The New York Knicks’ season isn’t going well and the news and rumors are ramping up.
Check out the latest buzz below.
Anthony Not Going to Panic
Carmelo Anthony said that he’s not going to panic over the Knicks rough 4-14 start.
“That comes down to us as individuals whether we panic or not. Me being one of the leaders of this team, I’m not gonna panic, so none of my teammates are gonna panic,” Anthony told ESPN.
“Every day is a new day. And tomorrow we got another opportunity to try to turn this thing around.”
The Knicks have a good shot at a win on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets, who are also struggling at 6-9.
Anthony said that he’s trying not to let the negativity into the team’s locker room.
“It’s a challenging mindset,” Anthony said of not letting the team become accustomed to losing.
“I think anytime you’re losing basketball games, negativity, lack of confidence can start to seep in. But that’s something I don’t want to deal with, we shouldn’t have to deal with.”
Anthony also said he felt normal soreness after playing 41 minutes on Sunday night against the Miami Heat.
Smith Uncertain Against Nets
JR Smith played only six minutes on Sunday then sat out the rest of the game with an illness.
Smith went to see the medical staff at practice on Monday, but was sent home with flu-like symptoms.
Coach Derek Fisher said Smith’s status is uncertain for the Nets game.
The New York Daily News noted that Fisher’s yanking Smith out of the Heat game was a “head scratcher.”
“Fisher would later say that Smith was removed because the enigmatic shooting guard was feeling ill, even though Smith wasn’t sick enough to leave the bench for treatment. So we'll take Fisher at his word unless Smith says otherwise, which is unlikely since the Knicks go to great lengths to paint a picture of being a unified group even as everything around them is falling apart,” it said.
“FYI: Smith left the locker room without speaking with reporters, which was probably good for both Fisher and Smith. Who knows, may J.R. was rushing home for chicken soup.”
The News said there’s nothing wrong with Fisher benching a player and nothing wrong with Smith being upset about it, but “the image of Smith’s epic head scratching seems appropriate since the Knicks as a group induce plenty of head scratching.
It added: “You don’t know when or if they‘ll figure out the triangle or whether Fisher will ever settle on a set rotation. Better yet, no one knows when they’ll win again.”
Hardaway in Fisher’s Doghouse
Another player out of tune with the coach is Tim Hardaway Jr.
The second-year-player has gotten inconsistent minutes and is not shooting well, while also not playing well on defense.
“In the Knicks’ 86-79 loss Sunday night to Miami, Fisher didn’t bring in Hardaway until there were 20 seconds left in the first half for a last possession. He wound up playing 16:12 but mostly because Fisher decided J.R. Smith was too weak with an illness to be effective,” reported the New York Post.
“Hardaway finished 1-for-5 shooting — 0-for-3 from 3-point range — and had just one rebound on a night when point guard Jose Calderon grabbed 10. Hardaway also committed two turnovers, including his nonchalant mishandling of Carmelo Anthony’s pass with 20 seconds left. Hardaway wasn’t expecting the throw, and it bounced off his hand out of bounds, sealing the defeat.”
Hardaway has lost his rookie swagger and is also being held accountable by Fisher for his defense.
The Post says that Hardway also needs consistent minutes to get his confidence and shooting back.
Shooting Guard a ‘Black Hole’
CBS says that the shooting guard position has become a “black hole” and that it needs to pick up if the Knicks are to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Iman Shumpert, the third shooting guard, is also struggling, shooting just 26 percent from the field and 10 percent from 3-point range in the last six games.
Those low figures come after he started the season shooting pretty well.
Shumpert’s impact on defense has also been minimal, despite his reputation as a defensive specialist.
Shumpert, Hardaway, and Smith have all been the subject of trade rumors and it’s highly unlikely all three remain on the Knicks roster past the trade deadline.
“The only concern that Phil Jackson should have regarding J.R. Smith is how to get his contract off the books for next year. Smith has a one-year player option for $6.4 million next year, a number that could limit the Knicks’ flexibility when navigating the free-agent landscape. They will have to give something up with J.R. Smith, like a Shumpert, to convince a team to take on his contract, but it might be worth the sacrifice to clear that space,” CBS said.
“The Knicks’ shooting-guard position was supposed to be a strength this year, but so far it has been an absolute disaster. It has been perhaps the biggest reason, spare Jose Calderon’s injury, for the team’s failures this season. If the Knicks want to turn the season around, that is going to have to change.”
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