The return of Jeremy Lin to the Knicks seemed to be more of a sure thing than Michael Jordan smoking a cigar on the golf course merely 24 hours ago. With the Knicks set to add Raymond Felton to their backcourt through a sign-and-trade with Portland, Lin's future in New York remains unclear. The Knicks have until 11:59pm (EST) on Tuesday to make up their mind and will reportedly take the entire time allotted before announcing a decision. We'll keep track of all the latest rumors and news surrounding the offseason version of Linsanity with the latest news on top.
- The New York Times' Howard Beck writes that a person with knowledge of the Knicks' situation said while it is "more likely than not" that they don't match the Rockets' offer, it is also "not definitive."
- Carmelo Anthony is the latest to chime in on the offseason Linsanity. Anthony called the Rockets-Lin offer sheet "ridiculous" during an interview with reporters today, according to Yahoo's Marc Spears. Anthony also insisted that should the Knicks not match, it is not his doing. "It's up to ownership to match, not me," he said. "I'm tired of people trying to blame me for the fact that the Knicks might not match. I want everybody to get paid if they have the opportunity."
- Ian O'Connor from ESPN New York gives his take on why the Knicks must match the Rockets' offer for Lin, saying that his stint of success last year, while brief, showed too much promise for the Knicks to not retain him.
Earlier news:
- Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick looks at some of the seemingly foolish moves made this offseason, concentrating specifically on Lin's agreement with Houston. Knicks guard J.R. Smith was candid with Amick, saying that the money Lin will get may not sit well with some Knicks should they match: "Without a doubt. I think some guys take it personal, because they've been doing it longer and haven't received any reward for it yet. I think it's a tough subject to touch on for a lot of guys."
- Bradford Doolittle, in an ESPN insider piece, examines how Jeremy Lin fits into the Rockets plans, which they hope will also result in the acquisition of Dwight Howard.
- A source within the Knicks organization has told ESPN.com's Stephen A. Smith that the team will not match Houston's offer for Jeremy Lin, making him a member of the Rockets.
- Jared Jeffries believes Lin's time in New York is over and expressed shock in a text message sent to ESPN, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. "I never thought they would let him go," texted Jeffries.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says sources tell him it is highly unlikely that the Knicks will match Lin's offer sheet from the Rockets (Twitter link).
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sign him and then trade him in january. why let him go for nothing? do the wilpons run the knicks now?
lol Lin is not worth the contract the Rockets are giving him its as simple as that for such a small sample size he gave last year it is not worth the risk period. And if you don’t know the luxury tax hits twice as hard now as if you go over the tax you will get hit twice the amount now.
Plus this isn’t baseball where you can have a $100 million dollar payrolls.
Carmelo sounds like a real dunce