STATE YOUR CASE
by meredith kinney
sports senior writer
Jeremy Lin is overrated.
Yes, Lin’s recent performances for the New York Knicks have people comparing him to Steve Nash and other greats, but is he really deserving of the recent obsession?
For the first half of the season he played bench-warmer for the Knicks. It was newsworthy if he got in the game. Now, Lin sneezes and it’s front page news.
The point guard has found success in New York head coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, but it’s the system he has been playing since his high school days in California. Lin rolls off a high screen and lets his instincts take over.
He has yet to be tested under a different system. Lin was undrafted out of college even though he led Harvard to a national ranking. He has been cut by two NBA teams.
Lin’s is getting publicity from reporters who make questionable comments about his race creating a fire storm of criticism. Much of his publicity is based on how unknown he was and not how good of a player he actually is.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu
by curtis lundstrom
staff writer
It’s “Linsanity.”
Jeremy Lin has taken New York — and the NBA — by storm. In his first four starts, the Harvard graduate scored at least 20 points and recorded at least seven assists. No other player in NBA history has done that.
The Knicks signed Lin, and he played significant minutes for the first time in his career Feb. 4 against New Jersey. He didn’t start but scored 25 points in the win. Since then, the 23-year-old has led New York to six straight wins and averaged 26.8 points during the stretch.
Lin went off for 38 points against the Lakers and outplayed Kobe Bryant in every way en route to a dominating win. To cap it all off, Lin scored 27 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with less than one second to play against the Raptors on Tuesday.
He may or may not go on to have a Hall of Fame career, but there’s no doubt Lin can play. In his first five starts he’s scored 136 points — an NBA record.
All he does is Lin… er, uh, win.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu