Could a Jeremy Lin Reunion With the New York Knicks Work?

Jeremy Lin is set to hit the free agent market — should he go back to where his fame began?

A few things in life are certain — death, taxes and Jeremy Lin getting cast off unfairly. The list now stands at four, with the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers discarding Jeremy Lin like a game-used towel, only to be washed, hung out to dry and used up again.

Maybe the best thing Lin could do is go back to where his career really took off.

I’m no mind reader, but I’m guessing 90 percent of you raised your eyebrow and thought something along the lines of, “He was horrible with Carmelo Anthony, there’s no way that would work!”

Let’s look at how Lin fared with and without Melo before we dive in. These numbers start with the first start Lin received after Melo got injured — when Linsanity was officially born.

Looking at the numbers by themselves, the naysayers would be correct.

Granted, this was three seasons ago and it was a very small sample size — but as much as that doesn’t positively prove any argument, it also shouldn’t render the argument null. Lin was just 23 years old at that point and had played just 285 minutes of NBA games. It takes a while to learn to play with a superstar like Melo (or any star, for that matter).

WHAT THE PG LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE NOW

A little dose of reality for Knicks fans:

• Jose Calderon — Signed Through 2016-17
• Alexey Shved — Restricted Free Agent
• Shane Larkin — Unrestricted Free Agent
• Langston Galloway — Signed Through 2015-16

That’s not exactly a point guard lineup to brag about. Calderon is a solid shooter who takes care of the ball but is well on the wrong side of his prime. Larkin posted per-36 minute averages of 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals. Shved makes us long for the days of Marko Jaric. Galloway put together some solid performances, but was predictably all over the board.

The Knicks backcourt put up a staggering minus-9.5 in efficiency difference, better than only the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. Narrow that to just point guards, and their minus-6.5 beat only the Jazz.

So, assuming Calderon can stay healthy and starts (they are financially tied to him), who’s the first ball handler off the bench?

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR?

Although I’m not convinced that Lin “can’t play with Anthony,” let’s assume for a minute that Lin is better suited to be the primary playmaker, with the ball in his hands on each possession. Let’s also safely assume that Jeremy can’t do that while Melo is on the court.

Anthony is coming off of a relatively serious (unless you subscribe to the DNP-Tank scenario) knee injury that kept him out of all non-All-Star games from February 10th through the end of the season. He’s going to be 31 when the 2015-16 season starts. All of that adds up to being a little more cautious with Melo’s minutes — freeing up a solid 15-18 minutes solo for Lin, combined with 4-6 minutes with Melo.

In 2014-15 with the Lakers, Lin came off the bench for 44 games, averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.5 minutes per game. Perhaps more impressive was the fact he put up a minus-.5 points per 200 possessions, much better than the minus-13.7 as a starter.

LOW RISK, HIGH REWARD

Let’s make something abundantly clear here. Nobody in their right mind would be expecting Lin to come to New York and start dropping 30 points a night. Lin has settled in as a quality backup guard in this league. Take a look at the last three seasons per-36 minutes for Lin and remember that he’s been on three very different teams (pre-Dwight Rockets, Dwight Rockets, Worst Laker Team In Our Memory):

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/28/2015.

Pretty consistent, really. Lin showed signs in 2014-15 that he still has what it takes to make a difference. In March, he averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 27.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .438/.424/.859. His signature performance was a 29-point, five rebound, five assist outburst in just 29 minutes in a home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Knicks could snag Lin at a much friendlier rate than the $8.3 million he received from the Lakers last season. If Lin were willing to take somewhere in the $4-6 million range, the Knicks should strongly consider it.

The Knicks need a solid backup point guard who is used to being in the spotlight. Lin needs another new locale with a realistic set of expectations. If the Knicks bring him in as the first or second guy off the bench, he could play freely and produce. He’d be serviceable as a fill-in for Calderon and let’s be completely honest — are there many better options out there at this point?

Next: 25 Best NBA Free Agent Signings of All-Time

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