Is Iman Shumpert Wearing an Orange New York Knicks Jersey of the Future?

Iman Shumpert gave the world a sneak preview of what might be the newest addition to the New York Knicks' jersey collection: a bright orange alternate uniform the shooting guard sent out via his Instagram account.

Don't worry, Beyond the Buzzer captured the picture and broadcast it to cyberspace.

There are a couple of things to note here.

First, Shumpert abruptly deleted the post featuring the jersey in question, though not soon enough to keep most of the world from seeing the image. His quick removal seems to indicate that the jerseys are going to be part of the Knicks' wardrobe next year. If they weren't, there probably wouldn't have been as much urgency to erase evidence of their existence.

The organization probably wants to preserve the excitement for the official unveiling prior to next season. Of course, it's also possible that this is all part of a deliberate ploy to create buzz. The way teams use social media is tricky, and I guess the upshot is that you can never assume anything's an accident.

And then there's the possibility that Shumpert and the Knicks wanted to steal the social-media thunder back from rival Deron Williams and his treatment of a kid wearing the regular road jersey.

Anyway, the assumption that the neon duds are alternates is mine alone. There's no way the Knicks would wear these things as a regular road uniform. If they did, every arena they visited would have to hand out complimentary sunglasses.

The addition of an alternate jersey makes sense for the Knicks, as they made slight tweaks in their regular look last season. The addition of subtle silver stripes and a slightly more old-school look last season has now given way to some Hi-Liter-inspired garb.

This had better be the last time the Knicks take design advice from Spike Lee.

More jerseys mean more merchandise revenue, and the Knicks have gone big and bold in their latest attempt to move products.

Be sure to turn down the brightness on your televisions next year; these things could blow out a few LCD crystals.