Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin denied there was animosity with New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. He shared his perspective with the media.
In a candid conversation with ESPN’s Ian Begley, former New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni added speculation to the Linsanity situation, which ended unceremoniously at the end of the 2011-12 season.
The current Houston Rockets head coach told ESPN, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were unwilling to adjust their roles to allow room for Jeremy Lin to expand his game.
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Earlier in the year, Stoudemire spoke openly to New York Post reporter Marc Berman about Lin’s stardom and how it rubbed certain players the wrong way. He didn’t mention Anthony’s name, but we can only speculate who felt threatened by the guard’s rising popularity in New York:
"If [Lin] stayed, it would’ve been cool. But everyone wasn’t a fan of him being a new star. So he didn’t stay long. Jeremy was a great, great guy, great with teammates, worked hard. He put the work in. We were proud of him having his moment. A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else’s success. That wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn’t think everyone was pleased with that.’"
In Berman’s report, Anthony refused to talk about the ordeal in depth and didn’t seem comfortable digging into the past. He subtly dismissed the notion about his or the team’s jealousy toward Lin.
"Wasn’t that five years ago? I don’t know. I have no comment on that. If [Lin] was becoming a star, we should embrace that. We didn’t embrace that? If that was the case, I’d be upset with KP [Kristaps Porzingis] right now. But I doubt he’s talking about me. I highly doubt that."
Now, fast forward to the present.
New York Post reporter Steve Serby asked a few questions in a rapid-fire question and answer session. He asked Lin about his time with the Knicks. He denied any rift among his teammates, but admitted to sitting in the dark about certain things:
"So a lot of what people are saying, and what people have said, are kind of things that I’m piecing into the story as well. I’m not able to speculate on behalf of what someone else is saying, if that makes sense. I can only tell you my experience with Melo myself, and I’ve never had any issues with him."
Lin said he was naïve to everything as an unknown second-year player in the league, which means ignorance to subtle jealousy if it were present.
Among those involved, Stoudemire, Anthony, Lin and D’Antoni, different versions of what really happened will continue to raise speculation. Remember, there are many sides to one story depending on whom you ask at any given moment.
Specifically for Anthony and Lin, both parties seem ready to move on.
The Knicks have a win-now roster capable of making a run in the postseason. The Nets signed Lin to a three-year, $38.3 million deal, per spotrac.com, to start at point guard for the foreseeable future.
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The 27-year-old guard talked about Linsanity during Serby’s Q&A and his readiness to turn the chapter into something new in Brooklyn:
"This isn’t the re-creation of Linsanity (smile), this is, for me, just the next chapter. That’s all I’m gonna focus on. If people want to call it whatever they want to call it, they can go ahead and do that, but I’ve kind of set out to see how good I can become and see how good I can make this team."
With Lin playing at the Barclays Center, only a 3-train ride away from Madison Square Garden, talks about his time in New York will continue to stir a buzz. When the Knicks square off against the Nets, we’ll hear more about it.
Nonetheless, like professionals, Lin and Anthony will shake hands or engage in a man hug before the games and focus on what’s important, winning.