Jeremy Lin is close to taking the court for the New York Knicks again, but it may not even matter. When asked whether he could play in Game 4 on Sunday (May 6), Lin stated it “doesn’t look great.”
At the same time, it looks like he could play if the team can extend the series to a Game 5.
Lin isn’t ready to vocally commit to being available for Game 5, but he is already going through full court 3-on-3 drills in practice. TNT showed some footage of him practicing before Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (May 3), and he certainly looked like he was almost ready to lace up the sneakers again.
After watching the Knicks melt down against the Heat, a large part of me wants Lin to not rush back and instead focus on getting healthy for the long-term. This might not work in favor of the Knicks, especially because he is a free agent at the end of the season, but I have just about lost hope that the Knicks can win Game 4 to even extend the series in the first place.
With the team nearly at the salary cap for the 2012-13 season already, it could get very expensive to offer Lin a new deal and then pay the luxury taxes on top of it. I want to see the Knicks bring him back, though, especially because he has youth on his side and is the best possible option to play point guard next year. Keeping that in mind, I really don’t want to see Lin rush back too soon and injure himself more seriously.
If the Knicks can hold this roster together next year, it could probably do pretty well against the rest of the Eastern Conference. With the Atlantic division likely witnessing the end of the Boston Celtics remaining competitive with that current roster, a window may have opened for New York to make a run to the top of the standings. Having a good point guard like Lin is a requirement, though, as well as the team needing to add additional pieces that would come off the bench and provide defensive toughness.
Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see Lin take the court again this season.
Source: Yahoo News
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