NBA Free Agency Rumors: New York Knicks Are Doomed Without Jeremy Lin

The New York Knicks were having a stellar offseason in the minds of many analysts up until they decided to trade for point guard Raymond Felton, rather than matching the offer sheet that the Houston Rockets extended towards Jeremy Lin.

While Felton is a solid point guard in his own right, he's not Lin—in any way, shape or form.

Lin brought something to New York that hadn't been seen in years, and it's something that likely won't be seen again for several more. Now that he's all but gone to Houston, the Knicks will have to start preparing for life after Lin, a notion that didn't seem realistic after Lin's heroic eight-game stretch last season.

While it's hard to argue with the Knicks thinking that Houston vastly overpaid for Lin's services, because they did, Lin brought intangibles to the court every night that will be missed.

Not only will the Knicks regret not re-signing Lin, they will be 100 percent doomed without him.

For starters, let me just say that in no way do I believe that Lin is a superstar, or that he will ever be one for that matter. I do, however, think that he has the potential to be an above average point guard in the NBA for years to come.

His fearless play and clutch shooting ability will keep him playing at a high level for a long time.

That being said, his 35 games last season were very impressive. The spark he provided for the Knicks and then-new head coach Mike Woodson was evident from the beginning, as his hot play coincided perfectly with the Knicks' torrid stretch in February.

He brought excitement to the court every single game, and the Knicks will now lack such excitement with veteran Jason Kidd and journeyman Felton running the point.

Without Lin, the Knicks will also have to use Kidd in a different role. In the beginning, I truly believed that the signing of Kidd made it a near-guarantee that Lin would be re-signed. Kidd was going to be the mentor to Lin, teaching him how to be a mature NBA point-guard, rather than a risk-taking combo-guard.

Instead, Kidd will now be paired with Felton. Felton is far from a superstar and, now entering his ninth NBA season, likely isn't capable of becoming any better than he already is.

Kidd will now be asked to play more minutes and carry a heavier load on the offense. While Kidd had no problems doing that in the past, his 39-year-old legs may not be able to handle that much responsibility any more.

This could really inhibit the Knicks' offense come the second half of the season.

Probably the biggest reason the Knicks are now doomed is because of the fans. The Knicks really let down its fans and the entire city of New York by not being so eager to bring back "Linsanity."

Lin is already the favorite player of some of the Knicks' younger fans, so allowing Lin to just walk could potentially hurt the franchise in the long run.

Lin was great for ratings, merchandise sales and sheer fan-hood. Without him playing in the Garden, the Knicks could see a hit from all angles—on-court production and off-court management.

In the end, Lin gave the Knicks a lesson on how the NBA is a business. He did what was right for him, and it's hard to fault him for that.

If anybody is at fault in this situation, it's undoubtedly the New York Knicks. There's no need to punish them, though, as losing out on Lin will prove to be punishment enough.