This is nothing you didn’t already know. But while Knicks fans will absolutely rally to Carmelo Anthony’s side if he manages to elevate his game and lead the Knicks deep into the playoffs, just know this: we’ll be the only ones doing so.
Take a look at this profile of Jeremy Lin in GQ. Then read this profile of Carmelo Anthony in ESPN: The Magazine. I’ll wait.
Okay, finished? Let’s go over it, briefly.
Lin wanted nothing more than to play a team-oriented game, remain with the Knicks forever, and incorporate Anthony into the offense.
Anthony hated the attention Lin got, refused to be part of Lin’s offense, and ultimately got himself the team he wanted, all to himself.
If this isn’t true- and it is very difficult to ascertain this fully, of course- it is the perception, only reinforced by this week’s big stories.
Now, it so happens that Lin is still struggling to get back to full strength following his knee injury. If Lin doesn’t return to full strength, and struggles in Houston, then the parallel tracks all Knicks fans will operate on will quickly disappear.
But a healthy Lin will be everybody else’s favorite; Knicks fans, I predict, will have trouble rooting against him, too.
Now, can an Anthony-dominated offense produce for the Knicks? Sure; they were 12-5 after Lin was lost for the season and Anthony played some of the best basketball of his career. It won’t be as pretty as Linsanity, but if the Knicks win 12 of every 17 games, the fans will be quite happy, and should be.
There’s a real good chance these Anthony-led Knicks fall short of 12-5 in every 17. If they do, the league’s fans will revel in their failures. If they don’t, the league’s fans will still root against the perceived bully who forced Lin out. And as long as Lin is producing in Houston, there will be a nagging reality for everyone, Knicks fans included- however well Anthony is playing, he’d probably play better in an up-tempo offense run by Lin.
Don’t believe me? Check his production with the olympic team this summer, in an offense designed by… Mike D’Antoni.
Rarely are fans treated to this kind of Sliding Doors-type alternate realities in real time. It means that barring some injuries keeping Lin or Anthony from playing, this season will be utterly fascinating, regardless of how the Knicks do.
Just don’t expect anyone, outside of the Knicks’ faithful, to be pulling for the home team at Madison Square Garden. Those days ended the day the Knicks didn’t match Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet.
8 Comments
So tired of hearing about Jeremy Lin. He left,wish him all the best. Thanks for the memories. On to cheering Felton,Kidd,& Prigioni. Some of you bloggers act like lovesick exboyfriends. Get over it,they moved on.
Its no surprise Howard is trying to gain an audience similar to Howard Stern by being most annoying and hated. If you don’t believe ask Mets organizations and Mets Fans.
http://observer.com/2012/02/howard-megdal-mets-banned-02062012/
That contract is awful and he signed it, knowing that it would end his Knick career, regardless of what he and his agents will tell you. He will be a second tier guard in this league that may benefit from lots of minutes on a team where he can shake his turnover problem. The Knicks will be successful if they play a possession game, that is, the quality of possessions, not the amount. Ball protection is crucial and I for one am not willing to pay max money for 5 turnovers a game.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I don’t quite know what is more astonishing: that the Knicks let Jeremy Lin go, or that anyone who discusses the aftermath of a global phenomenon and the effect it will have on the team and how it is perceived gets criticized for doing so. This is a big deal to a vast swath of Knicks fans.
As for my reporting on Wilpon finances, Shah, the reason the Mets haven’t liked it is because it is, and has been, true. Even the Mets realized they probably shouldn’t ban a reporter for writing accurately about the team, and backed down about a week after that article you linked to ran.
The feedback I get from Mets fans about it has been overwhelmingly positive. And if you don’t think I’d prefer to write only positively about the Mets and Knicks (since I often take the optimistic view as it is), then you haven’t been reading me for very long, or very well.
I was a big Jeremy Lin fan (still am to a degree), but the funny thing is, if the Knicks had signed that ridiculous contract there would still be the Knick detractors out there criticizing the Knicks for having so many bad contracts and questioning why they signed someone with a bad knee who’s never proven anything, and can Lin and Anthony ever coexist (just like they get to question whether Stat and Anthony will ever coexist). Not signing Lin was they best thing they could have done for him. The pressure is off him, he’s in the best position to be the good guy, and maybe that’s why he signed that contract.
Tyler, this is a great point, though I’m not sure I agree with you. I think, had he returned here, he’d have had a much better supporting cast for what will be a proving ground year. He also could play extremely well, but due to the lack of overall talent, see the Rockets miss the playoffs.
It might have played out the way you said, too. And long-term, if Rockets are building around him, that might be the biggest help to his career.
Like I said, fascinating, and plenty of people still interested.
I am sick and tired of hearing about Jeremy Lin. Lin or his agent double cross the Knicks by getting Houston to up the initial offer, dirty pool but business none the less. Whether Dolan took it personal or not, that bump in price launched us into luxury tax hell. A little caveat the GQ article does not cover (I presume Lin’s agent made sure of this). Now, let’s go back to the Heat game from March of last year where Wade and LeBron ripped Lin’s heart out on national TV. That exposed Lin in so many ways that in the playoffs against that very same team, he refused to dress. Although the Knick’s staff placed him at 85%, Coach Woody basically said it was up to Lin to play. And some of his teammates expressed on a condition of anonymity that he should have played. I agree, but maybe his agent didn’t being that he was gonna ride the Linsanity wave to easy street. Now he runs the point for a rebuilding NBA team without many veterans and a coach who might not be the best at cultivating a young point guard. We have a 3 headed problem by the names of Felton, Kidd and Prigioni who can be considered the deepest rotation at the 1 in all of the NBA. We needed veteran leadership with a battled tested mindset who would bleed on the court at 75%.......Peace to Lin but my Heart is with the New York Knickerbockers.
Enough of the we miss Lin talk, not that many people feel that way at this point. As Tyson stated, he was inexperienced and was trying to learn on the fly. We don’t have enough time to let him develop at whatever pace when we are trying to when right now.
I agree with Mike718, I will never forget how the Heat made Lin look like Jared J trying to bring the ball up the court. He looked like crap and to make sure that he can ask for a huge contract did not play again. He could have turned down that contract, he did not have to sign a revamped one. But, hey its good for him, not the Knicks to match. I love Knicks that leave it all out on the floor, not trying to protect how much money he would get the following season. I’m tired of hearing all of this crying about Jeremy Lin. It’s over, it’s done, it happen move the F ON!!!! He’s is not worth 1 Million for ever game he played. I’m happy he got his money, but stop writing all these stories about how the Knicks messed up for letting him go for nothing. How his stats make him better than any other PG that we have or in the NBA. Who gives a sh!+, I hope he does well, but I would have been pissed if they did match that offer. The Knicks were going to re-sign him, but that contract was ridiculous for Lin just about almost as crazy as it was for Fields. Lin had flashes of being great, but he more showed signs of not being able to be relied on as well. Yeah, he had a few good games that made Knick fans excited. He also had very bad games turning the ball over around 10 times a game as well and having bad shooting nights taking shots away from Melo and Stat. How many other starting point guards had such a high turnover rate and was not yanked back to the bench? ESPN replayed the game against Boston and he was bad then too. So, now that is two of the teams we would go against and he would be a crappy point guard turning the ball over and over against and will not be the only ones.
One last thing, a comment by some of the other Knicks did point out something important. If the Knicks did match, what kind of message that would have sent out to the other Knicks that did not ask for more money just to make sure that they returned that has years of experience. I’m sick of people saying, “well its only money and the Knicks have plenty why stop now.” That kind of spending on players that were not worth it is what put us below .500 for years and not able to get talent like we have this season. If we did sign him, our current roster would not look the way it looks now. / Good Luck to Lin in Houston!!!! I hope you make the most of it.