My Take On Linsanity

Linsanity is sweeping the nation in a similar fashion to the Tebow mania we experienced during the NFL season. Lin, an undrafted point guard from Harvard, is doing things that the NBA has never seen in its history. In his first five starts, he has accomplished feats that the greats of the game could not even reach. Not Kareem. Not Jordan. Not Magic or Bird or Lebron. Quite simply, Jeremy Lin has had a better start to his NBA career than any other player in history. The only question is-can he keep it up? My opinion is that he can-to an extent. Once his high profile teammates Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony return to game action, Lin's current rate of 19-20 shot attempts per game is bound to decrease. This obviously will result in a reduction of his point totals, however, points are not the only statistical indicators of a players relevance. It is completely conceivable that once Amare and Melo return, Lin's assist numbers will see an uptick. At the same time, the defensive attention that must be paid to the other two players will likely open up wider lanes for Lin, which could lead to higher shooting percentages and more free throw attempts. In my opinion, the only thing standing in this player's way is Carmelo's playstyle, which is a ball-stopping isolation game. This condenses the playing court and takes the ball out of Lin's hands. He excels because his team spreads the floor, opens space, and runs the pick-and-roll to perfection. It is Carmelo's responsibility to adapt his playstyle to allow his point guard-and his team-to play to its strengths and win game. Let the Linsanity continue.