J.R. Smith will return to the Knicks for the 2012-2013 season. Smith will be set to make $2.8 million next season as part of the a 20% increase, the max the Knicks could offer the maligned shooting guard.
This is the most exciting move the Knicks have made so far this off-season in my opinion. J.R. is a fantastic athlete who can shoot the three and is widely under-appreciated as far as I am concerned. I know he struggled in the first round series against Miami, but he played his ass off. He was a better defender than I ever expected him to be, and though he had trouble at times with his three-point shot, he never wavered in his confidence to take a shot.
I’m shocked at how little interest there was for him on the open market. I know he can be immature, but he has proven over his career to be a supremely talented player and is worth far more than what the Knicks will be paying him this season.
Landry Fields for $5 million or J.R. Smith for $2.8 million? I’ll take J.R all day long.
