The Lin-Sanity Continues

A week ago I put together a ranking of my top five point guards and top five up-and-comers. At that time one of the fastest rising up-and-comers in the NBA wasn’t even sure if he would be kept on the roster, so understandably I left him off my list. Now, Jeremy Lin the Harvard graduate and current New York Knicks point guard is the biggest sports phenomenon not named Tim Tebow.

Even though we still don’t know much about Lin it is hard not to like and root for him. It is rare to see an Asian-American make it in the NBA, and even more unlikely to find a player coming out of Harvard.

Over his last five games, the five games he has started, he is averaging 26.8 points  while shooting 52% from the field. Lin is also averaging 8 assists and 4.2 rebounds a game and looks good doing it. He has been efficient since coming in as the starter which has allowed him to demand the respect of his teammates and the media circus now surrounding him.

Before Lin came in, the Knicks were a team on the brink. Their two stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, were injured and struggling when healthy. They found themselves at 8-15 and pondering moving one of them before the trade deadline.

Anthony and Stoudemire haven’t looked good together this year because they both play similar styles and look for their own shots. Lin has led them on a five game win streak which includes wins over the Lakers and the Timberwolves. I don’t think Lin will fix New York’s problems long-term because when Anthony and Stoudmire come back they will still have the same problems they did before. Lin may or may not stay with the Knicks beyond this year, but either Anthony or Stoudemire should be moved because it has become evident they can’t coincide with one another.

Lin looks like he will be a good player in this league for a while. How long he will last is a question no one has an answer for, but he has the overall skills and intangibles to be a solid point guard in the NBA. A lot of people are comparing him to Steve Nash, but I think he is more reminiscent of Jason Kidd.

Lin is a pass first point guard, who can also hit the three. His point totals have been high during this five game win streak, but once he gets some more established scorers around him his point totals will go down.

There have been a lot of flash players in sports that leave the big stage just as soon as they entered it, but Lin has the intelligence and the game to be more than that.