Knicks Rumors: Why J.R. Smith's Bench Presence Would Save New York

The New York Knicks are in a tough position right now, but the possible addition of J.R. Smith may just be enough to save this sinking ship.

With Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire out for an extended period of time, New York has to make sure they entice Smith to join their team. Not only could he start now and be an effective scorer, Smith would willingly slide to a bench player role when the team was 100 percent healthy again.

As much as the Knicks faithful want to anoint crowd favorite Jeremy Lin as the savior of the team, his track record will show that he is just on fire right now. He will cool off eventually and the fans in New York will hate him.

Meanwhile, MSG.com reports on the Knicks’ current status in the Smith sweepstakes:

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The Knicks are still hoping to sign free agent shooting guard J.R. Smith with their "room exception" but the Minnesota Timberwolves could provide serious competition, as they also have the room exception (a pro-rated $2.5 million salary slot) and could offer Smith more minutes and scoring opportunities. Smith, a New Jersey native, has indicated on Twitter that he has strong interest in playing for the Knicks.

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Smith is a stellar scorer that is lacking on the defensive side of the ball. While that may not fly in many other cities, with Mike D’Antoni running the Knicks’ bench, that’s not a huge deal.

The offensive schemes will run the ball up the floor to Smith, where he will be able to hit his long-range shot or drive the lane. Either way, it adds a new spark to an offense that isn’t getting the job done.

New York was expected to be contending for the lead in the Eastern Conference, but instead sit at 10-15 and ninth overall. That’s not good. Add in the fact that the team’s two biggest stars are out and it’s an emergency.

Somebody call Smith to put this fire out.

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