As Jeremy Lin returns to the Madison Square Garden on Monday to take on his former team, Raymond Felton, his replacement, believes that the young point guard deserves get an ovation.
It was not too long ago when the New York Knicks, playing without an injured Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, seemed destined for a playoff bust, when a certain reserve by the name of Jeremy Lin emerged onto the scene.
Undrafted and twice released before making his way on the Knicks roster, Lin became an international phenomenon in a matter of few games, and resurrected the season for the Knicks. Soon after that Carmelo Anthony returned, and
the Knicks qualified for the post season as the seventh seeded team. The young point guard got injured, late in the season though and then hogged the limelight with his free agency discussion.
Lin was a restricted free agent, and even though the Knicks publically committed to secure him back, a poison deal by the Houston Rockets meant that they had to put their financial future first. In mid July, Knicks announced that
they will not be pursuing Lin and instead signed veteran one guard Raymond Felton.
Nearly quarter of this season has gone and retrospectively speaking, the Knicks made a perfect choice. They are off to an 18-5 start, the best in the top heavy Eastern Conference, and haven’t lost a game at home, which will host
Lin and the Houston Rockets on Monday.
There have been some circles in New York which believe that Lin’s exit has to do a lot with the player’s desire for a better contract. Felton however believes that Lin did what he had to and his arrival should be celebrated. When
asked whether Lin should get a standing ovation, Felton said;
"They should. By all means, I hope they do. They should give him a standing ovation when he comes back here, without a doubt."
"What Jeremy did was amazing, was great. I'm happy for him, he got his money. He's the starting point guard in Houston," Felton added. "I used to watch him every game. But it's time to move on. We're 18-5, we're 10-0 at home, so
there's no need to talk about that no more."
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