“Could the joke be on us Jeremy?  Probably not.”

After Jeremy Lin hit the game winning shot against the Raptors tonight, with Jose Calderon playing very questionable defense mind you, I had seen enough.

Let me get a couple things out of the way before I go nutjob crazy on everbody- Jeremy Lin is a good basketball player. Possibly even great.

And believe it or not, I’m a fan of his and I want to see him do well.

But as Ball Hogs “resident pessimist”, I don’t know if, what at this point can only be referred to as the Linsanity, is 100% authentic.

Now do I think we have a full blown conspiracy on our hands here? No, not at all.

But as crazy as it sounds, I do believe there could be some behind-the-scenes things going on that are having an affect on the court.

Because unless we are to believe that Jeremy Lin is, in fact, one of the top 5 points guards in the world right now (because everything he’s done since taking over as starting point guard for the Knicks, including his statistics and wins, suggests that) then there might just something more in play here.

Now look, I understand that nobody can dribble, pass or shoot for him- he’s doing a lot of wonderful things on his own.

But what I truly think is happening is that David Stern and the NBA is doing whatever they can to set Lin up for success. How exactly? Here’s where you’ll win any argument with me, because I don’t have enough evidence. I haven’t watched enough tape.

But could players have been told to give this guy more open looks than usual? Could they have been told to go easy on him when he drives? Could refs be giving him superstar treatment just a couple starts into his NBA career?

I know, it sounds crazy, but I’m simply willing to say there could be as good of a chance that those things are possible as there is he’s the next great NBA superstar.

OK so he was good in college. It was the Ivy League. And superstars get cut or traded from teams and then blossom somewhere else all the time- I get it.

But this whole thing just seems too right, too good of a feel-good story. Too much of an underdog story in a league full of top dogs.

All of the pieces to the Jeremy Lin puzzle just fit too perfectly for me.

So I mentioned that maybe Stern is doing anything his power, without making it too obvious, to set Lin up for success. But following through on that success is all on Lin- and guess what? He’s done it. Exceptionally well. Better than David Stern could have ever dreamed up, in fact. Because he remember, he had to have those first couple good games, and win, for this to even be an issue today.

But the way I see it, the NBA (or his own team for that matter) doesn’t have anything invested in this kid. And in just 2 weeks he’s probably raised their bottom line by millions of dollars. Seriously. Figure in all of the jersey sales, the MSG ticket prices and stocks and the impact he’s having overseas, he could single handedly be the most important piece in the larger NBA puzzle. And by Lin doing his part so well, the fans are creating all the hype themselves- the NBA doesn’t need to spend a dime on any marketing or promoting.

And Stern isn’t stupid. He’s going to do whatever he can to make sure he keeps his new, shiny, cash cow piece intact for as long as he can.

Think about it- what was the big story in the NBA prior to Lin?

The exciting new look Clippers? Maybe. But everyone and their mother has seen Blake Griffin dunk by now.

The Miami Heat? So last year.

Kobe and the Lakers? Not the same team unfortunately.

The overall bad basketball being played by most teams? Couldn’t be it.

Well then, how about the Knicks in the world’s most famous arena? Before Lin they were lost in a bad losing streak and their marquee guys were hurt.

Talk about perfect timing. In comes this Ivy League, already journeyman status kid who had been dropped and waived more times than minutes played.

Now listen- I have zero evidence to back any of this up and I’ll be the first to agree it’s far fetched. The liklihood that NBA franchises and it’s players buying into a conspiracy like this is extremely slim.

But before you get me a room in the loony bin, ask yourself a couple questions.

Do you believe that the NBA has been compromised by the powers that be, (including it’s commissioner) in any way, shape or form before?

And does the success of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks have a significant impact on the leagues revenue?

The NBA is a multi-billion dollar business. Part of it’s allure, like all sports, is the anything-can-happen potential.

But I’ll repeat- the NBA is a multi-billion dollar business.

Wouldn’t David Stern be silly not to squeeze every last dollar out of something that basically landed on his doorstep?

You don’t have to agree with me. In fact, if you’re sane, you probably shouldn’t.

The Linspiracy- probable? Maybe not.

But possible?

You can call me crazy for thinking that there could be an element of conspiracy in all of this.

But Jeremy Lin possibly being the most important player to the NBA- more than LeBron, Kobe, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, etc-  is also crazy.

And that one just so happens to be true.