He played a role in J.R. Smith’s emergence as 2013 Sixth Man of the Year. He influenced Carmelo Anthony’s surge as rugged rebounder and scoring champion, and he contributed greatly to Amar’e Stoudemire’s journey to Judiasm.
Working behind the scenes, trainer Idan Ravin has been an integral part of the lives of three key Knicks. He also is the unlikeliest of basketball gurus — son of Israeli parents. Hebrew is his first language despite a suburban Maryland upbringing. Ravin, who has a law degree, worked reluctantly as an attorney before ditching that career to train NBA players.
His offbeat basketball resume — coming out of a Jewish high school league in Maryland and being the last walk-on cut by the University of Maryland — led him to write a book released three weeks ago, “The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Head of Basketball’s Best Players.’’
Ravin’s first clients were Maryland’s Steve Francis and Juan Dixon, the latter of whom hooked him up with fellow Baltimore native Anthony. Ravin first met Anthony coming out of Syracuse after his freshman year, when he led the Orange to the NCAA title. Ravin has been his personal trainer since — and spent last week with the free-agent-to-be in Los Angeles working out with him.
As much influence as Anthony’s CAA agents, Leon Rose and William Wesley, have on the Knicks star, so does Ravin.
“[Anthony is] thoughtful, considerate, generous, compassionate, authentic, purposeful, a great father with a great wife,’’ Ravin told The Post. “Everybody wants to be dismissive of that because we don’t associate it with superstars.’’
Ravin said critics want to paint Anthony a “diva,” calling him selfish because of his scoring prowess.
“You can be selfish and pass the ball a lot,’’ Ravin said. “Passers can be stat-stuffers, too.
“I’ve tried to make the complicated simple for him.”
Ravin was hired by the Knicks during last season but only worked a month because of philosophical differences. Ravin has unique training methods, devising his own routines. For instance, he is opposed to stationary shooting drills because they don’t resemble game situations.
Ravin, who declined to talk about Anthony’s free-agency, said Melo once told him: ”Most players don’t really want to work that hard. That’s why you don’t work with a hundred guys.’’
Nevertheless, Ravin has worked at least once with every member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. He is linked most closely to Anthony , Smith and Stoudemire — which is illustrated.
The real Carmelo
Ravin describes the first time he met Anthony. Ravin saw the total package of a charismatic superstar.
“A blind man could recognize that a player like Melo came around once in a generation,’’ Ravin writes. “ He had a remarkable combination of size, strength and agility, skill, tenacity and fearlessness. He even had ‘it’ — a marketers dream — something I could see from the moment he strutted into the gym.
“He was charming, photogenic and possessed a soulful first name that matches his aura. He was going to make his NBA team really happy and his agent really wealthy. I had known Melo for only a few minutes but everything about him whispered ‘Cool.’ ”
Ravin tells a story of Anthony arriving for a workout in Washington, wheeling his baby son, Kiyan, in a stroller. He had given La La Vazquez a spa day for her birthday and promised he would watch Kiyan. Anthony stopped the workout whenever his son cried to pacify him. Ravin said he believes NBA players stop workouts to talk or just to rest. But these interruptions he fully understood.
Ravin notes Anthony is not perfect, often late as he goes at his own pace, as reporters waiting for him postgame can attest. Ravin also tries to motivate him by bringing up his peers — particularly LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
“Doesn’t it bother you they don’t talk about you the way they do about Bron and KD? I always nudge him to be even greater than he is.
“He can put on weight, so he has to be careful about his diet,’’ Ravin writes. “I insisted he also work on areas we agree need improvement: defensive footwork, quickness, ball-handling, work rate, intensity.’’
When Anthony won the 2013 scoring title, Ravin texted him: “Few people on this planet could appreciate what it meant and what it took to achieve this. Keep shining.”
Anthony responded: “Yessir, We (me and u) did it.’’ Ravin couldn’t think of a bigger compliment.
Two sides of J.R.
Ravin doesn’t hold back when telling of his dealings with Smith. But Ravin ultimately does defend the streaky Knicks shooting guard as a ferocious worker when in the gym.
Ravin told The Post regarding last season’s shoe-lace-untying caper: “If it was an NBA superstar, people would’ve just said how much he has everything in perspective because of his sense of humor.’’
Ravin started working with Smith in 2011. But when he carved out a few days in Miami to start workouts, Smith never showed.
Ravin writes, “That’s Swish,’’ other players said when I told them J.R. had vanished. “Great on some days, and not so great on others.’’
Another time Smith arrived late at a Manhattan gym for a workout with Trevor Ariza. While Ariza soared during the workout, Smith “quickly walked toward the trash can. His head vanished. … I realized this was the fourth time he puked in front of me during workouts. The trash can is my enforcer.’’
In the summer of 2012, Ravin lit into him. It came before Smith’s Sixth Man of the Year season, when he was in the All-Star conversation.
“I questioned whether he wanted to be an All-Star,” Ravin writes. “His actions since 2011 showed me it wasn’t his priority.’’
Ravin railed: “I never ever want to hear people talk about your f—-ng potential ever again. Potential has been the word everyone has associated with you. I never want to hear that f—-ng word used to describe you.’’
Ravin said Smith went on to “improve his stamina, footwork technique skill and consistency’’ entering his breakout season.
Amar’e in the Promised Land
A whole chapter is dedicated to Stoudemire’s first trip to Israel after he begged Ravin to join him following his Knicks’ signing. Ravin’s mother taught Stoudemire to read some Hebrew words. Ravin clarified a myth Stoudemire’s mother has Jewish blood.
“Amare felt spiritually connected to Israel and Judaism, inspired by his mother’s affinity for the religion,” Ravin writes.
Ravin took Stoudemire to many tourist sites and saw Stoudemire’s disbelieving reaction at the Holocaust Memorial.
“One afternoon we visited the Wailing Wall, saw hundreds of religious Jews praying fervently while facing the sacred wall,” Ravin writes. “The observant Jews never lifted their heads from their prayer books to acknowledge the 6-10 250-pound NBA All-Star hovering above them. It may be one of the few times in his life Amar’e went unnoticed.’’
Ravin said he was disappointed at the inquisitions from Israeli reporters about his Jewishness.
“He didn’t know yet the intricacies of Jewish law,” Ravin writes. “He innocently replied he was Jewish. …
“He came to listen, to learn and to experience. His curiosity and even his innocence were things to encourage, not pounce on and cross-examine. I was uncomfortable watching. Amare took it all in with equanimity and bemusement. He continues to identify Judiasm as an aspect of his spirituality. His intentions were honest and pure.’’