Chris CrockettLinaugural Post
February 19th 2012 17:53
What a better way to start off a brand spankin' new blog than to write about the most loved, hated, scrutinized and perhaps over-hyped athlete since the savior himself, Tim Tebow. If you didn't know exactly who I was talking about after reading those adjectives, or from the hint I gave you in the title, you probably live under a rock.
Jeremy Lin.
What a meteoric rise for the kid. What a diamond in the rough for the Knicks. What a relief for Mike D'Antoni.
The Knickerbockers were 8-15 and seriously considering firing the Pringles-guy look alike before Linsanity started to sweep across New York City. Being geographically close to the Big Apple, I get the honor, or curse depending on how you look at it, of seeing Jeremy Lin's face on the back cover of every NYC newspaper for the past two weeks. Have the Knicks found their point guard of the future? Most definitely. Will he keep up this torrid pace and join the the argument of who is the best point guard in the league? Most definitely not. Lin will be a good player for years to come, but to say he's the reincarnation of John Stockton is foolish. Let's take a closer look at his first eight games.
Let's not deny what this kid has done. His lowest point total since taking the reins was 10, and he shot 4-6 that night with 13 assists in a thrashing of the Sacramento Kings. Other than that, he has never logged under 20 points in any one of his 8 starts. He had more points in his first five career starts than anybody since the merger. He slayed the Black Mamba in only his fourth start. He is 7-1 as a starter. Very impressive. There is really only one flaw in his game, and those would be the turnovers.
Linsanity, Linsane in the Membrane, Linvincible, how about the Big Apple Turnover?
8 2 6 6 8 6 9. No ladies, that is not my phone number. Those are the number of turnovers Mr. Lin has logged over his past 7 games. As Lin becomes more and more of a focal point in the Knicks offense, he will also be more focused on in an opposing team's defensive game plan. Lin must do everything he can to assure he does not take bad shots in the paint as I have seen him do all too often. He has made many circus type layups with three bodies surrounding him. Lin is an excellent passer, don't get me wrong. He could really thread the needle, but he does not kick it out as often as he should.
Lin has proven he could lead a team himself. He has proven he can play with Amar'e, but there is still one more obstacle to overcome. The ball-hogging tendencies and me-first attitude of Carmelo Anthony. Lin knows his place, he won't be chucking up 20 shots a night upon Melo's return, but should he take a back seat to him completely? I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I firmly believe this offense should be ran and dictated by the excellent driving skills and crisp passes of Jeremy Lin, and not the isolation game that favors Carmelo's skill set.
Lin will attract so much attention some of the open shots Carmelo will have are going to be laughable. Teams cannot completely disregard Melo as he is as established of a scorer as there is in the game. With that being said, teams will not be able to effectively blanket Lin, Amar'e, and Carmelo, it's just too much to defend. Look at the Heat, how often do you see all three of their stars get locked down on a given night? It seems like one of their big three top the 25 points plateau every game, and I expect the same scenario in New York.
Time will tell if Anthony, Lin, and Stoudemire can co-exist successfully, but one thing is for certain, Knick fans will be enjoying Linsanity for years to come.
Jeremy Lin.
What a meteoric rise for the kid. What a diamond in the rough for the Knicks. What a relief for Mike D'Antoni.
The Knickerbockers were 8-15 and seriously considering firing the Pringles-guy look alike before Linsanity started to sweep across New York City. Being geographically close to the Big Apple, I get the honor, or curse depending on how you look at it, of seeing Jeremy Lin's face on the back cover of every NYC newspaper for the past two weeks. Have the Knicks found their point guard of the future? Most definitely. Will he keep up this torrid pace and join the the argument of who is the best point guard in the league? Most definitely not. Lin will be a good player for years to come, but to say he's the reincarnation of John Stockton is foolish. Let's take a closer look at his first eight games.
Let's not deny what this kid has done. His lowest point total since taking the reins was 10, and he shot 4-6 that night with 13 assists in a thrashing of the Sacramento Kings. Other than that, he has never logged under 20 points in any one of his 8 starts. He had more points in his first five career starts than anybody since the merger. He slayed the Black Mamba in only his fourth start. He is 7-1 as a starter. Very impressive. There is really only one flaw in his game, and those would be the turnovers.
Linsanity, Linsane in the Membrane, Linvincible, how about the Big Apple Turnover?
8 2 6 6 8 6 9. No ladies, that is not my phone number. Those are the number of turnovers Mr. Lin has logged over his past 7 games. As Lin becomes more and more of a focal point in the Knicks offense, he will also be more focused on in an opposing team's defensive game plan. Lin must do everything he can to assure he does not take bad shots in the paint as I have seen him do all too often. He has made many circus type layups with three bodies surrounding him. Lin is an excellent passer, don't get me wrong. He could really thread the needle, but he does not kick it out as often as he should.
Lin has proven he could lead a team himself. He has proven he can play with Amar'e, but there is still one more obstacle to overcome. The ball-hogging tendencies and me-first attitude of Carmelo Anthony. Lin knows his place, he won't be chucking up 20 shots a night upon Melo's return, but should he take a back seat to him completely? I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I firmly believe this offense should be ran and dictated by the excellent driving skills and crisp passes of Jeremy Lin, and not the isolation game that favors Carmelo's skill set.
Lin will attract so much attention some of the open shots Carmelo will have are going to be laughable. Teams cannot completely disregard Melo as he is as established of a scorer as there is in the game. With that being said, teams will not be able to effectively blanket Lin, Amar'e, and Carmelo, it's just too much to defend. Look at the Heat, how often do you see all three of their stars get locked down on a given night? It seems like one of their big three top the 25 points plateau every game, and I expect the same scenario in New York.
Time will tell if Anthony, Lin, and Stoudemire can co-exist successfully, but one thing is for certain, Knick fans will be enjoying Linsanity for years to come.
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