Hi! Managers: Sensational 'Linsanity' makes the case for teamwork over stardom

So dramatic are his accomplishments on the basketball court that they have been dubbed “Linsanity” by his fans and the media.
How did such an outstanding player go unnoticed and escape the scrutiny of experts, scouts and coaches at all levels of play, who are paid to recognise and develop talent?
Some say that his Asian-American heritage, as well as his Ivy League background did not fit the prototypical NBA player and therefore, nobody took him seriously.
Lin was not drafted by a single NBA team to play out of college, until finally one NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, decided to roll the dice and give him a try in their summer league.
From there, Lin bounced around, eventually landing with the New York Knicks, where he rarely played. But when his chance to shine came last month in a game against the New Jersey Nets, he was ready.
Leading up to this game, the Knicks had lost their last 11 out of 13 games. They were dreadful.  Their two recognised stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire had not been playing due to injuries and for personal reasons respectively. Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni decided to use Lin in a last ditch attempt to turnaround the team’s fortunes and perhaps save his own career.
What happened next was nothing short of amazing. Lin led the Knicks to an unexpected victory over the Nets and in ensuing games, he continued to dominate and lift the Knicks to victories.
Some people, including boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr wrote off Lin’s accomplishments as very average. 
“He is a good player, but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise,” Mayweather said.
Well, not exactly. After his first five games, Lin had scored a total of 136 points – more than any other player in the history of the NBA.
While Linsanity has been about how an unlikely Asian-American underdog defied the odds and became an overnight sensation, Lin is also living proof that teamwork matters. When Lin plays, he makes his team-mates play better. He has dished out over seven assists per game and his teammates have averaged more points and played better with him than without him.
“Lin puts everyone in the right spot and calms us down,” D’Antoni said. “He’s making things easy and the rest of the guys around him are playing the way we want to play.”
With Lin, the Knicks found the missing ingredient to create strong team chemistry and start winning games. This story would have a happy ending, except as of the end of last month, the Knicks lost three out of their last five games.
What is most interesting about these last games is that the Knicks two superstars, Stoudemire and Anthony, have resumed playing.  It seems that instead of working as a five-man team under Lin, the Knicks are trying to let these two stars do it all.
With this letdown, one wonders whether the Knicks are better off as a team revolving around Lin with no superstars, or a team dominated by two superstars.
The jury is still out. New York Knicks fans hope that Lin can gel with the team’s superstars and make the team more competitive. Egos will have to be kept in check and sacrifices made.
In the interim, Lin has made a case for the importance of teamwork over individual stardom; for working together for the greater good.  Perhaps this is a lesson for all of us, as we seek to balance our individual need for achievement, with the needs of the organisations we work for.

Larry Chao is managing director of Chao Group, a management consulting and training firm based in Bangkok and New York. His article is published on the first Monday of every month.