LINSANITY!

We're smack dab in the middle of an NBA Golden Age. Think about it, there are about four generations of players currently playing all near or just past their prime. The late nineties warriors like Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett may no longer be at their peak, but if any one of these guys win another ring, people would be hardly surprised. The early 00s stars like Lebron, Wade and Dwight Howard are at the peak of their powers, while relatively young players like Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffen are already the most exciting players in the league. Meanwhile John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Ricky Rubio are sure bets to be franchise players of the future. But despite being so stocked with talent, the story of the NBA the last week was Jeremy Lin.

Lin, a Harvard grad who scored perfect on his SATs, has toiled between the waiver wires and the D-League for the past two seasons, and seemed destined to spend his career as a third string point guard. So when the Knicks claimed Lin of waivers earlier in the season it seemed more like a publicity gimmick than a legitimate basketball move. Lin, an Taiwanese-American (one of the few to ever play in the NBA, and the first not of mixed-heritage) has been a huge draw amongst the Asian-American community despite his limited minutes. But the Knicks, struggling despite the presence of big stars like Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony, have struggled mightily this season, playing well below the .500 mark.

So what's the issue? Even with their stacked front court, the Knicks were playing a trio of Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert, and the corpse of Mike Bibby at the guard position. Not exactly a murderer's row. The Knicks were so desperate for a real point guard that they're waiting on habitually hurt Baron Davis to someday recover. So in desperation the Knicks turned to Jeremy Lin. Not a lot was expected of Lin who played his college ball in the Ivy Leagues, and averaged 3 minutes his first two seasons. But when Lin got his opportunity he didn't let it go to waste, scoring 25 points with 8 assists leading the Knicks to victory. Proving it wasn't a fluke, Lin got his first ever start with the Knicks and led New York to a win over the Jazz with 28 points, outplaying Deron Williams, long considered a top-3 point guard in the league.

After Lin's two electrifying games the question had to be asked. What took so long for Lin to get a chance? Lin, who in university played John Wall to a stand-still had lit up the summer leagues for years now. Could it be because as an Asian-American, people suspected Lin just couldn't play? Lin's struggles with racism coming up through the basketball ranks have been long documented. Before stepping on the court for a college basketball game, Lin was stopped by security, telling him that volleyball was happening tomorrow.

Nevertheless, all Knicks games have now become must see TV. Commentators are already calling Lin the next Tim Tebow, a cult sports figure with a feverish following. (Both are devout Christians). Two great games in a row don't make a career (even Kwame Brown had a few good runs) but me and every other Asian person west of the Great Wall will be tuning in to find out.