J.R. Smith Already Proving He Won't Be a Winner for New York Knicks
Tim Hardaway Jr. had just missed an open three-pointer in the corner, which was rebounded by Carmelo Anthony and sent down to Amar'e Stoudemire, who got his layup attempt blocked with 19 seconds to go in the first quarter.
The New York Knicks scored two points over the final four minutes of that quarter against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night. They just reached one of those inevitable stretches when nobody could buy a bucket.
If only they had a guy they could have called on off the bench.
The one they pay about $6 million a year to normally do that job was actually suspended for that awful Knicks loss to Detroit.
The NBA banned J.R. Smith for a game after his below-the-belt cheap shot against Glen Rice Jr. the night prior.
It made you think about the 2013 postseason when he got suspended for elbowing Jason Terry. And when a failed drug test last year cost him the first five games of the season.
The Knicks loss to the Pistons was just a good reminder of Smith's unreliability.
And it's not just the antics and behavioral issues. Smith hasn't been reliable on the floor for the Knicks either, from his 26-of-90 shooting performance in the second round against the Pacers two years back to his complete letdown year overall in 2013-14.
He hasn't been much of a factor through his first four games before the suspension—Smith is averaging 7.5 points a game on 42.4 percent shooting.
And though the sample size is tiny, he doesn't appear to fit into this whole triangle offense, given his preferred style of play that calls for multiple one-on-one dribbles before getting into his delivery.
Smith isn't a system scorer—he's at his best with a bright green light, which is also when he's at his worst, which is what makes him such a frustrating player to lean on.
"Trying to think about the rest of the team over myself or my scoring is something that I never really had to do before," Smith told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com.
The New York Post's Marc Berman reported that New York has recently had conversations about a trade that would send Smith to Indiana for combo forward Chris Copeland.
At this point, any trade including Smith would make sense for the Knicks, who already have Iman Shumpert playing well and Hardaway Jr. looking to take that next step.
Plus, you'd like to think Smith will opt into his $6,399,750 deal (per Shamsports) for the 2015-16 season. And that cuts into the team's precious cap space and ability to restock the roster with high-priced free agents.
Unfortunately, the Knicks put themselves in a position that's forced them to trust the untrustable in Smith, given the team's limited offensive talent outside of Anthony. Or blame it on Stoudemire's knees, which have clogged up the Knicks' cap room over the past few years, preventing them from going after prized free agents and making them settle on guys like Smith.
I'm sure within the next few weeks he'll catch fire off the bench, score 15 points in a half and tease us with his ridiculous skills.
But not even Miss Cleo could predict when it's going to happen.
Smith's inability to adapt his game has led to wild inconsistency, while his lack of composure remains a reoccurring theme.
This is his 11th year in the league now, and we're essentially singing the same tune we started a decade ago.
Smith would probably be better off with an established playoff team—as a fifth option, not a second or third—looking for offense off the bench.
But he's not an answer for the Knicks. And he continues to remind us just that.
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