With the Houston Rockets signing Jeremy Lin to an offer sheet that the New York Knicks did not match, it may have been the end of Lin-sanity as we know it. That’s not to say that Lin won’t have a successful time with the Rockets, but the hype and special part of the Jeremy Lin story is that it was in the Big Apple. With the move, the only aspect of winning here is Jeremy Lin’s pocket. Other than the dollar figures, it is a big lost for all parties involved.

Houston Rockets: The Houston Rockets lose out in paying Jeremy Lin $25 million over the next three years by assuming that Lin will be the same player he was in New York. The Rockets actually had Lin before the Knicks and cut him. Even though the height of Lin-sanity came when Anthony and Stoudemire were out of the lineup, the Knicks still had quality talent on the floor for Lin to work off of. The Rockets organization doesn’t have the pieces around Lin other than Kevin Martin to win. The Rockets made this as a business move rather than a basketball move. I can understand thinking business and the attention you will get by making this move but if you’re losing, the attention will be short lived. The only positive is the support they will get from the Asian community and overseas. If Lin turns out to be an one year wonder, the money the Rockets pay him especially in the third year will set back the organization even further.

New York Knicks: The New York Knicks lose out by simply losing Jeremy Lin. With Jason Kidd now on the roster to mentor a Jeremy Lin, Lin would’ve had the opportunity to reach new heights. To make matters worse, there were reports the Knicks said they would match the Rockets offer up to $1 billion. A few days later, the Knicks trade for PG Raymond Felton. It makes the Knicks fan base upset by saying one thing and doing another. The casual fan was interested in the Knicks organization because of the feel good story. Now you lose them and the mega jersey sales that come with Lin-sanity. The Knicks could have avoided all of this by offering Lin a contract instead of waiting for a team to give him a contract like the Rockets did.

Jeremy Lin: Lin’s bank account definitely won this off season but that’s it. Now Jeremy Lin will be the main focus in every game the Rockets play unless they acquire a big time talent to play alongside him. Lin had issues last season with ball handling and turnovers. Being the main focus, the pressure to perform is even greater. Lin went from a team in the Knicks that has a chance to compete in their conference to a team in the Rockets that won’t get into the playoffs. You can’t really blame Jeremy Lin for signing the offer sheet. Now Lin just has to face the fact that things will be different than playing in Madison Square Garden; he will be playing for a below average team.