The Knicks have made a couple of interesting moves so far this off-season (trading for Bargnani being the biggest), but today they made the one that's the most important. According to the NY Daily News, they have re-signed guard J.R. Smith to a four-year deal. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year had a strong regular season for the Knicks, averaging 18 points per game. However, the bottom fell out in the playoffs, where his erratic shooting became a point of frustration for Knicks fans hoping for a longer playoff run.
Bringing Smith back makes sense on paper, since his offense is needed, but NY hasn’t improved in "championship ways" as of yet. They don’t have a back-up center, nor do they have enough rebounding for a legit Finals run. They’ll probably make at least one more move to help that cause. They pretty much have to.
Breaking: The Knicks and J.R. Smith agree to a new deal, Smith's agent, Leon Rose, tells the Daily News.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) July 4, 2013
J.R. Smith's four year, $25 million deal reportedly includes a player option after the third year.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) July 4, 2013