The New York Knicks cannot catch a break. Although the Knicks finally snapped their 10-game losing streak, they lost another player to the injury bug. That player goes by the name of Iman Shumpert. He will now join Andrea Bargnani, Cleanthony Early, and J.R. Smith on the injured list.
As reported by Al Iannazzone of Newsday, "Knicks say an MRI to Iman Shumpert's left shoulder confirmed a dislocation. No surgery is necessary. He'll be reevaluated in about 3 weeks".
The silver lining of it all is that he won't need surgery, and he was upbeat after learning the results of Friday night's game. “I’m just happy we won. If I’ve got to separate my shoulder or dislocate my shoulder to get wins, I’ll dislocate it every game.”
However, he will be out for a significant amount of time, which couldn't come at a worse time.
The Knicks have been struggling to find chemistry on the court and a third scoring option. Amar'e Stoudemire has been an efficient secondary scoring option. Still, the Knicks have yet to figure out who will fulfill their third option. Shumpert played well offensively throughout the beginning of the season but has since cooled off. He has started all of the 25 games thus far and is averaging 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 26 minutes (via NBC Sports).
What makes the situation worse is that they lost their best defender. The Knicks cannot afford to lose their best defender, especially with their abhorrent start to the season. They have had issues defending at the beginning of games and in third quarters. With the loss of Shumpert, everyone will have to step up on the defensive end.
Tim Hardaway Jr. will likely step into the starting lineup and assist with the offensive load. Nonetheless, he is nowhere near the defender that Shumpert is. He will need a crash course in defending the perimeter.
It's time for the Knicks to adapt and overcome. Hopefully their swan song did not come at the expense of Friday's performance. Instead, it should be their stepping stone in turning the season around. In the meantime, we wish Iman Shumpert a speedy recovery.