After Lin

Yes, it's true: Linsanity is officially over for New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.

Somewhere along the way, we all had to know it would end at some point. It was hard to imagine Lin continuing to put some of the greatest players in NBA history to shame.

But slow down, haters.

This isn't an anti-Lin piece coming for you. Because even with Linsanity proclaimed dead by many, the night he had against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday wasn't the mark of an over-hyped, fluke player.

Lin posted 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists while only turning the ball over twice.

Now, to understand why Linsanity being over is a good thing, you must understand the difference.

Linsanity was all hype in one historic dose. No player in NBA history rose to the kind of fame Lin did overnight and thus, the expectations on him were surreal.

After looking very human against the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, Lin proved he wasn't anywhere near ready for anything resembling that type of career.

At least not yet.

So now that all the hype and Linsanity is over, Lin can get back to playing basketball like any young player trying to make it in the Association. He'll have room to make mistakes like the rest of the NBA's developing point guards because all the madness has stopped.


If you're looking for who J-Lin should thank for lifting the weight, it's none other than Carmelo Anthony. The latest "Melo drama" that led to Coach D'Antoni's resignation took care of that on its own.

All of a sudden, Lin wasn't the biggest story on the Knicks anymore and he could just fade into the background.

The future is certainly bright for the young point guard. If Lin came up the normal way like most NBA players do (big school, draft pick, etc.), he would've been given a lot more time than most critics are giving him.

And furthermore, the type of numbers he put up in his first career starts would have made him a rookie sensation around the league. From that specific perspective, it stinks of double standard.

Neither firing the coach nor sitting Lin on the bench is better medicine for Jeremy Lin's career than Linsanity being over.