DOUBLE TAKE: Is Lin-sanity much ado about nothing?

Matt’s Take:

Jeremy Lin is arguably the NBA’s feel-good story of the year, so far and “Lin-sanity” is running wild. In a year that was marred early by the lockout, Lin is just what the NBA needed to repair its tainted image.

The Palo Alto-native and Harvard graduate has shown through hard work, determination and perseverance that you don’t have to be the most talented player on the floor to make an impact. Think of Lin as the NBA’s version of Tim Tebow, below average skill, but a great passion for the game.

In his past five games, all Knicks wins, Lin is averaging 26.8 points a game with 8 assists, 2 steals and almost 5 rebounds. Not bad for an undrafted player that nobody was willing to take a chance on.

I love a feel-good story as much as the next guy, but I think it’s only a matter of time before Lin’s 15 minutes of fame runs out and his “newness” wears off. I don’t see Lin’s dominance maintaining its current momentum.

Jeremy Lin is not, and will not be, an elite player though and that’s today’s argument.

While Andrew clearly disagrees, I’m not wearing the special Jeremy Lin “superstar” goggles. While he is a solid player at the moment, let’s give the kid a few seasons under his belt before we start calling him the next big thing.

Lin is no LeBron, Kobe or Chris Paul — what he is though is talented and that’s what it takes to get noticed in this league. I wish Lin the best of luck. He is the ultimate underdog and that’s a role that I can clearly relate to.

Keep it up, kid.

Andrew’s Take:

I hope that Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony have been taking notes. Because an undrafted rookie has the New York Knicks looking like a contender.

Jeremy Lin received his first significant NBA playing time in a “Why not?” situation. Over the course of two seasons, the Knicks managed to sign more big names than any other team. But everyone was still waiting on results.

Before Lin took the floor, the Knicks started 8-15. And with this year’s shortened schedule, it looked like they were in jeopardy of missing the playoffs.

After being pushed around the NBA and the D-League for six months, Lin got his shot on Feb. 4. Before then, he had never played half of an NBA game, but against the New Jersey Nets, with the Knicks in need of a spark, he got 36 minutes. He finished with 25 points and seven assists.

Since then he’s averaged 26.8 points and eight assists, the Knicks are 5-0 and he’s been playing without New York’s supposed best players. (Stoudemire’s brother died; Anthony was injured.)

How could a kid who couldn’t even get an athletic scholarship win, and how could two of the game’s best lose?

Maybe Lin has been overlooked his entire life because he doesn’t look the part (Asian). And maybe Stoudemire and Anthony are overrated.

Actually, I’ll take the “maybe” off both of those statements.

Lin is fast, smart and has superb court vision. These are qualities that are not going away.

Stoudemire plays when he wants, and when he’s left to run an offense, he folds. Anthony is a ball hog. The ball is in his hands for way too long every game to only be averaging 23 per.

So, can these three win? Yes, it’s possible.

Will it happen? Probably not.

Stoudemire will fall in line; he did it with Steve Nash. But somehow, in nine seasons, no one has noticed Anthony’s obvious game flaw.

If Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni can recognize and fix the problem, New York has a winning combination. If not, Carmelo might be on the move.

Either way, Lin is here to stay.