It's safe to say the Knicks' acquisition of Jeremy Lin is the most successful waiver claim the NBA has seen in some time. Lin has scored 89 points in his first three NBA starts, the most for any player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, as Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld points out. Statistician Nate Silver looks at the numbers to compare Lin to several players in a piece for The New York Times. Here are a few more notes on the second-year sensation:
- Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated wonders whether Mark Jackson did his due diligence in evaluating Lin before the Warriors let him go. (Twitter link)
- There's confusion over how much money Lin can make on his next contract. Salary cap guru Larry Coon said in a stream of tweets that he's not sure if Lin qualifies as an "Early Bird" free agent. Howard Beck of The New York times reported earlier that Lin does. If he does have Early Bird rights, the Knicks could re-sign him for up to 175% of his previous salary or th e average player salary, whichever is greater. There have also been reports that Lin will be limited to receiving the full mid-level exception. What is clear is that he will be a restricted free agent, meaning he can sign a deal with any team, but the Knicks would have three days to match the offer.
- Count Tyson Chandler as one who doesn't think Lin will soon fade back into obscurity. He believes Lin's performance is "not a fluke," as Tom Pedulla and Rachel Shuster of USA Today report. The story also notes how Lin believes the difference between his production in New York this year and Golden State last year is all about opportunity.
- Lin's popularity may force Time Warner cable, in a carriage battle with the MSG network, to put the channel that shows Knicks games back in the lineup, writes Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.