Rockets’ back-loaded “poison pill,” four-year, $28.8 million offer sheet, and it hardly created a ripple with the Knicks, who will match it. The final year even has a team option.

"

That may sound like amazing news to most Knicks fans. And in the short-term, it probably will be.

But there's also more than meets the eye to this deal. For all Lin contributes on and off the court, there are a few less-obvious concerns that could make this yet another mistake in a long line of bad decisions by the Knicks' front office.

Hopefully it won't be.

If it does turn out that way, here are the reasons why.

The Cost

Yes, Jeremy Lin is worth every dollar spent thanks to his marketability, at least from a business perspective.

That doesn't mean the cost will be justifiable in basketball terms.

Keeping Lin in the fold will all but ensure the Knicks remain over the salary cap for the foreseeable future and likely luxury tax-payers as well. Even if the organization could find a way to clear the $65 million it owes Amar'e Stoudemire over the next three years, any resulting cap flexibility will be negligible.

New York has been in these shoes before, and it didn't pan out well. 

Unless it's entirely sure the roster's current makeup put the team in a position to contend, we may once again be looking at a situation in which the Knicks are simply unable to fix their mistakes.

The Reality

Jeremy Lin emerged to have one of the most impressive breakout seasons in recent memory. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in 35 games, shooting almost 45 percent from the field in the process.

His defense also looked good. Though his lateral quickness could use improvement, his 1.6 steals per game were impressive, especially given that he played fewer than 27 minutes on average.

Nevertheless, Lin also turned the ball over 3.6 times per game, and there are a few concerns that don't show up in the box score.

His decision-making is spotty. While he's always willing to take the big shot, he's prone to driving to the basket expecting whistles and sometimes forcing the action as a result.

He also doesn't look entirely comfortable taking his jump-shot at times, even when he has a good luck.

These are the kind of issues a 23-year-old will probably work out over the next couple of years, but they could also remain long-term struggles.

The Uncertainty

We still have a very limited sample size by which to assess Jeremy Lin.

His biggest fans will correctly point out that his success clearly wasn't an anomaly. But, that doesn't mean it will be entirely indicative of his future success either.

It remains to be seen how Lin will mesh with a healthy Knicks lineup over the course of time. He was at his best when Amar'e Stoudemire and/or Carmelo Anthony were out of the lineup, and we just haven't seen enough of his play when the rotation is at full strength.

That matters, both in terms of chemistry and in terms of whether Lin can remain an effective contributor when he must defer to guys expecting the ball.

Yes, some players get big contracts before we've had the chance to see them in sustained action.

There's always risk involved in these kinds of deals. Sometimes they pay off and sometimes they don't.

The Distraction

There's no doubt Linsanity is a good thing for the city of New York, but it's less clear that it benefits the Knicks locker room.

Carmelo Anthony says he wants Jeremy Lin around, but what else is he going to say? Any open resentment of NYC's beloved new star would make Anthony public enemy No. 1. 

How he feels about the spotlight shifting to someone else may be another story. We can't know, but it wouldn't be entirely surprising. It would be even less surprising if Mr. Frustration himself wasn't just a tad bitter about the attention Lin's received.

After all, this was supposed to be Amar'e Stoudemire's team at one point. Then Carmelo came along, and now this.

It's obviously not Lin's fault. He's a consummate teammate if there ever were one. 

That doesn't mean his celebrity won't generate some annoyance among his closest allies.

The Hurt Feelings

According to ESPN New York's staff, Jeremy Lin isn't especially pleased that the Houston Rockets seem to like him more than the Knicks:

"

"He was surprised that the Knicks didn't make the first move," a league source told the paper. "They know they've got to mend some fences with him because he believes what the Rockets have told him, that the Knicks weren't as interested as they are."

"

Lin hasn't said as much publicly, but there could certainly be some truth to the claim.

One has to wonder how Lin will perform if he feels like he's being held captive. Even worse, if he think New York wants him for his marketability rather than his basketball skills, he may come to feel like something of a circus act.

That's not the kind of relationship you want to see between an organization and the guy running the offense.