Here’s ESPN New York reporting on the Knicks and J.R. Smith:
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Head coach Derek Fisher has not committed to a starting five yet. Smith and Iman Shumpert should have a healthy competition in training camp if Fisher opts to start just one of them. Tim Hardaway Jr. also will push for minutes after an impressive rookie season.
Smith, the Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13, believes he and Shumpert will elevate their games.
“I don’t look at it as a rivalry,” Smith said of the competition with Shumpert. “I think it’s great for the game of basketball. If I don’t push him and he doesn’t push me then we’re both wasting each other’s time. And I don’t think we want to do that.”
“I think we can hit people from three totally different angles,” Smith added of himself, Shumpert and Hardaway Jr. “I think there’s not a team in this league that has what we have at the shooting guard spot and I think that’s very unique … you should look at it as a dynamic trio like people do with running backs in football.”
