LIN-SANTIY is Just LIN-CREDIBLE

LIN-SANTIY is Just LIN-CREDIBLE

The New York Knicks have had a very controversial season. I have to admit that the start to their season caught me off guard. I had New York as a possible top 5 seed in the East. Instead, they have dealt with injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. When they have been on the court, they haven’t shown that they can mesh together. I still believe that the Knicks can work. I don’t think they can contend for a championship because they don’t play defense, but they should be able to be in the upper class of the Eastern Conference. Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system requires a competent point guard. This year, they were relying on Tony Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert, both 2-guards, to play the point. So far, Melo has taken on the role of Point-Forward and that isn’t something that should be happening if the Knicks are to win. Enter “LIN-SANITY.” Jeremy Lin has come from out of nowhere and has taken the league by storm in the past week. His jersey is the highest selling jersey in the league. Just about everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and the city of New York is “Lin-fatuated” with their new starting point guard. Why wouldn’t they? All he does is “Lin.” The Knicks are currently on a 5 game winning streak and have done so without Melo and Amare. Lin turned in a sensational performance against the Lakers and if there were doubters before that, those doubts quickly left everyone’s minds. Still, we must be realistic about this situation. The Knicks haven’t played against a good team during the win streak, and won’t for at least the next three games. Bottom line is that the Knicks aren’t going to win with Lin or Melo or anyone taking more than 25 shots a night. Lin has scored a lot during this run, but he has also shot the ball a ton and he turns the ball over a ton. He also looks like he is dying on the court at times, most likely because he isn’t used to the minutes he is getting and he isn’t used to having to carry a team like this. Lin is a good option for D’Antoni’s offense. He is good at running the pick and roll and can shoot the three decently. If the Knicks wish to win when Melo and Amare get back, which I still believe will happen, they will need Lin to run a ton of pick and rolls with Tyson Chandler, Amare, and Melo. At times there should be more combinations between these players. Their whole offense should be about the pick and roll and then they can utilize the shooters they have to spread the floor a bit. In this scenario, I can see them being a good team, though they still would need to learn how to play defense. Tyson Chandler, Landry Fields, and Iman Shumpert should help in that category. If Lin can average 8 points per game and do the things I mentioned, with Melo taking somewhere between eighteen and twenty two shots per game, Amare taking 15-18 shots per game the Knicks could end up back where I predicted they would be before the season. This is another great example of how deep this league is. There are a lot of guys in this league who can perform very well if given the opportunity. Lin won’t have to stay on anymore couches for a good while. Great story and good for Jeremy Lin.

February 13, 2012