Linsanity has swept the nation but how will he fit in with his superstar teammates? Like John Stockton and Steve Nash would.
The Knicks are on a five game winning-streak and it’s all happened without two superstars, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. In Granny Smith Report #1, I wrote that Jeremy Lin should be getting Mike Bibby’s mop up minutes and that Baron Davis was the glimmer of hope at the point guard position. That has completely changed, Lin is a star and hopefully Davis can get healthy enough at some point during the season to be his backup.
Fitting IN with LIN:
Amare Stoudemire – Before sitting out the last few games due to the tragic passing of his brother, Stat was averaging the lowest career total of points since his rookie year with 18.2. The reason? Lack of a distributing guard to get him the ball in the right spots. He played his best basketball paired up with Steve Nash in Phoenix and Raymond Felton last season. Lin is a great distributor who has shown that he can get even Jared Jeffries easy baskets. We all have seen what happens when Stoudemire tries to play one-on-one and create his own shot, it just doesn’t work. Anything around the painted area or the rim is where you want Stoudemire with the ball. Lin will take the pressure off of Stat to create and everybody will benefit. Look for Stat to get the easy buckets he’s been dreaming about for this entire season courtesy of the one and only Jeremy Lin after he returns to the lineup against Toronto today.
Carmelo Anthony – The most ridiculous misconception about Anthony is that he is a selfish player. When he was hurt, his jumper wasn’t falling, and the Knicks weren’t winning, it was easy to point to him to stop shooting the ball but you have to understand who he is. The Bully is a scorer, plain and simple, it’s his job to put the ball in the basket. Is that going to change because Jeremy Lin is running the point guard? No. In fact, Anthony will be greatly benefited by a playmaker, a guard that can penetrate and take some of the defensive pressure off of Anthony. It was easy for teams to double off of Toney Douglas and onto Anthony, but teams can’t afford to leave anyone on the floor with a starting lineup of Lin, Landry Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler. Anthony is an under-rated passer and just like he says ‘Lin is a dream come true’. The Bully is set to return from injury later this week.
Bench play:
Steve Novak – The sharp-shooter has emerged as someone who can be relied upon to knock down big shots off the bench. He’s had 19, 19, 9, and 15 points in the Knicks last four games and can absolutely stroke it from down town. Novak should be in the three-point-contest in Orlando because he would probably win it. One of the smoothest jump shots in the game is the reason he continues to find a roster spot in the NBA. His 3-point barrage last game against the Wolves was a major component in the Knicks victory. Novak is clutch.
Iman Shumpert – I had cooled off a little on Shumpert because I thought he might be a tad fragile, which is not out of the ordinary for someone transitioning into the pro game. He’s bounced back in a major way with 17, 12, and 20 points in his last three games and also has 12 steals in his last four games including four against the Wolves. His value is on the defensive end and his ability as a lockdown defender is the reason that I would like to see him split time with Fields at the shooting guard position.
Knicks Next 5:
- 2/14 at Toronto
- 2/15 vs Sacramento
- 2/17 vs New Orleans
- 2/19 vs Dallas
- 2/20 vs New Jersey
