Knicks Rumors: Why J.R. Smith Will Regret Joining Linsanity and Company in NYC

This morning J.R. Smith announced on his twitter page that he would sign with the New York Knicks. This will be a bad move for Smith, as he will now have to become a supporting player on an evolving team.

For one, the emergence of Jeremy Lin provides the Knicks another go to option. Jeremy has shown in the past week that he’s adept at making plays in big games, including a clutch game winning shot over the Raptors. This means the Knicks will make Lin a focal point going forward.

Furthermore, with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire coming back into the fray, the Knicks have a nice balance of options at their disposal. This means that Smith will receive a limited amount of touches, which is not good for a player who’s trying to show he still has what it takes.

In addition, it’s important to factor in J.R.’s attitude. His personality was a concern, as according to the New York Times there was disagreement among team officials whether he was worth the risk.

Ultimately, this boils down to Smith taking a lesser role with a better team. By joining forces with Lin, Anthony and Stoudemire, it means Smith won’t receive as many touches and will have to make the most of his opportunities. It also means he’ll have to mesh with a team already evolving because of the emergence of Lin. When you add all of these factors up, this wasn’t the smartest move for Smith.