If you’re anything like me you are already tired of people
comparing Jeremy Lin’s accomplishments to Tim Tebow’s. What Lin is doing with
the New York Knicks in no way resembles what Tebow did with the Denver Broncos
this year.
Sure Lin has played well in the fourth quarter which has
drawn comparisons to Tebow-time in Denver but that is where the comparisons
begin and end. Lin's play with the Knicks has more in common with Ben Wallace,
Tony Romo, Wes Welker or John Starks.
All four of the players I just mentioned were undrafted
finds like Lin who came out of nowhere to have great careers. Wallace was an
undrafted free agent who spent time on the bench for both the Orlando Magic and
the Washington Bullets before becoming a four-time Defensive Player of the Year
and NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons.
Romo went undrafted in the 2004 NFL draft and languished on
the Dallas Cowboy’s bench for two seasons before having his breakout season in
2006. He replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe that season and ended up playing in
the Pro Bowl that year.
Welker went undrafted in 2004. He survived the San Diego Chargers’
training camp only to be released after the first game of the season. He was
then picked up by the Dolphins, had a decent three-year run there before being
traded to the New England Patriots. And the rest they say is history.
John Starks took a path to the NBA that has an eerie
resemblance to Lin’s. Like Lin he was undrafted and just like Lin, Starks was
first signed by the Golden State Warriors before eventually finding a home with
the Knicks. You don’t have to remind Knicks fans what Starks’ contributions
meant to them during his time in a Knicks’ uniform.
And by now we all have to know how Lin was undrafted and cut
by two teams before being picked up by the Knicks. He has also had a few stints
in the NBA’s Developmental League before his breakout game against the New
Jersey Nets almost two weeks ago.
Tebow on the other hand has been in the spotlight virtually
all of his career. He has won and gained notoriety on all levels of play and
was a first round draft pick with the Broncos. Love him or hate him, Tebow has
always been there.
And while the winning streak he helped orchestrate with the Broncos
was the feel good story of 2011, it was more of a surprise because of how he
was winning games. Tebow’s completion percentage was under 50% and he won
despite attempting very few passes in some games.
People aren’t doubting Lin for some mechanical flaw he has
in his shooting motion and Lin isn’t inspiring people (or angering people) with
his faith in God; all issues that were daily talking points in conversations
about Tebow.
No Lin is just a really skilled player who somehow got
overlooked by the so-called basketball “experts” and draft gurus. An occurrence
that surprisingly happens a lot in sports: more often than experts would like
to admit.
So the question of where Lin came from and how he could have
been overlooked isn’t the question that people should be wondering in the midst
of all this Lin-sanity. The question people should really be asking is how many
more undiscovered “Lins” are there out there?
Roosevelt Hall is an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2 and also writes for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@shatterthebackboard.com. Follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist and add him on Facebook Roosevelt Hall Thesportmentalist.
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