![]() On October 3rd, the self proclaimed shiny suit man is set to release his new album appropriately titled Press Play. Right now, it's not a place where Shumpert can thrive or even hope to exist in harmony.Sean "the d, the i, the d, the d, the y, the d, the i, the d, it's Diddy!" Combs is ready to make an entrance so back on up. New York isn't currently an environment where a budding prospect can develop into anything more than a fragmented rendition of himself, sans any self-esteem. If there was an award for the most dysfunctional business model in the NBA, Dolan's Knicks would be repeat champs. The Knicks apparently think Shumpert is better than he's shown and are aware he's being misused, and they've done what? Shop him? Bravo. "They're saying that Shumpert's a better player but Woodson isn't using him right," one league source said. According to Begley, they're actually trying to sell prospective suitors on his potential by criticizing his performance under Woodson:Īccording to league sources with knowledge of the team's talks with potential trade partners, president/GM Steve Mills' management team has also cited Mike Woodson's coaching as one reason for Shumpert's poor play. Not when the support system clearly isn't there.Īside from random attacks on his character and fourth-quarter benchings, the Knicks aren't placing faith in Shumpert as anything more than an inconvenient trade chip. He's still new to all this, so we cannot expect him to power on like a veteran. #Preacher rerun of dirty littlesecrets fullCourtesy of a lockout and ACL injury, this past training camp was his first full one. #Preacher rerun of dirty littlesecrets professionalShump's a professional basketball player and hearsay comes with the territory. We're quick at telling him to play through scuttlebutt. I don't know what the hell I was doing on defense." "They were pretty much scoring at will," Smith said of the Knicks defense against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN New York's Ian Begley. New York isn't built around defensive sages it's reliant upon players who don't always grasp or even try to comprehend defensive schemes. Switch-heavy defenses can be valuable strategies, but they're more complicated than man-to-man coverages. You'll see they're a mess without Chandler, switching on everything. The Knicks have become a defensive disaster. Shumpert's approach wasn't perfect, but there was merit to his cause. Woodson has indeed shown hostility for Shumpert, benching him after his on-camera tiff with Anthony. Hugs, chest bumps and secret handshakes all around, then. When Isola told us the front office (aka Dolan) was pressuring Woodson to bench Shump in favor of Kenyon Martin, he demoted J.R. He's started all 16 of the Knicks' games and is averaging 29.7 minutes of action a night. If I don’t think much of you, you’re not going to play. If I didn’t think much of the man, he wouldn’t be playing. So that perception is bulls–t, if you ask me. If I didn’t like him, I don’t think he’d be averaging 30 minutes on my ballclub. Speculation gained so much traction that Woody was forced to address the issue publicly, which we know the Knicks hate doing, per Berman: In the midst of New York's losing streak, rumors of a rift between head coach Mike Woodson and Shumpert have surfaced. But can Shumpert really blossom on a team that promotes "secret surgeries?" Or for an owner who clearly doesn't understand that even 20-somethings have physical limits?Ĭan't the Knicks all just get along? Apparently, no. Timing is everything, and it's understandable that the organization wasn't pleased about his procedure. Later, Isola discovered that Shumpert underwent clandestine knee surgery during the offseason. Shump had just finished up a sophomore campaign, half of which he missed while rehabbing a torn ACL. Smith revealed that Knicks owner James Dolan wanted Shumpert gone after he appeared in only one summer league game. Not even the covert-happy Knicks are inoculated against the natural flow of information. Intel is leaked, and dirty little secrets exposed. Inevitably, the truth, or some version of it, always comes out. Privileged information isn't kept under wraps for long, though. They prefer to work behind curtains, keeping media and fans immersed in dense darkness. "Transparency" is not a word the Knicks know. We don't know if New York is better off without Shumpert.īut we do know that unless things change, Shumpert is better off without the drama-filled, baggage-carrying, conflict-toting Knicks. Until we know what the move is and who the Knicks receive in return, all legwork is guesswork. The jury on a potential trade is still out. At this point, the move feels inevitable. All indications are that the Knicks will move on from Shumpert in some way. ![]()
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