Fair or not, Carmelo Anthony is unquestionably going to get the lion share of the blame when the New York Knicks are not performing, and well, why not? The franchise star makes max money and is expected to produce accordingly. Although ‘Melo did end up with 27 points and 11 rebounds, a stat line that would otherwise be lauded if manufactured by another individual, he shot just 10 of 28 from the field in what is yet again deemed as a poor performance.
Although the Knicks are expected to go as far as Anthony can take them, it is not to say he should go through the journey without some help from his teammates. One of his running mates who he has been reliably counting on throughout the regular season is the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith.
Rather than focus his efforts on the Knicks’ playoff run, Smith has been rumored to have been partying at a club in New York City the night before the Knicks’ Game 5 against the Boston Celtics, a game in which Smith shot a paltry 3 of 14 from the field. J.R. was also allegedly seen at a club the night before the Knicks’ Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Yet another game where he proved ineffective, having shot 4 of 15.
Since foolishly elbowing Jason Terry and spouting off at the mouth about golf courses and what not, J.R. has shot 28% from the field. Smith could do all the partying and clubbing he wants so long as it does not affect his production on the court. Whether his nightlife is actually proving detrimental to his game is uncertain, as hall of famer and all time Knick great Walt “Clyde” Frazier supposedly did a lot of the same in his hay day. But in either case, J.R. needs to make his presence more known on the court then on the dance floor if Knicks want a shot against Indiana.
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