ORLANDO, Fla. — The NBA and Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson had J.R. Smith’s back Wednesday. It is a nice change for Smith, who has a renegade past with the league and coaches.
In getting ejected for a flagrant 2 foul for his takedown of Leandro Barbosa that climaxed the Knicks’ fourth-quarter 112-104 meltdown in Indiana Tuesday, Smith was eligible to be suspended under league bylaws.
But not only did Smith get off scot-free, the NBA downgraded his infraction to a flagrant 1. Essentially, he didn’t need to be tossed with 10 seconds left and escorted off the court by Knicks security chief John Donohue.
Interim coach Mike Woodson was just as supportive — stern,, but supportive — of Smith. Woodson had a 1-on-1 chat with Smith after Wednesday’s practice in full view of reporters.
“I’m not going to air that,’’ Woodson said of his lecture to Smith. “My job as head coach is to make sure guys are on the same page and [are being] very professional in how they play. That’s not why I was sitting with J.R. There’s a lot of other things. He just got to be more professional on how he handles things. My job as coach is for him to get there. I don’t want him to get caught up in the moment. [Just ] be a professional basketball player and have fun.’’
Especially with extended injuries to point guard Jeremy Lin and Amar’e Stoudemire, Smith has become a critical piece as the team’s sixth man. The Knicks’ playoff chances are in peril as the Bucks, who defeated the Cavaliers 107-98 Wednesday night, moved to one game behind them in the battle for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Knicks play the Magic in Orlando on Thursday night.
Woodson said he believes in Smith, though he is aware with the good comes the bad. Last month, the NBA fined him $25,000 for posting a partially naked photo of a woman in his Milwaukee hotel room on his Twitter feed. That night in Milwaukee, he refused to join the huddle. After the Indiana game, he mumbled the reporters by his locker were “vultures trying to sell newspapers.’’
During this long stretch without Lin and Stoudemire, the Knicks don’t need Smith being viewed as a ticking time bomb, now that he’s the only pure scorer outside Carmelo Anthony.
Smith was a big part of the fourth-quarter collapse to the Pacers, and Woodson admitted he blew it by not getting starting shooting guard Landry Fields, who had a big first half, back into the game. Nevertheless, that’s telling sign, because it shows Woodson has faith in Smith over Fields — which wasn’t the case for former coach Mike D’Antoni’.
D’Antoni did not show enthusiasm when Smith was signed, clearly concerned about how his murky character would affect the locker room.
“I’ve seen him play enough in past years, it’s hard to take him out. He’s got to be really playing bad,’’ Woodson said of Smith. “He makes big shots, and he’s not scared to take them. Now that we got him playing defense, it fits into who I am as a coach. [Who] I probably should’ve played more is Landry. I smacked myself today because he was playing great. I like forgot about him. It’s something I got to get better at. ”
Smith lost his temper after throwing away an inbounds pass to Tyson Chandler that turned into an easy Pacers dunk. Smith hung his head, and on the way back upcourt he repeatedly bumped Barbosa, and it looked like he wanted to start a fight. A few seconds later, when the two became entangled underneath, Smith threw him down.
Woodson called it “unprofessional’’ after the game, but Wednesday surprisingly softened his stance on the foul.
“I didn’t see the play and when I went back and watched it, I didn’t think anything was wrong with it,’’ Woodson said. “The call he made should’ve been a double foul. The kid [Barbosa] had him locked up. He just threw him off of him. Maybe he did it out of frustration. I probably would have done the same thing, I don’t know.’’
Smith, suspended 10 games for his role in the 2006 Knicks-Denver brawl, said he knows he has to control his emotions. He has a bull’s-eye on his tattooed chest because referees know his reputations.
“If I think there’s a problem as coach, I’m going to try to meet it head on,’’ Woodson said. “[I’m] not going to sugarcoat it and try to hide behind it. It would be an injustice if I didn’t help him.’’
Owner James Dolan, who signed off on the Smith addition in February during the height of Linsanity, frowns on his coach criticizing players to the media., meaning Woodson has to walk a fine line.
“One of the things he emphasized, just keep my composure no matter what and stay positive,’’ Smith said. “I burn a lot of energy getting too hyped. It’s something I have to keep working on — not even for myself but for my teammates.’’
Smith said he realizes Woodson — unlike D’Antoni — believes in his value.
“Coach gives me a lot of leeway to be able to do what I do,’’ Smith said. “He trusts me out on the court to hit those ghosts and that’s the confidence I need. It means a lot when you have the head coach backing you. To be able to play with confidence from the head guy, it makes it easier to play basketball.’’