As the season draws nigh, the excitement heightens. New season brings renewed optimism. The Brooklyn Nets made a lot of changes to and through their structure, one of which was the addition of Jeremy Lin. The borough is only too happy to welcome Lin-sanity back in Gotham.
Linsanity Moves to Brooklyn
What to Expect From Lin
Lin arrives with huge expectations. He signed a three year $36 million contract with the Nets this past off-season. He came fresh from helping the Hornets make a special playoff run, in which he was the sixth man on that team providing backup for both guard positions. The ability to play both positions shows Lin’s basketball IQ and his ability to be flexible on the court. He is a threat to create steals while on defense, and he’s a legitimate threat offensively.
As the season drew to a close, it became evident that Lin would be a wanted commodity during free agency. Lin is considered a system player; an unrestricted free agent point guard with relatively low ceiling. Lin scheduled to make $2 million next season, opted out of the final year of his contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
When asked about Jeremy Lin in April, Hornet’s coach Steve Clifford said, “He’s a much, much better defender than people realize. He competes hard every night, and he’s a very serious player.”
Where the Knicks Stand
It was reported by the NY Post that the Knicks were not interested in re-acquiring Lin. The stated reason, his defense or lack thereof. However according to NBA Real Plus-Minus metrics Lin ranked 20th. Compared with Derrick Rose who ranked a much lower 78th. But Rose got him beat in jersey sales at least. Rose ranked 10th according to the Forbes website.
Why Choose the Nets?
Lin could not wait to join the Nets after a ‘disappointing’ season. The numbers didn’t bear that out, but Lin sought out new challenges. When asked why he chose Brooklyn he said, “I just want to try to be a leader. We’ve talked a lot about culture and establishing a type of identity and work ethic, and I just kinda want to help. It’s kind of like a blank slate for the organization in a lot of ways, bringing in a new GM and a new coach, and I just want to be a part of that.”
Why Lin, From the Nets Perspective
Jeremy Lin is a fine basketballer in his own right, but he’s also a cash cow. Last year Lin’s merchandise was in the top twenty among NBA players. That was in spite of him being a bench player throughout the season. He started less than twenty games last season but that hasn’t stopped his market appeal. Lin is the first American of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to play in the NBA. Therefore his appeal in Asia is unparalleled making him almost indispensable as an employee.
Brett Yormark oversees the company that manages and controls Barclays Center and also the Brooklyn Nets. Yormark’s excitement shows. He spoke of this in an interview with the New York Post. He said, “The benefit of that basketball decision is there are some business opportunities. Those business opportunities are hopefully an expanded fan base in Brooklyn and beyond, and a driver of merchandise sales. That’s certain. He was a top-20 seller last year in jersey sales, and given the interest Jeremy generates in China and that part of the world, our games will be televised there.” Yormark continued, “To the extent I can take advantage of him, I will. … We didn’t have a top-20 seller last year, so given the appetite of the fans, it affects ticket sales, merchandise sales and sponsors.”
Let the Brook-Lin Crush Continue
New York City has over a million persons of Asian decent residing there, with a large number of them calling Brooklyn home. The largest section of Chinese media is based in New York City. With those facts in mind, all Jeremy Lin has to do is live up to his potential. He does that, and everybody wins. The fans welcomed him back to New York City. The business enterprises see him as a walking billboard with a pathway to China. The Nets coaches and front office see him as an experienced operator who is crucial to the team going forward. Let the madness or dear I say the “Brook-Lin era” begin.
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