NBA: Is Jeremy Lin's Starting Role on Houston Rockets Threatened By Patrick Beverley's Playoff Emergence?

In sports, opportunity created by injury is a two-way street; it can work for you and it can work against you sometimes.

Jeremy Lin knows that better than anyone. Last February, Lin, seldom used on the Knicks before injuries thinned their ranks, got a chance to start against the then-New Jersey Nets, netting 25 points in a big night that started the "Linsanity" craze which made Lin into one of the most talked-about athletes on the planet. And using that momentum, Lin parleyed that into a three-year, $25 million contract with the Houston Rockets this past offseason.

However, in a reversal of fortune, the injury bug has bitten Lin at the worst and most critical time for any NBA team-during the playoffs. After struggling in Game 1 on 1-for-7 shooting, Lin suffered a right chest bruise courtesy of OKC defensive ace Thabo Sefolosha that knocked him out of that game, and has affected him through the series. Lin even sat out all of the Rockets' critical Game 4 elimination game on Monday.

Enter Patrick Beverley.

The Houston rookie, who has been playing in spurts this season, has picked the playoffs to suddenly come alive. Off a controversial play, he knocked Oklahoma City's second best player, Russell Westbrook, out of the playoffs--a play that has earned him the wrath of the OKC faithful, including a ball boy who threatened to kill Beverley via Twitter-and given the Thunder fits with his hustle, poise and knack for making things happen on offense. He has been unintimidated, whether it was guarding Westbrook or after taking a stiff screen from Kendrick Perkins after the Westbrook injury.

And more importantly, he has been productive, but never more than in Game 4, when Beverley scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting with three assists as a starter-subbing for Lin, who was out for the game due to the chest injury-as the Rockets eeked out a thrilling 105-103 win on Monday.

Beverley has been raising a lot of eyebrows with his clutch performance late in the season, averaging 12.3 points in the playoffs with 5.5 rebounds, exuding confidence and toughness, which are qualities that will serve him well when he returns to Oklahoma City for Game 5 Wednesday as the most hated man in the state while the Rockets try and keep their season alive.

Toughness, a knack for clutch moments, an unflappable confidence in his playing ability-all of these are the hallmarks for an ideal starter, and better for a point guard.

So the main question regarding Beverley after the Rockets' season ends is this-should the Rockets make Beverley the starting point guard over Lin?

Lin was having a great April prior to the playoffs, but has been undercut by bad shooting and injuries so far. And while he was catching fire in March and April, the latter month finding him averaging 17.3 points in the last nine games of the regular season, Lin also struggled for much of the season, prone to turnovers, unable to find his shot at times as he made make many adjustments in order to play off the ball while James Harden and Chandler Parsons commanded the majority of the offensive duties. And during the playoffs, he has shown his inexperience at times by making some costly turnovers that the Thunder turned into offense.

However, Lin has also had his share of hot streaks and has been growing in the role the Rockets had molded for him, improving gradually as he found how to be a more complete point guard that could keep the Rockets' constantly-moving in their sets. Add to that his growing fan base around the world and there is plenty of reason to keep featuring Lin in the offense with more minutes.

Yet Beverley has shown an almost Rajon Rondo-like poise during his playoff run, unafraid to take big shots or make the tough plays, fast and athletic, and showing that he could thrive under pressure. And being the same age as Lin, 24, Beverley also has a lot of upside and potential. If his playoff run has given him added confidence in his abilities, Beverley could be quite a catch for Houston.

The term "Wally Pipp'ed" is a rather famous term in sports lexicon. It refers to Wally Pipp, the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in 1925. While Pipp was a solid player, a fateful headache caused Pipp to be replaced in the Yankees' starting lineup on June 2, 1925 by a little known kid-Lou Gehrig. The result? Gehrig started a Hall of Fame career and a then-record playing streak of 2,130 games, and Pipp never regained the starting job again.

Injuries last season brought Lin into the spotlight. But with the emergence of Beverley in the playoffs thanks in part to Lin's injury, has Lin found himself in a position where he could be "Wally Pipp'ed?" Both point guards have shown a lot of promise, and both have a lot of potential. Lin might be a fan favorite, but with Beverley starting to turn heads in the postseason, Lin might have to start looking over his shoulder come next season.