The New York Knicks are in a state of flux and hoping to put the pieces back together in the offseason. With Phil Jackson now the man in charge, who stays and who goes. After witnessing an all-out meltdown against the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the week, Jackson may just let everyone go. Not likely, but some fans may hope. With Anthony the priority player to retain, is Iman Shumpert next on the list?
Shumpert has faced trade rumors for almost all of the season. The guard has certainly regressed this season while rotating between the bench and a starting job. Right now he is putting up just 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds as a rotational player with JR Smith. Those numbers are not impressive. Shumpert's stock took an even bigger dive after he was held scoreless for a solid 19 minutes against the Lakers. However, his value with the team has apparently not taken a hit as both head coach Mike Woodson and Jackson love what they see from Shumpert this year and beyond.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Jackson loves what he sees from Shumpert and believes the second-year guard is a cornerstone of the Knicks' future. The stats support what Jackson believes. The Knicks are 1-7 in games where Shumpert has sat out. This is the same player that faced plenty of preseason criticism from Woodson and was actively shopped by general manager Steve Mills during the trading period.
At one point, Shumpert was almost sent packing to the Clippers for Darren Collison, but he injured his knee on the eve of the deal and the offer was pulled. Now Woodson is singing a different tune with Jackson calling the shots.
"He's a big part of what we do,'' Woodson said, via the Post. "What he brings to the table from a defensive standpoint. We could've used him the other night for sure."
So if Shumpert stays around, could DeMarcus Cousins join him? According to Anthony, he and the Sacramento Kings big man are good friends and he deemed the young star his "project".
"I love him, I love him," Anthony said, via ESPN.com. "I'm trying to get him to calm down a little bit but I love him, his game, what he can do out there on the basketball court. He stuffs the stat sheet, points, rebounds. He can pass the ball, got a good feel for the game. He just does a lot out there but I'm just trying to get him to calm down out there a little bit. I'm working on that, that's my project."
Cousins just signed a long-term deal so any ideas of him joining the Knicks right now are not happening. The chances that Anthony opts out and heads to Sacramento are also slim, but the admiration is nice to hear.
