Jeremy Lin’s season is done, but does that mean Lin’s run with the Knicks, which went from incredible to ordinary, is over? Between the arthroscopic knee surgery & his restricted free agency this summer, Lin remaining a Knick isn’t a lock. As Newsday’s Al Iannazzone writes, Lin doesn’t feel like his time in New York is finished.
“I would love to keep this team together as long as we can, everybody, top to bottom,” Lin said. “We’re growing as a team. We’re finding an identity. We’re getting better. And we have so much potential, we have so much talent, and I think it’s a process in terms of reaching our potential.”
Lin can make no more than $5 million next season, so it’s unlikely the Knicks well let him walk. That’s still a pretty good deal for a starting point guard that averaged 15 points and six assists a game this season.
The one advantage other teams would have is their ability to back load Lin’s contract. For instance, they could sign him to a four year, $30 million deal and pay him just over eight million a year in the final three seasons. It seems excessive, but with Amar’e Stoudamire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler’s contracts, there’s no way the Knicks could match if they want to avoid going deep in to the luxury tax.
On another note, Lin is expected to miss six weeks of action, which would put him through roughly the first round of the playoffs. So his return for this season can’t be completely ruled out, but it’d also mean a monumental upset of the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat. But why bring facts and full disclosure in to play if it means you can some playoff tickets, right Knicks’ front office?
