Man who inspired Linsanity makes return to New York

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Jeremy Lin (left) defends against Celtics� Rajon Rondo Saturday. (TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT)

NEW YORK -- Jeremy Lin was barely hanging on to an NBA job when he stepped on the floor at Madison Square Garden last February.

He returns tonight having proven he's a legitimate starter and sometimes star, capable of energizing a franchise and a fan base, a player who saved his team's season and was rewarded with a lucrative contract.

Linsanity was short but spectacular, and even the New York Knicks' locker-room is filled with Lin admirers.

Yet on the court, his old team hasn't missed him at all.

"What he did was amazing. I mean, I was watching every game. He was hitting game-winners, he was doing all that. He was amazing," point guard Raymond Felton said. "But it's time to move on. We're 18-5, whatever the record is, we're 10-0 at home, so no need to talk about that no more."

Lin makes his lone New York appearance with the Houston Rockets, who threw big dollars at Lin in July and were maybe just as surprised as so many others when the Knicks let them have him. They could have kept Lin simply by matching the Rockets' offer, which was widely considered to be a foregone conclusion, and the big-market Knicks certainly could have afforded him.

Instead, they traded for Felton, and signed Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, and nobody can argue now. The Knicks are the best in the league in taking care of the ball -- a Lin weakness -- and they have the best record in the Eastern Conference with Felton and Kidd starting together in a two point guard backcourt.

"I'm not taking anything away from what we had last year, those guys gave us all they had, but to win at a big level in this league you've got to have good point guard play. I think Jason Kidd and Raymond and Pablo have filled that void that we were somewhat missing last year," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

The Knicks were going nowhere without anyone to run former coach Mike D'Antoni's offence and just days from needing to cut Lin or guarantee his salary for the remainder of the season when D'Antoni turned to him in a Feb. 4 game against the Nets. Lin scored 25 points off the bench, was promoted to the starting lineup two nights later, and the phenomenon known as Linsanity was born.

An undrafted player from Harvard who had been cut three times already and was so uncertain of his NBA future that he had slept on teammate Landry Fields' couch the night before his breakout because he had refused to get his own place with an unguaranteed contract, Lin became an immediate hit with fans around the world. The first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent made a massive impact for the Knicks at the box office and merchandise stands, not to mention what he did for them in the standings.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 17, 2012 C2