One year of Linsanity was apparently enough for the Knicks
The Knicks had no interest in a Linsanity 2.0 reboot. Those things are never as good as the original anyway.
By
Matt Moore
•
2 min read
Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin would likely not be in the NBA right now if it weren't for the New York Knicks. They were the team that sparked Linsanity, the team that rallied around him, the team that earned him his big contract with the Rockets in free agency. He was a player that the city truly got behind and ushered in one of the few bright spots of the past 15 years for Knicks fans.
Turns out, Lin was actually open to returning to the circus act this summer as a free agent... but the Knicks were flat out not interested. From the New York Daily News:
Three years after Linsanity left New York and subsequently fizzled in the Western Conference, Jeremy Lin’s agent reached out to the Knicks to gauge their interest in a reunion. The answer, according to Lin, was a conclusive no.
“There was no conversation other than them telling me they weren’t interested,” the Hornets point guard told the Daily News before sitting out Saturday’s 97-93 preseason victory over the Knicks with an illness.
Source: Jeremy Lin was 'open' to Knicks return, team wasn't, he says - NY Daily News.
Lin, who would actually be a pretty good fit in the Triangle, shot 37 percent last year for the Lakers from 3-point range and is also a smart pick-and-roll guard.
However, there are four really good reasons for the Knicks to not have interest in reviving Linsanity. First off, he's a poor defender, and much of the team's identity is being built around a defensive approach. If they want a poor defensive guard who can shoot, they have Jose Calderon. Two, Carmelo Anthony has repeatedly denied that he was a big part of the reason Lin wasn't retained as a restricted free agent, but those rumors persisted. Going back to Lin would send a weird signal to Anthony, who has been the team's focal point from a marketing standpoint.
Third, he would provide a distraction to a team that has to deal with enough of them. They play in New York, Phil Jackson's the team president, Carmelo Anthony's the star, and Kristaps Porzingis brings the hype. The Knicks don't really need the headache of all the Linsanity talk. Fourth, they drafted Jerian Grant, who has looked very good in preseason. No reason to clog that position with Calderon on a guaranteed contract and Grant the guard of the future.
So it makes sense that the Knicks elected to pass. It does say something that Lin isn't shy about the idea of returning to the crazy hype that followed him for that crazy month in February nearly four years ago.
