New York Knicks were close to cutting Jeremy Lin – Linsanity ‘almost never happened’, says Jared Jeffries
- Former Knicks teammate Jared Jeffries says coach Mike D’Antoni spoke of cutting Lin before his breakout period
- ‘Jeremy had played really well in practice, but had struggled in games,’ veteran centre tells podcast host Chuck D
Speaking to The Athletic’s Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks podcast, Jeffries told host Chuck D how close Lin was to getting cut from the NBA in an episode that focuses on Lin’s breakout.
“Me and [then Knicks coach] Mike D’Antoni even talked about it,” Jeffries recalled, saying that it felt like their season was over with their star players such as Baron Davis out injured.
“Jeremy had played really well in practice, but had struggled in games. We talked about maybe the possibility of cutting him because Baron had just gotten hurt and we needed more guard play.”
Lin, then 23 and in his first season in the NBA, became a global star during the “Linsanity” period which started with a 25-point game coming off the bench against the New Jersey Nets and ran until the All-Star break.