NBA

Shumpert ‘plays his best when he’s angry’

Stay angry.

That’s J.R. Smith’s message to Iman Shumpert, who admitted Friday he is “[mad] at the world,’’ then took it out on the Garden rim with a violent right-handed driving dunk against the Magic that had the arena rocking and the iron shaking.

“That’s when Shumpert plays his best, when he plays angry and [has] a chip on his shoulder,’’ Smith said. “That’s when he succeeds the most. He should keep playing like that. He should always play like that. He’s the guy with the most energy on the team. For him to be a defensive guy and make offensive plays like he did the last couple of games, that’s a hell of a combination.’’

Shumpert scored a season-high 17 points against the Nets, draining five of seven 3-pointers. Against Orlando, he scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with four defensive rebounds and created several fast break opportunities.

He looks nothing like the lost soul that appeared to have quit on coach Mike Woodson in Portland two weeks ago.

Indications are President Steve Mills hasn’t found a good trade for Shumpert, since the Knicks would want a significant frontcourt asset in return. The Knicks have a shooting-guard glut Woodson is slowly figuring out, spreading minutes between Shumpert, impressive rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. and Smith.

Shumpert said he’s mad “at everything” and angry the club was being “laughed at.’’ But he also indicated his distaste of media coverage — likely the heavy focus on trade speculation and his rocky relationship with Woodson. (Mills has failed to address the media on Shumpert or any matter since the regular season began). In two of the last three games, Shumpert has tried to sneak out of the locker room without speaking to the media.

Smith said he, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire have been in Shumpert’s ear to keep fighting.

“Especially being in New York, everyone loves it here,’’ Smith said. “Nobody wants to be traded. But to be on a hell of a team with teammates we have, it’s tough to go through that. He’s figuring it out as he goes. He’s learning.’’


Stoudemire was slated to play his first back-to-back Friday but was a late scratch. The plan is to have Stoudemire play the next back-to-back, set for Tuesday in Cleveland and home against Chicago Wednesday. Woodson said he wants to go with a nine-man rotation, which would leave out Metta World Peace. But with Stoudemire sitting Friday, World Peace may have upped his status with a gritty 12-point outing.

“When you focus on winning, you don’t have time to focus on minutes,” World Peace said. “So when I’m on the bench, I’m focused on winning.’’

The struggling Smith, who banged in five of nine 3-pointers Friday, said his knee improved during the three-day break, and he did extra work with shooting coach Dave Hopla. “I was doing some old drills I did last year, going back to the old drawing board,’’ Smith said.