Linexplicable? No Rush to Profile Knicks Guard

Major cable sports players say they do not currently have plans for a doc or bio of the point guard

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/22/2012 7:21:56 PM

Cable sports outlets are not tripping over themselves to come up with some long-form love for new NBA sensation Jeremy Lin, though that is likely to change.

While there have been interviews and lots of game coverage, some major cable sports players say they do not currently have plans for a doc or bio of the Knicks point guard, who was plucked from waivers and proceeded to lead the team to a bunch of victories and the scoring record for a first-time starter's first few games in the league.

An NBA TV spokesperson said it had no special in the works: "Just a lot of coverage across the board."

An ESPN spokesperson said it, too, had no current plans for a long-form profile of the new star, though he pointed to various video pieces it has done to date, including a sit-down interview with Rachel Nichols on SportsCenter last Sunday

"We have no such plans," said an NBC Sports Network spokesman.

Madison Square Garden network, whose ratings for its Knicks coverage went through the roof when "Linsanity" took hold, aired, and has since re-aired, a half-hour interview with Lin following the Knicks' game Feb. 17. And while the spokesman knew of no long-form plans, he said that could change, particularly given that it was already profiling up and coming hockey players as part of a series it launched last fall, Beginnings, which looks at "where a guy came from." So far they have profiled four New York Rangers players in four half-hour shows. "That is a series we just started and the plan is to profile some Knicks going forward, so this is where that might fit in."  He said MSG is exploring "all options" going forward.

What about TNT, which carries NBA games and has Knicks game coming up Thursday night? "There is talk of doing something," said a TNT spokesman, "but with All-Star [weekend coming up], nothing has been decided yet."