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| from Forbes.com |
For those of you NOT in the know, Jeremy Lin got the opportunity with two Knicks starters (Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire) were out. He played significant minutes and started on a team that was circling the drain. In those starts, he ended up scoring the most points of anyone in the their first 5 starts in the NBA ever. More than all the great ones--Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, all of them. And what's more is the Knicks haven't lost since he started starting. Also, he's two things that are unique to the NBA: an Ivy Leaguer (graduated and played at Harvard) and Taiwanese American.
I love a good underdog story. I mean I LOVE them. It's probably why I can never resist watching Remember the Titans when I see it's on TV or why I have cried while watching Secretariat. In fact, I may go so far as to say that my affinity for sports stemmed from my affinity to see those with no hope of winning, do so.
But here's where things get tricky on the Jeremy Lin situation, I fear that much like things that happen in New York or LA this coverage has gotten out of hand. Had Jeremy Lin played for the Pacers, there would be some notice, but not near the amount he's gotten in the Big Apple. And even if he turns out to be a Steve Nash-like point guard (which is not nearly a given only 7 games into his career), there can be no measure other than a championship that would live up to the kind of hype this kid has gotten in the last week. Yes, we have only really known Jeremy Lin for a week. Unless you're this guy and saw this coming.
My favorite tweet on this is from
If Jeremy Lin dunked on Lebron in a Yankees cap, and then celebrated by Tebowing in front of Brett Favre, would ESPN explode?Sadly, I think the answer is yes. But I hope for Lin's sake, the media can give this guy some room to breathe (although it might be too late).
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