J.R. Smith to Join Knicks
Added on Feb 17, 2012 by Scott in
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Two weeks ago, the New York Knicks looked dead in the water. Carmelo was hurt, Amar’e was grieving the loss of his brother and some guy named Jeremy Lin was forced into the starting lineup. Well, as they say, the rest is history. Winners of seven straight, the Knicks now sit at .500 due in large part to budding star Lin, who is making the Big Apple an attractive destination for free agents. Like ex-Nugget J.R. Smith.
Smith, who spent the beginning of the basketball year in China because of the NBA lockout, is expected to join the team tonight and be on the court for Sunday’s showdown with the defending champion Mavericks. The 26-year-old shooting guard posted on Twitter his intention to play for the Knicks, choosing them over the Bulls, Lakers, and Clippers, among others.
Smith will reunite with Carmelo Anthony, who he played alongside with for four-plus seasons in Denver. In seven years as a professional, J.R. has averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot 37% from three-point land. His best campaign came in 2009-10, when he netted a career best 15.4 points and emerged as one of the top sixth men in the league.
The Knicks have been rotating between Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert at the two guard, but head coach Mike D’Antoni is confident Smith can find a spot in the backcourt.
“We’ll see, but that’ll be a hurdle we’ll get over,” D’Antoni said after Friday’s shootaround. “Obviously, he’s a talented basketball player and you can always use talent. But basically it’s not going to change up a whole lot what we’re doing.”
At the very least, Smith brings solid defense and long-range shooting. If he can keep his head screwed on right, he should provide reliable experience off the bench.
New York is quickly building themselves a contending roster. Once Melo returns to the lineup and adjustments are made, a run at the Atlantic Division title is within reach.
Source: ESPN.com
