Was Melo Hatin' On Yellow? A Look At Jeremy Lin's Departure From NYC

Jeremy Lin's back in action being on the front cover of zines. Only this time, it's not for ESPN or Sports Illustrated but for the gentlemans' magazine, GQ, their November 2012 issue. The published article covers a candid interview with Jeremy Lin and his rise from being a no name D-League player to becoming a household name in America.

Much of the interview discusses what happened with him during the Knicks advocated "test the market" period that eventually lead to Lin's departure for Houston, one that he was not anticipating. It was only after the New York franchise failed to match Houston's generous offer of $25 million after three seasons with the team that Lin decided to take off like a Rocket. Pun intended. The team who he thought embraced him really didn't. 

I had a hunch after Melo returned from his groin injury that the two could not co-exist and execute as a winning team as they had been with Linsanity running the show. In fact, I believe Melo was the reason why the Knicks game suffered after he returned and also the reason for coach Mike D'Antoni and finally Lin's departure. This is just my opinion. Cry foul all you want, but it wasn't just me who believed this. ESPN released an article that aligns with my suspicion. Here's what I mean, 

"Lin was getting what Carmelo was promised," says a source close to the team. "And Carmelo thought D'Antoni was going to favor Jeremy, so he had to get D'Antoni out of there.

"It works out perfect for Carmelo. There's little if any of his DNA on there."

I also found it odd how Melo, given his professional stature, would denounce his teammates newfound glory contract of $25 million by saying it was "ridiculous" when he was supposedly very supportive of Lin. It's just not professional to do period, but here's where it gets even more interesting. An unnamed source close to the Knicks speaks of Melo saying,

"He needs to be around someone who is feared, someone who could tell him what to do. He just couldn't see Jeremy Lin that way. He could see Kobe and LeBron that way in the Olympics, sure, but not Jeremy Lin. Carmelo's whole thing is perception."

I've witnessed this occurrence in the business world frequently as well. Thankfully, there are a number of Indians who are leveraging their ethnic community to network and rise above the ranks and create their own destiny. Still, there is this unspoken perception that Asian Americans are not meant to be leaders or alphas where non-Asians just can't see Asian Americans in leadership roles (see Paper Tigers).

I hope Jeremy Lin has an even better year in Houston taking the team all the way to the finals and helps turn that preconceived notion on its head. In the meantime, I hope to do my part to change this perception too.