National Basketball Association

Jeremy Lin: The Good and Bad Linsanity Brings

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

One of the biggest offseason moves for the Brooklyn Nets was the addition of point guard Jeremy Lin. With his addition comes something New Yorkers may remember from 2012. Linsanity will hit Brooklyn in October 2016 and like it or not, it will be entertaining and interesting.

The Brooklyn Nets retooled during the summer of 2016. A new coach and general manager were put in place right away, and it still has been a busy offseason for the Nets.

The Nets’ home opener on October 26 will be rocking not just because it is opening night. The new era will begin and Jeremy Lin will hit the court, sparking a new Linsanity and the craziness that comes with it. With many younger new players this season, Lin is the biggest pickup to date that the Nets had in the offseason. Not that Trevor Booker or Luis Scola are small pickups, but they do not bring the excitement that Lin does. Also thrown in the mix is Isaiah Whitehead, the Brooklyn boy who will bring a hometown following and maybe a more city feel to the arena. Whitehead may also bring Seton Hall faithful to the Barclays Center.

All these additions are an improvement over last season. The team certainly looks better, but not for the most part in playoff contention. Brooklyn Nets marketers are looking forward to Linsanity to bring fans to the arena and excite the crowds during the games. However, there are positives and negatives to Linsanity. First, let’s look at the positives and what good they could do for the fanbase.

The fanbase needs to expand first things first. Taking a team from New Jersey to Brooklyn was the easy part. They had four relatively good years. Now after a year of horrible playing, the team needs to win fans back to Barclays. They can win fans back with Linsanity and if the hype is as good as Lin plays, then you might see the stands full up. That will bring in more revenue to the arena and the team. Also, the Nets will look to have more promotions and events to bring fans in.

However, things can still go wrong. If Lin gets off to a cold start and the team doesn’t win many early games, then attendance will be light and fans may not show. Even if some fans want to see the other players, it would not be to the same level with Lin performing well. But if he can get off to a hot start, what you may see is the opposite. The stands may be stacked, but are people there for just being there or for basketball? All these questions really won’t be solved until the season gets underway.