[外電] Shumpert Is Thrilling the Crowd, and t

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Shumpert Is Thrilling the Crowd, and the Knicks


http://tinyurl.com/6mabt4z
By HOWARD BECK
Published: January 10, 2012


The cheers begin when he rises from the bench, swell in a joyous, raucous
crescendo as he reaches midcourt and explode into an all-out roar when his
toes cross the sideline.

Iman Shumpert can run, shoot, dunk, pass and defend, but he can cause near
euphoria with the simple act of checking into a game at Madison Square
Garden.

“I can hear it,” Shumpert said. “It’s nice.”

Knicks fans have engaged in their share of irrational love affairs in recent
years, falling for undisciplined exuberance (Nate Robinson), unbridled
athleticism (Renaldo Balkman) and plucky overachievement (Landry Fields),
only for their hearts to be crushed.

The adoration for Shumpert, a rookie from Georgia Tech, is real and requited,
the roars reciprocated with a crisp pass, a timely steal, a breakaway dunk.
In just five games, Shumpert has become the Knicks’ best guard, their most
valued energy source and, in effect, their fourth star.

Carmelo Anthony last week called Shumpert “a game-changer,” which seemed
premature until Shumpert rejoined the rotation, forced his way into the
starting lineup and helped spark the Knicks’ first three-game winning
streak.

A knee injury on opening day delayed Shumpert’s impact, and he is still
regaining his strength and stamina. But his value is clear. Since returning
Jan. 4, Shumpert has averaged 13.8 points, 4.3 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.8
steals in 32.5 minutes in four games. He shot 50 percent from the field
during that stretch, including 37.5 from 3-point range.

On a team with little offensive firepower outside of Anthony and Amar’e
Stoudemire, Shumpert is suddenly the Knicks’ third option. His 16-point
effort on Monday helped the Knicks overcome a poor shooting night from their
stars, prompting Anthony to offer this bit of lofty praise: “We’ve been
feeding off of him, feeding off his energy.”

Somewhere in Indianapolis, Donnie Walsh is beaming.

Before being pushed away in a power struggle with Knicks ownership last
spring, Walsh delivered a parting gift that will keep on giving. With the
17th pick in the June draft, he selected Shumpert, who was considered a
wildly intriguing prospect with notable flaws.

Scouts loved Shumpert’s athleticism, his 42-inch vertical leap, his
6-foot-10 wingspan and his devotion to defense. They were less enamored of
his jump shot and his point-guard skills, although at 6-5 and 220 pounds, he
could play either backcourt spot.

As late as last March, Shumpert was pegged as a second-round pick by ESPN’s
draft expert, Chad Ford. By draft night, he was considered a low
first-rounder.

The Knicks could have drafted a rebounder (Kenneth Faried) or a versatile
frontcourt defender (Chris Singleton), but Walsh chose Shumpert, setting off
boos among Knicks fans attending the draft in Newark.

Walsh had a mixed record in four drafts with the Knicks, most notably
striking out in 2009 when he selected Jordan Hill with the eighth pick,
passing on point guards Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holliday, Ty Lawson, Jeff
Teague and Darren Collison.

Hill was a bust, and fans never forgave Walsh for the miscalculation. But no
team drafts perfectly, and Walsh had more hits than misses, taking Danilo
Gallinari sixth over all in 2008 and finding Fields in the second round in
2010.

In Shumpert, Walsh might have drafted redemption. It is very early, but
Shumpert looks like a capable shooter and a skilled playmaker. He had 14
assists in the last three games, second only to Anthony’s 17, and just 7
turnovers.

On Saturday, Coach Mike D’Antoni made Shumpert his starting point guard and
benched the slumping Toney Douglas. The contrast between the two is glaring,
even at a glance. The Knicks are faster, crisper and more energetic when
Shumpert is on the court. He pushes the pace in transition and routinely
finds Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler for alley-oop dunks. At least once a
game, it seems, he has a steal that sparks a fast break.

Shumpert can also break down opponents with dribble penetration, a skill the
Knicks badly needed in the lineup. Against Detroit on Saturday, Shumpert
twice fed Stoudemire for easy dunks after driving into the lane and drawing
in the defense.

“He has a high basketball I.Q.,” Chandler said. “He knows the plays to
make.”

Over the last three games, the Knicks have outscored opponents by 28 points
with Shumpert on the court, placing him behind only Anthony (plus 31) and
Stoudemire (plus 30).

If there is an obvious gap in Shumpert’s game, it is the midrange jumper.
Although he is 6 for 17 from behind the 3-point arc (35.3 percent), Shumpert
has made just 2 of 10 shots from 10 to 23 feet, according to HoopData.com. He
is also a bit trigger-happy at times, pulling up for shots in transition.

As a junior at Georgia Tech, Shumpert shot only 40.6 percent from the field
and 27.8 percent from 3-point range, causing some to criticize his shot
selection and his conscience. Playing alongside Stoudemire and Anthony,
Shumpert said, has fixed the problem.

“I think it’s cleaned up my shot selection,” he said, adding that he was “
a little more calmed down now that I can just throw it to Melo.”

Eventually, Baron Davis will be healthy and take the point-guard role.
Shumpert could shift to shooting guard in place of Fields. Or he could become
the energetic sixth man the Knicks so desperately need.

Fans see a star on the rise. D’Antoni sees a rookie who needs room to grow.

“We just got to go a little slow,” he said. “I know New York’s not great
at that. But we got to go a little slower and make sure that he’s cool and
keeps progressing his game forward.”

Whatever the role, Shumpert is eager to fill it, while 19,763 frantic fans
chant his name: an enduring tribute to the man who drafted him before Garden
politics chased him away.


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◆ From: 59.120.54.76
→ cty:有機會再翻翻看(有請神人XD)~有提到Shumpert選秀狀況~
※ 編輯: cty             來自: 59.120.54.76         (01/11 11:22)
推 TBdrays:真的難得有新秀這麼快就受到歡迎的XD
推 BleuOmbre:紐約球迷就是現實啦，表現好就歡呼，不好就噓 XD 加油!
推 wolfwang:當初選秀現場還一堆人很失望
推 TBdrays:反正尼克選秀眼光其實一直不錯，連老湯也是...