J.R. Smith looked as if he were about to puke. After most of the Knicks had left the practice floor on Saturday, Smith was still doing shooting and conditioning drills pushed by an assistant coach who wanted maximum effort.
Run to a spot; catch a pass; make a move; shoot. Run to another spot; catch a pass; make a move; shoot. He did it over and over again, pausing for a few seconds to catch his breath as sweat poured down his face. In 24 hours, Smith was to play his first game of the regular season when the Knicks take on the Spurs at the Garden.
There were times Saturday when it looked as if Smith were about to pass out or lose his lunch, which makes you wonder what kind of condition he’ll be in for Sunday’s game. He admitted his conditioning “isn’t where I want it to be,” but added, “Hopefully, I’ll be all right.”
The Knicks need Smith to be better than all right. They need him to be the dynamic player he was last season when he won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award and not the player who tanked in the postseason. In short, the Knicks need the good J.R., not the bad J.R.
Just which version they’ll get these next few days remains to be seen, though it appears at this point the Knicks will be getting something in between. Smith isn’t exactly speaking of himself in glowing terms. Not only is his conditioning not at peak form, but he’s still working to get his knee, on which he underwent offseason surgery, back at full strength.
“I’m not my normal self,” he said.
He also talked of having his “good days and bad days,” which probably is going to translate onto the court. A few inconsistent performances can be expected early in his return, but Smith owes it to the Knicks to be the good J.R. as quickly as possible. More than any other Knick, he has a debt to pay.
His five-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy shouldn’t be forgotten now that he is returning to action. He not only let down his teammates, but he let down coach Mike Woodson, who was his biggest supporter when many thought Smith wasn’t worth the trouble. All season, Woodson trumpeted the positives about Smith and brought out his best talent. That’s how he became the league’s Sixth Man Award winner. That’s why the Knicks signed him to a four-year deal worth nearly $25 million.
But Smith returned Woodson’s support and faith in him by first getting thrown out of Game 3 and suspended for Game 4 of their playoff series against the Celtics after an unnecessary elbowing of Jason Terry. Smith was terrible for the remainder of the postseason. At the time of the suspension, he was averaging 16.3 points per game. After Game 4 against the Celtics, Smith shot just 29.1 percent (34-of-117) for the remainder of the playoffs.
Smith has said in the past he angered “the NBA gods” by elbowing Terry. Well, he angered the Knicks by getting suspended in the postseason and then for the first five games of the regular season. They are 2-3 this season in his absence. Smith admitted watching from the sidelines has been difficult.
“You’re feeling like you’re not part of the team while being part of the team,” he said.
Woodson needs him to be a big part of the team. There has already been talk the coach’s job might be in trouble if the Knicks continue on their mediocre pace. Part of that is nonsense considering Woodson is strapped coaching a team on which he has to manage minutes to get Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin through the season. But part of that is on Smith for being a no-show for the first five games. Now it’s time for him to show his remorse by being the kind of player the Knicks and Woodson need him to be; the kind of player who will run to a spot; catch a pass; make a move; and shoot.