JR Smith Unhappy With Bench Role

To the surprise of absolutely no one, JR Smith is not pleased with Knicks head coach Mike Woodson’s plan to keep him coming off the bench. To make matters worse, Smith’s brother Chris (who was trying to make the team) suffered a devastating injury. Per the NY Daily News: “J.R. Smith begrudgingly accepted Mike Woodson’s decision to keep him as the Knicks’ sixth man, saying on Wednesday that ‘disappointed is an understatement … My whole process of getting better this summer and everything I went through was to be in that starting role,’ Smith added. ‘It was great to be able to have put all that work in and understand what I can do and my body can withhold without starting. I think it just makes our bench even stronger.’ […] ‘I don’t care about the Sixth Man,’ Smith says. ‘I haven’t been in the Finals in the last six years of it. That’s not even the thought process. My thought process is winning.’ […] Chris Smith, J.R.’s younger brother, was an option but the rookie was dealt a blow when the team announced he will have surgery to repair his patella tendon in his left knee Thursday morning. The timetable for Smith’s return is three to six months. ‘It’s tough because everybody wants to play; nobody wants to sit out,’ Chris Smith said. ‘Especially for me, because I haven’t missed a practice throughout my whole college career. It’s just heartbreaking really.'”