J.R. Smith's Brother Sent to D-League

After the Knicks demoted guard Chris Smith to their developmental-league affiliate on Monday, the team's tortured fan base reacted with both joy and confusion.The joy stemmed from the idea that the demotion of Smith, the younger brother of Knicks guard J.R.louis vuitton men handbags prices Smith, to the Erie BayHawks would mean the team could fill that roster spot with a more useful player—perhaps,Chevron Paper Straws say, a center to play in place of the injured Tyson Chandler and help improve the team's defense.The confusion entered when those same fans realized that Smith couldn't be replaced so easily. Unlike baseball, which allows teams to bring a minor-league player up when a major-leaguer goes down, in the NBA a demoted player like Smith (and his $490,000 salary) still counts against a team's 15-man roster limit. So the Knicks won't be importing a free agent to replace him just yet.The demotion itself didn't come as a surprise: When the Knicks announced their opening-night roster, coach Mike Woodson clearly stated that Chris Smith would eventually be sent down to play with the BayHawks.Yet the team's insistence on keeping him around further agitated those who criticized the signing in the first place. Chris Smith has not seen the court during the regular season; he shot 26% during two summer-league seasons, and he went 1-for-7 from the floor this preseason. 

Moreover, it seems highly unlikely that he would have made the Knicks' roster were it not for his brother, who signed a three-year, $18 million extension with the team during the off-season. Woodson acknowledged during the preseason that Chris Smith's family name factored into the team's decision give him a roster spot.Nike Air Maxlouis vuitton damier canvas handbags And Smith's ties to CAA, the agency that represents both his brother and free-agent-to-be Carmelo Anthony,wholesale Dsquared Long Sleeve T-Shirts sale from www.googbusiness.com homepage. likely helped his case as well.It's hard to say whether the Knicks, who are struggling at 3-6, experienced any internal discord over Chris Smith's presence on the roster. Aside from a brief incident in Charlotte, when veteran forward Kenyon Martin told him to stop blaring hip-hop music in the team's locker room prior to a game, there haven't been any noteworthy run-ins.But outside the locker room, it has been an issue. Pistons guard Brandon Jennings took to Twitter last week to question Chris Smith's presence on the Knicks' roster. J.R. Smith responded with a tweet in which he insinuated he would send "street homies" to Detroit to confront Jennings, earning him a $25,000 fine from league. J.R. Smith said later he was tired of seeing his brother get picked on. He'll be able to tell Jennings in person when the Knicks tip off against the Pistons here in Detroit on Tuesday night. 

Still, with all of the problems facing the Knicks, from a porous defense to a stagnant offense, it's misguided to suggest that Chris Smith—a player who might never see the court in an NBA game that counts—is their biggest problem. Yes, he is occupying a roster spot that could be filled by a more productive player. But fans and media bemoaning the lack of a big man in Chandler's absence should remember that fourth-year backup center Cole Aldrich has played just 14 minutes all year (in which he has grabbed nine rebounds).There are bigger issues at hand, including a few that owner James Dolan could get further involved in. Chief among them: What will happen with swingman Iman Shumpert, whom the team is looking to trade? And can Woodson—whose seat only figures to grow warmer—get the team to play better and more cohesively as he continues with a plethora of different lineups to make up for Chandler's absence? It's fair to say the team's involvement with Chris Smith will have little bearing on these concerns.