Are you kidding? Melo was a complete tool - they laughed about the contract offer he got, JR Smith Melo. Lin has been the subject of racism from the African American side of things his entire NBA career. And, I am no Lin fan, but I can see when he is being disrespected, and treated unfairly...and separate that from his obnoxious fans. DD
Yes. They made him a star for a few weeks of good play. This wouldn't have happened at smaller market. They wanted to resign him, but Morey overpaid. He left to the Rockets because of money. Not because of Houston. Not because of 'starting'. It was MONEY. Same reason he picked Brooklyn. MONEY.
you are asking someone who joined Clutchfans as a Lin fan and has no intentions of rooting for the Rockets. You have a better chance of getting a realistic answer from Pinocchio
It's no secret that Knicks' owner, James Dolan, really resented Lin after he signed the Rockets' contract. The Knicks fed all sorts of "stories" to the local media after Lin signed with the Rockets to basically bash him. I won't get into all the gory details unless you are really interested, but you can ask any Knicks fan and they will agree with this. The latest example of the Knicks disrespecting Lin was a recent episode of "MSG Countdown" the Knicks put out on MSG Network called. The show was spotlighting "Knicks highlights in the 21st century", and it flat-out excluded anything about Linsanity: http://nypost.com/2016/06/17/how-despicable-knicks-pretend-linsanity-never-happened/
The Knicks easily could have offered Lin a contract before he became a FA. But Dolan told him "go out in free agency and find another offer, and we will match it"...and that's what Lin did. Lin signed the only contract that he was offered. And I completely understand why he left the Rockets...he was traded, largely because the Rockets didn't want to play a player $15M to be a backup. I understand that, and given the priorities of the team, I agree that it was the right decision for everyone involved. Not sure what your point is.
I frankly think Lin is seriously underpaid in the current market. With Lin taking 2 mil in Charlotte and now below market rate, he's more interested in proving himself than the money. Getting a starting job is a higher priority. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes Lebron like endorsement money in New York if he has a successful campaign.
New York, Knicks, the team, did not disrespect him. Morey made the contract a poison pill so that the Knicks would fold in matching the offer. Disrespect is like Barkley playing for $1 million so the Rockets can sign Pippen to the max while knowing the owner will compensate him $3 million later and then never paying it.
He left because of Melo didn't want him back and Dolan will do anything melo tells him to do. Rockets dodge a huge bullet by not signing Melo. He made the Knicks unwatchable for me since his signing. Brooklyn because he can start. McHale damaged his reputation and pigeonholed him into a backup and that's how the entire league view him since. Well, he finally gets his chance. If he does well, I might actually tune in to watch a Nets game.
what was Linsanity but more than a hyped up streak? The Rockets 22 game winning streak made more of a historical significance. The Knicks' runs to the Finals are more significant than Lin.
Most teams usually do what their best player tells them. McHale didn't damage his reputation, Lin did. his bad shooting , air jump passes and crappy turnovers.
I forgot, did Yao and Tmac take turns going down during that streak? If only both stayed healthy, that's championship caliber duo.
The Knicks could have re-signed him for MUCH less than what the Rockets offered had they done it before he became a FA, but they didn't respect him enough to do that...because Dolan didn't believe anyone would give him a big contract, Dolan said "I'll match any offer up to 1 Billion dollars" (obviously exaggerating, but the point was that he'd match any offer befitting of a starting PG)...and then when Lin did what Dolan asked him to do and signed the only contract offered to him, Dolan went ballistic and completely dumped on Lin. You do not live in the NY area or read the local NY sports media. The animosity and disrespect from Dolan to Lin is real and obvious for everyone to see.
I don't hold as much against McHale as many other folks do; honestly, I think McHale liked Lin and wanted to see him succeed...and I take him at face value when he said he moved Lin to the bench because the fit was better for the team in terms of who handled the ball and the need for a playmaker with the 2nd unit. The fact that Lin still got 28+ minutes/game coming off the bench and was in the closing lineup for most of the playoffs against Portland indicates to me that McHale was ok with Lin. The only thing I wasn't crazy about with McHale was his apparent hesitancy to complement Lin when Lin had good games...but I think that probably came more from Morey and the Rockets' desire to focus everything on Harden than anything else. The real disrespect came from Byron Scott and Kobe...that was where Lin lost the majority of his market value.
you are making this assumption cause you are a pure Lin fan (you said so yourself). Keep in mind, the Knicks sucked that year and have sucked for the longest time. Their priority is making the entire team better than making it into a Lin circus, which you guys obviously want. James Dolan = James Dolan. You're right, I never lived in New York, but you never lived in Houston (where the Rockets are located).
When did the Knicks make a run to the Finals in the 21st Century? What else have the Knicks done in the 21st Century that was more exciting than Linsanity?
Yes, the Knicks sucked that year...do you know what turned them around from a lottery-bound team to a playoff team? It wasn't Melo... I have visited Houston. It was fun. Have you been to NY?
