Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #89 – February 29 Time Capsule

By Rick Morris

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days. We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #89 features a new feature, The February 29 Time Capsule. Charter FDH Lounge Dignitary Nate Noy and I offer up our predictions, as well as those of fellow Dignitaries Chris Galloway and Ron Glasenapp, regarding events in sports, politics, entertainment and technology between this February 29 and the next one.

2012 NFL Combine notes

By Jason Jones (posted by Rick Morris)

First-Round Talent that Solidified Their Stock (ranked in order by margin of impressiveness, or degree of wow):

1. ILB/MLB Luke Kuechly

2. DT/NT Dontari Poe

3. QB Robert Griffin III

4. WR Michael Floyd

5. DE Melvin Ingram

6. CB Morris Claiborne

7. WR Stephen Hill

8. DT Michael Brockers

9. CB Janoris Jenkins

10. DT Jerel Worthy

11. CB Dre Kirkpatrick

12. OT Matt Kalil

13. S Harrison Smith

14. OT Riley Reiff

15. CB Stephon Gilmore

16. QB Russell Wilson

17. OL Andrew Datko

Guys who tested to expectation, draft stock not altered after the combine:

1. QB Andrew Luck

2. DT Devon Still

3. DE Quinton Coples

4. RB LaMichael James

5. LB Sean Spence

6. RB Lamar Miller

7. WR Kendall Wright

8. DE Nick Perry

9. DE Whitney Mercilus

10. TE Dwayne Allen

11. WR Tommy Streeter

Guys who made money, players who potentially could have fallen with a poor combine performance:

1. DE Olivier Vernon

2. RB Chris Polk

3. DE Andre Branch

4. LB Emmanuel Acho

^ If I were an NFL GM and not picking in the top five, I would jump at the chance to draft Luke Kuechly. He is in almost every way on the field and off it, what you want from a face of the franchise. He's not Tom Brady or Calvin Johnson or Julius Peppers, but he is steady, a tackling machine, never been in trouble, never been injured. He is the first MLB/ILB I would be OK with drafting in the top 15 since Patrick Willis. He doesn't look anything like a Patrick Willis or Ray Lewis (beyond the fact that he's white), but his production will be worth it.

^ And for my Denver Broncos people crying for DL in the first round, I submit Dontari Poe. For now. Last week, he was a 2^nd-round pick. Today, he might be available at 25. A couple weeks from now he may not, but as for now, Dontari Poe could be the DT you're seeking. I still want WR Michael Floyd. But the idea a month ago was that DT Michael Brockers and DT Devon Still would be long gone by 25. Jerel Worthy might be a possibility, but they better not take him at 25. I still contend that the defense is good enough to get by without spending the first round pick on a defensive player. If Tebow is going to make it (I am not in the mood to rehash that conversation before you try to), Demaryius Thomas and Michael Floyd make success a lot more likely on the passing side of offense.

So, what's the point of this? During this week each and every year, whether it’s individuals in sports media or your local know-it-all, people all want to say how the Combine is a waste of time. It's overrated. Teams put too much weight in the Combine.

It’s all hyperbole, and it pisses me off a little. So, I've done this exercise to prove a point. Of the 32 players mentioned, a WHOPPING nine improved their draft stock. What does that mean? It means that guys like RG3, Luke Kuechly, Michael Floyd, Morris Claiborne, Andrew Luck, Quinton Coples, Dwayne Allen, etc. were already getting first-round billing. These guys wowed at the Combine, AND IT CHANGES NOTHING! The Combine is simply a tool. It is one part of a large evaluation equation. No one thinks it’s the end-all, be-all. With the exception of the late Al Davis, not one single coach or scout puts all of their eggs in the Combine basket. The Combine allows good players to prove it and great players to reinforce perceptions or drop a little bit. It allows the barely-invited to move up the board from undrafted to the early part of Day 3. The Combine does not completely change perception. If a player is not on a team's radar and runs a 4.2 40 or throws up 225 40 times, that will not make him a top 10 pick. To make that claim is ridiculous. In this particular year, for about 90% of the field, the Combine did nothing more than confirm what the experts saw on game days.

So don't be that guy that says, "The NFL Combine is stupid" just because it’s popular to say. Everyone thinks they know everything. When you discredit the Combine completely, you are not one of those people. With one exception. If your name is Ken Becks "The Scout,” then you can say whatever you damn well please about scouting players.

Top 10 players in NHL history

By Rick Morris

NOTE: Our good pal Russ Cohen of Sportsology is soliciting these lists on Facebook for a feature he is preparing for his site. Having put this together, I thought I would share it here:

1 Bobby Orr

2 Wayne Gretzky

3 Gordie Howe

4 Maurice Richard

5 Mario Lemieux

6 Nicklas Lidstrom

7 Bobby Hull

8 Terry Sawchuk

9 Steve Yzerman

10 Ray Bourque

Lounge on YouTube: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark

By Rick Morris

Now that we’ve fully established The FDH Lounge YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading classic segments from the history of our program. When we do, we’ll embed them here.

Up next: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark.

Lounge on YouTube: BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock

By Rick Morris

Now that we’ve fully established The FDH Lounge YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading classic segments from the history of our program. When we do, we’ll embed them here.

Up next: BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock.

Lounge on YouTube: FDH Top 50 Pro Wrestlers Ever

By Rick Morris

Now that we’ve fully established The FDH Lounge YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading classic segments from the history of our program. When we do, we’ll embed them here.

Up next: our breakdown of the FDH Top 50 pro wrestlers of all time.

Lounge on YouTube: Charles Latibeaudiere and Jerry Lawler

By Rick Morris

Now that we’ve fully established The FDH Lounge YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading classic segments from the history of our program. When we do, we’ll embed them here.

Up next: one of the more eclectic combos in our show’s history: TMZ on TV Co-Executive Producer Charles Latibeaudiere and Pro Wrestler Jerry Lawler.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #88 – Harley Race

By Rick Morris

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days. We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #88 features a conversation with one of the all-time greats in pro wrestling, Harley Race.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #87 – Part 3 2012 fantasy baseball

By Rick Morris

Here is the 87th mini-episode of THE FDH LOUNGE with THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER. It’s the third installment of our fantasy baseball preview for the 2012 season. In this one, we break down the Top 25 baseball players for this year.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #86 – History of WrestleMania Part 3

By Rick Morris

Mini-Episode #86 of THE FDH LOUNGE is now online, with Part 3 of Lounge Dignitary Kyle Ross’s 9-part History of WrestleMania review with a breakdown of WrestleMania 4 and 5.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #85 – History of WrestleMania Part 2

By Rick Morris

Mini-Episode #85 of THE FDH LOUNGE is now online, with Part 2 of Lounge Dignitary Kyle Ross’s 9-part History of WrestleMania review with a breakdown of WrestleMania 3.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #84 – History of WrestleMania Part 1

By Rick Morris

Mini-Episode #84 of THE FDH LOUNGE is now online, with Part 1 of Lounge Dignitary Kyle Ross’s 9-part History of WrestleMania review with a breakdown of WrestleMania 1 and 2.

2012 Oscar predictions

By Steve Cirvello (posted by Rick Morris)

Best Picture: The Artist

Best Director: Martin Scorcese

Best Actor: George Clooney

Best Actress: Viola Davis

Best S Actor: Kenneth Branagh

Best S Actress: Octavia Spencer

Daytona 500 Surround

By Rick Morris

The FDH Lounge and The 21^st Century Media Alliance have got your wall-to-wall, all-day coverage of the Daytona 500. [NOTE: Even if the box shows “Standby” at any point, it is still updating.] Enjoy!

Jeremy Lin skepticism: a rebuttal

By Jason Jones (posted by Rick Morris)

NOTE: This column is a rebuttal to various media pieces, including the one by our own Nathan Noy, expressing skepticism about the abilities of Jeremy Lin and a continuation of the epic Jones-Noy debate on Lin’s capabilities.

Prior to Sunday, the doubters would tell you that Jeremy Lin doesn’t have a 28pts, 14ast, 5stl, 4reb, 3 3PM and 60% from the field line in his career and there is no reason to believe that he has it in him before he retires.

When a person speaks of the exploits of a Dwayne Wade, Russell Westbrook, Monta Ellis, Kyrie Irving, etc they NEVER mention things like "opponents are 5-10 on the road, their team were 8-15, which breaks down to 2-9 against winning teams and 6-6 against teams that currently do not have a record above .500."

Let’s examine turnovers. Nine Jeremy Lin turnovers are NO DIFFERENT than the Knicks giving up nine offensive rebounds by the other team. Nine missed shots rebounded by the other team. Nine missed offensive rebounds by the Knicks. Turnovers are a third-level stat that only matters as a dealbreaker for numbers analysts or sports media people. To look at this metric effectively, it cannot be stated"he had an unforgivable amount of turnovers.” It has to be included in the entire equation. 25pts, 10ast, 4reb, 2stl, 55+FG% in 38 minutes a game vs six turnovers a game. No one who possesses a sane mind would argue that a team would trade 25/10/5/4 and so on for too many turnovers.

Issues:

1)Ball-handling: are you out of your mind? There is nothing wrong with his ball handling. If you doubt that, you're clearly not watching all or the right plays. He has displayed the ability to shake quality defenders, which would rival that of any point guards except the prototype elite (i.e. Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, etc). He is better than most in regards to "in traffic" dribbling. He does tend to favor his right side, but can take it with either hand. I really hope doubters are not confusing a traditional style with ineffective play. So he doesn't lean over with the upper half of his torso when he dribbles. Or he doesn't spend a great deal of time with flashy lateral movements. 38 minutes a game and I cannot fathom what would make a person criticize his dribbling ability. Adam Morrison had a dribbling issue, Harold Minor had a dribbling issue, Jeremy Lin does not.

2) Defensive Liability? So what? Do you know who else are defensive liabilities? Carmelo Anthony, DeMar DeRozen, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, OJ Mayo, Monta Ellis, Ramon Sessions, Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby. The defensive liability status is only an issue for players like Carmelo Anthonym players who feel they are above improvement or coaching. There is no indication that Lin would be resistant to improving his ability to defend. What has been indicated is that D'ANTONI couldn't give a damn about defending.

The paragraph that reads, " The opposing PGs went 40-80 from the field for a cool 50% shooting percentage ... the opposing starting PGs committed 12 turnovers to Lin’s 36, a 3-to-1 ratio." I find to be completely worthless. These are just stats. They are configured stats that cannot be proved to be a critical “anything.” This is an example of twisting the facts to support your conclusion. Like the Denver Broncos have never made it to the playoffs after losing five of the first seven games – until they do. Not all stats are relevant, especially when one takes a large number of not-quite-relevant stats and throws them together in the hopes that it sounds like there might be something to it. When evaluating these types of issues, it’s not terrible to consider the laugh test. There is a reason that Nathan Noy is literally the only person on the planet that thinks this run Jeremy Lin and the Knicks are on is completely a fluke. There are plenty of people who criticized Tim Tebow, Tyronn Lue, Warren Moon, Deion Sanders (in the MLB), but there are literally NO PEOPLE coming forward to side with the sentiment that Mr. Noy has presented. There is a reason for that.

Are we just supposed to ignore the fact that the Mavs game resulted in Jeremy Lin putting up arguably the best single-game performance by anyone regardless of position for this entire season...and a win against the fourth-best defensive team? What I want to know is, what happens when this Knicks team performs respectably against the elite teams? Consider, 2-23 @MIA, 3-4 @BOS, 3-6 @DAL, 3-7 @SA, 3-12 @CHI, 4-8 vs CHI, 4-10 @CHI, 4-15 vs MIA, 4-17 vs BOS. That is nine games out of the remaining 31 games that I believe will be particularly challenging. The talk of turnovers, defensive liability, etc. I really put zero faith or regard in against teams like New Jersey, Milwaukee, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington and Charlotte. 70% of the remaining games are against teams that are very seriously beatable. The only thing that can really derail this situation is Carmelo Anthony. Think of it like this:

PG – Jeremy Lin – The offense is started by Lin in every way

SG – Landry Fields – Knows the system and doesn't need the ball to contribute

SF – Carmelo Anthony – He will have to transition into getting his spots, using screens, etc.

PF – Amare Stoudemire – Same approach, designed plays back to the basket, type four

C – Tyson Chandler – Garbage man, putbacks, rebounding, block shots

BN – JR Smith

BN – Iman Shumpert

BN – Bill Walker

BN – Steve Novak

BN – Jared Jeffries

And that is not even taking into consideration a healthy Baron Davis and Mike Bibby.

Anyone who looks at that scenario and says this team or Jeremy Lin is going to fall flat on their respective faces is simply barking up the wrong tree.

Lounge on YouTube: Worst President Ever voting

By Rick Morris

Now that we’ve fully established The FDH Lounge YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading classic segments from the history of our program. When we do, we’ll embed them here.

Up next: to celebrate Presidents Day, the results of our voting for the worst president in history.

Sportsology: A look back at Gary Carter being honored

By Rick Morris

As part of our working relationship with our pals at Sportsology under the banner of The 21^st Century Media Alliance, we are happy to syndicate this great look back at Gary Carter being inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame (it’s worth mentioning also that, in the spirit of Mets and Carter coverage, Russ has up this amusing analysis of Sandy Alderson’s satire of the Mets finances and this examination of where Carter slots into Mets history). Unlike Russ, I did not grow up a fan of the Expos or Mets (although I found the ’86 Mets fascinating and rooted for them down the stretch), but I was a huge Gary Carter fan nonetheless and I am excited to see someone of Russ’s grounding in the national pastime celebrate his life as he has since word came out about The Kid’s sad passing.

Echoes of Time – Gary Carter

By Russ Cohen (written in August 2001)

On August 12, 2001 Gary Carter was inducted into the Mets HOF, much to the delight of a lot of soggy fans. Even though the weather was bad, the turnout for “The Kid” was good, as the fans paid homage to a player that was instrumental in the Mets winning the World Series in 1986.

Even though Gary Carter spent his first ten seasons with the Expos, his five with the Mets were the sweetest (1985-1989), as they won a world title and two division titles. Even though Gary Carter’s curly locks were gone, his smile still lit up the stadium as teammates spoke fondly about him.

The Mets in attendance were Tom Seaver, Randy Niemann, Howard Johnson, Bobby Ojeda, Bob Murphy, Rusty Staub, Mookie Wilson, Bobby Valentine, Rafael Santana, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. The fans really got a kick out of seeing the players that gave them so much to cheer about, since this season there has been little to cheer about. Ron Darling said, “Gary was our computer back in 1985; he knew all the hitters in the National League.”

Earlier in the week Gary Carter had this to say about himself being a clutch hitter: “I always thrived in those situations.” On this day, Gary Carter was reduced to tears more than once and the fans loved it. He was always an emotional player and that’s what drove him. Some of his memorable moments include a game-winning homer in his first game in 1985, game-winning single in the 12th inning of Game Five of the 1986 NLCS, two homers in Game Four of the 1986 WS (Mets down 2-1 at the time) and a single to start the rally that led to the “Buckner play” in Game Six of the 1986 WS.

Gary Carter (19 seasons) played in 11 All-Star Games and was twice named MVP. He once had the Mets team record of 105 RBIs (1986, had 100 in 1985). His career numbers were 2,092 hits and 1,225 RBI and he stands third all-time in games caught with 2,056. Gary Carter is one of only four catchers in history to have 2,000 career hits, 1,000 runs, 300 home runs and 1,000 RBIs. The other three are Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk and Yogi Berra and they are all in the Hall of Fame. He also won three Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger Awards.

Carter should be in the Hall of Fame and sometimes cockiness is mistaken for confidence. Maybe this has kept him out so far. He missed by just 53 votes and should be voted in soon.

Reality sets in for Jeremy Lin and the Knicks

By Nate Noy

I wrote a majority of the below yesterday BEFORE the Knicks debacle against the Hornets and before Lin tied the single game-high number of turnovers for ANY player in the NBA this entire season. I created the below in preparation for the Great Jeremy Lin Debate that I had with FDH’s Senior Editor Jason Jones, which can be found here.

That loud crashing sound you are about to hear coming out of New York City is not Wall Street’s reaction to the latest Obama economic policy; rather, it is what is about to happen to the New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin the rest of this season.

First let me get this on record: I love the Jeremy Lin story, great kid, he took full advantage of a unique situation, and had a great two-week ride. Heck, he’s on the COVER of USA Today and has been featured by the national nightly news (and up next Time magazine). He energized not only the Knicks and the NBA, but also people from around the world. Great job, nice story, congrats. However, what comes next?

What comes next is this: the Knicks will finish +/- 4 games over or under .500 this year and lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs in no more than 5 games to the Heat or Bulls. By the end of next season Mike D’Antoni will be fired, the Knicks will at best be a 7 or 8 seed (they may even miss the playoffs) and they will be long gone within 5 games of the first round of the playoffs. It is also likely that either Lin or Melo will also be gone from the team by then.
Jeremy Lin “may” be able to stick in the NBA for a few seasons as a backup PG, but in no way, shape, or form will he EVER be a long-term “star” in the NBA. I don’t care that he is Asian-American, or a Harvard grad; in fact, the truth is that because he is a popular Asian-American, he will likely be able to stick in the NBA far longer than he would otherwise. His international popularity will buy him far more time in the NBA than his talent or performance warrants. In my mind, in terms of talent, he is a poor man’s JJ Barea at best.

I’m NOT a “hater," the above is plain and simple reality, and the early numbers on Jeremy Lin prove it. The coming months in New York will be very interesting to observe, and the person I feel the most for is Carmelo Anthony, he is coming into a proverbial “no-win” situation that he cannot even begin to imagine.

In this case the numbers tell the story, and numbers don’t lie. First, how impressive is the Knicks' 7-0 run with Lin getting significant minutes? The story no one else is currently telling you is that this run is not all that impressive. During this streak, the Knicks are 6-0 against teams that currently do not have a winning record. Their one victory against a winning team was versus the Lakers, who are 5-10 on the road this year and were coming off an overtime road win the night before while the Knicks had rest. Before Jeremy Lin, the Knicks were 8-15, which breaks down to 2-9 against winning teams and 6-6 against teams that currently do not have a record above .500. With or without Jeremy Lin, the Knicks should have won a majority of the last seven games, but they have not faced the real test of their schedule, which is coming in the near future. Statistically, the Knicks are not much better with Lin than without, and the 2-9 mark against good teams is something that I do not expect to change much the rest of the way.

As the schedule evens out the Knicks WILL lose, I project a minimum of 16 more losses this season.

I have two major issues with Lin’s game: (1) his ball handling, and (2) he is a defensive liability. There is a reason that no other player in NBA history managed to have 36 turnovers in his first 6 career starts (a 6.0 average); that reason is that anyone else committing so many turnovers goes directly to the end of the bench. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.58 is horrendous (that ratio is now 1.38 after the Hornets game).

Turnovers are no big deal, you say? Case in point: the Knicks lost to a previous 6-win Hornets team last night with Lin having NINE turnovers. Do this against the Heat, Bulls, or even the Celtics, 76ers, Magic, or Hawks, and you are BEAT, plain and simple.

The defensive liability is best illustrated by comparing the statistics for the season with the individual games against Lin and the Knicks that the six opposing PG’s had in his first six starts.

The opposing PGs went 40-80 from the field for a cool 50% shooting percentage; they also scored 100 points. The season average for these six players is 24.8 FGM and 59.9 FGA a game. That’s an increase of 20.1 shots attempted over the six games and an amazing 15.2 additional FGM over the six games, or a whopping 61.3% increase in FGM from season average to games against Lin. The group also averaged 70.2 ppg for the season, but they put up 100 points against Lin. So the opposing PGs average 5 extra points and 2.5 extra FGM against Lin than they do otherwise. Not to mention in these six games, the opposing starting PGs committed 12 turnovers to Lin’s 36, a 3-to-1 ratio.

I really do wish Jeremy Lin the best, but the reality is that he is a lot closer to a JJ Barea than a Chris Paul or Derrick Rose. He can contribute, but NOT even close to the level that the media has hyped him to. And in the end, Mike D’Antoni will pay the price for expectations that are simply unattainable for someone of Lin’s talent level.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #83 – Part 2 2012 fantasy baseball

By Rick Morris

Here is the 83rd mini-episode of THE FDH LOUNGE: THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER. It’s the second installment of our fantasy baseball preview for the 2012 season. In this one, we examine the most overvalued and undervalued players for the upcoming season.

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #82 – Jeremy Lin debate

By Rick Morris

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days. We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #82 features The Great Jeremy Lin debate, pitting FDH Senior Editor Jason Jones (optimist, scouting orientation) against FDH Director of Research Nathan Noy (pessimist/realist, statistical orientation).

RIP Gary Carter

By Rick Morris

Some passings punch you straight in those remnants of childhood memories. This is one of them for me.

The Kid, Gary Carter, was one of my favorite players when I was growing up, for a number of reasons. Then, as now, slugging catchers were a rarity (actually, probably more of one, given the excellent young crop of backstops in the game now). I was a catcher in youth baseball, but I don’t remember that being a large part of the appeal, more so just his effervescent love of the game. He was just a very fun player to root for and to watch.

One of my favorite memories will always be sitting in the left-field bleachers with my family at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the 1981 All-Star Game and watching Gary become only the fifth player in the history of the classic to slug two home runs en route to the game’s MVP designation.

Unlike my friend Russ Cohen, I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet him, but I’ve only ever heard very positive talk about his interaction with the public and informed assertions that he was every bit as good a guy as he appeared.

We at FDH mourn his passing and send our thoughts and prayers to him and his family, who have had the misfortune of watching his painful demise from cancer. We celebrate his life with this video that was assembled upon his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. RIP Gary Carter.

Make Jeremy Lin an All-Star now!

By Steve Kallas (posted by Rick Morris)

Why wait until next year? It’s not too late this year. Jeremy Lin should be an All-Star. Now. Certainly, somehow, David Stern can get this done. Any player drops out of the East squad, put Lin in. If no player drops out, add him to the roster. While the NBA All-Star Game, like virtually every other All-Star game, is now a meaningless exhibition, what is the NBA All-Star Game this year without Jeremy Lin? Even a more meaningless exhibition game, if that’s possible.

You can do this, David Stern. And your TV ratings will go through the roof.

WHAT’S THE MOST TELLING PLAY THAT LIN HAS MADE TO DATE?

You might think that it’s hitting a three near the buzzer to beat Toronto. You might think it’s dropping 38 on the Lakers. You might think that it’s any one of a number of lobs or no-look passes leading to easy dunks for non-offensive players.

But it’s none of those plays. The play that showed you that Jeremy Lin is an NBA player happened during the Laker game. Obviously, part of the Laker game plan against Lin was to beat him up, to try and physically wear him down and/or intimidate him. Nobody thought Derek Fisher could guard Lin (and he couldn’t). But there was one play that, in this writer’s opinion, showed that Lin is here to stay. A shot is taken and the ball goes the other way. Only Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant remain under the basket. Kobe, away from the ball, gives Jeremy Lin a shove. And Jeremy Lin, here to stay, shoves Kobe back.

A little thing? Not at all, if you understand what the Lakers were trying to do. What they did do was tire Lin out for the next night, where he was woeful against Minnesota in the second half but still managed to hit the winning foul shot with 4.9 seconds left.

IS IT REALLY A LEGITIMATE QUESTION THAT THIS KID IS A FLASH IN THE PAN?

Not a chance. A point guard with a brain. What a concept. And not a Harvard brain (although that doesn’t hurt). A basketball brain that is off the charts. Jeremy Lin can play the pick and roll with any big man in the NBA. And, even if his shooting doesn’t stay at the high level it has been at, that excellent decision-making ability will keep him in the league for years.

Is he legit? Of course. Is he a flash in the pan? Not a chance. You can’t teach the decision-making ability that this kid has. You can’t teach the feel for the game that this kid has. Nor can you teach the toughness that this kid has. Nor the quickness. How do you explain it? Well, he didn’t learn his toughness in the Ivy League. He must have learned this in schoolyards or playgrounds when he was a younger player (hopefully an interviewer with a brain will ask him that question).

HOW WAS JEREMY LIN (ALMOST?) OVERLOOKED?

The almost with a question mark is because he was overlooked. Until now. Here’s a kid, successful at every level, clearly with NBA quickness in college (admittedly at Harvard), who really never got a fair shot.

Sure he was on the Mavericks summer team in 2009 (where he torched John Wall; Google that video). Sure, he signed a contract with Golden State but never really got a fair chance. Sure, he was signed and released by the Rockets, where he also never really got a fair look.

And he was about to be cut by the Knicks (no matter what you hear). Here’s what Jeremy Lin had to have happen in order to get a fair chance: Toney Douglas had to prove he couldn’t be a starting point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Mike Bibby had to prove he couldn’t be a starting point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Iman Shumpert had to prove he couldn’t be a point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system. And the guy formerly known as the savior, Baron Davis, had to be hurt the whole season and then get hurt again as he was close to playing.

Oh, and it didn’t hurt that shooting stars Carmelo and Amar’e were, essentially, out for this whole miracle.

Was there some stereotyping involved? Probably. Racism? A tougher question. But certainly, at a minimum, no matter what you hear, an Asian kid who walks onto a basketball court at a high level game certainly gets some strange looks if not outright disdain.

But Jeremy Lin has turned even this into a positive. A confident kid like him (one who knows he can play and is quicker than virtually everyone) is actually at an advantage when the guy who is guarding him figures he can’t be that good just because he’s Asian-American. Or because he played at Harvard. By the time the defender understands how good Lin is, the game is half-over, if not totally over.

FORCE HIM LEFT?

Well, you’ve already heard the new theory. Teams that are “scouting” Lin decide to make him go left because he is quick and deadly to his right.

Be serious! Every right-handed point guard on the planet is made to go left. But the amazing ones, including Jeremy Lin, can go left (and do some damage) and, at times, start left and go back right. Look at the John Wall summer game video; the first two moves against Wall are to Lin’s left. Look at the amazing spin move against Derek Fisher; the initial move is to the right but the spin is actually to the left. What about that thunderous dunk? The first move is to his left followed by the crossover to his right hand for an amazing dunk.

SO, DID JEREMY LIN REALLY COME FROM NOWHERE?

Well, it’s interesting to hear virtually every coach Lin had say that he could play in the NBA. So, again, why did he almost not make it? Kobe, after Lin scored 38 against the Lakers, had a great comment: “Players don’t usually come out of nowhere. If you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning, but no one ever noticed.”

Interesting, no? Given the fact that he was on three NBA teams (and played summer ball for a fourth), somebody noticed, but not to the point of giving him a real chance. Now that he (finally) got one, he lit the world on fire.

Are there other Jeremy Lins in the past who never quite got the chance and drifted into oblivion? I think the answer to that is yes, even though I can’t name them (for obvious reasons). Do I think that the next Asian-American kid who can really play will get a better look and a chance sooner than Jeremy Lin? Absolutely. But players like this don’t grow on trees.

And to think that Jeremy Lin was just days away from, maybe, slipping into that oblivion. Makes you wonder about those that came before. Having said that, maybe all teams will take a look at the last players on their roster and give them a better chance than they were given in years past.

I don’t know if there is another Jeremy Lin out there, but I think he has given many longshots a better chance to succeed (at many levels) than they had just two weeks ago.

Truly amazing.

By the way, this doesn’t mean that the D’Antoni “system,” so beneficial to intelligent, quick point guards like Jeremy Lin (and Steve Nash), can win an NBA Championship. But with Lin, a defensive presence like Tyson Chandler, and scorers like Carmelo and Amar’e, in a very weak (outside of the Heat) Eastern Conference, the Knicks can certainly make a playoff run in this strange, shortened NBA season.

A FEW KNICK NOTES: It’s going to be hard for Steve Novak to get the open looks that he’s been getting prior to Amar’e coming back. That’s not really a function of Jeremy Lin. Once the defense understands that it’s got to stay home with Novak, it’s going to be extremely hard for him to get the open looks he has gotten the last few games (prior to the Toronto game).

It says here that Toney Douglas should get the Mike Bibby minutes. Anybody who watched Bibby play poorly for Miami last year understands that he really couldn’t be a key cog in the Knick offense. While he was the leading % three-point shooter the day he showed up in Miami, he played poorly for them. He’s continued to play (and shoot) poorly for the Knicks. Douglas, at least, can defend and, with a little confidence, could be a helpful addition to the rotation.

Going forward, if Jeremy Lin continues to shoot the way he has (which, I think, is the biggest surprise of all in his game), he’s the first option for a final shot. But, when the Knicks run four low (as they did against Toronto), Lin makes the initial move and, if anybody else comes to him on the double team (which, obviously, didn’t happen against Toronto), Lin’s open teammate will get the ball. The second option on four low (of course, that means Lin at the top of the key creating with the ball and the other four guys along the baseline) is to have someone pick for Carmelo and he gets the ball from Lin. Carmelo will be able to live with that, I’m sure (or, at least, hopeful).

NHL power rankings for mid-February

By Rick Morris

NOTE: Start of February rankings in parentheses.

TOP TIER

1 Detroit (1)

2 New York Rangers (2)

3 Vancouver (4)

4 St. Louis (3)

SECOND TIER

5 Boston (5)

6 Nashville (6)

7 San Jose (8)

8 Pittsburgh (9)

9 Philadelphia (7)

10 New Jersey (14)

11 Chicago (10)

12 Los Angeles (11)

13 Florida (13)

14 Ottawa (12)

15 Toronto (15)

16 Phoenix (22)

17 Calgary (18)

18 Colorado (21)

19 Washington (17)

20 Dallas (19)

21 Winnipeg (20)

22 Minnesota (16)

THIRD TIER

23 Anaheim (28)

24 Montreal (27)

25 Buffalo (26)

26 Tampa Bay (23)

27 New York Islanders (24)

28 Carolina (25)

29 Edmonton (29)

FOURTH TIER

30 Columbus (30)

BIGGEST RISERS: Phoenix (6 spots), Anaheim (5 spots), New Jersey (4 spots), Colorado and Montreal (3 spots)

BIGGEST FALLERS: Minnesota (6 spots), Carolina, New York Islanders and Tampa Bay (3 spots)

RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM, LOWEST SCORE IS BEST

1 CENTRAL 52

2 ATLANTIC 56

3 PACIFIC 78

4 NORTHEAST 83

5 NORTHWEST 89

6 SOUTHEAST 107

RANKINGS BY CONFERENCE

1 WEST 219

2 EAST 246