Jeremy Lin: Linsanity Will Never Be Worth Massive Contract
Jeremy Lin had a nice run last season before NBA teams keyed in on him and he suffered a knee injury. But he will never be an elite point guard, and to pay him $14.8 million in a season is saying that you believe he will be.
The Houston Rockets signed Lin to a back-loaded, three-year, $25 million contract that will pay him just under $15 million in the third year.
That total would suggest he is in the same category as Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Deron Williams—or just one notch below these players.
That simply isn't true.
Lin is just a decent shooter (32 percent from three-point range in January and February), he isn't blessed with a ton of athleticism, he's been turnover prone (4.4 turnovers per game through January and February) and he will always struggle to defend the quicker players at his position.
Lin failed to show that he could make an impact in the NBA before he was given an opportunity under Mike D'Antoni. Lin had 11 games with 20 or more points and six games with 10 or more assists with D'Antoni.
Once D'Antoni resigned on March 14, Lin didn't have another 20-point game, and had only one 10-assist performance in the last seven games he played last season.
Is Lin still developing?
Sure he is, but every player has a ceiling. That ceiling is dictated by their athleticism, size, situation and mental approach. Lin is a hard-worker, and he has good size at 6'3", but he needs to have a coach that is going to run a system he can excel in.
He doesn't have the type of athleticism to produce in every situation.
He had a better opportunity of running a friendly system in New York, but I don't blame him for taking the money. Most of us would if offered the contract the Rockets rolled out. But because of the exorbitant amount in the final year, the Knicks must let him walk.
Now in two years, Lin will have one of the NBA's worst contracts at $14.8 million. But it looks as though the Rockets will be the ones stuck with it.
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