I still can't believe the hype surrounding Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks. The guy has been phenomenal, don't get me wrong, but he has played less than a week of basketball at this level and has yet to play with the Knicks two biggest stars, Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Lin has been the answer for the Knicks after they lost Anthony to injury and Stoudemire to the death of his brother. However, Stoudemire is back and I don't see a problem with him playing with Lin. Instead, I see Melo being the question because Melo almost demands that the offense run through him. Look at what has happened to Stoudemire's stats since Melo joined the team as exhibit A.
Anyway, this blog isn't about how Jeremy Lin is going to fit in with the Knicks. I'm sure he will be fine. This post is about the insanity, or should I say Linsanity, surrounding everything Jeremy Lin. A quick scan of eBay will show astronomical prices on some Jeremy Lin rookie cards. Three weeks ago, people couldn't give these cards away. How much value did a guy who was cut by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets and riding the bench for the Knicks warrant? None. Then, Lin started playing, and the Knicks started winning. That once worthless basketball card is now selling for $20 in most cases. Here is the link to an offering for a Jeremy Lin autographed RC going for $199.50 (with less than two minutes left as I write this)http://www.ebay.com/itm/JEREMY-LIN-2010-11-PANINI-TIMELESS-TREASURES-CARD-AUTO-10-299-ROOKIE-KNICKS-/320847880837?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab4062285.
It's crazy. It's Linsane! Want more? Just type in Jeremy Lin on eBay, or follow this link and prepare to be shocked. His jersey is selling out faster than stores can replenish them. He is putting the Knicks back on the radar because he has people excited again. For all of the hype that surrounded the Knicks going into this season with Stoudemire and Melo, and Tyson Chandler, it was Lin that made Knicks fans believe. Why?
In the sports world when you have someone come from out of nowhere and enjoy success it excites fans mostly because the fans can dream about doing it themselves. What kid wouldn't love to take Kobe to school on the court? Jeremy Lin never went to school at a basketball powerhouse. He was a HArvard boy with enough talent to barely get a look in the NBA. Then, all of a sudden, like Robert Redford in The Natural, he is hitting game winning shots and putting up rookie numbers that haven't been seen in a long time. With this type of success you will have people looking to cash in, especially on the secondary market.
Enter the eBay Lin craze. Enter the Lin craze in general. In a society fueled by the need to have the latest and greatest, people are running out and buying everything Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin is the new iPhone of the NBA. Everyone has to have his jersey. People want his autograph. People need to follow him on Twitter (his account by the way now has 217,195 followers as of 2:27 PM on Feb. 13th). People want to feel a part of "IT", whatever "IT" is. Right now, Jeremy Lin is "it" because he has helped turn around the Knicks season which was looking like it was going to be a huge disappointment. In a city with over 8 million people and a metro area of about 14 million, being the next big thing is huge. We have all seen the Facebook and Twitter posts of our friends who are suddenly interested in Knicks basketball again, even if the last Knick they could name was Patrick Ewing.
Jeremy Lin is bringing the swagger back to New York, especially on the heels of the New York Giants winning the Super Bowl. New York is becoming cool again in sports. Even the New York Rangers are atop the NHL standings and the Yankees are poised for another playoff run. New York has had it's share of winners over the years but the Knicks haven't had much success since Patrick Ewing left and now, with the help of a scrawny Harvard kid, the Knicks are relevant again in a way that might even make Patrick jealous.
So, will the Jeremy Lin market crash? In a conversation on Twitter with Beckett editor, Chris Olds, who clearly has a pulse on the card market, he believes there is a chance for the Lin market, at least the Lin card market to sustain these prices if people start putting them away and not flooding the market with it. He is right. There are limited numbers of these cards since card companies, like Panini, are not overproducing cards like they did in the 1980's and 1990's. If people are putting the Lin's away into their personal collections and the demand remains high then there won't be a crash. My personal belief is that greed will win out and these cards will keep on getting posted, especially if the Knicks make the playoffs and Jeremy Lin continues this absurd level of playing. People will always look to cash in. It's human nature. There will be a few who will keep their Jeremy Lin rookie cards, if I had one I might take advantage of the craze and post it up for sale but if I had doubles I would keep one for my own collection.
Bottom line, if you think the Jeremy Lin craze is at a fever pitch now, just wait if the Knicks get to the NBA Finals and this kid is still playing at this level. You ain't seen nothing yet.
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