Most people would consider the Jeremy Lin experiment a failure, yet a case can still be made for re-signing the Los Angeles Lakers free agent.
Such a statement is bound to create instant conflict within the team's fanbase. Lin's supporters think he can do no wrong, while his detractors would just as soon ship him off to the development league.
But like so many things in life and sports, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
That much was evident during his recent media exit interview, where Lin spoke about a fractured season that ended as it began—with plenty of questions.
"Had a rough start in terms of adjusting to the new system," Lin said, per NBA.com. "And as time went on, I just felt like there was a good progression and improvement throughout the course of the year, and all the way up to the end."
Few souls on Earth are unaware of "Linsanity"—the catch-all term for an Asian-American Harvard grad with a passion for basketball who went undrafted in 2010. Nomadic NBA pit stops led to the end of the New York Knicks’ bench by December 2011. But in February, Baron Davis' injured elbow thrust Lin into the starting lineup.
Three games later, Lin unleashed a 38-point beatdown of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
"What he's doing is amazing," said then-coach Mike D'Antoni, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. "He answered a lot of questions."
Lin's Cinderella season ended after 35 games when he underwent knee surgery. But a star had been born, and that summer, the Houston Rockets signed him and tendered a three-year, $25 million "poison pill" contract the Knicks couldn't match without hurtling into the abyss of luxury taxes.
Lin played two seasons in Houston before the Rockets traded him to Los Angeles last summer, where he joined Byron Scott's rebuilding squad.
At his introductory press...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
