The surreal and stormy season of Jeremy Lin, the Knicks' star point guard, looks to be at an end, as the Harvard grad will miss six weeks with a knee injury.
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Associated Press
New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin
Lin, who rose to prominence in February when he averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 assists and led the Knicks to seven straight wins to save a team in a tailspin, said he will have surgery early next week to repair the small chronic meniscus tear in his left knee. Lin said he and the team did everything it could to get him back to health, but he cannot cut or jump.
The six-week timetable wipes out the entire regular season, which ends April 26. The Knicks would have to win at least one playoff series to get Lin back. That's a tall task, since the Knicks' likeliest first-round opponents are the elite Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls.
"Its pretty clear that I won't be able to help the team unless I get this fixed right now," Lin said. He added he's not worried about his pending free agency since "it's not like a career-ending thing."
Knicks coach Mike Woodson called the injury a "big blow." Baron Davis will replace Lin in the lineup. He has started the last three games in Lin's absence but has recently been hampered by a string of injuries himself. Davis, a former all-star, is averaging just 5.6 points and five assists per game this season, down sharply from his career averages. He's also battling questions about his fitness and has played just 18 minutes per game since returning from back and elbow injuries in February.
Lin's shocking star turn was the salvation of the Knicks' season. The team was just 8-15 when Lin started getting regular playing time and from there he became a world-famous phenomenon. He flawlessly implemented then-coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced offense and rejuvenated the long-lost offensive games of role players like Steve Novak and Landry Fields. He was known for his speed on the court and his passing ability and showed a good shooting touch for the early part of his run as an NBA superstar.
D'Antoni resigned earlier this month when he realized that his offense couldn't mesh with the style of another Knicks star, Carmelo Anthony, and Lin's numbers have gone down under interim coach Mike Woodson. He's averaging 14 points in March and hasn't hit 20 points under Woodson, despite hitting that mark nine times in February alone under D'Antoni.
Lin had mostly been quiet on the injury and refused to speak with reporters on Friday night in Atlanta. Woodson revealed Friday that Lin had undergone an MRI exam.
Write to Kevin Clark at kevin.clark@wsj.com
Jeremy Lin, York Knicks, Knicks, Mike Woodson, star point guard, Jeremy LinLin, Mike D'Antoni, coach Mike Woodson, Miami Heat, Carmelo Anthony, Baron Davis
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