Even though the Knicks today will officially match the Houston Rockets $28.8M, four year offer for Jeremy Lin to make sure he stays in New York, Jeremy Lin is a little upset with the way things went down. Given his play this past season, he expected the Knicks would have made the first move in offering Lin a nice contract, rather than let the market decide his value…
Despite expressing no reservations about matching the exorbitant Rockets’ offer sheet, which can become official Wednesday with Lin’s signature, the Knicks are concerned that Lin has turned a little frosty toward the organization because he feels slighted that New York didn’t offer him a contract first.
Lin should be indebted to the Knicks for giving him a chance to play after several teams, including the Rockets, gave up on him. But when the Rockets last week offered him a deal that guarantees him $19 million over the first three seasons of his new four-year deal, the Knicks learned that Lin had been swayed by Houston to think the Knicks weren’t as interested in his services as the Rockets.
“He was surprised that the Knicks didn’t make the first move,’’ a league source said. “They know they’ve got to mend some fences with him because he believes what the Rockets have told him, that the Knicks weren’t as interested as they are.’’
Understanding where Jeremy Lin is coming from, wanting to feel needed by the organization he helped drive back into playoff contention this season, Lin has to also realize this is a business. And in business you don’t just give money away where it isn’t necessary. The Knicks were taking a gamble that teams weren’t willing to offer Lin a max contract, and they were right, instead securing Lin for the next four seasons at $28.8M. Business is business. No hard feelings, right? I’m sure the feelings will fade when Lin starts counting his money from his first big paycheck this season.
[Source NY Daily News]
