Carmelo Anthony is Happy Jeremy Lin Left the New York Knicks

It's official. Lin-sanity in New York is over. Jeremy Lin is headed to the Houston Rockets.

If you were James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks, would you have matched the Houston Rockets’ offer of $25.1 million over three years in order to keep breakout point guard Jeremy Lin?

On the one hand, Lin has reinvigorated the Knicks. He has increased sales, inspired fans to return to Madison Square Garden, and adds youth to an otherwise middle-aged team. In short, he is a great asset that will be missed now that he was let go.

On the other hand, Lin is a risk: the offer on the table is high, and in all honesty, he could just be a one-hit wonder. Besides, if Lin really wanted to stay in New York, he could’ve made more of an effort, rather than sitting back and waiting for a higher offer to arise.

One man who has been in the news regarding this signing as much as  Lin himself is star forward Carmelo Anthony, who is currently playing with Team USA. Although he recently said he wants Lin to stay in New York, and Lin has attested to the fact that the two have a good relationship, he also openly said that Lin’s offer with Houston was “ridiculous.” This is coming from the man whose 2011 salary is only 7 million below the amount Lin would receive over three years.

Knick guard J.R. Smith aptly explains that Lin’s signing is especially “personal” and “tough” for some players “because they’ve been doing it longer and haven’t received any reward for it yet.” Obviously, Carmelo is the last person this would apply to, suggesting that he may have some kind of personal aversion to Lin.

Now that the Knicks have let Lin go, who do they have left at point guard?

1) Raymond Felton

Age: 28

2011-2012 Statistics: 11.5 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, 2.5 rebounds per game

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

2) Jason Kidd

Age: 39

2011-2012 Statistics: 6.2 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.1 rpg

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

The Knicks do have two solid options for the point guard position, but will definitely be missing 23-year-old Lin.