 On January 28 , Davis postponed his Knicks debut due to an elbow infection and more back pain . Then New York considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player . However , after the Knicks squandered a fourth quarter lead in a February 3 loss to the Boston Celtics , coach Mike D 'Antoni decided to give Lin a chance to play , in " desperation " according to experts . " He got lucky because we were playing so bad , " said D 'Antoni . Lin had played only 55 minutes through the Knicks ' first 23 games , but he unexpectedly led a turnaround of an 8 – 15 team that had lost 11 of its last 13 games . 
