New York Knicks: Time for the Knicks and J.R. Smith to part company
By Matt Shetler
Sometimes it just doesn’t work. Sometimes there are simply no ways to fix things and repair a relationship and the best course of actions is to simply part ways.
That’s the case with the New York Knicks and guard J.R. Smith.
Jan 9, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) watches the final seconds of the game from the bench during the fourth quarter of a game against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Smith didn
Quite simply enough is enough and it is time the two parties move on by getting rid of Smith and his distractions once and for all.
Whether you believe Smith should have been benched Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats really isn’t the issue and for once I will side with Smith saying he got a raw deal, but I can’t fault Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson either.
Especially when news came out from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that cleared up the situation:
"J.R. Smith’s benching in Charlotte Tuesday night may have been a direct result of Smith sitting most of the overtime in Monday’s win over Phoenix.According to a source, Smith was vocal with coach Mike Woodson about not starting the extra session against Phoenix after missing what would have been a game-winning shot at the end of regulation."
Woodson and Smith have been butting heads all season and Woodson even went as far to blast Smith yet again on Monday morning, even after the air was reportedly ‘cleared’ in recent days.
Woodson said on ESPN radio: “I’m not gonna get into JR stuff… But it’s a privilege to wear and NBA inform… And I’ll leave it at that. We need JR to play, but he’s got to grow up and improve his play… Nobody is bigger than the team.”
That’s the biggest issue here is Smith’s unwillingness to grow up.
Following his benching Tuesday night, he ran off at the mouth once again, saying things like:
“I’ll figure out what I can do better to help this team and go from there,’’ Smith said. “If I can’t help the team, no point in me being here,” and “Communication from my end is over.”
It’s perfectly fine for Smith to be pissed about being benched, but he had the opportunity to handle things with class, something he doesn’t have and instead shoots his mouth off again.
It’s also been reported that Smith is still very upset at the organization for releasing his brother Chris.
It’s all how you act and Smith acts like a child.
The Knicks have tolerated him enough and now it is time to cut their losses.
The problem is that Smith isn’t helping this team in a positive fashion on the court, so he has next to no trade value. If he were playing well that would be one thing, but he simply is not.
Smith is eligible to be traded starting today, but no deal will happen because no other team will touch him and his massive baggage,
The Knicks have been trying to find a way to trade for Andre Miller, but the Nuggets have no interest in Smith and wouldn’t entertain the idea of a Miller-for-Smith swap, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com.
That’s a shame in itself because Denver would be the perfect landing spot for Smith.
Not so much for basketball reasons as the fact that marijuana is legal.
At the end of the day though the Knicks simply have to cut their losses and move on, if that means releasing Smith and eating some money then so be it. They simply can’t keep allowing his distractions to bring this team down.
They have given him every opportunity to grow up and change his ways but he refuses.
Enough is enough.
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