The insanity of it all. Several media outlets are now reporting Jeremy Lin could be on the Knicks radar and maybe even headed back to New York as the Feb. 20, trade deadline nears.
ESPN NBA writer Chad Ford got all the drama started earlier this week by opining that Lin could be in play for the Knicks as they desperately seek to shore up their underachieving backcourt. Lin starred for the Knicks during the 2011-12 season, when he averaged 15 points, six assists and three rebounds during a 35-game stretch that gave birth to the era of “Linsanity.”
Lin parlayed his mini-streak of brilliance into a three-year, $25 million deal with Houston, where he averaged 13 points, six assists and three rebounds last season before losing his starting job to second-year guard Patrick Beverley this year.
“We’ve heard about them going after point guards such as Kyle Lowry and Jeff Teague, Ford told Bill Simmons in a podcast segment of the Knicks. “I know another guy they’d love to get their hands on right now, and that’s Jeremy Lin. And the question is, would Houston do it? Maybe if Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. are in the deal. Maybe.”
Knicks fan may not be too happy to learn the team is even considering dealing such young talents as Hardaway or Shumpert, but clearly the team’s backcourt shortcomings have been glaring and need to be addressed.
Veteran guard Raymond Felton is struggling through arguably his worse season as a pro, and things don’t figure to come any easier for him as the team tries to make up playoff ground over the last third of the season after his wife formally filed for divorce earlier this week.
Currently, the Knicks sit as the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, 31/2 games behind the Charlotte Bobcats for the conference’s final playoff spot.
The 29-year-old Felton is shooting just 40 percent this season and averaging more than two turnovers per game, prompting one anonymous NBA executive to recently marvel “Felton is the worst starting point guard in the NBA. I’d take 10 college point guards and about 30 NBA backups over him right now.”
Ford later noted of the Knicks “they want a point guard. They want something to shake this up. That’s (Lin) someone they would like.”
