Put Me Down Already. Jeremy Lin Just Isn't Enough

I saw that last week in a loss in Miami when Lin looked like a shell shocked tourist after getting his wallet picked on the F Line to 34^th street. Don't get me wrong. I like his game but I can't shake the feeling that this franchise is like the coma patient who comes back to life, does a few great things and then goes back to the land of nod.

I've been a Knicks fan from the moment I saw a pass bounce off Bill Hosket's head and go into the basket during a game in Cincinnati during the early part of the 1969-70 season. I think I was changing channels looking for Emma Peel in her great tights on the Avengers. I knew nothing about the Knicks, but a header right into the hoop caught my eye. Turns out it was their 18th straight win which set an NBA record. I continued to watch and got hooked.

The season came to a glorious end when the Knicks beat the Lakers to win their first title. Willis Reed, who lived right across from me in Queens, limped onto the court with a serious hip injury and hit his first two shots to the roar of the sell out Madison Square Garden crowd.

Walt Frazier went wild on both ends of the court. Man, what a season. I got so hooked I played full court almost every day, no matter how cold or hot it was outside. After school I shot hoops at “The Lost Battalion,” a gym off Queens Boulevard where the Knicks worked out. Ahh, a new exciting sport to play and watch in a city starved for a winter-time winner.

Life was finally good for Knicks fans who has nothing to root for since they had a bunch of short hairy-backed white guys running around throwing up goofy hook shots in the mid '50s.

But the good life turned out to be a short one. Hey, would you rather have a short, exciting life or a long dull one? The Knicks chose the former. Reed, DeBusschere, Bradley, Frazier and Monroe (all Hall of Famer's) had the Big Apple by the shorties for the next three years winning their second and last championship in '72-73, once again against big bad Wilt Chamberlain (he actually had time to get out of the sack and play basketball?) and the ever-humble great Jerry West. Little did we know it would be the last one they'd win for – well, for maybe ever.

The storm clouds began to hover after the '73-74 season. Both Reed and DeBusschere retired after a disgusting playoff loss against Dave Cowens and Celtics. We were told Howard Porter would be the new “Dave D.” Man were they wrong.

Then in '75 they were about to sign ABA power forward George McGuinnis, but the deal was ruled to be illegal and not only did they not get McGuiniss (who later had his number retired by the Indiana Pacers), but they lost their number one draft pick. High scoring but volatile forward Spencer Haywood was acquired, but even when later teamed with Bob McAdoo was all gun and no fun. In fact Haywood, who was on the Lakers 1979-80 championship team was so pissed after being suspended by coach Paul Westhead in the finals that he said he "left the Forum and drove off in his Rolls that night thinking one thought — that Westhead must die.” Haywood hired a Detroit mobster to kill Westhead, but later reconsidered. The Knicks ended the season out of the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Coach Red Holtzman, the defensive genius behind their two runs was fired after the '76-77 season and replaced by Reed. Willis was an awesome Hall of Famer but a crappy head coach.

Meanwhile their remaining greats began to disappear. Walt Frazier, who was sent to Cleveland for God knows what, came back to haunt them with a monster night in his return to the Garden. Bill Bradley gave up hit corner shot, finger tip passing and strong defense for a career in politics. Earl the Pearl's spin moves went into super slo-mo.

Yeah, Patrick Ewing gave us some real hope. He brought us to within inches of a championship in '94 if only John Starks would’ve hit a corner three-pointer in the final moments of game six.

They made a surprise run to the Finals in the lockout shortened '99 season but with Ewing and Larry Johnson hurt were exposed by the Spurs in five.

So now we have Jeremy Lin, who until a few weeks ago was used as ballast on the end of the bench running the offense. I, like most fans love the underdog. Especially when he actually does good stuff. But is this group a serious challenge to The Boyz From South Beach? We'll find out soon but it'll certainly take more than a pass off one of their heads into the basket to earn a parade down Broadway.