Throughout the first 104 games of his career, Shump has shown the potential of one day becomming a legitimate NBA superstar, despite suffering a major injury at the end of his rookie season.

May 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) reacts after dunking the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

But while Knicks fans view Shumpert as a future star, apparantley the rest of the league doesn’t feel the same way, at least not yet.

Shumpert was left off the the list of players that will be reporting to Team USA’s minicamp in September to vie for a spot on the national team next summer in the World Championships.

Here’s a look at the entire list of players invited to camp (via CBS Sports):

Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)
Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz)
Paul George (Indiana Pacers)
Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)
Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia 76ers)
DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers)
Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets)
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)
Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons)
Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets)
Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats)
John Wall (Washington Wizards)
Tyler Zeller (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Looking at the complete list, there are only a handful of players that would be considered much better than Shump right now. It’s even odder him being of the list considering his ability to defend on the perimeter. Considering the fact that Mike Krzyzewski is the head coach and Tom Thibodeau is the assistant, you would think that Shumpert’s defensive ability would have at least earned him an invite.

However the only logical reeason why Shumpert isn’t on this list has to be the fact that he is coming off of ACL surgery. The other notable name missing off of this list is the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, who is also dealing with an ankle ailment that has bothered him for the last couple of seasons.

Yet the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that USA Basketball chairman JerryColangelo has left the door open for Shumpert and Curry to possibly join the team later on.

“Just because someone’s not here this year doesn’t mean they’re eliminated from the picture,” Colangelo said. “As you know, this is a very fluid process. Players come and go for a variety of reasons. But we like the group we’re bringing in to Las Vegas next month. They fit what we’re looking for, both on and off the court, and they’re excited to be here. So we’re already two for two.”

Iman Shumpert

May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) reacts to scoring a three pointer against the Indiana Pacers in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Offense: Iman Shumpert didn’t make his season debut until January 17 in London against the Detroit Pistons and started 45 games with mixed results. It took Shump a little over two months to adjust to coming off major knee surgery and it showed in a big way.

Until mid-March, Shumpert shot 34 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 65 percent from the stripe, equating to fewer than six points per game in nearly 21 minutes. In Mike Woodson’s system, his wing players are mostly spotting up in the corner for open threes. That’s not Shumpert’s game at all. We saw very little cutting to the basket and driving off the dribble which is Shumpert’s biggest strength. Never before was he considered a three-point threat, but that’s how Woodson used him.

However something happened to Shump after St. Patrick’s Day. He started to gain his confidence and explosiveness back and more resembled the player Knicks’ fans remembered as a rookie.

Over the season’s final month, Shumpert shot 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from three, without missing a single free throw, while seeing his minutes bumped from 21 to 24.

However the overall numbers weren’t pretty as Shumpert averaged only 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting only 39 percent from the floor and 40 percent from behind the arc. There were factors that led to his bad numbers but the overall body of work really wasn’t very good. Grade: C-

Defense: Similar to his offensive performance, it took Shump a while to get into a groove defensively. He didn’t rebound well and averaged less than a steal per game.  Until the last month of the season he did very little at either end of the court to help the Knicks win games.

However similar to his offense, his defense really picked up the last month of the season and by the end of the year he not only looked like the same old Shump, but possibly an even better version of himself.  Grade: B+

Overall Grade: It’s hard to give Shump a fair grade based on him only playing a half of a season and then taking a while to get adjusted to being back on the floor. That being said, by the end of the postseason he showed signs of being the Knicks best two-way player. However you have to look at the entire body of work and overall it was just a little bit better than average. Grade: C+

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Shump has that explosiveness back as he demonstrated with this vicious dunk in the Knicks Game 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

However some tweaks need to be made for things to stay that way.

Apr 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) high fives small forward Iman Shumpert (21) against the Boston Celtics during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

When analyzing the Knicks-Boston Celtics series, I often referred to Celtics forward Jeff Green as Boston’s X-factor, or the one guy that can make things difficult for the Knicks to win a series that they should on paper.

Green showed that early in Game 1 by torching the Knicks defense for 20 quick points in the first half before Mike Woodson made the adjustment of putting Carmelo Anthony on Green in the second half. Lost in ‘Melo’s 36 point Game 1 performance was the job he did defensively on Green, limiting the talented forward to only six second half points.

But going forward, that’s something Woodson should try and stay away from for long periods of time.

Woodson is going to want to do his best to play matchups wisely in this series, so you want to keep the NBA scoring champion fresh on the offensive end. In addition, you want to keep ‘Melo away from guarding someone who could potentially get him in foul trouble, which Green is athletic enough to do.

That’s when Iman Shumpert comes into play and Pablo Prigioni for that matter.

If Prigioni is healthy and ready to go for Game 2, which is expected, it allows Woodson to rotate his defense around Green.

Raymond Felton would move onto Paul Pierce for long stretches, leaving Shump as the primary cover on Green.

Felton actually did a commendable job on Pierce late in the second half after Shumpert had him for most of the afternoon. If Felton can successfully keep Pierce from going off in this series, it allows the Knicks to use their best perimeter defender on the Celtics most dangerous offensive player right now.

Shumpert has the length and quickness to make things very tough on Green to get to the basket and can bother him a great deal on the perimeter. More importantly though he  can save Anthony some energy by having to chase Green around, which throughout the course of the series could prove to be equally important, especially since this promises to be a very physical series no matter how long it lasts.

“If Pablo ‘s back, the lineup changes to start out anyway,’’ Woodson told the New York Post’s Marc Berman. “We probably have Raymond on Paul, Iman on Green. That’s what we envisioned coming into the series before Pablo got hurt. I thought Melo did an excellent job on Green. Green’s a tough cover for anybody.”

During the second half of Game 1, the Knicks defense was outstanding as a team, holding Boston to a playoff-record eight fourth-quarter points and without a field goal in the final 4:32.

That’s the kind of effort the Knicks will need the remainder of the series to advance.

That will be easier said than done if Shumpert is able to effectively take Green out of this series.

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The Knicks improved to 54-28 on the season, which gave the Knicks their most victories in a season since the 1996-97 season.

Apr. 17, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks shooting guard John Jenkins (12) dribbles the ball past New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

It turned out to be a battle of the benches as the Hawks rested their starters as well. For the Knicks, the likes of: Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby all sat this one out.

That meant it was just another opportunity for Chris Copeland to shine, as the rookie led all scorers with 33 points, just one game after dropping 32 against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday.

The Knicks shot 42 percent from the floor and drained 37.5 percent of their attempts from behind the arc. The difference in this one though was the fact that they limited the Hawks to only 2-of-21 shooting on three-point attempts.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Knicks graded out to close the regular season.

Individual Grades

Pablo Prigioni (8 points, 3-of-3 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal)

Prigioni got off to a monster start and was on his way to putting up a monster line before spraining his ankle at the end of the first quarter. His status right now is unknown for Game 1 of the playoffs on Saturday, but even though he played only 11 minutes, he earns a high grade for his start. Grade: A

James White (20 points, 8-of-15 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals)

White got 43 minutes of playing time to show what he could do and he didn’t disappoint, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The impressive part was that he knocked down 3-of-6 attempts from behind the arc. He also grabbed some rebounds and moved the ball successfully. In addition, he was solid at the defense end of the floor. Even though it wasn’t against great competition, White was impressive. Grade: A

Iman Shumpert (18 points, 7-of-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals)

Shumpert had a great all-around game Wednesday night and was very efficient doing so. He was able to successfully break down the Hawks’ defense. He also thrived as the primary point guard once Prigioni went down. I think it is safe to say that Shump looks like a much different player right now than he did a couple of months ago. Grade: A

Chris Copeland (33 points, 14-of-29 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks)

Copeland shined once again and made his case for minutes in the postseason. He scored from all over the floor, getting to the basket, scoring inside and drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line eight times. He only attempted four three-pointers on the night which makes his all-around game even more impressive. He wasn’t very active on the glass, but it was a great performance nonetheless. Grade: A

Apr. 17, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Earl Barron (42) on the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Earl Barron (11 points, 5-of-14 shooting, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block)

Making his Knicks season debut, Barron owned the glass, grabbing eight rebounds, including six offensive boards. He was extremely active in the paint and found a way to get open in the lane a lot. He missed a lot of shots, but that probably should have been expected from a guy who hasn’t played a game in a very long time. Grade: A

Steve Novak (3 points, 1-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal)

Novak played 41 minutes and threw up a ton of bricks. He missed on 5-of-6 of his three-point attempts and didn’t do much to contribute in other areas. Not a pretty way to end the regular season for Novak. Grade: D

Quentin Richardson (5 points, 1-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, 1 assist)

Richardson showed some rust, but this also was expected after not playing a game since the preseason. After making his first shot of the night, Q went on to miss his next 10 attempts. He did show some aggressiveness on the glass though and grabbed 10 boards, five of them offensive. Grade: C

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The Knicks played small ball as they were without Tyson Chandler, who joined the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace as injured Knicks’ big men.

Apr 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to drive around Washington Wizards shooting guard Garrett Temple (17) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 120-99. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

All news wasn’t great though as Kenyon Martin returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore left knee, but K-Mart had to leave the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a severely sprained ankle.

The win extended the Knicks win streak to 13 and clinched their first Atlantic Division title in 19 years.

In addition, the Knicks tied a franchise record with 20 three-pointers, shooting 56 percent from beyond the arc. They hit nine triples in the first quarter alone, a season-best for the team.

The Knicks shot 56.3 percent from the floor on the night and despite being small, outrebounded Washington 39-38.

The only negative on the night is the fact that they were torched by the opposing point guard once again as John Wall finished with 33 points, but it didn’t really matter as the Knicks led comfortably most of the night.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how each Knicks player graded out in their 13th consecutive win.

Individual Grades

Pablo Prigioni (5 points, 2-of-2 shooting, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal)

It’s coincidence that the Knicks took off when Prigioni was inserted into the starting lineup as they are 13-0 with him as a starter. He was very solid in his 23 minutes on the floor, moving the ball and playing solid defense. Grade: B+

Raymond Felton (10 points, 4-of-9 shooting, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals)

Felton was solid offensively. He got off to a good start by scoring eight first quarter points and had one of his better assists days in recent memory. He did struggle big time defending Wall, but still ended up a plus-23 on the night, which tied him for the best mark on the team with Carmelo Anthony. Grade: B

Apr 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) drives past Washington Wizards center Nene (42) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Iman Shumpert (18 points, 7-of-10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block)

Since his return, this was Shump’s best and most efficient game, scoring 18 points in 24 minutes. He knocked down 4-of-6 attempts from behind the arc on the night and at one point in the third quarter, Shumpert scored eight straight points, canning two threes and knocking down a mid-range jumper off the dribble. His explosiveness looked like it had returned on this night. Shump looked very good. Grade: A

Carmelo Anthony (36 points, 13-of-21 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists)

‘Melo has been on some kind of roll and was outstanding again Tuesday night. Of his 36 points, 21 of them came in the third quarter where Anthony was simply on fire. ‘Melo scored in a variety of ways and filled up the stat sheet in other areas as well. He grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists. He did it all in only three quarters, as he sat the entire fourth. Grade: A+

Kenyon Martin (2 points, 1-of-2 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal)

Before the ankle injury, Martin played pretty well defensively in his 18 minutes and energized the Madison Square Garden crowd with an alley-oop slam and a couple of big blocks in the third quarter. Coming off an injury, it made very little sense for him to be on the floor in the fourth quarter with the Knicks up 24 points. Hopefully he can return fairly soon. Grade: B

Chris Copeland (17 points, 6-of-11 shooting, 9 rebounds, 1 assist)

It was another awesome night for the Knicks bench and Copeland was a big part of that, draining four of his six three-pointers and hitting 6-of-11 overall. He also pulled down nine rebounds in 30 minutes of action and provided instant energy off the bench. Grade: A-

Jason Kidd (3 points, 1-of-1 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist)

Kidd had a typical Kidd night- quiet but productive. He made his only shot, but he did enough to contribute to a big win. Grade: B

Steve Novak (12 points, 4-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound)

Novak was shooting it well on the night and scored all 12 of his points on threes, and he brought the belt back out after draining his third one of the night. Grade: B+

James White (0 points, 0-of-2 shooting, 1 rebound)

White only played seven minutes and didn’t do anything to get noticed. He also was the only Knicks player to have a minus rating on the night at minus-two. Grade: D

J.R. Smith (17 points, 7-of-14 shooting, 3 assists, 2 rebounds)

Smith started very quiet, with only six points through three quarters. But the Sixth Man of the Year candidate went nuts in the fourth quarter and finished with a respectable 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The only negative is that Smith was sloppy with the ball and coughed it up four times on the night. Grade: B

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Champs Sports and adidas Originals have teamed up to launch a first-of-its-kind, Tumblr-inspired advertising campaign featuring three of the most stylist athletes in professional sports. The concept: If a high-school teen’s Tumblr feed came to life, what would it look like?

The campaign features Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks, Von Miller of the Denver Broncos and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers. The soundtrack is “Higher Ground” by the hip-hop production duo TNGHT. (DJ/producer Hudson Mohawke, one half of the group, recently signed with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music with assisting onCruel Summer.)

Here is a look at the 30 second television commercial:

Now here is a look at a 60 second online spot:

Finally here is a 15 second spot in which Shump appears solo:

However it looks as if Shumpert will be ready to go when the Knicks face the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Mar 18, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) warms up prior to a game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Woodson said in an interview on ESPN New York 98.7 FM that Shump is fine after tweaking his knee.

“He’s fine; He’s going to be ready to go. I was just being cautious last night,” Woodson told Ryan Ruocco and Don La Greca on “The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show” on Thursday.

Knicks fans had to hold their breath after Shumpert told reporters that he heard a “pop” in his knee.

“I took a step to explode and go up to the rim and felt it pop,” Shump told ESPN’s Ian Begley. “Last time I felt a pop, I was out eight months. I was nervous and more scared than anything.”

There was no swelling in his knee and didn’t even have to get x-rays taken on Thursday.

While Knicks fans finally get some positive news on the injury front, I would expect Woodson to still be cautious with Shumpert’s minutes going forward.

The good news though is that Shump will be in uniform and not join the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire (knee), Rasheed Wallace (foot) and Kurt Thomas (foot), who are expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season. Tyson Chandler is also out for approximately five more days with a neck injury.

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He rehabbed all summer, and for a good chunk of the season, but was finally ready to return to action January 17th against the Detroit Pistons. He played a decent game in 15 minutes, but his play has been up and down for the most part. He is averaging just 4.6 PPG, 1.4 APG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.9 SPG.

Many have begun to wonder: is this the guy we thought he was? I say yes, and that he will be even better in time. An ACL injury can be one of the most devastating in all of sports. Some people may never fully recover, others return to their previous level, and few can even continue to improve. Shumpert is only 22 years old. He is one of, if not, the most athletic players on the team. Most doctors and players who recover from this sort of injury say it truly takes a year to return to your old self. Shumpert tore his ACL at the end of April, so doesn’t he deserve until the playoffs to get his act together?

In recent games, he has been much more active defensively especially on the ball. He has returned to harping on the ball handler, and forcing him into mistakes that ultimately result in turnovers or a poor possession. His 6 steals against the Warriors on Wednesday night was a prime example of how much of a force he can be on that end of the court.

His defense may be returning, but his offense continues to pose a problem. Last season, he shot 40% from the field. Most of his misses were caused by poor shot selection, but also an inconsistent jump shot. This season, his field goal percentage has plummeted even lower to an abysmal 30%. Shumpert will need to improve his overall scoring (4.5 points will not cut it in this league for most starting shooting guards) and his percentage. On a high note, his 3-point percentage has increased to a respectable 34% after last season’s 30%.

The high-top wonder, as I fondly call him, is the youngest player on the team with one of the best contracts to go along with his skills. He was highly sought after around the trade deadline, and some people have speculated that the Knicks might have been able to create a package surrounding him for the Magic’s J.J. Reddick. I think it was a smart move by the front office to keep Shump. He will be a restricted free agent when this deal is up in a couple years, and the Knicks will need youthful talent that isn’t too pricey.

Overall, Iman Shumpert’s sophomore season should have a big asterisks next to it when he calls it a career. Not only is he only going to have played half a season, but he also had been recovering from a major injury. This is the time for Shump to get his body right, and to figure out what his role will be going into the playoffs. Last year, in round one of the playoffs, the Knicks wanted him to try to shut down Dwyane Wade or Lebron James. Later today, against the Heat, he may have the opportunity to show that he still can.

To sum it up briefly, they are the third most used five man combination that head coach Mike Woodson has used this season, but the fifth worst five-man unit in terms of net points per 100 possessions as the current Knicks starting lineup gets outscored by 10 points per every 100 possessions.

Feb 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) advances the ball during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

More importantly, the Knicks are only 7-6 with this starting lineup.

Felton, Anthony and Chandler must be in the starting lineup, but Shumpert and Kidd playing together isn’t exactly working out.

Take the past two games for example.

In the win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Shump and Kidd combined to score only seven points in 39 minutes by making only 2-of-12 shot attempts. They also combined to grab 11 rebounds and dish out only three assists. Then in Wednesday’s thrilling victory over the Golden State Warriors, the duo combined to score only two points in 41 minutes, making only 1-of-10 shots, while grabbing only two rebounds and dishing out only three assists.

The bottom line is that the Knicks can’t keep skating by without production from two players in their starting lineup, especially given the fact that they spend so much time on the floor together.

So what changes should Woodson make?

Starting Amar’e Stoudemire is the most popular opinion, but the numbers suggest that won’t be the answer.

There are basically two reasons why STAT should keep coming off the bench. The first is that Anthony is more productive at the 4, posting a PER of 23.8 compared to only 21.0 while playing the 3. Then there is the fact that Stoudemire has been much more productive playing center than power forward. STAT is putting up a PER of 22.6 at the 5, much better than the 20.9 he has put up playing the 4.

Then there is the fact that the Knicks are better when Anthony’s, Stoudemire’s and Chandler’s minutes are staggered more instead of having all three on the floor at the same time.

But that brings me back to what is the best starting lineup by the numbers.

The easiest change would be for Woodson to insert J.R. Smith in for Shumpert.

The numbers back that up as well as the Felton-Kidd-Smith-Anthony-Chandler unit is the Knicks second most effective five-man unit, outscoring the opposition by 47 points per 100 possessions. And it’s not like they are never on the floor together as this is one of Woodson’s more frequently used units. Their production together can’t be ignored.

Starting Smith also accomplishes two things that could improve the Knicks second unit.

For one, STAT moves from seventh man to sixth man. It doesn’t seem like much of an improvement, but Stoudemire has a 30 minutes per night limit and he is currently averaging only 22.7. Making this change could get him a few more minutes per game while getting Anthony and Chandler some additional rest per night in order to keep their legs fresh for the playoffs.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) with the ball against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

However the biggest improvement to the Knicks bench would be the fact that Shump could come off of it and return to his natural shooting guard position.

Stoudemire becomes the go-to guy offensively for the Knicks second unit, while Shump becomes the defensive stopper that they need, because the Knicks bench has been awful defensively.

The numbers that this proposed unit puts up can’t be overlooked and starting them would likely prevent the slow starts that the Knicks are notorious for.

Another option would be to insert Smith for Kidd, which is the one I would prefer to see.

The Felton-Shumpert-Smith-Anthony-Chandler combination isn’t as productive as the previously mentioned change, but it is productive nonetheless, outscoring the opposition by 14.7 points per 100 possessions.

This combination is Woodson’s ninth most used five-man unit and eighth most productive.

I like keeping Shump out there for his defensive presence (six steals Wednesday night) and moving him to the 2 could help get him going hopefully.

Shump is certainly struggling, shooting a horrific 29.8 percent from the floor on the season, but Kidd has been worse lately, by shooting only 19.6 percent from the floor in February and 15.6 percent from behind the arc.

Moving Kidd to the bench will save his legs for the playoffs and bring his intangibles to the second unit and in the process hopefully allow him to find his shot.

The thing that’s clear is that having Kidd and Shumpert on the floor together is hurting the Knicks.

There are changes that can be made that makes sense, Woodson has to show some willingness to change though, which is something that seems unlikely to happen.

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Slow starts have been a big problem throughout the course of the past two months, which repeatedly dig the Knicks early holes that they haven’t been able to dig themselves out of.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Woodson also has been reluctant to make changes to a starting five that doesn’t play very well together.

Now when you have guys like Amar’e Stoudemire and J.R. Smith coming off the bench, the five that start the game aren’t necessarily out there together as much as most teams starting units, but there are more efficient ways to divide up minutes, especially at the beginning of games.

Slow starts have killed this team and let’s examine that more thoroughly.

The starting unit of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler is the third most used five man combination Woodson has used this season, yet has produced like a unit that shouldn’t be on the floor together all that much.

First of all, they produce only 0.9 points per possession. That’s not good and among the Knicks top 20 five-man units (Per 82 games.com) it is tied for the next to worst offensive production of any unit.

The top combination?

That would be Felton, Kidd, Steve Novak, Anthony and Chandler, who average 1.51 points per possession.

Now let’s look defensively, where many thought adding Shumpert to that unit would pay immediate dividends. It hasn’t worked.

Defensively, the Knicks starting five allows 1.02 points per possession, which is only the 10th best defensive unit that Woodson has put on the floor this season. That translates out to a minus-22 per 48 minutes. Also, not good.

The Knicks best defensive unit this season has been Pablo Prigioni, J.R. Smith, Novak, Anthony and Chandler, which has allowed only 0.87 points per possession.

But there is more that illustrates why the current Knicks starting five is not a good unit to play together.

First their win percentage comes out to only 36.3, which translates into the bottom five of the Knicks top 20 combinations.

Now let’s look at their shooting percentages.

I have detailed the struggles of Kidd and Shumpert in the past but just look at the fact that Shumpert is only shooting a hideous 30.7 percentage from the floor and Kidd is only shooting 21 percent from the floor and 17 percent from behind the arc this month. It is hard to have one guy struggling this much on the floor; much less two of them at the same time, especially since they are having struggles stopping the opposition.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) brings the ball up the court against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s look at the shooting problems in more detail.

The current starters come in with an effective shooting percentage of only 35.1 percent. Compared to the rest of the Knicks five-man units, only one combination is worse. That’s the 28.0 percent eFG of Kidd, Smith, Chris Copeland, Anthony and Chandler.

There’s also the fact that the Knicks starters are allowing an eFG against of 44.6 percent. That simply means they aren’t defending and ranks them in the middle of the pack among any combination used on the season.

More interesting numbers illustrate that this unit only makes 24 percent of their shots from close range, while allowing the opposition to connect 35 percent of the time.

Finally let’s look at rebounding, an area where the Knicks have not been great this season.

The Knicks starters have posted a rebounding rate of only 49 percent, which makes them only the 14th best five-man unit that Woodson has run out there this season.

Two units have a 58.5 percent rebounding rate. Those are the Felton-Smith-Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire-Chandler and Prigioni-Smith-Novak-Anthony-Chandler.

Now mentioning Stoudemire, Woodson has made it clear that Stoudemire won’t be inserted into the starting lineup anytime soon. Woodson also noted that his starting lineup won’t change.

All the numbers suggest he is making a mistake.

Some units just don’t play effective and efficient basketball together and that is the case here, especially with Shump playing out of position.

I did mention the fact that these guys aren’t on the floor together all of the time, especially with Shumpert’s minutes restriction, but keep in mind that this unit is the third most used combination in terms of minutes played together throughout the entire season.

Woodson can’t be too stubborn to change things up if the Knicks are to have any chance in the postseason.

The current combination clearly isn’t working.

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Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) goes after a loose ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors won the game 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

I fully support the decision of not trading Iman Shumpert. Shump is the youngest Knick and a big piece for the future. For this season they might have needed one more proven veteran who they can count on at playoff time, but I have full faith in Shumpert’s abilities. He is coming off major knee surgery and is still only in his second career season. He has 73 career games played and only 14 this season. When he gets his legs back under him, Mike Woodson will rely on is “Rook” to be the defensive stopper for the likes of Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Paul George, and Joe Johnson come playoff time.

The addition of Kenyon Martin cannot be judged until his 10 days are up and if Grunwald decides to sign him for the remainder of the season. With Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace never consistently being on the court, Martin will have to be the big man of the bench that provides a spark and toughness. He has played well with Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in the past, so hopefully it works out.

Two years ago today (February 22nd) the Knicks made the trade that will change their franchise forever. They got their guy in Carmelo Anthony and have been invested in him in making a championship run ever since. This is the team that will sink or swim. No other big names will be brought into New York as long as Carmelo is here. This is his team and his time. This is the roster that will determine how far the Knicks will go.

As the Knicks got healthier with the returns of Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert, somehow the team started to do worse, compiling only a 13-13 record over the course of the last 26 games.

Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

As we head into the stretch run, there is one option for this team to turn things around, but it begins and ends with head coach Mike Woodson making some lineup changes. Of course that would involve Woodson to not be stubborn and realize that something needs to be done to shake things up.

Going small worked early, but it hasn’t as of late.

The numbers suggest that the Knicks are the third most efficient offensive team in the NBA, as they are averaging 108.3 points per 100 possessions, trailing only the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder. Those same numbers suggest that the Knicks are the 15th most efficient team at the defensive end, allowing 103.4 points per 100 possessions, which is not good.

Slow starts have crippled the Knicks for months now and Woodson needs to do something about it.

There are a couple of options Woodson has, but most involve getting Iman Shumpert and Jason Kidd out of the starting lineup.

The duo is absolutely killing the Knicks at the offensive end of the floor.

To say Shumpert has been struggling would be kind. He is averaging only 5.2 points per game in 20 minutes of action per night, but the problem is that Shumpert couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat right now. He is shooting a horrific 32.1 percent from the floor right now and that’s something Woodson can’t allow to continue. In addition, playing out of position at small forward has led to Shump not  being very effective defensively, which is something that wasn’t expected.  The Knicks perimeter defense is awful and Shump is continuously being beaten off the dribble right now.

Those same struggles landed Ronnie Brewer in Woodson’s dog house s Brewer was buried on the Knicks bench before eventually being dealt to Oklahoma City.

For as bad as Shumpert has been, and maybe coming off a knee injury has affected him, Kidd has been worse as of late.

He is looking slow defensively and while he shot the ball well in the early going, Kidd has completely lost his shooting touch. During the month of February, Kidd is only shooting 19 percent from the floor and a hideous 16 percent from behind the arc.

If Raymond Felton, who is only shooting 40 percent from the floor, isn’t making his shots, that puts all the pressure on Carmelo Anthony to carry the offense. When that happens, it is the all too familiar script of the ball not moving and stopping in ‘Melo’s hands, also not a recipe for winning basketball.

Woodson just can’t continue to run two guys who kill the offense and routinely get beat defensively out there that much.

A change is needed and the way I see it, Woodson has two options.

Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) goes up for a three pointer in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Go Big

That involves moving Amar’e Stoudemire into the starting lineup and shifting Anthony back to the 3.  Anthony is dominant at the 4, but he can still play at an MVP level by playing the 3. Stoudemire adds another scoring option to the starting lineup and while it is often said that Stoudemire, Anthony and Tyson Chandler can’t play together, now may be the time to test that theory out.

Stoudemire isn’t great defensively as we all know, but this isn’t a great defensive team and he can at least help Chandler out at the defensive end some, as Chandler is being asked to do way too much right now.

In this scenario, Kidd goes to the bench and Shump starts at the 2, where he is more comfortable. Hopefully that jump starts him.

Stay Small

In this scenario, Woodson doesn’t have many options, but he can’t stay with what he is doing now.

Either Kidd or Shumpert goes to the bench and either James White or Chris Copeland gets the start at the 3.

If defense is the goal than White gets the nod, which is something I am hearing that many people in the organization want to see happen.

If more offense is on the menu than Copeland is the guy. If that is the case, then Shumpert has to be the 2 in this lineup.

Either way, Woodson needs to do something.

The current configuration just isn’t working as the Knicks have proven to be nothing more than a mediocre team.

The good news is that there is still time to fix things, but Woodson can’t be stubborn and has to be willing to change.

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That includes the New York Knicks, who in order to compete for a championship, needed to make an impact addition.

Since there weren’t many big names out there on the market, I’m pointing to J.J. Redick, who the Orlando Magic eventually dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Doron Lamb, Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih and a 2012 second-round pick.

The Knicks could have done much better than offer up three mediocre talents that the Magic eventually settled for.

Feb 2, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick (7) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks won 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Of course that would have cost them Iman Shumpert, which would have been tough, but in this case I feel it would have helped the Knicks a great deal to have gone after Redick more aggressively.

Here’s a look at five reasons why the Knicks needed to make a move for Redick or someone else at the deadline.

1. Their window is short: Looking at the Knicks roster as it is constructed right now, their window to compete for a championship is about a two year one, including this season. It makes a lot of sense to go for it now and be in win-now mode than to roll the dice with what the Knicks currently have. I’m not a big fan of his, but Redick would have been an upgrade at the 2 at both ends of the floor. He’s a better player than Shumpert right now and if the goal is winning than a move should have been made.

Also consider the fact that Shumpert is the only player on the roster under the age of 27. Is he really a guy to build around in the future? That’s debatable. As much as I like Shump, he’s a guy coming off a knee injury, doesn’t have a polished offense game and his defense is regressing. Unfortunately Redick does a lot more for this team right now than Shump does.

2. It’s not working: After beginning the season 19-6, the Knicks are only 13-13 over the span of their past 26 games. That’s a large sample size. There is nothing to suggest that this team is capable of competing for a championship right now. However by adding another talented player they might be able to turn things around. Are the Knicks the mediocre team that we have seen the past 26 games during the past 26 or the dominant team we saw the past 25? That seemed like a long time ago and a small shakeup could have helped ignite things.

3. Shooting: Contrary to belief, the Knicks have not been good offensive team as of late. Redick’s 15.1 points, 4.4 assists and 45 percent field goal percentage would have helped a ton. Just look at the Knicks current starters. Shump is shooting an atrocious 32.1 percent from the floor and only 36.4 percent from behind the arc. Jason Kidd, after a nice start, is down to an abysmal 38.9 percent from the floor. Even worse, Kidd is shooting 19.4 percent from the floor in February and is hitting only 16 percent of his three-point attempts, but he is still taking four per game.

The Knicks are getting nothing from their shooting guard and small forward spots, which puts all of the scoring pressure on Carmelo Anthony, who blindly went to management and asked them not to move Shumpert.

Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the Knicks perceived scoring depth, Raymond Felton is only shooting 40 percent from the floor and J.R. Smith has fallen under the 40 percent clip. For a team that shoots as many three’s as the Knicks do, the current roster is not a good recipe for winning.

4. Defense: Saying the perimeter defense isn’t good would be an understatement. Shump is playing out of position and he hasn’t been resembling the dominant perimeter defender that we saw a season ago.  Redick is a solid defensive guard and at 28, has younger legs than some of the guys the Knicks run out there. There’s not a big drop off defensively from Shumpert to Redick.

5. Ability to re-sign Redick: Redick has transformed himself into a very good NBA player, one who the Knicks would have had the advantage of re-signing if they would have made the move. The Knicks are already over the tax line, so giving Redick a three-year deal while he is playing his best basketball of his career wouldn’t have been the worst idea. He wouldn’t get a max deal, but the opportunity to add a talented and gritty player for the next three years is something that makes sense, especially since the Knicks window to win is so small.

There’s the chance that we are overvaluing Shumpert right now as we don’t know exactly how good he will be in the upcoming years. The more he struggles, the more his value goes down.

There was an opportunity here to do something with Shumpert to improve the Knicks chances at winning, but unfortunately the Knicks didn’t explore the opportunity.

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While none of the previous ones really excited me, most notably to the Phoenix Suns for Jared Dudley, or to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Luke Ridnour, the latest set of rumors are ones to raise an eyebrow at.

February 10, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick (7) shoots a three pointer against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-104. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld reports that the Knicks and Orlando Magic have discussed a deal involving Iman Shumpert for J.J. Redick.

Kennedy says via Twitter:

The Magic and Knicks have discussed a J.J. Redick for Iman Shumpert trade. Other players (and maybe a third team) would have to be involved. Nothing imminent, but it’s something to keep an eye on over next few days. Redick helps NY win now, Shumpert gives ORL another young piece.

This is an interesting move as it would represent the Knicks wanting to win now. I still would prefer a legitimate big man, but Redick is having a fantastic season, averaging 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 31.6 minutes per game, which are all career-highs for the Duke product. He is also connecting at a 40.2 percent clip from behind the arc this season, which only Steve Novak has a better percentage among current Knicks players.

With as many three’s as the Knicks shoot, it would be nice to add a guy like Redick, who can knock them down with consistency.

He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and while the Magic have said they would be open to re-signing him, his value could go up even more with a strong finish to the season, which ultimately could force the Magic to watch Redick walk and get no compensation in return.

As for Shumpert, he gives a young Magic team another young athletic piece to build around in the future.

He’s averaging 5.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on just 33.8 percent shooting and has seen his role diminish on this current Knicks team. He is just coming back off knee surgery though and it remains to be seen exactly what Shumpert’s role is now, and in the future.

I have been quick to diminish any rumor involving Shump so far, but this Redick rumor is interesting and is something I would think about if the Knicks are indeed trying to win now.

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Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) goes after a loose ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors won the game 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The second-year guard has been involved in a few Knicks trade rumors the past couple of weeks and even though Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson came out last week and said that Shump wouldn’t be traded, it appears that option is still on the table.

Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com reported that a  source tells him that Shumpert is unhappy with being played out of position at small forward, and wants to either see his developmental situation resolved or be moved.

In the past couple of weeks, Shumpert has been linked in rumored deals involving the Phoenix Suns’ Jared Dudley and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Luke Ridnour, but the thought process is that the Knicks would have to get a lot more in return to deal their only young building block.

Sheridan indicated that people close to Shumpert prefer Shump to be in another situation, but Shumpert’s agent Happy Walters took to Twitter to call that report “totally false,” adding that no one in Shumpert’s camp has asked for a trade.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that a deal involving Shumpert won’t happen, but Walters seems to suggest the second-year guard is happy in New York, even though there have been plenty of reports the past couple of weeks that would suggest the opposite.

Despite those rumors, I still don’t believe the Knicks will move Shump by Thursday’s deadline, but stranger things have happened before.

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Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ fans can take some comfort in the fact that head coach Mike Woodson appears to have put an end to the Shumpert trade rumors for now, by saying that the team will not be trading Shumpert by the February 21 trade deadline.

Woodson made the statement while appearing on ESPN New York 98.7 FM on Tuesday. When asked by co-host Stephen A. Smith if Shumpert would be in a Knicks uniform after the Feb. 21 trade deadline, Woodson said, “You got it. I don’t need to say any more.”

That’s quite the change in stance for Woodson in less than a week.

Early last week he had tried to help Shumpert shake off the trade rumors, but couldn’t go as far as saying that the Georgia Tech product wouldn’t be dealt.

Shumpert’s name recently popped up in a rumor with the Phoenix Suns in a potential deal for Jared Dudley and any other rumor from now until the trade deadline will almost certainly include Shumpert’s name.

There are two schools of thought on dealing Shumpert.

The first is as Carmelo Anthony recently said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But if that is the case, do these Knicks, as currently constructed have enough to win a championship? Remember that is the goal here.

The second school of though is win now.

If the Knicks can add a legitimate piece, and it has to be a legitimate piece, it could make sense to go for it now. But you just don’t throw Shumpert in a deal to try and change things up. Knicks’ general manager Glen Grunwald has to bring back an All-Star type of player if he decides to move Shump and that isn’t likely.

My feeling on the situation remains the same and that is that Shumpert’s name will continue to pop up daily in different rumors, but at the end of the day he isn’t going anywhere.

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That piece is likely a legitimate post presence such as Utah’s Paul Millsap or another big body that can score with his back to the basket in the post.

Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

However it won’t be easy to acquire that piece as the Knicks don’t have the trade assets to entice a team to part with a major piece.

The only attractive trade chip they have- second-year guard Iman Shumpert- has seen his name pop up in a few trade rumors over the weekend, prompting the question of if the Knicks would trade the fan favorite and only player on the roster currently under the age of 27?

A Shumpert deal does make some sense.

If the Knicks are indeed in win now mode, then dangling Shumpert to acquire that piece makes sense. But the problem with that scenario is that the Knicks would need a lot more than Shump to entice a team to part with an All-Star type talent.

The Knicks don’t have enough young talent to make a deal, nor do they have enough future first round picks to offer. Remember that salaries have to come close to matching and if the Knicks were to take on major salary, they would have to part with some. They don’t have enough expiring contracts and teams won’t be interested in acquiring the likes of Ronnie Brewer and Chris Copeland.

Pretty much all talks the Knicks would be in will center around Shumpert and they don’t have enough other tradable parts to make a deal.

That won’t stop teams from trying though.

The Phoenix Suns reportedly have interest in Shumpert in a deal that would center around Jared Dudley and a first-round pick. Naturally the Knicks want Phoenix to take Brewer instead, but that has no chance of happening.

If I am Knicks’ general manager Glen Grunwald, it takes a lot more than Dudley for me even to consider parting with Shumpert.

Carmelo Anthony feels the same, telling the New York Post’s Marc Berman that Shumpert shouldn’t be worried about trade rumors.

“He shouldn’t be worrying about that,’’ Anthony said. “The Knicks shouldn’t even be in trade talks right now.’’

Newsday’s Al Iannazzone chimed in by reporting that Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson talked to Shumpert about downplaying the rumors, but wouldn’t go as far as saying that the second-year guard wouldn’t be traded.

Shumpert and Knicks fans alike shouldn’t be worried. He is unlikely to go anywhere.

The only way Shumpert gets dealt is if they can bring in a legitimate piece to help them win a championship and even then, the Knicks will have a problem making a deal happen.

If it is about winning a championship then dealing Shumpert makes sense.

But dealing Shumpert just to make a deal absolutely does not and it is something that more than likely will not happen.

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The Knicks starting lineup tonight in Philadelphia will be as follows:

PG – Raymond Felton – 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG

SG  – Jason Kidd – 8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG

SF – Iman Shumpert – 6.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG (Only played 3 games, 20 MIN a game)

PF – Carmelo Anthony – 29.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG

C – Tyson Chandler – 12.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG

Knicks nation is ecstatic to have Felton back in the lineup, as the Knicks were 20-8 with him in the starting lineup and 6-6 without him. It’s hard for any team to consistently win without their floor general playing, so Knicks fans weren’t panicking too much with the Knicks recent play.

It will be very interesting to see what Mike Woodson is going to do with his rotation. He basically has two point guards, a shooting guard, a small forward who can pay the stretch four, and a pure center in his starting lineup. I have no problem with this lineup, with two defensive players, one guard and one big man, on the court at the same time, along with offensive playmakers in Carmelo and Felton. Kidd is a do-it-all player so it’s hard to take him out of the lineup, as he started 35 out of the 36 games he’s played in.

J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni should still see their playing time when the starters need rest, along with a rejuvenated Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench. Woodson should try to get Amar’e and Felton on the court as much as possible since it’s no secret they feed well off each other. Felton and STAT haven’t played together in nearly two years, since the 2011 All-Stat break in February 2011. It will be very interesting to see if or when Woodson puts Stoudemire in the starting lineup with Felton since he has come alive in these last couple games.

If Amar’e finally gets his first start of the season, who will come off the bench? It will come down to either Shumpert or Kidd and it seems like Woodson loves Shumpert in the starting lineup, wasting no time putting him in there as soon as he was healthy to play. A bench of Jason Kidd, J.R Smith, Pablo Prigioni, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, and a healthy Marcus Camby isn’t too bad.

As the Knicks starting getting to full strength, Mike Woodson will have to make big decisions on his lineup and rotation. We would all love to see everyone healthy from here on out so we can start seeing defining roles and minutes, along with continuity (thanks Clyde).

Felton is a big part of the Knicks present and hopefully future success, and Knicks fans couldn’t be happier to have him back.

But despite the Nets pulling within a game of the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division, Knicks’ guard Iman Shumpert’s knee looked pretty good for a second consecutive game.

Jan 17, 2013; London, United Kingdom; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives against Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince (22). 02 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports

Shumpert played 15 minutes in his debut in London against the Detroit Pistons and that was upped to 20 minutes Monday against the Nets.

If Shumpert gets through the Knicks next stretch that features three games in four days without any setbacks, it’s quite possible he could be playing 25-30 minutes before long.

Unfortunately Shump is still on a minutes limit and Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson had to use Shumpert in four, five-minute stretches against the Nets. Hopefully in about week, Shumpert’s knee will be healthy enough to play him in longer stretches.

When it is, it is great news for the Knicks as Woodson will be able to use their best and most versatile defender in different roles.

Shumpert will draw the opposing teams best offensive player the rest of the season and Woodson won’t hesitate to match him up on positions 1-4 at any given time. Once his knee is at full strength, it will be nice to see him used in different ways defensively for about 30 minutes a night.

That won’t happen for likely a couple of weeks, but the good news is that Shumpert has already seen an increase in minutes just two games into his season and that he looks good and healthy. Once he is deemed 100 percent, it will be interesting to see exactly how much Shump’s minutes will really increase.

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Jan 17, 2013; London, United Kingdom; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives around Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince (22) during the first quarter at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports

Both Anthony and Chandler won a gold medal playing for Team USA during the summer and both had great success on Wednesday as the Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 102-87.

Iman Shumpert returned for the Knicks and was in the starting lineup as New York came out on fire at both ends of the floor. The Knicks led by 20 at one point, a lead that the Pistons cut to only five in the third quarter, but the Knicks closed strong and won their second straight game in convincing fashion.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how each Knicks player graded out in London.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 45.8% (33-of-72)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 44.3 %( 35-of-79)

Three Point Percentage: 35.5% (11-of-31)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 35.3% (6-of-17)

Free Throw Percentage: 80.6% (25-of-31)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 50.0% (11-of-22)

Assists: 22-17 (Pistons +5)

Rebounds: 44-36 (Knicks +8)

Points in the paint: 44-22 (Pistons +22)

Individual Grades

Jason Kidd (5 points, 2-of-5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers)

Kidd started slow and filled the stat sheet but did turn the ball over twice; oddly two of them came on traveling violations.  Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey had some success against him, but Kidd saved his best for the fourth quarter at both ends of the floor. Grade: B-

Iman Shumpert (8 points, 3-of-7 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block)

Shump’s debut was a shot in the arm for the Knicks as they got off to a good start at both ends of the floor for a change and took a 29-17 lead after the first quarter. He looked explosive and fearless and did a lot in only 15 minutes of action, including draining his first shot of the season- a corner three in the first. Grade: B

Chris Copeland (7 points, 3-of-6 shooting, 2 rebounds)

Copeland’s game is scoring the basketball and he really doesn’t give you much of anything else. Unfortunately the Knicks didn’t need much of Copeland in this game as he took only six shots in only 18 minutes of playing time. In addition he had some problems guarding Kyle Singler as Copeland didn’t have a great day defensively. Grade: C-

Carmelo Anthony (26 points, 8-of-19 shooting, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Jan 17, 2013; London, United Kingdom; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (left) celebrates with Carmelo Anthony (7) while on the bench during the game against the Detroit Pistons, at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports

London is where Anthony had tremendous success over the summer and he picked right up where he left off by coming out on fire in the first quarter, draining three triples in an 11 point first quarter. The only knock on Anthony was five turnovers, which can’t happen. Grade: B+

Tyson Chandler (10 points, 3-of-4 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Chandler finished with a double-double and got off to a good start by grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter. He did a great job of making Greg Monroe a non-factor and despite the Pistons scoring 22 more points in the paint than the Knicks, the Knicks outrebounded Detroit by eight and a majority of Detroit’s points in the paint came with Chandler on the bench. Grade: A-

Amar’e Stoudemire (17 points, 3-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds)

Offensively it was Stoudemire’s best game since his return, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the first half and having a fantastic day from the charity stripe, by knocking down 11-of-12 attempts. But he wasn’t very good at the defensive end of the floor as Pistons’ rookie Andre Drummond abused him often. Hopefully the defense will come, but it was an encouraging performance from STAT. Grade: B

Ronnie Brewer (0 points, 0-of-1 shooting)

With the return of Shumpert, Brewer only got four minutes, which is a trend I expect to continue. Grade: Incomplete

Steve Novak (13 points, 5-of-9 shooting, 3 rebounds)

Novak didn’t make much of a difference again until late, but when the Pistons made their run, he drained some daggers. The Knicks don’t lose often when Novak hits five shots from the floor. Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)

Prigioni didn’t attempt a shot in 21 minutes, but was otherwise solid. Grade: C

J.R. Smith (16 points, 6-of-15 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals)

It was a typical performance from Smith, who didn’t shoot well, but was all over the court and filled the stat sheet at both ends of the floor. Smith was only 1-of-6 from behind the arc and turned it over four times, but otherwise impacted the game in a positive way. Grade: B-

James White: Played only one minute. Grade: Incomplete

Kurt Thomas: DNP- Coach’s Decision

Rasheed Wallace: DNP- Sore Left Foot

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It’s not that the Knicks won’t want to go out and improve their team when the trade deadline approaches; it is that they won’t be able to.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Because the Knicks began the season as the oldest team in NBA history, they don’t exactly have the trade assets to use to entice another team to make a deal.

Currently the Knicks have only one player under the age of 27 and that is Iman Shumpert and he isn’t going anywhere in the near future.

Chris Copeland could be a guy that would interest teams, but his contract expires at the end of the season and only cost the Knicks $473k, meaning there would be no need to consider moving the 28-year old rookie. Even if another team wanted Copeland, the Knicks wouldn’t be able to improve thanks to being a luxury tax paying team, which is problem No. 2.

CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reported that the Knicks would love to deal Amar’e Stoudemire for cap relief purposes, but there won’t be any takers on STAT thanks to his contract and his health risks.

The only other trade option the Knicks have could be Marcus Camby as contending teams may want to add a defensive presence, but that is a stretch considering Camby signed a three-year deal in the offseason which no other team will likely want to touch and he has had health concerns of his own.

Because of the lack of tradeable players and the current salary cap situation of the franchise, it all but rules out a midseason improvement. With 15 guaranteed contracts, the Knicks can’t even sign a player (plenty of Kenyon Martin rumors), without releasing a player and eating his contract first.

That means what you see is what you get from the Knicks this season, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Sure they have slumped recently, going only 5-8 over their past 13 games, but after the end of January it looks like this team will be as close to 100 percent healthy for the first time all season.

That will give them plenty of time to continue to build chemistry as the playoffs approach. It also eliminates the potential of making a move just for the sake of making a move.

Sometimes it is a bummer when you don’t see your team out there trying to add the missing piece to what could be a championship team, but in the Knicks case that could be a good thing.

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Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) during the first half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

He will be on a minutes limit initially, but despite that, could Shumpert actually be in the Knicks starting lineup right off the bat?

Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson sees it as a possibility, telling Newsday’s Al Iannazzone:

“We’ll see,” Woodson said, when asked if Shumpert could start. “That could be a possibility, as well, based on him loosening up. If the doctors said that might be the way to go, I wouldn’t be scared of putting him in the starting lineup. He’s been there before.”

It makes sense, given the slow starts that the Knicks have gotten off to during the past 13 games, especially on the defensive end of the floor where Shumpert’s athleticism will give the team a shot in the arm and his perimeter defense will be greatly welcomed.

It also makes a lot of sense to have him on the floor late in games when the Knicks need stops. Everything in between, it will be curious to see how Woodson uses the second-year guard.

Shumpert’s return also should help cut down on Jason Kidd’s heavy workload, as Kidd has been playing a ton of minutes since Raymond Felton went out of the lineup Christmas Day. Woodson may be able to cut down on Kidd’s minutes beginning Thursday, but he should see a good reduction more towards the end of the month when Felton returns.

It remains to see exactly how Woodson will use Shumpert right off the bat, or if he is in the starting lineup on Thursday, but one thing is for sure and that is whatever role Shumpert is used in initially, his return will be a welcomed shot in the arm for a struggling Knicks team.

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Would he keep his trademark hair?

January 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) before the start of an NBA game against the New Orleans Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

That answer is a resounding yes as Shumpert said he would be keeping his high top fade on the  ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s “The Michael Kay Show.”

“I’m not cutting my hair,” he told Kay and co-host Don LaGreca, with a laugh. “I’ve had people say it looks stupid. I don’t really care what they think — they don’t have to wear it.”

Shumpert also said during the interview that Carmelo Anthony had asked him to cut it, but he won’t cave in.

The second-year guard is expected to make his season debut Thursday night against the Detroit Pistons in London, as long as he gets through Wednesday’s practice without any setbacks.

His return can’t come at a  better time for the Knicks, who have gone only 6-8 in their past 14 games and have won only 3-of-7 games since the calendar flipped to 2013.

The biggest reason for the Knicks recent slide has been their defense, especially the perimeter defense, as the Knicks have allowed 100 or more points in seven of the past eight defeats.

Shumpert emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA as a rookie last season, so hopefully he is able to give this team a shot in the arm.

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Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Now it is official.

ESPN’s Ian Begley reports that Shumpert felt “great” after playing 3-on-3 Monday evening and experienced no pain or soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. If he experiences no setbacks during practice on Wednesday, Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson said that Shump will play Thursday night.

“He looks good … it’s going to take a day at a time. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Just got to make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks. And if not, he’ll play on Thursday,” Woodson told Begley.

The Knicks flew to London Monday night and will have a full practice on Wednesday before playing the Pistons on Thursday.

If all goes well for Shumpert, he will have a minutes restriction, similar to that of Amar’e Stoudemire, although it has yet to be determined exactly how many minutes Shumpert will play right off the bat.

Shump’s return couldn’t come at a better time for the Knicks, who need a shot of life after losing eight of their past 13 games.

His perimeter defense will be welcomed as the Knicks have allowed more than 100 points in seven of the past eight losses.

Shumpert hasn’t played since Game 1 of last year’s first-round series loss to the Miami Heat when he tore his ACL.

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Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) is congratulated by teammates against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Knicks will not just be spending their off days sitting on couches, resting their legs. Part of their time off this week will be spent traveling to London where the Knicks will take part in an NBA showcase, playing the Detroit Pistons. There’s no official word on the Knicks’ travel plans, but they will probably leave for London on Tuesday, practice and prepare on Wednesday, play Thursday, and then perhaps leave England for the U.S on Friday (this itinerary is a complete guess).

However, after they’re done with their London experience, the fact still remains that the Knicks will play just two games from Friday, January 18 to Friday, January 25. Any NBA team would welcome as many days off between games with open arms, but for an older team like the Knicks, it is a mid-season blessing.

The three days off until the Knicks play the Pistons in London can be used to rest various injuries and welcome new members to the rotation. Amar’e Stoudemire – who just received an increase in his minutes cap – can give his knee more time to get back to normal while also practicing with the team; Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni can rest their weary legs from undeniable exhaustion; Carmelo Anthony can now eat a cheeseburger and perhaps help out his own aching limps.

An important development in all of this is Iman Shumpert’s potential return to the court. Shumpert will travel to London with the team, practice, and possibly play in Thursday’s game. Shumpert will not only get a chance to jell with his teammates, but his return to the court will be a welcome sight. Shumpert can boost a backcourt that has been struggling of late, while also providing a boost of defensive intensity on the perimeter that has been lacking. While he’s not a complete point guard, and the offense will likely struggle if he has full control of the reins, Shumpert can still provide some minutes of rest for Kidd and Prigioni who have had to play heavy minutes in Raymond Felton’s stead.

Following Thursday’s game, the Knicks will have another three days off before they play the Nets on Monday, and then another three days off before taking on the Celtics on Thursday. The six days will be enough for the Knicks to at least fit in two practices, and more importantly, getting players healthy. Rasheed Wallace is also supposed to start working out in the next week, so the time off can allow him practice and rehab time to hopefully return to the court soon.

For a team that’s been struggling, the light two weeks ahead could be greatly beneficial for the Knicks to regain their composure.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It looks as if that wait is about to come to an end.

Shumpert has been cleared by the Knicks medical staff, after tearing his ACL in Game 1 of the Knicks first-round playoff loss against the Miami Heat last season, and it looks like he could make his season debut Thursday against the Detroit Pistons when the Knicks travel to London.

“He’s been cleared,” Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling after Saturday’s practice at the team’s training facility. “He’ll practice on Monday and if we get the two practices in — for sure one in London and there’s no setback — he’ll be cleared probably to play in the Detroit game.”

Shumpert will practice this week and will pretty much have to learn on the fly to get up to speed, but Woodson did say that when he does play, Woodson said he will be capped to “limited minutes medical-wise.”

His return will help the Knicks slumping perimeter defense, which has been nothing short of awful as of late.

It also gets the Knicks one step closer to having their projected starting backcourt healthy as point guard Raymond Felton could return by the end of the month as well.

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Dec. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

With injuries to fan favorite Rasheed Wallace and starting point guard Raymond Felton, the Knicks needs a spark. Iman Shumpert is the spark the Knicks need.

Shumpert was Donnie Walsh’s goodbye present. When he was drafted 16th overall in last year’s draft, many Knicks fans scratched their heads. “Who is this guy?” and “The Knicks mess up another pick!” were being mumbled by the Knicks faithful.

If you remember correctly, most Knicks’ fans wanted their team to draft Chris Singleton or Kenneth Faried. Singleton hasn’t made much of an impact on the Wizards yet while “The Manimal” is one of the best young big men and energetic players in the league. I wanted the Knicks to draft Faried but in hindsight who knows how he would fit in with Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire, so I can see why the Knicks passed.

If the 2011 draft had a redo, there’s no doubt Shumpert would be a Top 10 pick. Shump was named to the 2012 NBA All Rookie First team and is in my opinion, the best Knicks draft pick since Patrick Ewing. I know that’s a bold statement and I’m not saying Shumpert will be nearly the player and have an impact on the Knicks like Ewing did because quite frankly that’s impossible.

Ewing is a Hall of Famer but Shumpert has all the talent in the world to be a key component to the Knicks success. By the way, the Knicks haven’t had much production and longevity with their first round picks in a long time.

I think he is the most athletic player on the Knicks right now. He is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball at only 22 years old. Shumpert is fearless and attacks the basket and showed signs of developing a consistent jump shot. He can play both point guard and shooting guard and I’m sure he could matchup with some small forwards in the league.

Shump came in as a point guard and I think the Knicks should groom him into that but it looks like they see him at the franchise’s shooting guard for the future. Some of the league’s most athletic and most impactful players play point guard but if Shump plays shooting guard on the offensive side and defends the point guards, I’m fine with that.

The Knicks need something to get them out of this funk. They need someone who can cause havoc at the defensive end of the floor and slam it home the other way. Shumpert is an old-school player and loves his teammates. He is a tough defender and not to mention has that 90s high top fade going on. Knicks fans will love to see him on the court and his teammates will feed off his energy.

Shumpert is exactly the spark the Knicks need.

Woodson recently had to adjust things with Amar’e Stoudemire’s return and Kurt Thomas and Chris Copeland were the guys who lost minutes, as Thomas has received a pair of DNP’s the past two games and Copeland has played only four minutes the past two contests.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball down the court during the first half against the Charlotte Bobcats. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

But whose minutes will be sacrificed upon Shump’s return?

The easy choice is Ronnie Brewer, but keep in mind that Woodson barely plays Brewer 15 minutes per night and Shumpert will get more time than that. Also keep in mind that Raymond Felton could be returning around the same time period.

Brewer will likely be buried on the bench thanks to his struggles at both ends of the floor, but I expect Jason Kidd’s minutes to be cut as well.

With that being said, I don’t like Shumpert in the starting lineup as I would prefer him to come off the bench.

When the Knicks are completely healthy, I think Felton and Kidd should remain the starting backcourt. Things were going very well when both were healthy and Woodson should keep it that way.

But with Kidd’s age, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to start cutting his minutes.

Kidd is playing about 30 minutes per night and getting that number down to around 25 could keep his legs fresher later in the season.

While I prefer Shump at the 2, he could also play the point for small stretches, which means Pablo Prigioni could see a slight drop in minutes as well.

If you take the 15 minutes away from Brewer for now, five away from Kidd and maybe two or three away from Prigioni, then Shumpert would have at least a solid 23 minutes right off the bat.

However it is when he gets those minutes that Woodson must determine.

I like having Kidd on the floor at the end of games, but in close games Shumpert’s perimeter defense is needed.

Woodson could shift Kidd to the point to make room for Shump, but Felton’s ability to penetrate the lane is also needed on the floor late in games.

It will be interesting to see exactly how Woodson handles Shumpert’s return.

But the good news is that he has plenty of options.

You can ever have too much talent. Talent is a good problem to have.

We have been waiting all year for the Knicks to be a completely healthy basketball team and that time is coming very soon.

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The second-year guard tweeted that the doctors have cleared him for full contact practices, which is the last step to getting back on the court for games. He worked out for team doctors and officials before Monday night’s game against the Celtics and apparently that went well.

Cleared for full contact by the team Doctors! Let the countdown begin!!! I live for games like last night. See you soon Boston. #post90s

— Iman Shumpert (@I_Am_Iman) January 8, 2013

Shumpert will begin scrimmaging with his teammates and if all goes well, Shump will be back in uniform soon.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

That is good news for the Knicks. He may not come back and play like he did before he was injured right off the bat, his presence on the perimeter should help the Knicks’ defense.

Right now the Knicks are 18th in the NBA in points allowed per possession, and are winning games because their offense is good.

That isn’t the recipe for winning in the playoffs.

With Tyson Chandler anchoring the paint and Shumpert doing his thing on the perimeter, the defense has the chance to get much better very soon.

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Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, Shumpert finally could be cleared for 5-on-5 contact scrimmages early this week, which is likely the final step in his rehab from a torn ACL.

The second-year guard started practicing last Sunday and has done contact drills on an individual basis and looks to be ready to take the next step in his recovery.

“We’ll get an opportunity to practice when we get back,’’ Woodson told Berman. “Hopefully he’ll get in and do some contact work. He’s done some individual contact. We have to get him in a team setting now. Then we’ll see where he is after the contact and how he feels. We’ll figure it out from there.’’

If everything goes well for Shumpert, it is realistic to think that he could be only 10-14 days away from making his much anticipated season debut.

Considering the Knicks have turned in very few good outings since December on the defensive end of the floor, it will be nice to get their best perimeter defender back.

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Dec. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Injured second-year guard Iman Shumpert said he will join the Knicks for Sunday’s practice on a limited basis when the club returns from its West Coast trip, but is not ready to be cleared for contact — the final step to his long-awaited return, writes the New York Post’s Marc Berman.

Friday is exactly eight months to the day when Shumpert tore his ACL in Game 1 of the Knicks playoff series against the Miami Heat. The original timetable for Shump’s return was set at 6-8 months.

Shumpert practiced on a limited basis with the Knicks’ D-League team, Erie, when it was in town last week.

“I’m starting to do conditioning and non-contact stuff with the team,’’ Shumpert told Berman. “I’m going to start a little bit more with them when we get back. Then it’s up to the trainers.’’

He still says he is expecting to come back sometime in January, but hasn’t set an exact timetable.

One thing Shumpert does note is that the recent injury to Raymond Felton isn’t going to make him rush back. When he is cleared to go, he will be out there again.

However while Knicks’ fans have anxiously awaited the return of Shumpert, this is good news. As long as his knee responds well and doesn’t experience swelling, it won’t be long until the Knicks best defensive player is once again back on the court.

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It’s clear that Coach Woodson has decided to play Brewer less in an effort to increase scoring and  to help spread the floor. This has resulted in some increases in playing time for Chris Copeland, but mostly an earlier entrance for J.R. Smith. Smith has been great in his last 10 games, averaging over 19 points per game in 33 minutes off the bench.

Iman Shumpert, who has been recovering from a torn ACL he had repaired during the playoffs last season, is getting ready to return in early February. It’s unclear if Shumpert will come off the bench or start. Most of the season Jason Kidd has been starting at the two-guard, but he was not brought in to play heavy minutes. However, now that Raymond Felton is sidelined 4-6 weeks with a fractured right pinky, J-Kidd will be starting at point guard. This moves Ronnie Brewer from the 3 to the 2, which is also Shumpert’s main position.

Woodson may choose to bench Brewer, and bring the equally defensively minded Shumpert into the starting line up. Last season, he averaged 9.5 ppg, 2.8 apg, and 3.2 rpg in 29 minutes. Shumpert was a streaky shooter throughout his first season, and finished with a field goal percentage of just 40%. The reason he made the All-Rookie First-Team was his close to elite level perimeter defense, and that is what the Knicks are hoping he brings when he returns to the lineup.

The Knicks have struggled this season containing the league’s best isolation perimeter players like James Harden and Kobe Bryant. Even a player like Suns’ forward Jared Dudley was able to have a career night from the perimeter. That is where Shumpert and Brewer are needed the most. Marcus Camby’s return has already helped rebounding and defending down low, and that is hoped to get better when Rasheed Wallace returns from his stress reaction in his foot.

If Shumpert didn’t lose much of his tenacity and athleticism from the injury, then his minutes may come from the depleted Ronnie Brewer. Brewer’s defense has remained consistent, but he can’t stay on the floor due to his recent inability to knock down even an open shot. If Brewer can’t get his act together in the next few weeks, then he may just play himself out of the starting line-up.

The New York Knicks are off to a 6-0 start, the first time since the 1993-1994 season. Just a quick recap of what we’ve seen so far: Carmelo Anthony has moved on to the next chapter in his basketball career as a more team oriented player (MVP candidate possibility), JR Smith has become a controlled and efficient scorer (6th man candidate possibility), Tyson Chandler is playing a great defensive game and is benefiting from the point guard triumvirate of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, who have gelled all the weapons together through smart decision making into one cohesive team. While everyone is wondering how long this great winning streak will last, I want to look more towards the future.

Amar’e Stoudemire (recovering from Knee Surgery) and Iman Shumpert (recovering from knee surgery on MCL and ACL) are both targeting their returns for January. This would be about 35 games into the season before they can see court time. If the Knicks continue their strong play and lets say have 25-10 start (hopefully better), Where will Amar’e and Shumpert fit in the lineup? – Will they start or come off the bench? and Which players are going to lose minutes?

Lets start with Amar’e Stoudemire

Where will Amar’e fit in the lineup – start/bench?

The Knicks took a big risk signing Amar’e to a massive 5 years 100 million in 2009 knowing that the power forward has huge upside when playing, but is known for being injury prone. The signing paid off in the first season but the second season was disastrous, and the remaining years are left with huge question marks. In the offseason Amar’e worked hard with Hakeem Olajuwon, and he feels rejuvenated and thinks he can return to his old form as one of the elite power forwards in the league.

But truth over harmony, this is not going to happen. At the age of 30, STAT’s body has given up on him, and its pretty clear that we won’t see him in top form for the rest of his career. He suffered a bulging disk injury in the 2011 playoffs against the celtics, then missed a month with another back injury last season, and now is stuck with a popliteal cyst in his knee that requires surgery. This inconsistency of playing time has not let Amar’e get back in the flow of things and we saw this last year. He lost his quick step to the basket, his jump mid-range jump shot was inconsistent, and posed no threat on defenses – and often looked lost out there.

Although, we might not see STAT put up 20 and 10 anymore, this doesn’t mean he can’t play an important role with the team. We know for sure that he will be better than last year and add scoring and energy to a front court that lacks offense. But what we don’t know for sure is whether he will start.

This decision that Woodson has to make is a very delegate matter. There are many factors that play into this decision, and while it may be the smartest move to bench him, STAT will probably be the starter when he comes back in January.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots a free throw against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Reasons for STAT to come off the Bench

1. I think the days of Carmelo and STAT existing together in the starting lineup are over. We need a starting lineup that stays consistent and with STAT having all these injuries, he and Carmelo will never get in a groove.

2.Why tinker with the starting lineup of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Ronnie Brewer, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson chandler if it’s working so well. We’re 6-0!!! Melo at the 4 seems to be the best place for him with mismatches on offense and he seems to play better defense too. Also a lineup of two point guards has worked very effectively as one is more of a slasher, driver, and kicker (Felton) while the other is more of a true passer and spot up shooter (Kidd).

3. A bench of Pablo Prigioni, Iman Shumpert/Ronnie Brewer, Steve Novak, Amare Stoudemire, and Marcus Camby is ridiculous!!! Amar’e will really solidify a second unit with size, strength, and scoring. In addition, if Carmelo or Chandler get into early foul trouble, he is the perfect substitution. Plus, you still have Kurt Thomas and Sheed to add extra beef.

4.It might be in Amare’s best interest to gracefully return to the team off the bench. If the Knicks start losing once he is reinserted, the media and fans might blame him for the losses.

Reason why Amar’e will end up starting

His ego and the way he views himself as one one of the top power forwards in the league, will probably put him in the starting rotation. He doesn’t want to hurt his image in the league as one of premier power forwards, and I don’t think Mike Woodson wants to create any conflicts with him either.

So who’s going to lose playing time?

Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas will all see their roles as part of the team diminish. Kurt might even just stop playing and just be a leader in the locker room. I haven’t seen enough of Camby yet to see how he fits with the team since he just came off an injury.

Let’s move on to Shumpert:

Where will Shumpert fit in the lineup – start/bench?

Shumpert is one of those players that any coach would want on his team for his hustle and menacing defense. It was a big loss to the Knicks when he went out in game 2 of the series against Miami since he is such a defensive asset on the perimeter to the team. If the Knicks want to win a championship, they need to stop the quick athletic players that score from perimeter and can drive to the hoop and thats what makes Iman so vital to the team.

When Shumpert returns in January, coming off a major surgery, he of course is not going start right away. In the long term he definitely will start. That means that Kidd or Brewer will take the 2 spot, because Stoudemire will be in the 4 spot, and Carmelo will move back to the 3 spot.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) during the first half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Who will lose minutes?

This is a very interesting topic because it all depends on the situation. Lets take all the players at the 2 and 3 position: you have Shumpert, Kidd, Brewer, Smith, and Novak. Shumpert and Brewer are very similar players as they are both defensive minded and finish well around the rim. But Shumpert (6’5) guards more at the 1 and 2 position while Brewer (6’7) guards players at the 3 position who are taller and stronger. Smith will stay at this 6th man role which he is playing unbelievably well so far this season. Kidd who currently starts at the 2 will lose a lot of his minutes against quick guards but will get more playing time when Felton needs a rest. Then there’s Novak who will hit the three when you need one. This is what is so good about this Knicks team is they have so many options all specializing at different aspects of the game. Pablo Prigioni will also see a decrease in minutes and will only see more playing time if Kidd or Felton get hurt.

Wrap-Up

As well as the Knicks are playing now, when Shumpert and Stoudemire come back, they will be more of a force to be reckoned with. It may not be easy for Woodson to keep everybody happy, but we have the talent to go very far!

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Over the course of the past few months there have been several scenarios presented for the second-year guard’s return, but you now rule out a quick return as it appears that Shumpert will definitely not return before the calendar turns the page to 2013.

 “January, February is what we’re aiming for,” Shumpert told the New York Post’s Marc Berman. “I’m just trying to get healthy. When I get healthy, I’ll return to the court. I’m not going to come back and not be able to do the things I did last year and a little more. I want to come back and add something.’’

You know Shumpert wants to be out there with his teammates badly, but it is smart on not only his behalf, but the Knicks’ organization as well not to rush him.

That not only has to do with the 3-0 start this team has got off but they have got off to a great start defensively as well, Shumpert’s specialty.

This team is also a deeper one than we may have ever seen, so they can get by without their young guard for a month or two of the season.

It’s also smart to not rush him because he is the only young player on the roster. At 22, Shumpert represents the only player on the roster under the age of 27.  He will be a part of their future so it makes little sense to jeopardize that future.

When he returns, Shumpert should return as the Knicks starting shooting guard, though they are doing well at that position right now. In their new small lineup, Jason Kidd has moved to shooting guard and Ronnie Brewer to small forward. However when Amar’e Stoudemire returns in mid-December, Kidd will likely move to the bench.

Before you know it, it will be mid-January and Shump will be back on the floor.

That will be a welcome sight, but one that Knicks’ fans can wait for.

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Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks announced that they have exercised the third-year option on guard Iman Shumpert, who at 22 years of age is the only current Knicks player with a guaranteed contract under the age of 25.

Shumpert, the Knicks first round pick of the 2011 NBA draft, is currently recovering from a torn left ACL.  He will miss the start of this season, but the Knicks hope to get him back in January.

The second-year guard, who excels on the defensive end of the floor, averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his rookie season.

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In just one year Shumpert has rocketed up the rankings when he went from being ranked #440 in last year rankings, to #138 in 2012. Notable guards that Shumpert is now ranked higher than are Brandon Roy (#145),  Ramon Sessions (#146), D.J. Augustin (#147), and Stephen Jackson (#151).

New York Knicks fans should be pleased with Shumpert’s meteoric rise through the rankings because it is testament to his hard work and impact he has had in his lone season on this team. With Shumpert’s rehab going well he will be poised for another successful season on this title aspiring team.

Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball up the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Philips Arena. The Knicks won 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

In terms of Shump’s role on this team this year I’m fine with either guard position. Iman Shumpert is tremendous athlete that thrives in transition. He oozes with confidence which is evident in his shot attempts–although his shot selection definitely needs work. He can handle the ball alright but he needs to cut  down his turnovers and and be more of a willing passer if he wants to play point guard more. In many ways Shump reminds me of Russell Westbrook when he first came into the league.

Both players are freakish athletes that can jump out the gym. Defensively they embody tenacity like very few do. And critics both knocked their playmaking skills but both have used this criticism to motivate them and improve their game. If Shumpert wants to leave his mark on this league he should watch game film of Westbrook from his rookie and sophomore seasons and film of season last year to see how he can improve his game in the same fashion.

If I was Shumpert I wouldn’t be satisfied with this ranking because the better players in the league are never happy unless their best at what they do. And Shump should have this attitude as well.  I don’t think the Knicks should give up on Shump playing point guard because I really love the size advantage he would have there which would make them even more dangerous and versatile in their half court sets this season.

But this can only happen if Shump puts in the time in the gym, watching film, and producing consistently during games–something that he will be willing to do.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Shumpert keeps progressing and has recently been dunking off of one leg as he builds strength in his calf and thigh. Shumpert told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling that his leg feels “stabilized,” which is good news for Knicks fans. He also told Zwerling that the best case scenario could be a December return, although he didn’t go as far as predict that would be the case.

“It’s nice to be back on my feet and start to gain that strength back. … There’s been a big smile on my face,” Shumpert told ESPN New York. ”Every week (rehab intensifies) a little bit more and a little bit more, so I’m just being patient. I’m not trying to come back early. I’m just trying to come back when I can help.”

Shumpert led all NBA rookies with 1.7 steals per game last year and averaged 9.5 points a season ago and has been seen lately walking without a limp.

The original timetable from the Knicks stated that Shumpert would be out 6-8 months.  Shumpert said then, he’d return to the court as early as December, which would be eight months from the date of his injury.

But given the serious nature of the injury and the fact that Shumpert would need time to get himself back into NBA shape, there’s no way to predict when he will be ready. That’s why the stated goal for his return has been anywhere between December and February.

“I want to come back when I can add something to the team,” Shumpert said. “I don’t want to come back for the claps and (recognition). I want to come back fully healthy and I want to come back and do more than I did last season.”

Given the fact that the Knicks have depth in the backcourt by adding Ronnie Brewer, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni and Raymond Felton to go along with J.R. Smith, there may not be an immediate need to rush Shump back if the Knicks get off to a good start. But forget about that, it makes very little sense to rush a second-year guard back with the upside Shumpert has.

It’s great news to hear that Shumpert is upbeat about his rehab and that things are going well and while December’s best case scenario sounds like great news right now, the risk outweighs the potential reward here and I wouldn’t expect the Knicks to do anything that jeopardizes Shumpert’s future.

While all news regarding Shump’s return is good news, there’s simply no need to rush him back. This team has enough talent to do well in the short-term without him. All eyes should be on the bigger picture.

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Injuries and coaching changes have made it difficult for some players to adjust to new lineups, but there’s a great chance the Knicks will make huge strides this year with the addition of many key players and coach Mike Woodson in the fold from the get-go.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball down the court during the first half against the Charlotte Bobcats. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

However the main question that many want to know is…..“How are these players going to do for my fantasy basketball team??”  This is a look at the outlook for Knicks players for the 2012-2013 season, from a Fantasy perspective.

Today is the final part of a my six part fantasy series, as today I take a look a useful bench players on the Knicks roster.

Draftable Bench Players:

Iman Shumpert (SG/PG/SF):

The Knicks finally broke out of a long draft slump and took the Georgia Tech product Shumpert in the first round a season ago.

Many people questioned this, but Shumpert had a very productive rookie season.  His shooting percentages were low, but his all-around input into every game’s box score was remarkable.  He seemed to really hit his stride and had his confidence peak once he was given a starting role.  A terrible knee injury in the post-season will cost him the first few months of this upcoming season (expected to return in January), but he is still a great player to stash, especially if your league has an IR spot.   Look for about 10-11 PPG with Top 10 steals per game if/when he reclaims the starting spot back from J.R. Smith.

Expected Draft Position:  9^th-10^th Round, later if there is no IR spot

Jason Kidd (PG):

Kidd will turn 40-years-old before the season is over, but don’t let that stop you from picking him up with a later round pick.  While his numbers have tapered off a ton since his earlier years, he is still a great source of all-around stats to contribute to your team.  In an offense with many scoring options his assist numbers should improve from last year’s career low 5.5.  He has the capability of averaging close to two steals and two 3-pointers made per game and can explode for a big rebounding night as well.

Expected Draft Position:  12^th Round

Steve Novak (SF):

Apr. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) shoots a three-pointer during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 103-65. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Novak is an anomaly, he’s 6’11” but can’t rebound for a lick and often shoots a better percentage from downtown than from inside the arc.  While he provides nothing in terms of rebounding, assists, steals or blocks, he did lead the league in 3-point percentage and was tied for third in the NBA in 3-pointers made.  He is not a bad guy to have on your fantasy team’s bench if you are in need for an offensive injection now and again.

Expected Draft Position:  12^th-14^th round depending on 3-pointer needs

Marcus Camby (C):

It’s been 10-plus years in the making for the Cambyman’s return to the Big Apple.  His signing by the Knicks is a great addition to a team that was desperate for help in the front court.  Like Kidd, Camby will soon be entering his 40’s, but this is someone, who even in limited time, can help produce on the defensive end.

He won’t get you much in terms of scoring, but for a big man can chip in a couple assists a game.  If you decide to gamble on him in your fantasy draft it will be for his sometimes gaudy rebounding and shot blocking stats.  Last season with Portland and Houston he averaged around 9.0 boards and 1.5 blocks per game (he exploded for three 20+ rebounding games and five games with at least four blocks in 2012).  Look for similar numbers this year while where he should see decent minutes spelling both Stoudemire and Chandler down on the blocks.

Expected Draft Position:  11^th-12^th Round depending on Center needs

Ronnie Brewer (SG/SF):

At six-foot-seven, Ronnie Brewer fills the Knicks’ need of a hybrid/hustle type.  He won’t always get the minutes you’ll want for fantasy production, but when given the opportunity, he has shown he can put up decent numbers across the board.  When in Utah playing 30+ minutes/game he was averaging double-digit points.  This is a player you should look for on the waiver wire if anyone from the Knicks’ backcourt should go down.  In limited time last season, he still managed to eke out 1.1 SPG to go along with seven points and almost four rebounds.

Expected Draft Position:  Undrafted

Other Knicks players who should go undrafted in your fantasy leagues:

Kurt Thomas, Pablo Prigioni, Chris Copeland, Chris Smith, anonymous PF whom Knicks have not signed yet but won’t have fantasy relevance

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Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts to play against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Philips Arena. The Knicks won 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

end of the season.  And most of all his leadership wasn’t at a level that it needed to be – especially when he’s the best player on the team.  But with all the injuries and different lineup changes that existed, it was very hard for Carmelo to get in a good flow with his teammates, so I give him that.

Area of Improvement:  As I mentioned above Carmelo needs to be consistent.  He needs to play hard on both ends throughout the whole season and display better leadership skills.  I know there have been rumors that Carmelo plays a lot better when he doesn’t need to fill this role such as in the Olympics where he completely tearing it up (finished with 37 points today on 10-12 shooting from 3 point land) but this is what Carmelo signed up for when he became a New York Knick.  Being the leader is as much part of the job as him scoring.

Steve Novak: Mr. Discount Double Check was one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season.  He finished with the best 3PT % in the NBA and was probably the only player that helped space the floor on the team since he could not be left open.

Area of Improvement: I don’t mean to be harsh on Novak but he needs to improve in every area other than his 3pt shooting.  He’s 6’10 and only one out of every six shots he takes is inside the arc. I know you can make the case that this is what 3pt shooters are known for but with this height, he could be such a bigger threat since as you saw against a good defensive team like the Miami Heat in the playoffs, he can’t score when there is guy in his face all the time.

Apr. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) shoots a three-pointer during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 103-65. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Novak doesn’t have the dribbling skills to make any move off the dribble and he doesn’t have the talent that Kyle Korver or Ray Allen have to move without the ball.  Defensively, he is a liability as he is not quick enough to guard a 3 and is not strong enough to muscle up against a 4 or a 5.

Raymond Felton: Coming off the worst season of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Felton definitely has his work cut out for him.   Almost every statistical category was down from his time on the Knicks in 2010-2011 (17.1 points, 9 assists per game) to his time on the Trail Blazers (11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game).   Hopefully Felton can turn it around, and return Amar’e Stoudemire to his old form with their great pick-and-roll.

Area of Improvement:  I know bad passing and poor decisions come along with every point guard but Felton (especially this past year) tended to do it a little too much.

April 15, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton (5) calls out to his teammate against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Power Balance Pavilion. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

As a point guard of a team with so many weapons he without question needs to cut down on his turnover rate but still keep his fast paced style of play.

Iman Shumpert:  He had a superb rookie season for the Knicks, being their best perimeter defensive stopper and had an uncanny ability to get to the basket with his athleticism.  It was tough on every Knick fan to see him fall to the floor in Game 1 of the playoffs and tear his ACL and lateral meniscus, and is now out until January.

Area of Improvement:  Although this is common with every rookie, there is a lot of maturity that we need to see from Shumpert.  He did commit some foolish technical fouls for gloating or slamming the basketball, which could definitely cost the Knicks in a close game.  I think one area that Iman should definitely work on his point guard skills.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball down the court during the first half against the Charlotte Bobcats. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

Even though he is a pure 2-guard, there are times when Woodson puts out a certain lineup where Shumpert needs to fill this role.  He needs to learn to become a better distributor and be able to play at the 1 every once in a while as he had a lot of trouble doing this at the beginning of last year before Linsanity came along.

Kurt Thomas:Welcome back Kurt Thomas to the New York Knicks.  Thomas was signed to add veteran leadership in the locker room and so that the Knicks could sign someone using a veteran minimum contract.  There is not a chance Kurt is going to put up the same numbers he did seven years ago as a Knick where he averaged a double-double, but hopefully he still has the mid-range shot working for him.

Mar, 18, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Kurt Thomas (40) during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Area of Improvement: At age 41 (oldest player in the NBA) there is not much a player could do to improve his game.  But I think Kurt could add a smile every once in a while and look like he’s enjoying himself.

Marcus Camby:  Welcome back Marcus Camby to the New York Knicks.  Camby is a solid backup center that will without question rebound and rebound the ball.

Area of Improvement: Camby, once again at age 38, can’t really improve his game but can reverse the trend of centers not being an offensive threat. He averaged 3.8 points a game last year on 41% shooting, way down from his double-double he used to have every year on the Knicks 10 years ago.

April 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Tyson Chandler: In his first year with the Knicks, Chandler received the Defensive Player of the Year Award and made the Knicks from one of the worst to one of the best in opponents PPG.  He had a stellar field goal% and was a consistent rebounder finishing with a stat line of 11.3 points and 9.9 rebounds a game.

Area of improvement:This bugged me throughout the whole season that you have a seven-footer that is so wide open throughout the game, yet he doesn’t get the ball.  He posed no offensive threat unless it was an alley-oop or on an offensive rebound.

May 3, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first half of game three in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Chandler definitely has the ability to become dominant down low-he been training over the summer with Hakeem Olajuwon to work on post moves so hopefully when he comes back, we will see more offense.

Jason Kidd: Last season was his lowest assist per game of his career as you can clearly see him slowing down.  He was hobbling down the court and was injured for almost half the season.  Yet the Knicks still signed him to add veteran leadership to what we thought at first was to mentor Lin but now is Felton.

Area of Improvement: Once again at age 39, an aging Kidd cant really improve his game but he can return to his 3pt FG% from three years ago and space the floor with a nice open 3pt shot.

May 3, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd (2) drives the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) during the first half of game three in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Amar’e Stoudemire: Last season was Stoudemire’s worst play since his rookie season.  He averaged 17.5 points and 7.9 rebids and never really got into the flow of the offense throughout the whole season.  Sometimes he honestly looked lost out there, either him driving out of control or not being an asset to the team.

Area of Improvement: You could attribute Stoudemire never getting into the flow of the offense due his absence for his deceased brother or his herniated disc, but Stoudemire’s play never reached All-Star caliber levels.  He couldn’t hit the knock down shot from the elbow, he couldn’t beat someone of the dribble, and his defense was below-par. Hopefully with a full offseason to rest for his back and work on his game again, plus a point guard that he gelled very well with in the pick-and-roll two years ago in Felton, Stoudemire could return to All-Star form.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots a free throw against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

J.R. Smith:  He did bring a lot of energy off the bench in his first season with the Knicks and had some moments where he was a blow torch from 3-point land.  In his 28 minutes a game, Smith averaged 12.5 points and shot just over 40% FG sand 34% from three.   But come playoff time, it was not fun to watch Smith play the game of basketball.  He shot 11-of-48 through the whole series and 5-of-28 from the three-point line.

Area of Improvement:His shot selection needs to be a lot better without question.  He needs to stop dribbling the ball and look fancy with every move he makes and just play smart basketball. Enough with the one-on-one 1 basketball JR!!! While it looks like he hustles on defense, he rarely closes out on his defensive assignment before they shoot the ball.  If he doesn’t improve in these areas that annoy me so much I do not want him playing 28 minutes a game this season.

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) tries to pass arounds New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

April 26, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls shooting guard Ronnie Brewer (11) shoots the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Knicks have been in the market for another shooting guard with only J.R. Smith and the injured Iman Shumpert on the current roster to begin the 2012-13 season.

It looks like they may have found their man in former Chicago Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer.

TNT’s David Aldridge (via Twitter) reported, the former Bull will sign with New York on a one-year deal, which figures to be for the minimum salary.

Knicks continue to build backcourt, agreeing 2 terms with ex-Bull Ronnie Brewer on one-year deal, per source. Check the Hang Time Bkog soon.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 24, 2012

Brewer was released by the Bulls earlier this month, and was set to earn $4.37 million, so he’ll take a significant pay cut in joining the Knicks. Having spent their mid-level exception and with no means to sign-and-trade for Brewer, the Knicks can only offer the veteran’s minimum for a player with Brewer’s experience, which will be $1,069,509.

Brewer represents a solid addition to a backcourt that is heavy on point guards, but thin on 2-guards.

Shumpert is out until at least January, so Brewer will likely split time with  Smith at shooting guard until Shump is healthy enough to return. He also could see a little bit of time at the three as well.

Brewer is 6’7” with long arms, giving him excellent size for the shooting guard position. He is a terrific defender and will fill the defensive void created by the loss of both Shumpert and Landry Fields.

He averaged 6.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 24.8 minutes per game this past season, but is regarded as a very unselfish and team oriented player. Those qualities, along with his defensive abilities should fit in very well on a Mike Woodson coached team.

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Well, there is one clear way to move past all the uncertainty, and that’s by forecasting. At this point in time, I think Knicks fans are split down the middle on the Jeremy Lin situation. Some are willing to move forward without the dynamic point guard, while others still believe matching the offer is the best course of action for the team. Me? Personally, I understand both sides of the story. I’m totally going to remain on the fence. You can convince me to choose a side, but until you do, I’ll let the pundits do what they do best, which is letting their opinions be known

For me, I’m more obsessed with trying to figure out how Mike Woodson is going to play the pieces he does have. Just what will his rotation look like moving forward in 2012-13?

Keep in mind, Iman Shumpert is likely to miss the beginning of the season after having knee surgery during the 2012 Playoffs. So, for the sake of this article, he will start the season on the end of the bench, and we will look at who will be in orange and blue come opening night.

The Starters - 

Point Guard – Jason Kidd – 2011-12 numbers: 6.2ppg, 5.5apg, 4.1rpg, 36.3 FG%, 28.7mpg (with Dallas Mavericks)

Kidd was brought on to be the stabilizing force in the Knicks rotation. He has played with a wide variety of players, and has historically been a winner in his career. Many believe Kidd will find the perfect balance between getting Carmelo Anthony his touches, while re-energizing Amar’e Stoudemire’s game inside. Add in the fact that Kidd is still a sharp-shooter from deep (35.9% from 3 last year), J-Kidd should be able to provide the defense and leadership while playing crunch time minutes for the Knicks.

Shooting Guard – J.R. Smith – 2011-12 numbers: 12.5ppg, 2.4apg, 3.9rpg, 40.7 FG%, 27.6mpg

Smith slides into a starting spot for the Knicks because of the injury that will sideline Shumpert at the beginning of the season. Smith’s going to be destined for the Sixth Man on this team, as he is the perfect Irrational-Confidence-Guy that can come off the bench and score in bunches. He’s a bit of a dead end as far as ball movement goes, but I think a full year with the team and practicing with the regulars, he should be able to find his niche easily.

Small Forward – Carmelo Anthony – 2011-12 numbers: 22.6ppg, 3.6apg, 6.3rpg, 43.0 FG%, 34.1mpg

This may be the make-or-break season for ‘Melo. The Nets are talking a big game in Brooklyn, and he’s already called the contract Jeremy Lin received from Houston “ridiculous”. At times, the media blamed a lot of the Knicks problems last season on Carmelo’s play. This will be his first true full-season in MSG, and he has a lot of proving wrong to do in order to restore the shine on his star.

Power Forward – Amar’e Stoudemire – 2011-12 numbers: 17.5ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.0bpg, 48.3 FG%, 32.8mpg

A lot of people have been critical of Amar’e's play last season. I’ve gone as far to say that if the Knicks still had their amnesty clause, there would have to be some serious consideration about using it on Stoudemire. He seemed worn out by playing D’Antoni minutes in the two season he’s been a Knick, and battled injury after injury last year. The best news for STAT, the Knicks have a lot more depth inside that will spell him minutes he doesn’t need to be on the floor. I’m very eager to see what STAT has to offer next season. He will be the X-Factor for determining how high the Knicks can climb.

Center – Tyson Chandler – 2011-12 numbers: 11.3ppg, 9.9rpg, 1.4bpg, 67.0 FG%, 33.2mpg (2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year)

Chandler was the anchor for the Knicks inside. He led the defensive renaissance the Knicks experienced after Mike D’Antoni was let go. He will be expected to do more of the same on defense next year, but will get more help from the players the Knicks have added this off-season. The team didn’t anticipate the things he did on offense last year, and will likely continue to work under the notion that Chandler is in town for key rebounds, blocked shots, disruption on defense and easy put back slams. Anything more would be, well, unfair.

Sixth Man – Raymond Felton – 2011-12 numbers: 11.4ppg, 6.5apg, 2.5rpg, 40.7 FG%, 31.8mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

The big question moving forward post-Lin will be which point guard starts for the Knicks. My guess is Kidd will get the starting assignments, but Felton will play more minutes. Felton can flex to play shooting guard alongside Kidd at times, and will head the second unit at the point. Felton averaged career-best numbers when he was in New York for half a season playing alongside Amar’e before being part of the Carmelo package. I don’t know if Felton will ever reach that high again, but I fully expect him to put up better numbers than he did last season, even if he sees a dip in playing time.

Bench – C Marcus Camby – 2011-12 numbers: 4.9ppg, 9.0rpg, 1.4bpg, 44.6 FG%, 22.9mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets)

Camby is going to give the Knicks something they haven’t had in a very long time, a true back-up big. Playing Jared Jeffries off the bench as their main big had put the Knicks at serious disadvantages in critical moments in big games. Having Camby gives the Knicks a huge security blanket if Tyson Chandler gets into foul trouble. While there is still a drop off defensively from Camby to Chandler, it isn’t as evident as it was last year from Chandler to Jeffries. Having a second 7-footer on the team is a huge addition.

Bench – F Steve Novak – 2011-12 numbers: 8.8ppg, 1.9rpg, 47.8 FG%, 47.2 3-pt%, 18.9mpg

Outside of Jeremy Lin, Novak was the biggest surprise the team had last season. He led the league in 3-pt percentage, and hit some critical shots from the corner when the team needed them most. There were games where he was just lights out and would put up 15-20 points off the bench almost exclusively from beyond the arc. He isn’t much of a defender, but has the flexibility to play both the 3 and 4. With players like Landry Fields and Jared Jeffries no longer with the team, Novak is likely to see some more minutes next year and play a bigger role in the offense.

Bench – G James White – 2011-12 numbers: spent the season in Europe

White was called one of the most athletic players in the Euro leagues last year and he will see some minutes early in the season, especially before Shumpert is healthy. We know he’s super athletic, but we’re not certain how his game will translate to the NBA. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to perform like Landry Fields did, or even Bill Walker in spurts last year. But, that’s not what the Knicks need. All they need is a player that provides significant depth to the bench and can hold his own defensively.

Bench – F/C Kurt Thomas – 2011-12 numbers: 3.0ppg, 3.5rpg, 0.6bpg, 46.5 FG%, 15.2mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

Thomas is here to stabilize the locker room and serve as a mentor to Amar’e Stoudemire. His role on the team will be seen more off the court than on it, but he is going to be very important to the coaching staff. I’m excited to have him back in town, and he’s another big body the Knicks have in case of injury.

Bench – PG Pablo Prigioni – 2011-12 numbers: played last season in Argentina

Prigioni is, uhm, a very old rookie. The Knicks front office clearly sees value in adding him to the end of the bench, and he is very experienced as far as leading an offense. I’m uncertain what he’s going to provide to the team, but its going to be worth watching.

Injured – G Iman Shumpert – 2011-12 numbers: 9.5ppg, 2.8apg, 3.2rpg, 40.1 FG%, 28.9mpg

Shumpert burst onto the scene towards the end of last season, playing critical end-of-game minutes. He’s proven to be a top class perimeter defender that can hold his own against some of the league’s best. The Knicks desperately needed his presence last year during the playoffs. Once they lost Shump, any hopes of them knocking off the Heat went out the window. He’s a huge part of the Knicks present and future, really the only young, controllable player the Knicks have on roster. He is going to get better the more he plays, and he should be in the starting rotation once he returns to health. How he continues to develop his game will determine a lot about the team.

His U.S. agent George Bass confirms Pablo Prigioni is a Knick.

Prigioni is a 35-year old point guard who has spent most of his professional career playing in the Spanish league, but hails from Argentina where he plays with the national team for the Olympics and in other international tournaments.

This previous season, the 6’3″ point guard averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in about 28 minutes per game. Although at 35-years old, Prigioni has lost a step according to Walter Szczerbiak, Spanish League Ambassador, Prigioni is still considered one of the best play-making point guards in all of Spain, where he once was considered the best. Szczerbiak (via the Berman article) claims that Prigioni is in excellent shape, and wiry thin like Steve Nash – a player who appears younger than he is.

Prigioni is not particularly explosive, especially at his age, but he does possess a quick first step, and is a strong finisher at the basket, particularly with his right hand. Though his three-point percentages don’t necessarily reflect tremendous accuracy, he can hit an open three-pointer, and appears to be dangerous if a defender goes under a screen.

In terms of his play-making abilities (considered his best asset), Prigioni is accurate setting shooters up on curls, hitting the roll man in pick-and-rolls, or driving and dishing.

(2012 highlights)

The deal will be for one year and likely for the rookie’s minimum, according to Jared Zwerling at ESPN New York. Prigioni will play a nice role off the bench, though it appears he’ll be the third string point guard behind Jeremy Lin and Jason Kidd. Of course, Prigioni’s skills as a play-maker could be great to teach Lin and even Iman Shumpert who needs to work on his play-making abilities.

Another savvy move by Glen Grunwald and company, and one that likely sews up the point guard rotation.

May 13, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Randy Foye (4) dribbles the ball up the court during the second half of game seven in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 82-72. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

With the Knicks likely not to match the offer sheet Landry Fields signed with the Toronto Raptors and Iman Shumpert likely out until January, the shooting guard position has gone from one of extraordinary depth to one without many options in place.

ESPNNewYork’s Jared Zwerling recently wrote that J.R. Smith’s brother Chris thinks that Smith will re-sign with the Knicks, who can offer him 120 percent of what he made last season, about $2.8 million. Even with Smith in the fold though, the Knicks need to add a 2-guard. Preferably one capable of starting so Smith can come off the bench all season.

That brings me to Randy Foye.

Al Iannazzone said via Twitter that Foye is an option and would be a good fit with the Knicks, which I agree.

I am hearing Randy Foye is a possibility for the Knicks. But they have other things they need to settle. Foye would be a good fit.

— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) July 6, 2012

To get Foye into the fold, either the Kidd signing or a potential Foye signing would have to be a sign-and-trade. The likes on Toney Douglas, Jerome Jordan and Josh Harrleson could be in play. If the Knicks could include Douglas’ $2.0 million in any sign-and-trade, it will be crucial to add another player that can help the 2013 team.

As for Foye, he’s a six-year vet who’s coming off a pretty solid year in which he averaged 11.0 points per game. He only shot 39.8 percent from the floor on the season, but did knock down 38.6 percent of his shots from behind the arc, which would have easily made him the second best perimeter shooter on the Knicks last season, behind Steve Novak (.472).

Smith shot only 34.7 percent from behind the arc and that was the second best total on the Knicks roster.

Another shooter is a must and considering what the Knicks have to spend, targeting Foye is something that makes sense.

The Knicks won’t have a real good 2-guard on the roster next season, but a three-headed monster of Shumpert, Smith and Foye could turn out to be a very effective trio.

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According to multiple sources, the Knicks and Suns have continued their discussions about a possible sign-and-trade between the two teams that would land Nash in the Big Apple, while sending guard Iman Shumpert, among others, to Phoenix. As part of the deal, Nash would likely sign a three-year, $25 million contract.

Yesterday on Knicks Radio, we talked about how the team might be feeling the heat both from the fans, media and opposing teams to make a splashy move for the sake of making one. The Hawks, Nets and Celtics have all made significant additions to their teams, while the Knicks have mostly stood silent.

This would be a huge move for the team, but its worth talking about in the terms of why they shouldn’t do it. You cannot find a Knicks fan that doesn’t love Iman Shumpert and his potential. He blossomed last year as a strong two-guard who has the ability to play the point. His defense was critical to the team’s late season success after Mike D’Antoni vacated the building. It is also important to note that he will miss the beginning portion of the season, recovering from knee surgery.

There really isn’t any possible way for the Knicks to swing a deal without including Shumpert, who is their youngest and most promising player. But, bringing in Nash, even for just three years, coupled with re-signing (hopefully) Jeremy Lin could be something that puts this team over the top and brings them back on the same level with the other powerhouse teams in the East.

It will also make the Knicks incredibly thin. Along with Shumpert, the team will have to trade able bodies like Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan. Do any of those players signal a significant loss? No. But, they do take away from the depth this team has, or lacks. The Knicks will be forced to fill out the majority of their bench with veteran minimum contracts, which could be a dangerous proposition.

Long story short, if it costs the team trading Shumpert in order to get a star and former MVP like Steve Nash, I don’t think a lot of Knicks fans will cry foul. But, they will grimace.

Its going to be like ripping off a band-aid. Just do it quickly. We’ll all feel better immediately after.

Mar. 16, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash during game against the Detroit Pistons at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Pistons 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Just when it appeared that all possibilities of the New York Knicks acquiring two-time MVP Steve Nash, a day later it looks like the Knicks are the front-runners to land the All-Star point guard.

When the Toronto Raptors signed Landry Fields to a three-year offer sheet on Tuesday, it appeared that stuck a fork in the Knicks chances to acquire Nash via a sign-and-trade deal, as Fields was a guy the Suns had interest in.

But  according to Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Knicks and Suns are in the “critical stages” of negotiating a sign-and-trade deal that would pay Nash $27-30MM for three years.

Knicks, Suns are in the critical stages of discussions on a sign-and-trade deal that would pay Nash $27M-$30M over 3 years, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2012

However it could come at the price of including guard Iman Shumpert in the trade.

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein tweets that the Knicks would prefer not to include Shumpert and are looking to include a third team to join the deal to avoid including him. However, they’ll include Shumpert if they have to, a source tells Stein.

Yet as one source familiar w/NYK thinking told ESPN: “They don’t want to trade (Shumpert), but they will if they have to. They want Nash.”

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 4, 2012

In order to pay Nash a competitive salary and make a sign-and-trade palatable for the Suns, the Knicks will likely have to include Shumpert and a handful of players on expiring contracts, including Toney Douglas, Jerome Jordan, Josh Harrellson, and Dan Gadzuric.

Previous reports have suggested that if the Knicks do part with Shumpert in a sign-and-trade for Nash, it will likely be James Dolan’s decision, as most members of the team’s front office are reluctant to part with the young guard.

Keep checking back to Buckets Over Broadway as we will keep you updated with all the latest Knicks offseason rumors.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

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Knicks, Suns are in the critical stages of discussions on a sign-and-trade deal that would pay Nash $27M-$30M over 3 years,

Mar. 16, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash during game against the Detroit Pistons at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Pistons 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

sources tell Y!

Wojnarowski also mentioned that the trade will likely include Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, and three other cheap players. Dan Gadzuric, Marc Berman noted, will be included in all trades because of his $1.4 million non-guaranteed salary, which was a tactic Glen Grunwald purposely played.

For Knicks fans, the trade is sure to bring about mixed feelings. Iman Shumpert represents the ’90s Knicks teams the fans so adored with his gritty defense and constant effort. Likewise, he’s got All-Star potential with nearly unparalleled athleticism, already-elite defense, and the ability to knock down shots off catch-and-shoot opportunities (though he still must become more consistent in the latter category). When the Knicks’ Big Three reaches the end of their respective primes (and contracts), Shumpert could be a useful building block going forward.

With Landry Fields likely going to Toronto, and J.R. Smith still a free agent, the Knicks two-guard rotation would be nearly decimated. However, if the Knicks did trade Shumpert, it’s possible that the Knicks would entertain matching Toronto’s offer sheet as to keep some depth at the shooting guard.

Not to mention Steve Nash has a chronic back issue that has been appeased by the leagues indisputable best training staff in Phoenix. I have my doubts about the Knicks’ training staff; see: Davis, Baron, 2011-12.

However, the idea of acquiring Steve Nash has to be appealing to everyone, regardless of their stance on Shumpert. Nash is an all-time great point guard, whose numbers last season paralleled the numbers he put up in his two MVP seasons in Phoenix. With great finishers in Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire (he and Nash were preeettty great together in Phoenix, in case you didn’t know), and a guy like Steve Novak to space the floor, the Knicks offense could be deadly with Nash at the helm. His guidance for the future of Jeremy Lin would be immensely helpful.

Undoubtedly, the trade would put the Knicks in official “win now” mode.

The details are still being hammered out, but this is a big story that’s currently in the process of being broken.

ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that the Toronto Raptors and the Knicks are Nash’s top two favorites, but I still view the Knicks as an extreme long shot for Nash.

In ESPN sitdown Nash said he’s eager to meet Mavs if they miss out on D-Will. But sources say TOR & NYK are his top two (no order) for now

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2012

First off, the Raptors have been reported to have a big offer ready for Nash that will exceed $12 million per year. The Knicks simply can’t come close to that.

If Nash were to sacrifice money for a chance to win, it wouldn’t be a whole lot of money and the Knicks would have to give up two or three players to create the cap space.

Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Suns have expressed interest in Landry Fields as part of a sign-and-trade, but ultimately it would take more than Fields in a deal to bring Nash to the Big Apple.

Phoenix has expressed interest with Landry Fields as part of possible sign-and-trade package with New York for Steve Nash, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2012

The New York Post’s Marc Berman has reported that the Knicks have had talks with the Suns about Nash.

Mar. 16, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash during game against the Detroit Pistons at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Pistons 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

I wouldn’t mind seeing Nash finish his career in a Knicks uniform, but it depends at what costs.

Realistically, depending on Nash’s salary requirements, it would take two, maybe three of a group that includes Fields, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas to get Nash in a Knicks uniform.

Even then, the Raptors could offer Nash more money, but the main issue could be the fact that the roster would be depleted.

Depth is one thing the Knicks have going for them right now and I don’t feel sacrificing that depth for a couple years of Nash is worth it. You also have to figure into the equation that if the Knicks make this move, that’s about it for the offseason.

They can add a couple veteran’s minimum players, but it’s not as if they could replace the depth they would be giving up. parting ways with Fields and Douglas could be a possibility that wouldn’t kill the Knicks, but you also have to consider the fact that the Suns wouldn’t want any part of that offer.

The free agency period is just beginning and there will be almost daily talks regarding Nash to the Knicks, but tread with caution.

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it and the cost could be very high.

DraftExpress’s Mock Draft currently has the Knicks taking Marquette’s Darius Johnson-Odom with the 48th pick. Johnson-Odom is a 6’2″ shooting guard coming off an impressive senior campaign in which he averaged 18.3 ppg, on 44.7% FG, and 38.5% 3FG. Johnson-Odom is a sharp-shooter off catch-and-shoots and pull-up jumpers. To add to his dangerous outside game, he is equipped with a 215 lb frame, a 40″ vertical, and a jawline that would make Marlon Brando blush. Offensively, Johnson-Odom has the perfect game to complement the myriad Knicks scorers who do their work inside the arc.

But back to the elephant in the room (or, really, lack thereof): Johnson-Odom is just 6’2″, some say 6’3″. If Johnson-Odom was a combo guard, a la Jason Terry, the problem would be negated. Players of Johnson-Odom’s stature have typically carved out fairly successful careers in the NBA, at times playing the role of scoring point guards, at times playing like undersized shooting guards. However, Johnson-Odom, despite his point guard frame, rarely plays as a point guard. Over his three seasons playing at Marquette (he didn’t play his freshman year), Johnson-Odom never averaged more than 2.7 apg, but had a usage percentage (USG%) of 27% his junior and senior years.

Likewise, the problem is compounded by the Knicks’ (potential) depth at the shooting guard. While much of the roster remains up in the air, J.R. Smith may opt into the second and final year of his contract, Landry Fields (who despite being a natural small forward, has been fairly productive as a two-guard in the NBA) may be re-signed this offseason, and Iman Shumpert will be returning from a torn ACL in December or January. If the Knicks were to draft Johnson-Odom, they would potentially have three or four shooting guards all trying to earn a spot in the rotation.

But the upside for Johnson-Odom is undeniable. Not only could he have immediate impact as a reliable catch-and-shooter on the perimeter, Johnson-Odom is a tenacious, physical defender who rebounds well for his size, and was impressing scouts and GMs during workouts because of his defensive presence, according to Jared Zwerling on the Buckets Over Broadway podcast.

Of course, given all of the positives of Johnson-Odom, it’s quite possible that a team could select him earlier in the draft. The only real deterrent is that Odom is undersized and may struggle in the bigger NBA.

So, like all draft prospects, there are pros and cons, and all we can do is wait to see how it turns out.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) is carried off the court during the second half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against he Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

While many people are curious about how the Knicks point guard situation will play out or if the likes of Steve Novak or J.R. Smith will return to the New York Knicks for the 2012-13 campaign, one thing that people have the tendency to overlook is that shooting guard Iman Shumpert won’t be in uniform to start next season.

Looking at a potential 2013 starting lineup that could feature Jeremy Lin, Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler and the Knicks could have as good as a starting five as there is in the NBA.

But first they have to get Shumpert healthy.

That may not take as long as originally thought as according to RealGM’s Michael Scotto (via the New York Post), Shumpert is eyeing a January return.

NBA NEWS: NY SG Iman Shumpert on a return date “The target date is January. It feels great. (The rehab) is going well” (Via NY Post) #Knicks

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 18, 2012

Shumpert has a long way to go in his rehab before getting back on the basketball court, but the January news is at least encouraging.

“The target date [for my return] is January,” Shumpert told The Post.

That would mean an eight month return and would be the worst-case scenario from the original 6-8 month timetable, but the last thing the Knicks need is to rush Shump back. Knee injuries can be tricky and they want to make sure Shumpert is 100 percent ready to go before they even think about bringing him back.

In the meantime, general manager Glen Grunwald will have to figure out how to fill the position.

Smith and Landry Fields are both options to return as is the possibility Grunwald looks outside the organization.

Whatever the decision on who the 2-guard is to start the season, it looks like it won’t be long before the Knicks defensive stopper makes his return to the floor.