NBA

Knicks fed up with ‘untradeable’ J.R. Smith

Maybe the Knicks’ J.R. Smith will try giving an opponent a hot foot next or using whoopee cushions.

One day after warning him about his unsportsmanlike conduct for untying an opponent’s shoelace at the foul line, the NBA Wednesday slammed Smith with a $50,000 fine for his repeated attempt at the silly prank.

And then Smith’s coach blistered him during his weekly radio spot, demanding Smith “grow up” and stop the nonsense.

“I don’t condone things that I know you shouldn’t do. No, I’m not happy about this. Because he was warned, he comes back and he makes the same mistake, and it’s not right,” coach Mike Woodson said on ESPN radio. “I’m going to address it [Thursday] when he comes in here for work, because it’s unacceptable. It really is. It’s unprofessional. … You just cannot do it.”

And despite a public apology on Twitter from Smith, the Knicks may have reached their breaking point. League and team sources maintain the Knicks would love to be rid of Smith, who cannot be traded until Jan. 15 under the league’s CBA.

“Untradeable,” was how one opposing executive views Smith.

Another exec, claiming he had no direct knowledge of Knick efforts to deal Smith, said, “The only thing they will get is a worse contract.”

And maybe an apology, which was what Smith tweeted:

The fine, another in a long list of penalties levied on the shooting guard by the league, was doled out “for recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct,” according to a release from Rod Thorn, NBA President, Basketball Operations.

The latest misstep by the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year Award winner came Tuesday in the first half of the Knicks’ 89-85 win over the Pistons when he reached for the shoelaces of Detroit’s Greg Monroe who stepped away avoiding any attempted prank. Whether Smith was joking in his reach or not was unclear.

J.R. Smith reaches down near the shoelaces of Detroit’s Greg Monroe (left), days after doing the same to Dallas’ Shawn Marion (right).MSG; NBAshowtimeHD6

What was clear was the disgust of Woodson. And the league.

“There’s no question he’s done a lot of things this year that has put him in a bad position and our team in a bad position,” Woodson said. “Somehow, we’ve got to clean that up. He was a big major part of what we did last season. There’s no doubt about that. We need him to be that J.R.

“This is unacceptable. It’s just got to stop. I keep saying this every time something pops up, but it’s got to stop.”

That episode came two days after Smith untied Shawn Marion’s shoelace in the Knicks’ 92-80 win in Dallas during a free-throw attempt. That prank, caught by Dallas TV, resulted in a warning from the league.

“After Smith was warned by the league office to refrain from further conduct of this nature, he attempted to repeat the action” Tuesday at the Garden, Thorn said in the statement.

Maybe he should go with knock-knock jokes because all of his other nonsense has not worked. Cue the history lesson music.

Two seasons ago, Smith was fined $25,000 for posting inappropriate pictures of woman on his Twitter account. He lost another $25,000 earlier this season for a Twitter war with Detroit’s Brandon Jennings who questioned the validity of Smith’s younger brother Chris making the Knicks’ roster. That fine came for “directing hostile and inappropriate language” on the social media spot. And Smith became the season with a five-game suspension — without pay — for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.

Like a late night TV commercial, “Wait, there’s more…”

During last season’s playoffs, Smith was fined $5,000 for flopping against the Pacers, suspended one game for elbowing Boston’s Jason Terry. Smith was banned 10 games in 2006 for his part in an on-court fight. He was whacked seven games in 2009 after pleading guilty to a reckless driving rap. And the Nuggets suspended him three games in 2007 for his role in a Denver nightclub incident.

Woodson, who did not know of the league action when he addressed the local media in Greenburgh, sounded exasperated on radio and said teammates, himself, management can try to change the guard. But ultimately, Smith must change.

“At the end of the day, he’s got to grow up. And how come it can’t come from J.R. Smith?” Woodson said. “After a while, these things have got to stop. It’s just got to stop.”