New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has taken the NBA by storm.
In two weeks, the Harvard graduate has morphed from the player that no NBA team wanted to the story no one can stop talking about.
The Knicks took “Linsanity” north of the border Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Lin cleared the floor, took his man one-on-one and drained the game-winning 3-pointer with .05 seconds left on the clock.
He should take advantage of his opportunity to have the ball in his hands while he can. The Greek god of shots, Carmelo Anthony, will soon return to the Knicks’ starting lineup.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith will wholeheartedly disagree with me, but there’s no way Lin will continue his performance once Anthony makes his comeback.
I hate the Anthony trade that brought him to the Knicks in the first place, and the front office hasn’t done much to surround him with players he can peacefully coexist with. If Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler were still on this team, New York would be contenders for the Eastern Conference crown.
Anthony and Stoudemire Amar’e both get a majority of their shots from the same spot on the floor — mid-range. Although Lin made the 3-pointer to win the game in Toronto, he’s much more comfortable taking the ball to the paint than shooting it from the outside.
The second-year guard has fit in well with his current teammates with Anthony nursing a groin injury, but I’m wondering how much of a disaster it will be when Melo does come back.
Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni runs an up-tempo system that utilizes quick shots on offense and high-pressure defense that tries to limit teams to one shot.
Anthony doesn’t fit either of those criteria. There were mumbles when Anthony was rumored to be traded to the Big Apple that D’Antoni didn’t want Melo to come to the Knicks in the first place.
I can’t blame him.
Anthony plays little or no defense and, at times, turns the Knicks offense stagnant when he sits on the ball. Unlike dominant duos in previous years, Melo and Amar’e are too alike to ever compete with the Shaq and Kobe 1-2 punch.
Let’s not forget the Knicks were playing terrible basketball before Anthony got injured and Lin was still a Maine Red Claw in the NBDL.
Despite his turnovers, Lin turned the situation in New York upside down. He scored, dished the rock and, more importantly, boosted team morale.
I love seeing Lin in press conferences deflecting his praise and lauding his teammates for his success.
Anthony, on the other hand, channels his inner diva by huffing at the plethora of Lin questions.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Melo come out in his first game back and throw up 40 shots and completely ruin the chemistry that Lin has built.
Lin could be the perfect piece to the puzzle for New York. Stoudemire proved in his time with Steve Nash in Phoenix that he thrives when playing with a pick-and-roll point guard.
Lin’s that guy.
It will be a shame to see this “Linderella” story come to an end when the clock strikes midnight. And strike it will once Carmelo Anthony returns to the starting lineup.
Micah Bedard is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Houma. Follow him on Twitter @DardDog.
 
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Contact Micah Bedard at [email protected]