Old North Banter
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets: New Threat to Lin’s Return?

By John Woodcock

Apr 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard Langston Galloway (2) and Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) chase a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard Langston Galloway (2) and Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) chase a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Charlotte Hornets may receive a challenge for the services of Jeremy Lin from the team that made him famous.

The Charlotte Hornets received a surprise of sorts in their mission to try and bring back the main contributors from last year’s playoff team. The New York Knicks are very close to hiring former Utah Jazz guard and Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek according to reports by Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

Hornacek would mark a direction away from Phil Jackson’s religious devotion to the triangle offense. The former Suns coach enjoyed success his first two years with pick-and-roll heavy schemes arranged around skilled guards. The front office traded those guys from under him and injuries hit other players. That resulted in Hornacek losing his job this season when it became clear the team would not make the playoffs.

So how does this affect the Hornets? It has to do with the kind of guards that Hornacek would be looking for to run his offense. As pointed out by CBS Sports’ James Herbert, it is not much a leap from there to the Knicks looking at bringing back Jeremy Lin to be part of that equation.

More from Charlotte Hornets

After all, Lin is a point guard and he excels in the pick-and-roll. He can attack or shoot. Maybe there would have to be some détente with Carmelo Anthony, but I believe those issues have always been overblown. Most importantly, Lin is a free agent and theoretically available.

For his part, Lin has always said that he wants to return to the locker environment of the Hornets. That was when the market for Lin was not obvious. The Hornets may not have been bidding against much to bring him back. A serious Knicks bid could screw that up.

If the Knicks begin to aggressively pursue Lin, his salary number goes up. The Hornets don’t have a huge tolerance in their cap if that happens (assuming they bring back Nicolas Batum under a huge number). They can afford Lin to maybe $7 million next season, but if the Knicks push the number to nine or ten then the Hornets are done.

Next: Old North Banter NBA Mock Draft 1

Of course the Knicks may have less interest in Lin than that or perhaps Hornacek has agreed to faithfully try the triangle offense. It is still a development to watch if you hope to keep Linsanity in Charlotte.

Home/Charlotte Hornets