Iman Shumpert

Jonah Ballow

A drastic roster change occurred just moments before tipoff in Memphis on Monday night.  For Tim Hardaway Jr. it was an eye opening experience as the Knicks sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland and waived Samuel Dalembert.  New York received forward Lance Thomas, forward Lou Amundson, center Alex Kirk, and a 2019 second-round draft choice in the three-team deal.  “I think that was my first real NBA moment,” Hardaway Jr. described inside the Knicks locker room.  “It’s a tough situation but we still have to go out there and compete.”

New York battled a Western Conference contender but fell short while missing All-Star Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, and the players involved in Monday’s transaction.  As president Phil Jackson stated, the move created flexibility and salary cap for future seasons.  The trade also will allow the Knicks front office to evaluate the young players on the roster to see how they fit into the long-term plan for the franchise.

“I think Phil is continuing to look at how we transition as we change the culture,” head coach Derek Fisher stated during postgame availability.  Fisher added, “For now we at least we go with what we have but I don’t think this in any way signals the end of our transition process.  I think our front office will continue to look at what we can do to replace a couple of these guys but also how we’ll build our roster going forward in the short term and long term.”

The Knicks will jump on a plane to Washington D.C. tomorrow morning and finish the two-game trip against the Wizards on Wednesday night.

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