NBA Rumors: Will Jeremy Lin Bring Linsanity to Houston Rockets?

The ball is in the New York Knicks' court as they decide whether or not to match the Houston Rockets' three-year, $25.1 million offer for Jeremy Lin.

After the acquisition of Raymond Felton from the Portland Trail Blazers and the recent signing of Jason Kidd, it looks as though the Knicks have their minds made up.

James Dolan is destined to lose millions of dollars in marketing and merchandising after letting Lin leave the Big Apple, but it may ultimately be in his best interest.

Due to the NBA's luxury tax, the Knicks would have owed both Jeremy Lin and the league nearly $15 million in the third year of his new contract.

With Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all eating a big chunk of the Knicks' payroll, that is simply an option that the team cannot consider without dumping one of their stars.

The obvious, yet unfortunate move for the Knicks at this point is to simply let Lin go.

It may not be the ideal situation for the team or the situation anyone was anticipating leading up to this season, but it is the only reasonable option for the Knicks at this point in time.

As New York fans say goodbye to their short-lived hero, Houston will happily welcome back the talented young point guard for at least the next three seasons.

Lin is expected to make $25.1 million over the next three years, earning $14.8 million in his final season.

Ironic, how the team that cut Lin prior to the start of last season is now offering the 23-year-old the payday of a lifetime.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they have yet to acquire the necessary pieces to surround Lin to make any kind of run at a championship.

After a breakout year where he averaged 14.6 PPG and 6.2 APG, emerging as the feature point guard in New York, Lin has set some high expectations for his return to the Rockets.

Let's not forget the big shoes that he'll have to fill on an international level, those of a 7'6" center Yao Ming.

Lin is an iconic Asian-American basketball player, a rarity in today's day and age at the NBA level.

After Yao's successful, yet injury-plagued career from 2002-11, Lin will venture to the same city and same fanbase, with similar expectations.

Sure they have their differences with Yao towering over the 6'3" Jeremy Lin, but the international stardom and attention that Yao has earned and that Lin will continue to attain will be compared for years to come.

The Rockets know how much money they can make off of the Jeremy Lin fanbase, and outbidding the New York Knicks was well worth their investment.

Ticket sales will jump, TV ratings will rise and jersey sales will shoot through the roof upon Lin's arrival.

Linsanity is inevitable.

It's true that Lin will have a tougher time finding immediate success in Houston, as the Rockets lack the superstar pieces that the Knicks currently possess.

There have been rumors circling a possible acquisition of either Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, but as of now nothing has materialized.

If the Rockets fail to bring in an all-star big man, they will still at the very least have a young roster ready to grow alongside their new point guard.

Although nothing is official yet, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that the writing is on the wall for Jeremy Lin.

Regardless of who else is on the Rockets' roster in 2012, it appears as though Linsanity is about to ensue in Houston.