DALLAS — Though the rise of Iman Shumpert has been the positive story of the Texas Triangle trip, the fall of J.R. Smith continues to haunt the Knicks and their 10-22 season.
It’s unclear what’s worse for the Knicks: That Smith tried a wide-open 3-pointer Friday against the Rockets with the game tied and 20 seconds left when he could have waited for a final-second shot. That he tried to spin it afterward that he was unaware of the score. That he couldn’t just knock down the open look. Or that he got little support in the locker room, or from coach Mike Woodson, who realized his team is getting the reputation as a dumb squad.
Perhaps there would be more sympathy if Smith hadn’t finished 3 of 13 and 1 of 8 from the 3-point line, costing the Knicks a second straight win in Texas. Perhaps Smith — eligible to be traded Jan. 15 because of a quirk in the collective bargaining agreement free-agent rules — would have gotten more sympathy if he weren’t shooting 34.7 percent on the season and averaging just 11.7 points.
Smith was more than contrite afterward, but the whole episode continued a miserable four months for the guard that began when he was suspended for five games for failing three marijuana tests. Smith also didn’t win over any fans or friends in the locker room when he posted an Instagram message claiming “betrayal’’ after his brother, Chris, was released by the Knicks on Monday and a new young big man, Jeremy Tyler, was signed.
The roster move could help this year’s squad significantly more than his brother occupying the club’s fifth point guard spot. Yes, Smith’s fall from grace after winning the NBA’s Sixth Man Award and re-signing a contract has been swift.
“It’s hard to miss the playoffs with Carmelo [Anthony],’’ one NBA executive said. “If J.R. gives you anything, they should win some games because the East has been pretty bad.’’
Ironically, Smith was criticized for taking just four shots in San Antonio, though he hoisted two biggies down the stretch. Now Woodson has come down on him for being too aggressive in Houston, though Smith said twice there would be no conversation on his quickie 3-pointer if he had drained it.
Smith’s travails overshadowed the sudden emergence of Shumpert, who has made 14 of 16 3-pointers in the two Texas games, scoring 27 and 25 points respectively after not reaching 16 all season.
“He’s playing tremendous,’’ Woodson said. “We got to keep him right there where he’s playing and get more from other people on this team. If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a nice position to win games.’’
Woodson clearly was referring to Smith and slumping Andrea Bargnani. But at least Smith did it last year and was considered a given.
Before the Houston game, Woodson remarked on Smith’s four shot-attempts in San Antonio.
“We need him to make shots,” Woodson said. “That’s what he’s very good at. He helped us win 54 games doing that. I’m trying to drill it into him. We’re going into games not knowing what we’re going to get.’’
That Woodson barely came to Smith’s defense after the loss to Houston could be a sign he’s losing patience. The flip side of the debate is Smith’s wide-open 3-pointer may have been the best look they would get on that restarted possession after Tyson Chandler’s offensive rebound. Anthony had grown cold in the fourth quarter again and Houston was focusing its defense on denying him the ball. If the game had gone to overtime, the Knicks — on the second night of a back-to-back and with Anthony’s ankle aching — might have run out of gas and lost anyway.
Nevertheless, Anthony and Chandler were eager to blame Smith’s quick trigger. Anthony even equated it to Bargnani’s greater blunder in Milwaukee, when the Knicks were in the lead and could have killed the clock after a Chandler offensive rebound.
Anthony called it “déjà vu.’’
Only Shumpert came to Smith’s defense.
“J.R. wide open at the top of the key, I’m taking my chances,’’ Shumpert said. “I’m not about to tell J.R. to think about his shot. As a teammate, that guy is aggressive and that’s how we plays. When J.R. takes a shot, we trust him.’’
Yes, this seems to be a split locker room with a lot of eccentric personalities who haven’t meshed. Smith perhaps thought it the lesser of two evils to say he didn’t know the score instead of defending his strategy, perhaps realizing Anthony has been awful in final-second situations. Smith called it “low basketball IQ’’ and tweeted “Bone head play! Slander well deserved.’’
Smith’s muff exonerated Anthony, who has scored four points in the fourth quarter in each of the Texas games. With a chance to tie it against the Rockets after Smith’s shot, down two, Anthony passed off and Shumpert and Beno Udrih missed the final-possession shots, cementing the Knicks as one of the worst teams in close games.
“We’re playing well, playing a lot better now,’’ Woodson said. “That’s promising. I like the way we’re competing. If we stay at this level, we’ll win games. We just have to figure out how to win it down the stretch if they’re close.’’