Linsanity is here to stay

The haters will continue to claim that Jeremy Lin won’t last in the NBA, that he doesn’t have the size or speed to last in an increasingly physical league.

But the man who has singlehandedly taken over Twitter and has people around the country tuning into Knicks games is more than just a short-lived SportsCenter phenom. After putting up at least 20 points in five consecutive games, Lin has proven that he has the skills to reign as one of the league’s top point guards.

This is a man who Andrew Bynum described as “a lot like [Steve] Nash, only more aggressive to the basket,” after the Harvard grad threw down 38 points on the Lakers. And it’s no coincidence Lin’s play has stepped up tremendously since he started seeing significant time on the floor.

Before Feb. 4, when he posted his first career 20-point game against the Nets, he saw 20 minutes or more of playing time just once and never got a real chance to prove his worth. In typical underdog fashion, Lin was cut by the Golden State Warriors as well as the Houston Rockets and overlooked in favor of his more athletically gifted counterparts.

Yet in every game of the streak that has turned him into a household name, over which the Knicks are a perfect 5-0, he has finished with at least 20 points.

Sure, he’s bound to have a rough night where he doesn’t hit the 20-point mark, and that game could come quite soon, but he’s a long-term solution to an aging Baron Davis, New York’s starting point guard before Linsanity took hold. His fearlessness to drive through the lane – even when it’s full of post players that could bench press Lin himself – makes him the rare floor general that can become a consistent scorer.

While most of the attention surrounding the 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard has come from his impressive scoring numbers, Lin has also tossed an average of eight assists per contest over his last five games. If his shots aren’t falling, he’s still able to slip the ball to talented teammates like Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, making him a threat on the hardwood on any given night.

I’m not usually one to become entranced by these unexpected stories of success (see: Tim Tebow), but the Knicks’ latest star has the talent to turn into the most unusual of NBA stars.

He may not have the intimidating build of LeBron James or the athleticism of fellow point guards like Derrick Rose, but don’t expect Lin’s highlight clips to stop taking over ESPN anytime soon. New York’s latest hero is for real.

– Ian McCue

Lin not esteemed star, yet

Ian, I’m not sure if you’re still hungover from that party last night, but I’m going to drop some knowledge that can cure that keg-tapped beer cloud hangover your brain seems to resides in. It’s hard to not appreciate the rise of this young star straight outta Harvard. Canny with the basketball, aggressive on the drive and lighting opponents up like it’s the fourth of July, Lin is the biggest breath of fresh air to hit the NBA since the Memphis Grizzlies made a run just a year ago without Rudy Gay. The biggest question now, however, is can he keep it up? I say: I don’t know.

In a league where the season lasts longer than a Wisconsin winter, consistency is everything. Lin has only started five games in New York, against five teams with a combined record of 55-82. Impressive!

Also, one of those teams was named the Washington Wizards. Zounds! Forgive me if I don’t anoint a star when I’ve barely seen him play five games, let alone an entire season. Before anyone can call Lin a star, he has to put up the stats for the entire course of the year. Also, keep in mind that Lin was shooting on average over 58 percent from the floor in his first four starts. In his last game against the Timberwolves, Lin only shot 33 percent. The only point guard shooting that well in comparison this season is Steve Nash at 56 percent. Is Lin likely to make over half his shots this season in the NBA as a point guard? Common sense would say no.

Another cause to postpone judgments on Lin with reference to his young resume as a starter is scouting. Lin has only started five games; it’s not too farfetched of an assumption to guess that NBA teams didn’t have a complete file on the guy. Now that Lin is no secret, NBA teams will continue to adjust to the strengths and weaknesses he has shown on the floor. Once again, the big question is how Lin will respond to opponents getting to know him throughout the season. What makes superstars like Kobe and Lebron so great is the fact that it’s almost impossible to slow them down, and what made them superstars is the fact that they have done it not one season but their entire careers. Lin has a long way to go.

The last point I’ll make in argument against my esteemed colleague is the fact that Lin’s chemistry is about to change. Once the Knicks welcome back Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to the lineup, the whole dynamic of the team will be different. Lin could benefit from the attention of teams focusing on these two star players but he may soon find his game being changed for the worse. Star players demand plenty of touches, and with neither star in the lineup Lin has been able to focus on his game rather then theirs.

I hope Linsanity can last, but in a long NBA season full of talent it’s hard to proclaim the young man a star just yet.

– Nick Korger