The NBA is investigating J.R. Smith’s latest faux pas — untying the shoelace of the Mavericks’ Shawn Marion while they awaited foul shots during Sunday night’s game, a league source said.
A decision should be reached Tuesday when interviews are completed. A source said no player has ever been disciplined for such a bizarre transgression. Smith spent Monday issuing dozens of tweets, responding to many angry fans.
Smith’s mischievousness is no longer being regarded as cute, or J.R. being J.R. by the organization. Especially when he’s not drilling big-time shots and averaging 18 points per game as he did last season. The sixth man with nine lives may be on No. 10. The NBA must determine whether this latest occurrence could have put Marion in danger.
The NBA has fined Smith twice for inappropriate Twitter messages and suspended him for failing three marijuana tests and elbowing Jason Terry, then with the Celtics, during last season’s playoffs. With Smith’s record, the NBA probably will not go easy.
Smith had a rough road trip in Texas. He got blamed for the Houston loss for taking an open 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in a tie game with the shot clock turned off. Smith claimed he thought the Knicks were down 2, which he may have thought was the lesser of two evils.
The Knicks are hoping to get their top two point guards back from injury in the next two games — with Raymond Felton potentially coming back Tuesday against Detroit and Pablo Prigioni on Thursday against Miami. Felton has had a terrible, injury-wracked season after being a pleasant addition last season — the year after Jeremy Lin.
According to a source, the Knicks aren’t going after Denver point guard Andre Miller, who is being shopped by the Nuggets. The Knicks’ lack of initiative on the Miller front probably is a residue of not having any pawns and Smith, a former Nugget, would be of no interest to Denver ownership. Been there, done that.
The Knicks held an optional practice in Dallas on Monday before flying home and hoped Felton got in the necessary practice the medical staff needed to see before clearing him.
“We’re getting bodies back,’’ Kenyon Martin said. “We’ll get everybody on the court at once and it will be a great thing to get everyone back.’’
If Felton is back vs. Detroit, Woodson may have to make a decision whether to use Beno Udrih or Tour’e Murry as the backup point guard. Murry gives the team more athleticism, but isn’t the true point guard Udrih is. However, Woodson seems on the warpath with Udrih.
Metta World Peace, who has played two games since Dec. 21, was to have his blood-spinning therapy Monday on his left knee and said he’d miss two weeks. The Knicks didn’t announce the procedure — an indication this was World Peace’s idea, not theirs. A source said World Peace has an arthritic left knee. It keeps swelling up with blood and he has gotten it drained six times since training camp. When the team is fully healthy, he is out of the rotation anyhow. World Peace’s uncertain status is another reason they re-signed 6-foot-10 Jeremy Tyler, who made his Knicks debut in Dallas, playing the final minute.