By: Thomas Rende
It could have been miserable. The shining lights of Madison Square Garden could have become a prison for the young, sensational point guard. The media and the weight of championship expectations could have swallowed him up and spit him back out. That is why the New York Knicks ultimately made the best decision in letting Jeremy Lin walk on July 11th. They learned from the New York Jets, who are now suffering from their trade with the Denver Broncos when they acquired Tim Tebow.
The Knicks seemed to have every intention of resigning Lin during the off-season by using the mid-level exception. On June 22nd the NBA Player’s Association won their arbitration case that gave several players, including Steve Novak and Lin, the right to retain their “Early Bird” or “Bird” rights. With the case being favored on the side of the players, the Knicks were now given the opportunity to sign both Lin and Novak while going over the salary cap. This preserved the ever so precious “Mid-Level Exception”, which gave the Knicks the ability to bring another top player to “The Big Apple”.
The regurgitation of history is incredibly dull but the interesting part of the story is how likely it seemed that the Knicks would bring back Lin, especially after coach Mike Woodson proclaimed that he would “absolutely” be coming back to the team.
The team had an obvious need at the point guard position but decided to move forward with a combination of ex-Knick Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni. The combination of talent acquired seemed to be a plan on both the part of general manager Glen Grunwald and coach Mike Woodson. Both visions had the mix of isolations, ball screens, and a variety of tempos tied to the hip. Woodson has to this date used a mix of what he learned under Mike D’Antoni and has thrown away most of his heavy isolation plays from his days in Atlanta.
The key to these player additions is understanding the combined vision of both the general manager and coach. This team is a veteran laden bunch that preaches defense and seems to embody every image that the coach is trying to convey. The ball movement, defensive tenacity and emphasis on spot up 3-point shooting were all necessities in the Mike Woodson offense. All of the players acquired this offseason do one or two of these things very well. In a day and age where molding players to fit your system is often rare, it is essential to find players that fit a coach’s system.
So you are finally wondering where this whole Tim Tebow character fits into what I am saying. Both Lin and Tebow were compared last season for their ability to captivate a nation and create a cult following that not only broke jersey sales but brought energy back into their respective teams. The two created such a hype, such a buzz that it almost took away from their team. Distractions were made, whether they were justified or unjustified, that put an ever-growing spotlight on each player. The teams were merely the tail, following whatever erratic direction the player made, and the media loved it.
Lin might prove to be a star in this league (something I still believe). He is a player who might put together his propensity of getting into the lane with an outside touch that showed signs of becoming consistent last year but he never fit the immediate plan of the Knicks winning a championship. The growing pains, the boo birds, and the questioning of leadership may have ended up being the ultimate downfall of the Knicks, if he had returned. They may have ended up clawing their way to another 6th seed in the playoffs and reiterated the same “We’ll get them next year!” line that we are all to familiar with. But they didn’t take that chance.
They sided with veteran experience that deferred to Carmelo Anthony as the unquestioned leader. Fans haven’t come out in droves to show their displeasure for Woodson’s use of Lin or his inability to create a strong chemistry between Lin and the rest of the team. Woodson has only dealt with one of the best starts in New York Knick’s history.
The Jets weren’t this lucky. They relied on general manager Mike Tannebaum’s guile to reel in a big-ticket name that would bring some zest back to the Jets. People questioned how they would use Tebow and some pointed to the offensive coordinator, Tony Sparano, history of the wildcat as a precedent for what was to come.
A constant QB controversy, anonymous source leakage, and a training camp full of shirtless pics have left the cynics wondering what the Jets were expecting to happen. With a limited game plan usage of Tebow the Jets have left the controversial QB standing with his helmet on the sideline and fans screaming for him to get more playing time. The backup QB has been labeled by coach Rex Ryan as “utility man”, but he hasn’t been used this season in his designated role. The Jets have been involved in five games where they have won or lost by more than 21 points and in none of those games has Tebow come in as the backup QB for garbage time. Ryan hinted during the offseason that the Jets may use 20 “Wildcat” snaps a game but instead have relegated the move as a decoy to make defense’s prepare for the “idea” of the “Wildcat”.
The miscommunication in the ultimate use of Tim Tebow is obvious. The Jets never laid out a clear cut plan in their usage of Tebow and are now afraid to use him. As the Knicks continue to live in a Lin-free world, the Jets are left wondering how much better life would be with Drew Stanton playing in garbage time.
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