The message from New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson to embattled guard J.R. Smith was simple: Smith needs to start acting like a pro.
Woodson told ESPN that he believes Smith needs to start doing the right things and acting like more of a professional.
"The bottom line is he's got to be more of a pro and do the right things and just concentrate on playing basketball," Woodson said Monday, according to ESPN. "That's the name of the game, nothing else. You got to concentrate on your craft and what you're being paid to do -- that's play basketball. ... That's all I want him to do."
Smith's antics on and off the court have angered his coach and the Knicks brass this season with the most recent flap occurring after Smith started untying the shoelaces of his opponents--leading to a fine from the league after he was warned to stop doing it and continued to do so anyway.
The punishment saw Smith not only empty out his wallet to give the league $50,000 but also led to the guard being benched when the Knicks took on the Miami Heat last Thursday. Following the benching, Smith scored 14 points in the Knicks' victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday and then followed up that performance with a 10-point night Monday in a 98-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Smith, for his part, said he learned his lesson from the fine and benching, and will begin to heed his coach's words.
"Don't goof around, I guess. Be serious. Be a professional. And just don't take this opportunity here you have for granted," Smith told ESPN of what he plans to do. "There's a lot of people in this world that want our jobs. You can't take it for granted. It can be taken away just that fast."
Woodson, who was mum on the Smith shoelace incident following the fine and benching, addressed it on Monday for the first time.
"Bottom line is I expect J.R. to be a pro on and off the court and concentrate on playing basketball and that's all I want him to do," Woodson told ESPN.
Smith has been in headlines for all of the wrong reasons this season, including missing the first five games of the campaign due to violating the league's anti-drug policy and then receiving a $25,000 fine by the league in November for threatening tweets he sent to Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons after he made insulting public remarks about Smith's brother Chris.
On the court, things haven't gone much better as Smith is shooting just 32 percent from the floor and has struggled to recover from offseason knee surgery. Smith's lackluster performance and behavior on and off the court have led to him being the subject of trade rumors, however the fact that he signed a three-year $18 million contract in the offseason could prove to make it hard for the Knicks to deal him.
With the Knicks over the salary cap, Smith can't be dealt until Jan. 15, however ESPN reports that the Knicks have already begun exploring trade options.
Smith has improved in the last two games following his fine and benching, but those two games may not be enough to thwart off the frustrations mounting on his head coach and the Knicks organization due to his behavior, and he still may be headed out of town.
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