Thousands Call For Knicks To Keep Jeremy Lin In Online Petition
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Some Knicks fans aren't ready for the end of Linsanity.
A call to keep Jeremy Lin in New York has been gaining steam on www.change.org. The petition, created by user "I Am Linsane," had over 4,500 signatures as of late Monday morning.
But time to reach the goal of 100,000 signatures is running out.
The Knicks will have until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday to match Lin's big-money offer from the Houston Rockets, worth a guaranteed $25 million over three years. Though it was once thought New York would equal any offer, the franchise will reportedly let the point guard walk instead of matching what could be a luxury tax nightmare.
The petition's author pleaded with New York to consider the intangibles of Lin, who emerged from obscurity when he took the Knicks' reins for a stunning stretch in February.
MORE: Report: 'Furious' Knicks won't match offer
"He has the largest fan base of any player in the NBA, by an order of magnitude," wrote "Linsane." "He's got the personality and character that fans love. He's the one player the New York Knicks need to keep, not lose. Don't let Jeremy Lin go - match the Rockets' offer."
One Lin backer said the Knicks wouldn't have made the playoffs this year without the point guard -- "and that is a cold hard fact."
"He saved the season. He brought a brand of basketball to the Garden that electrified an entire city. DON'T TELL ME HE PRICED HIMSELF OUT OF NEW YORK," RJ O'Connell wrote. "I had coworkers who had never been into basketball working fast and leaving early to make it home in time for the game. I saw bars filling up with people during the Cablevision outage just to get a glimpse of this phenomenon."
Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists over 35 games (25 starts) in 2011-12. He was unable to return for the team's playoff run after surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.
Will you be signing the petition? Let us know why -- or why not -- in the comments below...
