Jeremy Lin News: Lin Would Not Be Better Off Returning to New York Knicks

Note: This article is the second part of a story published Monday on whether Jeremy Lin would benefit from coming back to New York.

There's a saying about change: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The New York Knicks team that is currently 21-36 in the NBA standings is different—well, in terms of the overall roster—than the one that Jeremy Lin left after the 2011-12 season. Yet, much like that team, this incarnation of the New York Knicks has almost exactly the same problems.

They can't move the ball. They look disorganized and lethargic on the court. And, oh yeah—they just can't find a way to win.

However, much like that previous Knicks team, there is room for a player to become a hero with the right opportunity. Outside of Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have no one they can fall back to provide a little sizzle on offense, where they rank among the worst NBA teams this season in scoring (21 out of 20, 97.4 points), assists (24 out of 30, 20.5 assists) and field goal percentage (18 out of 30, 44.6 percent). And with Iman Shumpert injured, Raymond Felton arrested on felony gun charges Tuesday and New York cutting guard Beno Udrih on Monday, the Knicks' backcourt situation has grown more dire than ever.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Lin became an overnight star in New York around this time two years ago when he emerged from the shadows to put together a sensational February that helped get the spiraling Knicks back on track towards the NBA playoffs. He subsequently was rewarded with a nice payday by signing for three years and $25 million with the Houston Rockets after they won the bidding war with the Knicks for Lin's services. However, while he become a multi-millionaire in Houston after being a journeyman at the start of his NBA career, Lin has not elevated his position in the league to the next level. Instead, he has been struggling thanks in part to inconsistent playing time and fewer shots afforded to him on the Rockets' offense-heavy roster. And top it off, it appears that Houston has been eager to shed his contract, if the numerous trade rumors stories that floated around leading into last week's NBA trade deadline had any merit.

Which is why last week's rumors that the Knicks were interested in bringing back Lin to New York before the trade deadline were quite interesting. That didn't happen, of course, but with the Knicks still lacking help in the point guard department, it's not so inconceivable that the Knicks might inquire about possibly trading for Lin this offseason.

It seems that Lin might do well with a change of scenery, but aside from the big difference in the win-loss column, is the view in New York really any different than the one Lin's looking at in Houston? Or for that matter, was it any different than it was when Lin was a Knick for two seasons?

Let's take a look at a few reasons why a reunion between the Knicks and Lin might not be as good of an idea as it sounds.

1) Struggles Under Mike Woodson's System

Let's put things in perspective by the numbers. When Lin burst on the scene under run-and-gun happy coach Mike D'Antoni, Lin was averaging 20.4 points and 8.5 assists, a 45.3 field goal percentage and 15.8 shots for 19 games that launched the "Linsanity" craze. But when D'Antoni resigned on March 14, those numbers dropped to 13.3 points, 5.4 assists and only 9.0 shots in the seven games Lin played under new coach Mike Woodson before Lin was sidelined for the season with a meniscus tear.

It's pretty clear that Woodson prefers his offense to run through one player; see the "Iso-Joe" Strategy when he coached Joe Johnson in Atlanta, now "Iso-Melo" with Carmelo Anthony in New York. With that kind of uncreative philosophy running the offense, is a Mike Woodson-coached team the best fit for Lin? If you're going by the numbers, the answer is "No."

2) Lin's Backloaded Contract

As much as the Knicks wanted to—or at least, appeared they wanted to—keep Lin, that backloaded "poison pill" contract the Rockets offered was too much to swallow. Next season, Lin is due nearly $14.9 million, which means that the already cash-strapped Knicks—who are expected to be over the cap next summer—would have a tough time absorbing his contract, even if Anthony decides to leave New York over the summer, thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler taking big slices of New York's salary cap pie. The only seeming positive is that Lin would come off the books in 2015, so his signing wouldn't affect their chances of attracting guys like Rajon Rondo or Kevin Love. Otherwise, trading for Lin promises to be an expensive proposition for the Knicks.

3) Can Lin Shine With a Superstar?

The Knicks are Melo's team; there's not much disputing that. And no, this isn't going to be the part where Anthony's willingness to share the ball comes into question. In fact, some forget that it was Anthony himself who suggested two years ago that Lin should get more playing time. But it has to be pointed out that based on Lin's time with the Knicks and in Houston, he seems to produce much better when he doesn't have a major star dominating the possession times. Whether or not that's best for the team is open for debate, but there was a noticeable difference as to how much more aggressive Lin was when James Harden was out hurt or when other stars or key players on the Rockets were out on injury. While Lin has learned to play off the ball, he's clearly better with the rock in his hands and when he's allowed to run the offense through him. In New York's offense, all roads go through Melo. And if history serves as any indication, a system like that might not be the best fit for the "Linsane" One.

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