The New York Knicks have won J.R. Smith. The Knicks and several other NBA teams wanted J.R. Smith to sign with them after he played in China during the offseason. The season over in China is finally ending, allowing Smith to sign with any NBA team that he chooses. On Friday morning (Feb. 17), Smith made the announcement that he was joining the Knicks through his Twitter account.
This is an interesting move by the Knicks, because it gives the team another weapon off the bench that can score a lot of points. With the emergence of Jeremy Lin and superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire already on the roster, this team is starting to look like one that could battle for an Eastern Conference title. Smith had played a while with Anthony when both players were members of the Denver Nuggets. Maybe that played a little into his final decision to choose New York over teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic.
It looks like Smith will make a pro-rated share of the $2.5 million mini mid-level exception that the Knicks have to offer. He also gets a player option for the 2012–13 season if Smith decides that he likes the fit in New York. Knicks fans surely hope that it turns out well, especially because of the recent hot streak that the team has had thanks to Lin as the starting point guard.
What do you think of this move by the Knicks? Is this a smart acquisition that will make the team better? Or did New York make a mistake by signing J.R. Smith and bringing on someone that can become volatile at times?
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
