Frank: The question is – and it’s a valid question IMHO – whether Lin is worth the contract he was going to be given (with luxury tax included) if you’re not really going to maximize his best asset – which is high volume scoring.You’ve already made a financial commitment to Amare and Melo (for better or worse, it’s already done and over with), both of whom need a usage of 25+ to be effective.Then on top of that, if you’re going to ask him to play in a more self-protective manner, you take away his one truly elite skill, which is his ability to draw contact in the paint on drives.He’s not really a good shooter, he’s a pretty good passer but not any better than Felton.And if you’re going to ask him to be purely a ballhandler/distributor, he has a fairly high turnover rate even without counting his drives.And he was going to cost the Knicks >$25MM/year.

Frank, that’s why I emphasized Lin’s versatility. Looking at each facets under a microscope, it’s easy to say this guard can match Lin in this specific situation. But if you put them together, Lin would have had key roles in all of them: Iso-Melo and pressure-valve kick-outs, pick-and-rolls with the other Big 3 stars, fastbreaks from better defense, bail-out iso scoring when the “clumsy” fitting Big 3 ruined yet another play, closing games, the type of combo guard Kidd needs to pair with at the end of his career…Lin would have been the common denominator. Besides, an instinctive scorer who’s the primary ballhandler is going to score. At Harvard, 7SOL on-the-ball high-volume scoring was not Lin’s elite skill. While he scored plenty against top opponents, Lin’s calling card was actually his across-the-board, whatever-the-team-needs production. Next season, Lin would have earned his pay as the 1-man-toolkit lynchpin guard that held together the Knicks mismatched, mix-and-match team.

The Infamous Cdiggy: COSIGN!
I wrote this on my blog back in February shortly after the Giants won the Superbowl: http://stoptryingtoplayme.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/a-blue-valintine-story/

I can’t take credit for the Eli-Lin comparison. I read 2 commenters talk about it on KB a few days ago and it just made sense, down to a raw Manning in 2008 – less polished then as a QB than Lin is now as a PG – making game-winning plays. For a while Manning didn’t pass the ‘eye test’ either and dealt with loud doubters, especially when he was compared to co-drafted QBs Philip Rivers and Ben Roesthlisberger.

Can’t scout for the clutch gene. Can’t teach it. Whether you find it in a role player like Horry, a deep 2nd round pick like Manu, or an all-time great like Jordan, the smart play is to hold onto the clutch gene when you’re lucky enough to find it. The Knicks found it and gave it away.

Eric Chen:
I believe the Knicks will miss Lin more than they realize now, and more than Felton and Kidd can provide. They will miss Lin’s versatility (especially that), energy, playmaking, high basketball IQ, big-moment clutchness, and creative isolation scoring. Winning in the play-offs requires several isolation scorers, ball movement, and a knack for clutch plays – Lin would have provided the Knicks all three.

The Knicks Eli. I was struck by the recent comments about thin-slicing and the quality Lin shares with Eli Manning: the rare ability to make big plays in the clutch. Can’t teach it. My favorite Lin snapshot was the bruising 76ers game where he started 1-11.Anthony was playing poorly so Woodson put the ball in Lin’s hands in the 4Q. Lin repeatedly broke through an amped 76ers defense (remember that vicious cross-over?), took a beating, and pulled out the win. Lin had a bad game on paper, but for me, the 76ers game exemplified why the Knicks need him. The current PGs may be able to make up a lot of Lin’s production, but can they make up for his big-play closing ability in, as Kidd said it, the game-changing last 6 minutes? It seems to me that, for a team with title hopes, it’s hard to put a price tag on a PG (or a QB) who can pull out improbable wins.

COSIGN!
I wrote this on my blog back in February shortly after the Giants won the Superbowl: http://stoptryingtoplayme.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/a-blue-valintine-story/

My apologies to you advanced stat guys. I love the debate going on (THCJ and Ruru make me want to sit back and watch them go at it while scarfing down popcorn), but I really believed I saw some of Eli Manning in Lin’s play and demeanor. Funny: Eli had problems with turnovers too.

One day maybe we’ll move on from this JLin debate, but that gorilla-guts 3-ball to win the game in Toronto will stay with me for a…

Frank: The question is – and it’s a valid question IMHO – whether Lin is worth the contract he was going to be given (with luxury tax included) if you’re not really going to maximize his best asset – which is high volume scoring.You’ve already made a financial commitment to Amare and Melo (for better or worse, it’s already done and over with), both of whom need a usage of 25+ to be effective.Then on top of that, if you’re going to ask him to play in a more self-protective manner, you take away his one truly elite skill, which is his ability to draw contact in the paint on drives.He’s not really a good shooter, he’s a pretty good passer but not any better than Felton.And if you’re going to ask him to be purely a ballhandler/distributor, he has a fairly high turnover rate even without counting his drives.And he was going to cost the Knicks >$25MM/year.

Obviously he’s only 23 and can improve these aspects of his game. And dogrufus, no one is arguing that we’re “better off” as a basketball team without Lin – all I’m saying is that while I hate Dolan too, I can see the reasoning behind letting Lin go and bringing on the guys we have.If $ were not an issue, then obviously we’d all want Lin back. To say “who cares about Dolan’s $” is just not realistic.

You know they could have cut him after year two and saved most of that money owed to the league in year 3, right?

BigBlueAL:
Berman tweeted the other day that he thinks the Knicks know something about Lin’s knee that worries them.I think he mentioned having a level of arthritis on that knee which lead to the meniscus tear while only being 23 yo is not a good sign.Dunno if he is just speculating or someone in the org actually told him this.

More spin control from the Knicks….”psssst, Berman…. we were really too concerned about Lin’s knee because he had a cartiliage tear!”

By that attitude, Shumpert is absolutely finished (2 serious knee injuries in his rookie season including one reconstruction).

Also, the Knick’s medical staff has been soooooooo good at predictions moving forward: Mc Dyess, Houston, Amare, Camby couldn’t stay sound for 30 seconds with the knicks staff, but has been virtually indestructible for denver, portland , etc

Eric Chen: I am concerned that Lin will be overused by the Rockets while he pushes himself too hard trying to justify his contract and carry a young team. For next season, I was hoping for a balanced, efficient 33-35 MPG while he learned to switch gears, like Kidd said he was going to teach him. Play within the system, play with and off of his star teammate Anthony, then turn it on and take over when needed. I believe Lin would have learned to play in a more measured, self-protective way with the Knicks in Woodson’s system. Now it’s sink or swim, ready or not, in Houston.

The question is – and it’s a valid question IMHO – whether Lin is worth the contract he was going to be given (with luxury tax included) if you’re not really going to maximize his best asset – which is high volume scoring. You’ve already made a financial commitment to Amare and Melo (for better or worse, it’s already done and over with), both of whom need a usage of 25+ to be effective. Then on top of that, if you’re going to ask him to play in a more self-protective manner, you take away his one truly elite skill, which is his ability to draw contact in the paint on drives. He’s not really a good shooter, he’s a pretty good passer but not any better than Felton. And if you’re going to ask him to be purely a ballhandler/distributor, he has a fairly high turnover rate even without counting his drives. And he was going to cost the Knicks >$25MM/year.

Obviously he’s only 23 and can improve these aspects of his game. And dogrufus, no one is arguing that we’re “better off” as a basketball team without Lin – all I’m saying is that while I hate Dolan too, I can see the reasoning behind letting Lin go and bringing on the guys we have. If $ were not an issue, then obviously we’d all want Lin back. To say “who cares about Dolan’s $” is just not realistic.

Apparently, Minny will trade Wesley Johnson, Brad Miller’s non-guaranteed contract and a first round pick to the Suns, who will trade Hakim Warrick, a signed Robin Lopez (three years/$15 million, which, in and of itself, is a surprise) and two second round picks to the Hornets, who will in turn sign and trade Andrei Kirilenko to the T-Wolves.

Crazy, man, crazy.

The Nets owner apparently could not threaten enough of AK-47′s relatives in Russia to make Kirilenko take the vet minimum from Brooklyn.

Eric Chen: I believe Lin would have learned to play in a more measured, self-protective way with the Knicks in Woodson’s system.

I mean, he’s obviously a smart guy, so it’s possible, but it seemed to me that his style is too deeply rooted and instinctual to change as much as I think he needs to to have a lengthy and healthy career. it is possible, though, if I were him I’d never stop watching film of Tony Parker.

jon abbey:
what can be tested is my belief that Lin will never stay healthy for a full season playing 30+ minutes per game without drastic changes to his style.

I am concerned that Lin will be overused by the Rockets while he pushes himself too hard trying to justify his contract and carry a young team. For next season, I was hoping for a balanced, efficient 33-35 MPG while he learned to switch gears, like Kidd said he was going to teach him. Play within the system, play with and off of his star teammate Anthony, then turn it on and take over when needed. I believe Lin would have learned to play in a more measured, self-protective way with the Knicks in Woodson’s system. Now it’s sink or swim, ready or not, in Houston.