Re-Living J.R. Smith's Best and Worst Moments with New York Knicks

J.R. Smith’s time with the New York Knicks had a little bit of everything: winning, losing, excitement, disappointment, genuine jubilation and near-constant headache.

Along with Iman Shumpert, the 29-year-old shooting guard was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in what was a cap-freeing salary dump by Knicks president Phil Jackson on Monday, Jan. 5. The deal was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The 5-32 Bockers have officially begun waving the white flag on this season. Jackson's eyes are firmly fixed on the team's first-round draft choice and next summer's free-agency class.

In just three years and change with the Blue and Orange, Smith left a lasting imprint—both positive and negative. He averaged 15.1 points (41.6 percent), 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals with the Knicks.

It was the best of times and the worst of times.

But it was J.R.’s time. And it always will be.

5th Worst: Twitter Mischief

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

"I'm always in trouble with Twitter," Smith said in November of 2014, via The Associated Press (h/T NBA.com). "I don't know what it is. Trying to shake it."

Three years ago, the New Jersey native was hit with a $25,000 fine after posting an…inappropriate…photo of a model by the name of Tahiry Jose, his then-girlfriend, on his personal page.

Last season, Smith was smacked with a second $25,000 ticket because of another Twitter incident. This time, it was for what the league called “directing hostile and inappropriate language” toward Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons, who questioned why J.R.’s younger brother, Chris, was on the Knicks roster.

(You know that will be addressed later on.)

After a series of tough-guy exchanges, Smith tweeted that that he “might have to call some of [his]…street homies [and] put #Detroit on smash for a min!" before adding—in case you weren't sure—that he was "#DeadSerious”

The post was wisely deleted, but not before screenshots were taken and league officials were notified.

There was also a now-famous twitter episode that included Smith, a female high school senior and a questionable string of direct messages. The girl posted the conversation online, and Smith responded with a hilarious Instagram picture that "explained" one of the lines he used on the girl. Check out the link for the whole conversation.

NFL Analyst, and former head coach, Herm Edwards has harped on the same social media advice for years: Don’t press send.

Smith doesn’t let Edwards—or anyone else, really—affect his life online, fines be damned.

5th Best: Twitter Fun

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Sometimes it’s not safe for kids under the age of 18, much like an R-rated movie, but Smith’s Twitter account is one of the league’s most entertaining.

Perhaps he's wised up since his most recent Twitter violation. On Nov. 19 last year, Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal posted this:

"JR saw me tweeting post-gm quotes in the locker room. Then said, in a serious tone: 'Ay, watch what you tweet. They'll fine you.'"

After Brooklyn took down the Knicks a few years back, former Net Kris Humphries taunted his team’s crosstown rival with post that read “Big game tonight! The Garden got really quiet on the way out!”

Smith’s retort was legendary: “[Wasn't] quiet when Kanye tore it down last month!”

Humphries, of course, was married to Kim Kardashian West (now the wife of Kanye) for a meager 72 days in 2011.

In May 2012, Smith invited his followers for a late-night bike ride around Manhattan. The troop snapped pictures and peddled around 'till about 4 a.m.

While he’s no longer with the Knicks, fans would be wise to continue following Smith for more spats, invitations for wee-hour fun and (always entertaining) candid thoughts about life as J.R.

4th Worst: My Brother's Keeper

Jennifer Pottheiser/Getty Images

This quote from Wojnarowski tells you all you need to know about Chris Smith:

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Within the Knicks coaching staff, they believe Chris Smith doesn't even have the talent to be an NBA Development League player – never mind worthy of a roster spot. One opposing GM called him "maybe the worst player in the history of the [NBA] summer league.

"

And yet, despite his shortcomings, the younger Smith sibling was signed by the Knicks as part of what many believe was a package deal.

J.R. was coming off a Sixth Man of the Year campaign, and New York actually re-upped with him at a decent price of three years for about $18 million.

It was the maximum amount that New York could’ve given No. 8, and he might've been able to land a slightly bigger payday elsewhere. That's where the conspiracy comes in—did J.R. take a hometown discount to ensure a roster spot for his little brother?

When asked if J.R.’s presence helped Chris make the final cut, then-coach Mike Woodson candidly said “Sure it does,” per Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

The younger sibling shot a horrendous 29 percent in the 2012 summer league but was waived after a knee injury took him out of commission. A year later came the shady package deal but Chris was again waived in December of 2013—not before collecting a check from the Bockers, though.

After hearing the news, J.R. posted a picture (captioned “#OnceAgain”) that read “You know the sad thing about betrayal? It never comes from an enemy.”

Cry about it, J.R.

4th Best: Game-Winners Galore

Smith was really living large in December 2012.

Twice did he get a look at a game-winner, and twice did the ball find the bottom of the net as a result of a silky smooth step-back in the corner.

"Just give me the ball, give me the ball,” Smith said of his mindset on the second shot, per Newsday’s Neil Best on Dec. 27. "I was so hyped and ready for it. It's something I didn't do for a while because Melo is our closer, without a doubt.”

Carmelo Anthony cut his finger diving into the stands and sat the final two minutes of the first contest on Dec. 5. For the second, he was sidelined with a hyperextended knee.

"I was walking around the court saying, 'I'm going to make it, I'm going to make it,” Smith went on. “I was trying to get my form ready before I thought about taking it. I was going through my mechanics in my head to get my shoulders square and let it fly.''

Say what you will about Smith, but shying away from clutch moments has never been in his genes.

Third Worst: Elbow to Jason Terry

In the midst of such a painful campaign, fans can find comfort in remembering the 2012-13 Knicks, who finished as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference, led by Melo (the NBA's leading scorer) and our good friend, Earl Smith Jr.

In Round 1 of the playoffs, the Bockers were rocking. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics, but Smith pulled a boneheaded move in Game 3 that nearly cost his team the series.

With about seven minutes left in the fourth—and with the game well at hand, 78-59—Jason Terry swarmed Smith in the corner.

J.R. didn’t like that. So he did what only he would do, and clocked the Jet with an elbow straight to the mug. The result was immediate ejection and a one-game suspension.

“That was a bad basketball play on my behalf, just because I got kicked out of the game and my team needed me,” Smith would say after the final horn, per Ian Begley of ESPN New York.

The elbow appeared to awaken the Celtics, who gutted out wins in Games 4 and 5 before the Knicks nearly blew a 26-point lead in Game 6.

Smith said that the series “would have been over” if he played in Game 4, per Tony Manfred of Business Insider.

But at least you learned something, right J.R.?

“Yeah, don't throw elbows.”

And there you have it.

Third Best: Record-Setting Day from Distance

Games like this are why everything negative about Smith is tolerated.

Smith launched an NBA-record 22 three-point tries against the Miami Heat on April 6 last season, but he swished 10 of them, breaking a franchise record.

With the Knicks still fighting for a playoff spot—and Anthony on the sidelines—Smith got hot in a hurry, finishing the afternoon showdown with 32 points. Despite his heroics, the Knicks fell to the Heat, 102-91.

"It's not really been a goal of mine," Smith said of the records, per The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I saw the open [threes] and tried to take them. I had to take advantage."

Steve Popper of The Record (NorthJersey.com) tweeted that the “Knicks players got kick out of learning that J.R. set an NBA record for [threes] attempted,” and Herring piggybacked that with "[he] had a huge smile when we told him.”

Smith has always been a streaky shooter, ice cold some nights and hot as the sun on others. The disparity has evened itself out in his career shooting percentage, which currently stands at 42.4 percent.

"You do your job and you live with the results," LeBron James said after Smith lit up his Heat. "We lived with the result of J.R. making some of those bombs."

Now, James will be on the other end of Smith’s shooting. Instead of contesting those shots, he'll be providing them in Cleveland.

The Cavs are shooting 34.5 percent from distance this year, so they’ll welcome cold J.R. and hot J.R. with open arms—they’ll cross their fingers for more of the latter, though.

2nd Worst: Shoelace Situation

A lot goes on during free throws in the NBA. Arms tangle, players jump way too early (most of the time) and words are exchanged.

That’s what normally happens. When Smith is playing, shoes are untied.

No one knows why, really. It’s just J.R. being J.R.

The shooting guard pulled that stunt three separate times last year, with the second resulting in a warning from the league’s higher-ups. The final pull resulted in a $50,000 fine.

“I do care about the fines because it’s loss of money, but other than that, I like to have fun,” Smith said during an interview with Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling in September. “I would do [the shoelace thing] again if there wasn’t a fine. But now that I’m in my 10th year in the NBA, I take the game more seriously than I did my first five, six years.”

A week after the fine came down, Smith was benched on two separate occasions.

“Honestly, I don’t even know,” Smith said when asked if the shoelace incident was the reason for the benchings, per CBS Sports New York. “It could, it could not. But for that to be the trigger point for all this to happen is ridiculous.”

Woodson, who had been one of Smith’s biggest supporters all along, appeared fed up after the latest in a series of blunders, both on and off the court.

“I don’t condone things that I know you shouldn’t do. No, I’m not happy about this," Woodson said, relayed by Fred Kerber of the New York Post (h/t ESPN Radio). "Because he was warned, he comes back and he makes the same mistake, and it’s not right. It’s unacceptable. It really is. It’s unprofessional. … You just cannot do it.”

Smith hasn’t pulled the shoelace stunt since being disciplined. But for some reason, it wouldn’t be a bit surprising to see him yank one the Knicks’ laces when he returns to New York as a Cavalier.

2nd Best: Awe-Inspiring Slams

Some Knicks fans loved him, some couldn’t stand him. Regardless of your feeling toward Smith, when he took flight, you got excited.

Yahoo! Sports’ Eric Freeman accurately captured Smith’s game back on May 4 three years ago, a day after the guard threw down one of the craziest dunks in recent memory. The slam took place during a blowout loss to the Heat in Game 3 of the 2012 playoffs. (Freeman is referring to the final final play in the clip above.):

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Smith, more than any other player in the game today, plays the same regardless of the moment. In both the key stretches of a playoff game and the most meaningless minutes of a blowout, he's going to take the same shots and use up possessions in the same way. He ignores context. Instead, he just does what he wants. It's often frustrating, but sometimes he ends up producing magic. Whether it stands as a huge basket or ends up being a meaningless highlight is a crapshoot. For Smith, it doesn't really matter.

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Smith entered the Association straight out of Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School (NJ) as a 19-year-old without a whole lot of tattoos or on-court discipline.

One of those things has changed from then to now. And all it takes is one glance at Smith’s massive ink to know which it is.

Sure, he may not have ever been the most intelligent player. But he was always one of the those most exciting in New York, rarely failing to electrify the Garden with acrobatic finished and rock-star celebrations.

With Anthony battling a knee injury, Smith in Cleveland and the front office in full-on tank-mode, fans at MSG will be hard-pressed to find something to get out of their seats about.

All-Time Worst: Didn't Know the Score

“Honestly, I thought we were down two.”

Those words will echo for all of eternity as some of the most senseless to ever emerge from the mouth of a person who plays basketball for a living.

They were, of course, spoken from Smith and relayed to the public by Isola (NYDN).

With 22 seconds left in a tie game last January, Tyson Chandler snagged an offensive rebound and quickly threw it out to the perimeter, all but ensuring that New York would get the last shot of regulation. Beno Udrih swung it to Smith, who…well…yeah.

Back-iron. Rockets ball. Dumb foul by Udrih. Houston makes free throws.

Game over.

The shooting guard owned up to his mistake after throwing away the game and also explained what went through his head as the play unfolded.

“I shot the ball, I started hearing Tyson saying ‘no, no, no don’t take a shot.’ But by that time it was already released,” he said. “I realized (the score) as soon as they got the foul; I looked up at the scoreboard. Just bad basketball IQ by me.”

Smith’s honesty and blame-absorbing were admirable, but that was an inexcusable play that probably resulted in animal-like wailing from frustrated Knicks fans in New York and around the world.

It was like a prison guard releasing a felon (“Honestly, I thought he was a cop”), a lawyer showing up to a hearing with a Spalding (“Honestly, I thought it was the other kind of court”) or a barber bypassing a fade and shaving his customer’s eyebrows (“Honestly, I thought a 2 and 1 meant both ‘brows”).

Honestly, it was as bad of a play as you’ll ever see in the NBA.

But it was vintage J.R. Smith.

All-Time Best: Sixth Man of the Year Award

Jennifer Pottheiser/Getty Images

Being a starter was an honor that Smith wanted more than anything. Throughout his career, he was a sixth man, an off-the-bench spark plug who never cracked the first five.

Prior to the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Marc Berman of the New York Post reported that Smith no longer had a desire to be a second-unit player.

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I’d rather start. I’ve been playing [eight] years, coming off the bench. Whether it stays [that way] or goes, I’m going to be same person I am. I prefer to start. I’d rather be a starter. If not, I understand that.

…

It gets frustrating after a while. People saying, ‘he’s a sixth man, sixth man, sixth man’ when you believe you’re a starter. But you have to understand, it’s a team game and have to put individual goals aside.

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It was a battle for Woodson to convince No. 8 that he was most valuable as the team’s top reserve, but the coach won.

And in the end, so did Smith.

Months after proclaiming that his heart was in the starting lineup, Smith was deservedly honored as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, averaging career-bests in scoring (18.1 points) and rebounding (5.4 boards) to go along with 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals.

The Knicks won the Atlantic for the first time since 1994 that season and finished as the No. 2 seed in the East with 54 wins, the team’s most in the past 19 years.

Smith, who has been referred to as "J.R. Starks," became the third Knick to ever win the award, with Anthony Mason (1995) and John Starks (1997) also earning the honor.

Woodson was genuinely proud of the man to whom he had shown the kind of support that was absent for the majority of his career. Here’s Woody, per ESPN.com:

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Couldn't have happened to a better guy. I'm so proud of him, in terms of buying in to what we wanted him to do earlier in the season. And it started this summer. I wasn't going to start him, coming into this year, and I knew that. And he bought in. He didn't like it, but he bought in. And it couldn't have happened to a better person, because he put in the time and he worked his butt off to get to this point, and he got rewarded for it. I'm happy for him.

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Later in that press conference, Smith, "born and raised in New Jersey," said that he would “love to retire a Knick."

Barring a reunion down the road, it appears that Smith will finish his career elsewhere, away from the place where he grew up as a man and as a basketball player.

J.R.'s time in New York was an age of fun—of game-winners, wild dunks, awards and wins. It was an age of foolishness—of poor judgement on social media, crushing elbows, lack of scoreboard knowledge and painful losses.

Most of all, it was an age that Knicks fans will never forget.

All stats are accurate courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.