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*Photo via Brook-Lin.com
Jeremy Lin created such a fervor in the Big Apple during the 2011-2012 season that the media called the point guard’s play on the New York Knicks ‘Lin-Sanity.’ At the time Lin was a backup bench player who wasn’t a household name by any means; he was picked up by the Knicks as a backup after Iman Shumpert was injured. New Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was an assistant coach with the Knicks during ‘Lin-Sanity’. He recalled questioning Lin’s ability four years ago, “And I remember thinking to myself, ‘is this kid any good?’” Atkinson told ESPN. Atkinson described his grueling practices with backup players to staff writer Mike Mazzeo. “He was kind of an afterthought,” he said, “He was part of the group that didn’t play, and I was working with that group on a daily basis.”
Now reunited, can this duo pick up where they left off? Since leaving Madison Square Garden Lin has played for the three teams, most recently opting to decline the $2.2 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Although he hasn’t been stuffing the stat sheet with eye bulging numbers, he’s remained a consistent offensive player who did make the post-season last year. Brooklyn’s recent turn at musical chairs in free agency is the rebuilding organization’s latest move as the team tries to find the right pieces. Brooklyn acquired six new players during free agency; a fresh slate may be just what this team needs to right the ship and make an appearance in the post-season this winter.
Will the addition of Lin make the Nets a championship contender? No. Remember basketball is a team sport and the Nets are currently a mish-mash of road players that are being stuck in the starting lineup, this isn’t a well-oiled machine by any means. With that said the Eastern Conference is not nearly as competitive as the gauntlet out west so I expect the Brooklyn based franchise to make an appearance as the seventh or eighth team in the postseason but anything beyond the first round would be a reach. In the meantime basketball fanatics can root Lin on in the spoof the guard did of Space Jam 3 here.