Mike Woodson may not want to talk about it anymore, but JR Smith certainly is. The New York Knicks guard is fresh off his $50,000 fine for a few shoelace pranks and finding his new home on the bench. Smith apologized via Twitter, admitting that it was simply a joke gone wrong, but no one in the Knicks organization is laughing and now the guard is uncertain of what his future folds.
ESPN.com has reported the Knicks are fed up with Smith's antics both on and off the court and are attempting to shop him prior to the NBA trade deadline. On top of the shoelace pranks, Smith served a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He also has been fined for social media antics. All of this has not sat well with the Knicks and Smith found himself not playing during the team's game against the Miami Heat.
"Honestly, I don't even know at this point. At one point I was for sure, and now it's rocking the boat," Smith said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "But it is what it is. It's the nature of the business."
Smith arrived for the game ready to play, only to be told he was not in the lineup. Woodson would not elaborate on the decision to keep Smith out of the game, but made earlier comments to a New York radio station that Smith's behavior was unprofessional and would not be tolerated. Smith is simply confused as this point.
"I think that's the most misleading part of it," Smith said. "I could see if I was told, but there was no conversation about it. But it is what it is. We got the [win]. In my eyes, yeah. The first time it was done, everybody thought it was hilarious. The second time it was done, it wasn't really done. But at the end of the day it is what it is. I'm not going to fight it. If we play hard and we win, I'm happy. If we play hard and lose, I'd have something to say. As long as we keep winning, I'm fine."
The Knicks may keep winning, but Smith might not be a part of it. One former executive told the New York Post that teams would be crazy to make a trade for the former Sixth Man of the Year. Many teams view Smith as a nuisance without the stats to back him up. All of Smith's numbers are down from last season.
The Knicks cannot trade Smith until Jan. 15. He still has three years remaining on a $18 million contract extension. If the Knicks are going to trade him, getting in with the Andre Miller talks could be their only option. The Denver Nuggets are looking to move the guard to either the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings. Any three of those teams are likely the only options for New York.
