Usually this space is reserved for technical analysis of statistics and standings. Most of the time, I rely heavily on numbers and try to remain somewhat objective. I tell you how games will play out and how the standings will be augmented throughout the season. You have come to expect this... and now I pull the rug out from under your feet.
This is not a story of statistics. This is not a story of rationality and analysis. This is not a story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. This is the story of Jeremy Lin. If you don’t know who he is, then you don’t have internet access, and you won’t be reading this anyways... Wrap your brain around that... If a tree falls in the woods....
Lin, who received no scholarships to play college ball, and no bids to be drafted to an NBA team, is one of those inspiring cases that we sports fans love. You know why? It’s rather simple. It’s the same reason people read Us Magazine, because we love to know that stars are just like us. You see, I, personally, received no scholarships to play basketball in college, and although I have not yet decided if I am going to enter the NBA draft, chances are I won’t be drafted (Side note: are there any real requirements for entering a professional sports draft? Could I just throw my name in there, for poops and giggles? I will be looking into this).
So in terms of those requirements, Lin and I stand on equal footing. Now I haven’t been practicing daily since I was 4 years old, but Allen Iverson told me that’s not a big deal. So what really separates Jeremy Lin from the rest of us? Some may say natural talent. Some may say work ethic. Some may say undying determination. They are right, of course. Jeremy Lin possesses superior talent, work ethic, and determination than the average man. But these are not the things I would say. If prompted with the question “What makes Jeremy Lin so great?” I respond with one word: Hype.
And just like that we find ourselves on the road less traveled.
Controversial Opinion Alert. If you and your delicate ears can’t handle hearing criticism of beloved cultural and social figures, you may choose to stop reading here. Now, for the rest of you, allow me to note a few things before I begin. First, these are my own subjective opinions about a specific phenomenon and I do not expect, nor want, everyone to agree with them. Secondly, I do not hate Jeremy Lin. This one is important. It has nothing to do with him on a personal level, it has more to do with the atmosphere that surounds him. Got it? Good. Buckle up.
The hype surrounding Jeremy Lin has far exceeded any we have seen for this kind of scenario in a long time, possibly ever. I can understand why Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III receive massive hype for anything and everything, they are top tier draft prospects with the ability to immensely alter the future of the NFL. Jeremy Lin is not.
I can also understand that Lin represents a previously untapped culture in the NBA, being the first Taiwanese player in history. And that is where the vast majority of the hype originates. That being said, it should not matter. It does, of course, because the world, and everyone in it, is divided by race and always will be. But when I calculate his basic value as a player for a basketball team, I absolutely 100% don’t care that he’s Asian. And wouldn’t that be a wonderful world to live in? If we didn’t care that he is racially different from the other 99% of the league. If we could only base our judgment on the factors that truly matter. Yet if you ask people what they know about Jeremy Lin, I bet at least 90% will say first, before anything else, that he’s an Asian basketball player. Call me a cynic, call me a non-believer, but if you take race out of the equation, I don’t particularly see why he’s so highly touted.
As for his actual performance, I acknowledge that he scored the most points ever for a player in his first 6 starts, or whatever the number was. Great. Way to go. I would like to point out that in those games he played exactly one good team, and that was the Lakers. I don’t want to trivialize what he’s done on the court, but I’m not shocked that the Nets, Jazz, Wizards, Timberwolves, and Raptors would be the teams to give up that record. Also, the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint (even when it’s not a full 82 game slate). Six great performances doesn’t make him a star, not in my mind. You play six great games in the NBA finals, that’s a star.
Let’s also factor in that since the 7-0 stretch Lin sparked, the Knicks are 2-3 (and still under .500 for the season). They lost home games to the Hornets and Nets, which is not something good teams do. He looked completely sluggish against Miami, shot 1-11 from the field and contributed just 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 14 point loss (not to mention 8 turnovers). Clearly, he is tired.
And I don’t see it getting better. I watched that Knicks-Hornets game. I was rooting for New York, I promise you I was. Don’t be fooled by his 26 points, he shot 18 times (plus 10 free throw attempts). The Hornets figured him out, figured the Knicks out. They made him shoot tough shots, and made him give up the ball so his teammates could take tough shots. They didn’t let him run the game. They dared New York to beat them with ANYONE else. And New York couldn’t do it. Now, this is not Lin’s fault. But defenses will continue to change the game and discount his dynamic. They will make him a non-factor. He is, in essence, the Wildcat formation.
Remember if you will when the Miami Dolphins unveiled the Wildcat in a game against New England, and absolutely massacred an unprepared Patriots defense. Jeremy Lin is not so much of a paradigm shift, but the same idea applies. He is to Carmelo Anthony what the Wildcat was to conventional offensive formations. A slight curveball, if you will. But sometimes, curveballs get left hanging.
Which brings me to my penultimate point, he is not Carmelo Anthony. Say what you want, but we all know Carmelo Anthony is the better player. Don’t be foolish. Don’t say Lin is better just to rile us up. You know it. I know it. Let’s be real. And while I wouldn’t imagine that Lin would ever return to his former position on the bench (playing 5 minutes every other week), he will not be the starter. He will get time when Melo needs a break, but that’s about it. In the end, he will be a flash-in-the-pan. He will be the benchmark with which we grade future rookies. He will be remembered for 6 games. No more.
Lastly, the most ridiculous part of all this hype is the comparison to Tim Tebow. I would say that it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but it’s more like comparing apples and Marxist thinkers. The NFL is horribly quarterback centric and we allot praise or blame almost exclusively to the QB. However, in basketball, although still slightly point guard centric, the credit is much more fairly distributed throughout the members of the team. I would say that at least 75% of credit for each Denver Broncos win should be given to the defensive unit and Matt Prater (and Tebow only gets 25% because I award him credit for his motivated influence). Remember, the Broncos won a game in which Tebow completed 2 passes. Just saying. Jeremy Lin should get at least 50% for what he did in 12 games for the Knicks. He ran those games. There was never a time when I felt that Tim Tebow carried the outcome of the game squarely on his shoulders. But because we value QBs and (to a lesser degree) PGs, Tebow and Lin are compared for their success as if they were equivalent in skill and stature, which honestly is a massive insult to Lin’s athletic ability.
I will concede many things about Jeremy Lin. He is quick. He is a good passer. He can make his way to the rim. He isn’t afraid to take a big shot. But you know what? Carmelo Anthony can do all those things and excels in many areas that Lin has yet to touch. And I do not wish to underestimate the power of motivation he brings, but that simply doesn’t last. Motivation can’t win you a championship. No one thinks the Knicks will win the NBA Championship, just like no one thought the Broncos would win the Superbowl. Stories like this only go so far. And I don’t know if Lin’s even gets to the playoffs.
As a culture, we get bored with the status quo. We want to be surprised. We want stories like Lin and Tebow. We love underdogs and misfits, because they are so much more like us than superhuman athletes like LeBron James (who possesses a torso unparalleled by anything humankind has ever seen). But when all is said and done, more often than not, the status quo returns, unchanged. The more things change the more they stay the same.
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