LINSANITY? No thanks.
With the Knicks
travelling to Houston this week, an intriguing story line will be the Knicks
decision to let Jeremy Lin go. When the
Knicks did not match Houston's qualifying offer this past summer, fans
everywhere started to panic. Jeremy Lin took Manhattan by storm last year
and kept the Knicks alive when the entire roster was crushed with injuries. That being siad, he never gelled with Melo on the court; the Knicks could not afford to let him run the offense, and the fact that the Rockets were willing to pay him big dollars to leave NY was probably a great thing for the Knicks. By letting Lin go and bringing in Ray Felton and Jason Kidd, GM Glen
Grunwald and Coach Mike Woodson made a statement that has resonated in the
Knicks’ locker room: "OUR TIME IS NOW".
Going for a
Ring
Jeremy
Lin didn't play in last year's playoffs because he was going for a
contract and knew that he could only hurt his stock by playing and
under-performing. He claimed he wasn't ready to play, but reports
surfaced that his knee was at 80% and he could have managed the pain.
It's understandable that he sat out the rest of the year; his stock was
at an all-time high and he did receive a huge contract offer from Houston this
off-season. That being said, his decision to not play was a devastating
blow for the Knicks that left them depleted at point guard down the stretch
last season. Felton and Kidd are playing for a championship now and they fit the
personality of this team better that Lin ever could. Lin's a young player
that will experience growing pains; Kidd and Felton bring a veteran presence
that know how to handle high-pressure situations (see last Wednesday in San Antonio).
PG Efficiency
Lin does not fit
the blueprint of what this team is trying to do. The Knicks need someone that knows when to feed Melo,
when to get the fast break going, and what to do in a half-court set. Lin was able to create opportunities for
himself and was great at running the pick-and-roll, but he was not the
efficient quarterback that this team needs. Felton and Kidd are true PGs
that look to distribute the rock. They make Melo the focal point of the offense, which is exactly what he should be.
DEFENSE
Lin was a
liability on defense all of last year.
He was consistently out-muscled by bigger point guards and does not fit
Mike Woodson’s scheme. Ray Felton is fast and strong enough to
get over screens and play consistently on the defensive side of the ball. The fact that he is playing with a chip on his shoulder makes him that much more tenacious. Kidd, although he lacks the lateral quickness of a 20-something, is a
defensive genius. His extraordinary awareness and vision
allow him to get into passing lanes and disrupt the opposition’s flow,
particularly on the fast break.
The decision to not re-sign Lin and go for
the veteran tandem of Kidd and Felton may be the best personnel move of this
past off-season. The Knicks offense has
been more consistent this season than it was last year, particularly in big
spots. Felton and Kidd are leaders that
have the respect of veterans like Melo and Tyson Chandler, which will steer the
Knicks in the right direction all year long.
No comments:
Post a Comment