Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak got their Bird rights.

Howard Beck just broke the news. Our fears of having Kenneth Dam's ruling appealed and overturned by the league are no more. Here's Beck:

Settlement reached in Bird-right case, parties announce. Lin and Novak keep their Bird rights.

Lin and Novak will be "early-Bird" free agents, as arbitrator had ruled. Billups and Hickson get full bird rights.

Cool. There's some other stuff about how Bird rights will work in the future, but WHO CARES!? [Fart sounds]. Free agency begins at the crack o' Sunday, and the Knicks can immediately get to work bringing back Lin and Novak, negotiating with J.R. Smith, Landry Fields, and Jared Jeffries, and courting free agents from elsewhere (they'll likely try to use the mini-MLE, not the whole $5 million because of an apron or some shit). The actual signing period begins on July 11. All is right with the world except for all this pickle juice I got on my shirt, but even that isn't so bad.