Chalk Talk
Jeremy Lin blows away Tim Tebow, emerges as a better player than one-dimensionalquarterback
Jeremy LinStreet Ball
Tim Tebow
Sports fans and media experts are calling it “Linsanity.” It’s the mania surrounding former Harvard hoopster and New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.
Last month, this undrafted, unheralded player was on the verge of being released from his third NBA team in as many months. He was sleeping on his brother’s sofa, now he’s got his own bed in Trump Towers. Lin is the lead story on Sportscenter and headlining sports sections across the globe.
So just who is this Lin guy and how did he end up on center stage? I’m glad you asked.
Lin is the real deal. Any comparisons to Tebow, a first round pick with limited NFL skills, is highly overrated.
Lin burst onto the scene with no cachet or college championship under his belt. No NBA team drafted him out of Harvard. He wasn’t just overlooked by the NBA, the snubs started before he left high school. Lin led the Palo Alto Vikings to a 32-1 record and CIF state championship as a senior. Stanford, Cal, even the University of San Francisco, all passed on the now NBA prodigy.
Bay Area coaches polled said they knew about him, but they didn’t see then what we’re all seeing now. Lin sent his resume and a DVD highlight reel to several schools. It reminds me of my job-hunting days . . . resumes, tapes and lots of rejection letters. I digress . . . back to Lin. Harvard offered him a spot on the team but Ivy League schools don’t give official athletic scholarships.
That’s one reason why Harvard isn’t known for churning out NBA stars, but Lin did make a mark with the Crimson.
The Golden State Warriors signed him after he played for the Dallas Mavericks summer league team in 2010. The Warriors waived him a year later. The Houston Rockets signed him and said their goodbyes after two weeks on Christmas Day, opening day of this lockout shortened season. The Knicks signed him two days later and the rest, as they say, is history.
Perhaps you too were an undrafted free agent when you graduated from college or trade school. All that hard work, good grades . . . yet no one waiting with an offer sheet.
The player now being compared to Steve Nash, Tim Tebow, Victor Cruz and Kurt Warner is leading the Knicks even as team's star players Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire return form injury. He’s found a Lin-Lin situation with the Knicks. For the record, I didn’t create that term, but I really like it! So I’m sharing it with you.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you what all the hype is about. In his first six games, Lin hit a game-winning three-pointer with 00.5 seconds left against Toronto, scored at least 20 points and dished out seven assists in each game, and led the Knicks to six straight wins.
Warriors general manager Larry Riley told The New York Times, “I have egg on my face.” Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson tried to sign Lin, but the Warriors offered a better deal. The Rockets didn’t think they had a need for him.
"We should have kept [Lin]," Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted, "Did not know he was this good. Anyone who says they knew misleading U."
Who knew right? Well it’s all about timing and being ready for the opportunity when it arises. That’s exactly what happened to Lin.
No Comparison
It’s my favorite definition of luck — when preparation meets opportunity. It doesn’t hurt that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni runs a wide-open offensive system. In fact, some say Lin’s early success is a by-product of that system. There is no question playing in the right system is good for anyone. So don’t take anything away from Lin because he finally landed in the right place.
While it’s too early to say just how his career will shake out, he is the real deal. Any comparisons to Tebow, a first round pick with limited NFL skills, is highly overrated.
You don’t have to be a sports fan to see how Lin’s journey is similar to the road so many of us travel. Perhaps you too were an undrafted free agent when you graduated from college or trade school. All that hard work, good grades . . . yet no one waiting with an offer sheet. However you kept working at your craft. You didn’t give up no matter how many CEOs told you no.
If you’re like me you have a file filled with rejection letters from TV stations and networks from across the country. OK, I’ve purged that file. But I used to have one.
Sports reminds us what hard work, discipline and perseverance can do. We could certainly use a feel good story these days. So hats off to Jeremy Lin and to all you for working to make your dreams a reality.
Keep putting in the work, be ready for the opportunity and find the right system for you and your skills. It’s the stuff great stories are made of.
Kim Davis is a creative, clever communicator and storyteller with nearly two decades of experience in, television, radio and print. She’s a talk show host, keynote speaker, media coach, entrepreneur and health and fitness enthusiast. If you have questions or comments for Kim or about “Chalk Talk”, you can reach her at kim@thekdcompany.com.
