Jeremy Lin likey out for the season

Linsanity has ended as quickly as it began.

Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who sparked a dying franchise and revitalized a frustrated fan base during the month of February, spawning "Linsanity" across the New York area, will likely miss the rest of the Knicks season with a torn meniscus in his knee. Lin will have surgery this week and will miss six weeks, which means that unless the Knicks win their first round playoff series at the end of the month, Lin won't see the court again this year.

This is a huge blow to a team that has been struggling with injuries lately. While the Knicks have played well since Mike Woodsen took over, posting a 9-2 record including a 91-75 victory over Cleveland on Saturday night, the Knicks had already learned this week that they would be without the services of Amar'e Stoudemire for the remainder of the season with a back injury; meanwhile Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony have played through groin injuries.

Said Lin before the Knicks game on Saturday: "I can't really do much. Can't really cut or jump, so it's pretty clear that I won't be able to help the team unless I get this fixed right now. It's disappointing for me; it's hard to watch the games and I think I'd want to be out there obviously more than anything right now. But, hopefully, it's a six-week rehab process but I tend to heal fast, so hopefully, I can come back as soon as possible and still contribute this season," (ESPN).

This means that the Knicks will have to rely on veteran Baron Davis, who has been inconsisent coming off the bench and had to deal with his own injury problems this season; moreover, Tony Douglas, who was awful at the point before former coach Mike D'Antoni discovered Lin, is in the mix.

The  Lin injury leaves plenty of questions for the near future of the Knicks.

For Woodsen, judging the coach on how this team finishes this season is not exactly fair, considering he will be coaching with a beaten up basketball team down the stretch. No one knows what this team would look like if everyone were healthy on the court, but the fact that this team has played inspired defense the past two weeks since Woodsen took over, should be enough for him to keep his job going into next season. On the other hand, we have to wait until next season to get a feel for Woodsen and this star-studded team. 

For Lin, this was essentially his rookie season. Everyone knows what a great story Lin has become in the NBA, and his consistent play is evidence enough that he is the real deal. However, there will be questions from many about how Lin would fare in a full regular season, and whether he can continue to elevate his star status. Those questions would have come anyway since it was lockout year, but with this injury, Lin will come into next year with two months worth of work under his belt -- certainly a dent in his development.

Lin is a restricted free agent this summer, and this injury could have an effect in contract negotiations next year. The Knicks will likely exercise their option on Lin, but how he rebounds from this injury and whether he can continue his rise in stardom will determine his longtime future with the franchise.

It was fun while it lasted. Hopefully for Lin and Knicks better days lie ahead.