Jeremy Lin: Why Rockets Will Regret Dropping Hefty Contract on Young Point Guard

If Jeremy Lin ends up being a bust for the Houston Rockets, Carmelo Anthony may enter NBA owners' radars as a potential general manager.

Seriously though, as strong as Lin was for the New York Knicks, is his two-month long run of exceptional play worthy of a $25 million contract over three years? I think not.

The story is well known how he was barely recruited out of high school, undrafted out of Harvard, and cut from the Golden State Warriors and Rockets before flourishing with the Knicks.

That said, think of the scenario Lin entered in New York.

Anthony was injured, coach Mike D'Antoni was still searching for a point guard to grasp his run-and-gun system, and they were under .500 despite the shortened season and relatively weak Eastern Conference. Lin had literally nothing to lose and played that way.

Now...he has a lot more on line. In fact, it could be argued this is the first time in his career he'll have to prove himself as not overrated.

If the Dwight Howard trade saga ends with the Rockets not landing an all-star big man, the team will be Lin's to lead.

His ability to turn around the struggling Knicks was something of a basketball miracle. But the expectation of carrying an entire franchise doesn't require miracle work. Carrying a franchise requires being one of the top basketball players in the world—something Lin just isn't.

Lin is a solid, complementary point guard who could lead a team to playoff success with all-star caliber players alongside him. While the Rockets are a young team with plenty of pieces to trade for all-stars, right now, their roster has none.

For "Linsanity" to succeed in Houston, the roster needs a boost. Otherwise, the Rockets will regret spending $25 million on a point guard who can't carry a team on his own.