Barkley talks a lot of nonsense, but I agree with him here.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/charles-barkley-jeremy-lin-garden-flunkies-ny-knicks-phenom-article-1.1028510

After the Heat brought sanity to the NBA’s balance of power, dropping the Knicks 102-88 Thursday night, Jeremy Lin offered no excuses saying “fatigue really doesn’t matter.”

On TNT, Charles Barkley said it does.

Lin, Barkley said, had to be “mentally and physically” exhausted while going up against Miami. And his fatigue had little to do with playing back-to-back games or three games in four nights.

Barkley said the Knicks organization was doing a horrible job managing the media aspect of Linsanity. He said it has turned into an on-court issue.

“The Knicks have to do a better job handling him (Lin) with the press,” Barkley said after the game. “He does too many interviews. I understand Linsanity and everything. It’s a great story but he’s doing too much.”

Credit Sir Chuckles with bringing a different angle to this never-ending story. Barkley was pointing his finger at the Gulag/Knicks PR machine, which is responsible for approving or denying any interview requests for Lin.

On a nationally televised broadcast Barkley questioned their handling of Lin. He’s made it an issue.

“You (Knicks/Gulag) can turn them (interview requests) down. Lin needs to rest. This season is so condensed,” Barkley said. “Turn them down. They’ll get over it.”

Ernie Johnson Jr., TNT’s NBA studio host, interrupted Barkley’s riff claiming the Knicks nixed a Lin appearance with David Letterman.

History shows long before the coming of Lin this kind of stuff was an issue. When Jeff Van Gundy coached the Knicks he wasn’t exactly thrilled when the marketing department used players for their promotions. Isiah Thomas, also had a contentious relationship with the Knicks marketing department for the same reason.

This Lin thing is much bigger. The business of Lin is great for Garden business. Lin now is not just a player — he’s a phenomenon/earner.

Lin already has made James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan millions of dollars in Time Warner Cable subscriber fees by expediting a deal between the cable company and MSG Network. Lin sells tickets and drives Knicks TV/radio ratings.

One way to keep this train rolling is by showing all sides of Lin. That’s why interviews and public appearances are essential. They are good for the NBA’s overall business all over the world too. However, as Barkley explained, there is a down side to all this. One that could be detrimental to Lin and the Knicks.

It’s a balancing act.

Will the Lin media tour continue?

Or will Garden suits give his mouth a rest?

It is an issue and I felt Lin was mentally fatigued more than physically in that Heat game. I think they will find a balance but Lin really is a money machine. The Garden already has cashed in with a new sponsor from Taiwan. Some tire company has bought advertising in the Garden. It's just the beginning of this stuff too. Once the playoffs start it'll kick up a notch! Having Baron will help but they have to manage his off court engagements. Lin's manager is also over his head. The guy is a small company and he's being overwhelmed. This has grown beyond his capabilities.

Now that we are talking about this, explain to me the back to back press conferences in this All Star weekend for Lin excecuted by the NBA?

I agree blame has to go to the Knicks and its time for them to let Lin settle in andjust be another of the guys. You can see he wants that badly. He wants the spotlight on the team and not simply on him. They need to let him keep progressing at his own pace.

I also agree that Lin looked mentally out of it against the Heat and this aspect shouldn't be underestimated.