In Like … Lin … Again?

Unsung point guard Jeremy Lin takes
center stage for the struggling Knicks!

Forget the old saying, ‘In like Flynn’. The age-old saying now goes like this … ‘In like Lin’ – as in Jeremy Lin!

I always say, one man’s trash is apparently another man’s treasure – in addition to my long-standing belief that many coaches in nearly every sport have hidden gems on their own respective rosters but are often too narrow-minded to give their reserves a legitimate chance to shine.

Take New York Knicks’ clearly gifted point guard Jeremy Lin for instance. The former Harvard star is clearly a bright guy off the court – and his on court play has been equally brilliant for the Knicks recently, but apparently it took flat-out desperation for the Knicks to give Lin a real chance – after the Golden State Warriors declined to bring back the ‘unearthed gem’ after having him on their roster for 29 games last season.

Lin sat on the bench all season long for the Knicks and even made a brief three-day stint with the team’s Development League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks.

"At times it did cross my mind … maybe I might not get a chance," Lin recently told reporters.

Well, now that opportunity has knocked for Lin, the Knicks may find themselves as the seriously lucky recipient of a legitimate starting point guard.

The 23-year-old Californian got his chance after reportedly beating the hell out of New York’s point guard, including Baron Davis, in practice all season.

"He has been breaking down guys in practice for a while now," Tyson Chandler said. "We were saying at halftime he just needs to play more minutes." 

Knicks reserve point guard
Jeremy Lin  could see a lot more court time in the foreseeable future. 

On Saturday night, Lin led New York to a 99-92 win over New jersey by scoring a career-high 25 points and dishing out seven assists while outplaying Nets point guard Deron Williams for major stretches of the game.

On Monday night, Lin was back at work, setting another career mark in scoring a team high 28 points while dishing out eight assists to lead the Knicks to an impressive 99-88 win over the Utah Jazz.

You know what’s funny Eye On Sports NBA lovers, I’m wondering what the Knicks are going to do with Baron Davis once the veteran is ready to play, particularly seeing as how Lin has been beating him badly in practice recently.

"The biggest thing is, he's got a point guard mentality,” Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni said recently.

Hell, even the embattled head coach, is suddenly seeing the light when it comes to his young floor leader.

"Let me go home and digest this a little bit, but obviously we're going back to the well," D'Antoni said. "He can give us something that we can't do without."