5 Most Frustrating Players on the New York Knicks' Roster

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No team is exempt. It doesn't matter what team it is or what sport they're playing or how great they play their sport.

There will always be players on those teams who get on their fans' nerves. Some more so than others.

Truth be told, the 1971-72 Lakers probably had fans who were slightly irritated with Gail Goodrich, Jerry West or Wilt Chamberlain about something while they were right in the middle of their record 33-game win streak.

Same probably goes for the 1995-96 Bulls, who broke the 70-win barrier and finished 72-10 en route to the franchise's sixth title.

The New York Knicks have yet to achieve these levels of success, but they're up for debate, so here are their five most frustrating players.

5. Iman Shumpert

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Iman Shumpert isn't on this list because of an irritating tendency or habit that he possesses. That may come later. He's still a youngster in the league.

He's on this list because of the timing of the knee injury he suffered in Game 1 of the playoffs last season. Shumpert was athletic and provided New York with much-needed fierce perimeter defense.

The Knicks were soundly beaten in that opening game by the Heat.  Losing Shumpert was just a heaping dose of salt in the wound.

One more frustrating tidbit, he may not be ready to play at the beginning of this season, either. 

4. J.R. Smith

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When J.R. Smith has it rolling and is on his game, it's like a fire that fuels itself. He has the ability to make plays and hit shots that border on the unbelievable.

This happened countless times in Denver, and he hit the court in his Knicks debut and got warm in a hurry as well. He's always been streaky.

The downside to Smith's unconsciousness is when he isn't on. In his mind, he still thinks he is or at the very least thinks the next shot is the one that will go down.

When he realizes he isn't hot, sometimes it's too late and he's shot his team out of the game or allowed the opponent to get back into it.

3. Raymond Felton

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Fair or not, players get labeled for one thing or another. It's as if a condensed scouting report is slapped on a guy and it can never change or be removed for better or worse.

The catch-and-shoot guy can never drive to the rim. The slasher is incapable of hitting a jumper. Not knocking scouting, but sometimes brushes can be painted a little too broad and labels can be inaccurate. Like I said, sometimes it's fair and sometimes it's not.

Raymond Felton earned a reputation for being a little out of shape. It's earned because he said so himself.

If this remains the case, he will draw Knicks' fans ire in the first quarter of the first game. Lang Greene of hoopsworld provided some insight with this tweet:

 

Just spoke w/ Raymond Felton here at Las Vegas Summer League. He didn't look out of shape. Looking forward to teaming w/ Jason Kidd

— Lang Greene (@LangGreene) July 19, 2012

 

An in-shape Felton will help answer a lot of the Knicks' point-guard questions.

2. Amar'e Stoudemire

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Amar'e Stoudemire's second year in New York wasn't as productive as his first.  His scoring output dipped from 25.3 points per game in 2010-11 to 17.5 last season.

He was sidelined in March with a bulging disc in his back. Just like Iman Shumpert, his injuries were the chief cause of aggravation for Knicks fans.

Then he topped all of that off with one of the most boneheaded moves of all time when he punched out the fire extinguisher and further injured himself in the playoffs no less.

No doubt New York fans are hoping his summer with Dream pays off and the new and improved Amar'e is back for 2012-13.

1. Carmelo Anthony

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In this case, the best player will be the most polarizing player as well. Carmelo's game is right at the center of the debate.

When he's on, he's as tough a matchup as there is. He's too big for most small forwards and too quick for most power forwards. When he's not on, he disrupts any possible flow the offense may have been able to develop because all ball movement comes to a halt because of him.

Some say he has no choice. He has to play this way due to the team around him, others say he should put more effort into being more of a facilitator and team player.

Either way, his game was exactly the same when he was a highly coveted member of the Denver Nuggets. These discussions will persist with varying degrees of feeling and conviction all throughout the regular season.

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