NBA Free Agent Rumors: Knicks Would Be Crazy to Let Jeremy Lin Sign with Rockets
Could Linsanity actually be leaving New York?
As crazy as it sounds for the New York Knicks to allow Jeremy Lin—the NBA's 2011-12 breakout star and already one of the team's most marketable players—to sign elsewhere, rumors persist that the team will allow him to sign with the Houston Rockets.
"In a stunning turn of events in the past 24 hours, the Knicks agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers to obtain former Knicks point guard Raymond Felton that all but ends the Jeremy Lin era prematurely and bitterly, according to league sources.
Linsanity was fun while it lasted.
One NBA source insisted the Knicks, with Felton's addition, will not match Lin's new, ramped-up $25 million offer sheet from the Rockets. The Knicks will have three days to reconsider amid a potential backlash.
"
And I would imagine a backlash will be coming.
When the Knicks were seemingly down-and-out last season, turning to the unproven and little-known Lin gave the team the spark it needed to turn its season around and make the playoffs. Who could forget Lin scoring 20 or more points in the first six games he started?
Who could ever forget the national buzz he created, rivaling that of the Tebowmania that swept the nation in 2011? And why would the Knicks willingly let Linsanity potentially grip a new city and bring that significant buzz elsewhere?
I suppose you could make the practical argument that Lin isn't worth a three-year, $25 million contract based on half a season of play. I couldn't disagree with you, because the Rockets' offer sheet has extremely inflated Lin's actual basketball value.
Well, unless Lin builds on his 2011-12 breakout campaign and actually improves, that is. Then, he's not only worth that price in the ticket sales and merchandising increase that comes with the Linsanity buzz, but he actually makes the basketball team better, too.
It's a big risk to take.
Do you pay Lin in the hopes that he improves as a basketball player and remains one of the league's most marketable players? Or do you play the realist and acknowledge that the former journeyman probably isn't going to be a superstar in the NBA and was more a product of Mike D'Antoni's system and less an elite point guard talent?
I think the Knicks have to take the risk. An effective and healthy Lin who shows improvement this season makes New York a very scary team. Plus, the team would take a huge PR hit if they allowed Lin to depart to Houston, especially if Lin played well for the Rockets.
Lin finished 2011-12 averaging 14.6 points and 6.2 assists for New York last season—a safe estimate of what his impact will be going forward. But we also saw his potential last season when he scored 25 points or more six times.
Do you focus only on the former, or do you keep in mind the latter with his marketability in mind?
It would appear the Knicks will keep it practical. In the end, I think they'll regret doing so.
Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are money like the transfer window.
