Shocker: Phil Jackson Didn't Like The Way J.R. Smith Behaved While With The Knicks, Almost Made J.R. Cry
ESPN- The Knicks were winless on a November Southwest trip, losing to Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City, but there was even worse news from his staff. “J.R. had been exhibiting some delinquent behavior and had gotten into the habit of coming late to team meetings, or missing them altogether,” Jackson says. “Also, Shump and Tim [Hardaway Jr.] were regressing, so I decided to meet with them separately and try to find out what, if anything, was bothering them.” Smith was first on the list. “We talked about his statement to the press that our shooting guard depth was going to be the team’s asset, but so far it hadn’t worked out that way,” Jackson says. “He was supposed to carry the scoring load for the second unit and he wasn’t doing the job. I also said that because of his unacceptable behavior, he had two strikes against him with this team. He didn’t really respond. He’s a very sensitive guy, with his big doe eyes. He looked like he was going to tear up. But he finally responded that he was going through some issues with his gal.”
Wow, I for one am flabbergasted that Phil Jackson, someone that grew up embracing team basketball and sacrifice on those late-60s, early-70s Knicks teams, would have a problem with J.R. Smith. The same J.R. Smith that fought to get his brother a Knicks contract, despite the fact that Chris Smith played like Patrick Ewing after the Monstars stole his talent. The same J.R. Smith that was rumored to be partying in the club with Rihanna until the early morning during the 2013 NBA playoffs. The same J.R. Smith that got suspended for throwing an elbow at Jason Terry’s head like an asshole in those very same playoffs, which was also the last time the Knicks resembled anything close to a contender (yes, these were all before Jackson’s time as Knicks president).
After listing all that stuff out, Phil not exactly seeing eye-to-eye with Earl Smith was not groundbreaking stuff. And the Zen Master dropping the “delinquent behavior” line killed me. Can you honestly think of a better word to describe J.R. Smith the player? Just a straight up delinquent. And only a delinquent would opt out of a contract on a team with LeBron James to then sit in free agency hoping some team gets desperate enough to sign him. I hope Smith thanks God every night that he was blessed with a wicked jump shot.
So having some giant, semi-crippled old man almost making J.R. cry is pretty damn funny to imagine. As for Smith having “some issues with his girl”, I can only imagine the crazy, fucked up situation J.R. got himself into. Butt stuff and unwanted pregancy seem like they’d be the tamest possibilities. I need season 2 of Ballers to have a J.R. Smith-type character. Just the biggest knucklehead ever on and off the field, but by far the most entertaining person on the show.
As for Tim Hardaway Jr, it’s hard to argue with the statement that he was regressing. Hardaway was an average player as a rookie that we all hoped would blossom into a decent player the longer he was in the league. But the more Hardaway played, the more it became apparent that he was nothing special at all. I couldn’t be happier that he is gone and that we somehow ended up with Jerian Grant in his place. Sure Summer League probably means nothing in the end, but Jerian Grant and Kristaps Porzingis have a very good shot to become the modern day, slightly different Stockton and Malone (OK, that may be kiiiind of a stretch)
And when it comes to Shump, his regression was a little more pronounced and disappointing to Knicks fans. He was the last pick of the Donnie Walsh Era and we always saw that he could be a star if things broke right and he stopped getting injured. He also had the sickest flattop ever and created the phrase #Knickstape. But every time it looked like Shump was ready to break out, he would get some nagging injury and start struggling again. His defense was always better than his offense, but all these injuries have clearly taken a toll on both ends of the court. Unlike Smith and Hardaway, I like Shump and hope he actually has a good career on a contender for a long time.
However, truth be told, ever since I saw his new haircut a couple of weeks ago, I am worried about Shump and his decision making. Figure it out, Iman.
