New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson told ESPN Radio that he is considering the possibility of cutting sixth man J.R. Smith's minutes after poor play during the NBA Playoffs. Smith, who was recently named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, has experienced shooting struggles and could be spending more time on the bench.
"I'll gauge J.R. as we go along and if I feel he's not giving me anything, I could always turn to other guys on that bench," Woodson said Wednesday in an interview on ESPN New York 98.7 FM's "The Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show."
"I feel good about the guys that come in off that bench just like I feel good about J.R. But if he's struggling and I feel the need (that) I've got to pull him, then I will do that as the head coach and then other guys have got to come in and step up and play."
It doesn't seem as though Woodson will cut the guard's playing time immediately. However, the coach didn't rule out the option of decreasing his minutes after shooting 3-for-15 from the floor and scoring just eight points in Tuesday's Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers. Smith missed 11-of-15 shots in the series opening loss for New York on Sunday.
"He's missing shots and he's not playing well from an offensive standpoint," Woodson said of Smith, who is averaging 31.9 minutes per game in the playoffs. "I think he's giving us a lot defensively. And that's why he's staying out there on the floor because he's holding his own defensively and he's rebounding some for us at his position."
Smith has struggled since returning from a one-game suspension for elbowing Celtics guard Jason Terry in Game 3 of the Knicks' series with Boston. In the four games since the suspension, Smith is averaging 13 points on just 26 percent shooting and has missed 18 of his 25 3-point attempts.
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