The New York Knicks haven't been known as the model franchise in the NBA for many years, but after trading for Carmelo Anthony things appeared to improve, but with an owner like James Dolan it can only change so much, which is why young star Iman Shumpert was almost dealt.
The news was revealed in the satellite feed for an ESPN interview with Stephen A. Smith and Dwight Howard and was found by Deadspin.com. The report says that Azaz of the Knicks FanBlog was able to tape the satellite feed and in between moments from the interview and picked up on a nice tidbit of information. While the two are talking in between takes, Smith says that Shumpert was on his way out of NY due to the fact that Dolan wanted him to work out in the summer league.
Smith goes on to say that the team shouldn't trade him and they should hold onto him because he can play, to which Howard responds that Shumpert could come play in Houston. Shumpert was mentioned in trade rumors numerous times this past season, but the Knicks would be wise to hold onto him, as he is a budding star with a fantastic defensive game. The 22-year-old had a great playoff run with the Knicks and this offseason he will be working over the summer to get better.
Shumpert dealt with recovering from a left ACL injury last season and once he was fully healthy, he showed the explosiveness and athleticism that the Knicks love in him. While Dolan said he wanted to trade him, clearly that has not happened and no far it appears as if it won't be happening, at least not this offseason. Shumpert averaged 6.8 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds last season and in 12 postseason games he averaged nearly 10 points and played stellar defense as the Knicks won a series against the Celtics and lost to the Pacers.
Shumpert is going to participate in summer activities and maybe that's why the deal didn't go down, but the team also loves the way he plays and sees him as a future star, even if the owner does not. Shumpert missed over two months last season and playing over the summer could be a way to get him ready for a full slate and training camp this year. Last season the Knicks won 54 games and ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense while coming in at 11th ranked in the league in points per game. Carmelo Anthony won the scoring title and after adding Metta World Peace and bringing back JR Smith, the team is expected to improve again after coming back from a rough decade.
Quote: "And by the way, [James] Dolan was ready to trade [Shumpert] because he didn't want to work out in the summer league. Dolan's talking about trading him. I said, "trade who? You better hold on to that boy. You better not lose Iman Shumpert.' That boy can play."