Jeremy Lin and the Rest of NBA Free Agency

The Sixers signed Kwame Brown....

For a while ESPN was constantly talking about where Dwight Howard would go this offseason after once again demanding a trade. Nothing has happened with Dwight, but plenty of other transactions have occurred early on in NBA free agency. The Lakers went out and signed Steve Nash. Although Nash is 38 years old and obviously not in the prime of his career, he has shown that he still has game left. The newly name Brooklyn Nets after landing Joe Johnson via trade were able to sign two of their own. Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace both could have left, but the Nets were able to work out deals with both players. As if the Miami Heat were not good enough..... they snatched Ray Allen away from Boston. Allen turned down a bigger contract with the Celtics to go play with the "Big Three." Other moves included the Knicks bringing in Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd. Kidd celebrated by getting a DWI in the Hamptons. Although the offseason has been busy thus far in the NBA, the biggest free agent story may be someone who is yet to sign anywhere, Jeremy Lin.

Everyone knows the impact of Jeremy Lin on the Knicks last season. Although Lin only truly impacted the team for 26 games, he put up statistics that no one could imagine. The result of Jeremy Lin's good play was the start of "Linsanity." Linsanity took over New York City and the rest of the NBA world. Everyone knew that Lin was due for a contract when the season was up, and most assumed it would be significantly more than the $762,195 he made last season. When the Knicks and other teams are considering signing Jeremy Lin, one factor that could be overlooked is his race. Jeremy Lin brings an Asian audience that may present without Lin's presence. The Rockets got a taste of the benefits of having an Asian player with Yao Ming. While Yao was playing for the Houston, the Rockets' value increased by about 100% while the NBA average during this time was 63%. After Yao's retirement, the Rockets' value increased about proportionally to the NBA average. The general manager of the Rockets, Daryl Morey, is known to love statistics so it is not surprising to me that the Rockets' have offered Jeremy Lin a three year contract reportedly worth $25 million. Morey most likely sees the Rockets' having another "Yao effect" if they are able to sign Lin. The Knicks have until midnight tonight to match the offer.


Final Thought


Carmelo Anthony recently said, “It's up to the organization to say they want to match that ridiculous contract that's out there." I do not see the Knicks matching the offer for two reasons. The first reason is that they now have plenty of depth at the guard position so it is not a current need. The other reason is that the Knicks would have too much money tied up in contracts for future years, which could eliminate them from signing big free agents in future years. I think this is a rare move in which two teams are making good decisions. The Knicks are smart not to throw that money at Jeremy Lin, and the Rockets' are smart for trying to signing him. Also not to mention.... Jeremy Lin is a pretty smart guy.




 @dmrosen7




Sources: NBA.com, ESPN.com, USAtoday.com, LAtimes.com