A ruling in Jeremy Lin's Bird Rights case is expected to be handed down by July 1. The case also impacts Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson. A win for the union would give teams the Bird Rights of the players, and most notably for the Knicks, they'd be able to re-sign both Lin and Novak while retaining the full midlevel exception. We should have a resolution within the next couple of weeks.

Jeremy Lin's Bird Rights case will be hard on Wednesday. The decision also impacts another Knicks free agent in Steve Novak. A ruling is expected to be handed down on Wednesday, and Commissioner David Stern has previously said that he doesn't expect the outcome to be in the Knicks' favor. If Lin and Novak lose the case, the Knicks will be resigned to a much murkier outlook in free agency, where they will be extremely limited in their spending.

Appearing on the Michael Kay Radio Show, Mike Woodson called restricted free agent Jeremy Lin his "starting point guard." "Right now, he is our starting point guard, without a doubt," Woodson said. Woodson sounded very confident about New York's chances of re-signing Lin, and that shouldn't be a surprise considering GM Glen Grunwald previously said that he doesn't see a scenario where the team doesn't re-sign the breakout point guard. Lin's name will surface in a lot of rumors, but we ultimately expect him to re-sign with the Knicks.

Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak will have their "Bird rights" hearing on June 13, a source tells Newsday. The hearing actually impacts both Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson as well. Winning the appeal would mean the teams of the four players could re-sign each one without having to worry about salary cap constraints, and that would be a huge win for New York. Regardless of the outcome, the Knicks plan to match all offers for Lin, whose salary is capped under the "Arenas Provision" in the new CBA.

When speaking about the recent extension given to head coach Mike Woodson, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald also said he "can't see a scenario where we don't keep [Jeremy] Lin." The case to hear if Lin will be eligible to be re-signed under the "Bird Rights" won't be until mid-June, but it sounds like the Knicks plan on bringing him back no matter what. There will be several teams interested in Lin, as the Raptors, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and even the Warriors have been mentioned as possible suitors this summer. The bottom line is that New York can match all offers for Lin and it looks like they will do just that.

The case for the Knicks to hold the "Bird Rights" of Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak will be heard in mid-June, a source tells ESPN New York. This is a big case for the Knicks because if won, the Knicks could re-sign both Lin and Novak while still maintaining their midlevel exception for use. "Bird Rights" are exceptions that allow teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents, but the snafu in this case is that both Novak and Lin were acquired via waivers rather than through a trade. The union is arguing waived players should retain their rights, but the league is stating a player's clock should be "reset" once he's acquired through waivers.

Jeremy Lin's agent, Roger Montgomery, said "we don't have any assurances" when asked about his client's free agency. Lin, a restricted free agent, is expected to return to the Knicks. Montgomery is simply posturing here in an attempt to drive up Lin's value on the open market and get an interested team to offer a sizable offer sheet. The Raptors, along with a handful of other teams, will have interest in Lin, but the Knicks are expected to retain him. Lin was a marketing dream and played solid basketball when healthy for New York.

The Raptors, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Nets are interested in signing Jeremy Lin, sources tell Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy. Because Lin is a restricted free agent and his salary is controlled under the "Arenas Provision" in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it's going to be very difficult to pry Lin out of New York. Regardless, expect several teams to "express interest" in Lin as free agency gets closer.

The NBA players union is seeking a clarification of "Bird rights" for players that changed teams via waivers, sources tell the New York Times. Right now, it's thought that players acquired through waivers do not have Bird rights. Therefore, teams would have to dip into their mid-level exception to retain such players if they're up against the salary cap. This case will affect Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, J.J. Hickson and Chauncey Billups. If the union is successful in getting these players Bird rights, it will be much easier for their current teams to retain them.

If the Raptors fail to lure Steve Nash to Toronto, they could attempt to 'back-load' a contract for restricted free agent Jeremy Lin. It's widely believed that New York will match any offer for Lin, whose meteoric rise and global appeal gave new life to their 2011-12 season. In 25 starts, he averaged 18.2 points, 1.0 threes, 3.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and yes, 4.7 turnovers.