Source: J.R. Smith Heading to the Big Apple; Renaldo Balkman Waived

The New York Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now as they have won seven straight games and have found Jeremy Lin to be their next leader. While Lin has been putting on an incredible display, he knows that when Carmelo Anthony returns from his groin strain injury, things could be a little different, but is willing to make changes which are better for the team as a whole.

However, things may get a little more interesting as Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Knicks are expected to sign shooting guard J.R. Smith after Smith (a free agent at the end of the 2010-11 NBA season) spent one season playing in the Chinese Basketball Association due to the NBA lockout.

Before Smith can officially come on board, the Knicks will have to cut a player from their roster to make some room for the guard. According to the New York Post, that player could very well be Renaldo Balkman who has played sparingly this season. Mike Bibby and Jerome Jordan were also candidates, but the Knicks need depth at the guard and center this season.

Smith has all the talent in the world with his athleticism and his shooting, but has also shown his other side which results in being a distraction in the locker room and making immature decisions.

When Smith was a member of the Denver Nuggets, he had a rocky relationship with head coach George Karl and that is one reason why the Nuggets are not interested in re-sign Smith with any urgency.

It will be interesting to see how Lin, Amar’e Stoudemire and Anthony work together along with Smith who may come off the bench for now.