Over the past week and a half, Knicks fans may have found themselves suddenly suffering from winning and grinning, sagacity with dishing, and reverse off the glass zigzagging—all symptoms of the phenomenon known as Linsanity. Despite reports to the contrary, it turns out that Linsanity is alive and well, as the NY Times declares today. But wait, wasn't it the NY Times who declared Linsanity dead and done less than a month ago?
After the Knicks went into free fall at the start of March, and Coach Mike D'Antoni suddenly resigned amidst clashes with star Carmelo Anthony, NY Times sources believed that new coach Mike Woodson favored using veterans such as Baron Davis and Mike Bibby at point guard, rather than someone still in the "learning stage." The Times insists today that while Woodson would feel more comfortable leaning on Anthony and Amare Stoudemire and letting Lin learn from the bench, circumstance has worked against that plan: "Woodson wants to win and wants to keep his job, even if it means suppressing his own coaching instincts for now."
They say that with only 24 games left, there's no time to implement his controlled, halfcourt game; instead, Woodson has been running D’Antoni’s offense about 80 percent of the time, and it works best with Lin at the helm. In addition, Davis strained his right hamstring in Woodson’s second game, and Woodson has recently conceded that Davis would not be 100 percent healthy for the rest of the season. For all intents and purposes, Lin has locked up his spot in the starting rotation.
But it isn't all circumstance: "That Lin is still starting at point guard, and on most nights thriving, is a testament to Lin’s perseverance, adaptability and effectiveness." USA Today even calls him a "bleeder," a frequent target of opponents sick of hearing about him—yet despite being wounded almost every game, Lin never backs down.
Even Lin's brand has been thriving: according to Forbes, Lin’s number 17 jersey continues to be the league’s top seller. And a recent ESPN poll found he was more popular than Derek Jeter. But is Lin the most popular celestial sports meme in the city anymore?
