New York Knicks Allow Linsanity to Join the Houston Rockets

Jeremy Lin had a magical run in New York City with the Knicks, but now he must take his act to Houston to play for the Rockets. (Jim McIsaac)

Unless you were living under a rock (literally or metaphorically) last February, you more than likely know the incredible rise of Jeremy Lin to international acclaim. Nevertheless, the legendary tale is worthy recounting. The New York Knicks were mired in a rut of frankly terrible basketball. One of the major issues was they were lacking a true leader at starting point guard. Due to injuries and other issues, the Knicks were struggling to find anyone to play the position. At the end of the bench, they spotted a long forgotten kid from Harvard, named Jeremy Lin. Lin had gone undrafted, been cut by two teams during the preseason, and played in the NBA's D-League, before filling out the end of the Knicks' roster.

In February, the Knicks finally decided to give Lin a chance. All he did was lead the Knicks to seven consecutive wins. In nine of his first ten games, Lin scored at least 20 points. He started 25 of his 35 games with the Knicks, while averaging 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. Sadly, Lin's phenomenal season was ended prematurely because of his need for knee surgery.

This summer, Lin became a restricted free agent. This meant that while Lin could sign an offer sheet with any team, the Knicks had the right to match it and accordingly keep Lin. As Lin explored options, so did the Knicks. They convinced veteran Jason Kidd to come aboard in a backup point guard facility. Meanwhile, Lin signed a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets. This left the decision as to whether or not to match and re-sign Lin up to the Knicks.

The dilemma the Knicks faced was that the contract offered from the Rockets included a $14.9 million balloon payment for the third year. If they signed Lin, it would cost them another $35 million or more in luxury-tax penalties. The decision came down to whether or not the man in charge, Jim Dolan, was willing to pay the additional money. As it turns out, he was unwilling. Instead, he decided to do a sign-and-trade for another veteran point guard, Raymond Felton. Dolan also declined the option of signing Lin and trading him to the Rockets for something in return.

In my humble opinion, Dolan simply made the worse possible decision for his franchise. The Knicks supporters had already suffered from many of the rash decisions his regime had made. Long mired in mediocrity and continued failure, Lin awoke a stagnate and unhappy fan base. He energized them and gave them someone to hope and believe in. So when Dolan is given the chance to re-sign Lin, what does he do? He simply allows him to walk, while getting nothing in return.

Way to alienate your fan base even more, Mr. Dolan. You should reward yourself with a nice, big bonus. Every move the man makes seems to turn out as a complete flop. The one thing that turned out beautifully, he lets go. All because he doesn't want his franchise to have to pay the additional money out of pocket. Jeremy Lin's historic rise from unknown commodity to international sensation is unprecedented. He has become one of the most popular athletes in the world. I guess all that wasn't enough to earn him a second year in New York.

Twitter, blogs, and more are ablaze with the frustration and harsh criticism of Knicks' fans. Many have stated that they have switched their allegiance to supporting the newly relocated Brooklyn Nets. Normally, I would say that you should support your team no matter the circumstances, but I understand where these fans are coming from. Jim Dolan has time and time again hindered the success and growth of this franchise. As long as he remains in control, I would not dare to wish the fate of being a Knicks fan on even my worst of enemies.