Iman Shumpert One Of Phil Jacksons Favorite New York Knicks

New York Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson says Iman Shumpert is one of the his favorite players on the roster.

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Talk about a complete reversal for New York Knicks swingman Iman Shumpert.

Not even two months ago there was significant chatter suggesting Shumpert was on the trade block and his tenure with the New York Knicks was all but coming to an end. The team didn’t make any moves to suggest otherwise as they’ve yet to agree on a contract extension and don’t appear to have any intentions of doing so.

However New York Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson says Iman Shumpert is one of his favorite players on the roster.

“Even though Iman Shumpert was in [former Knicks coach] Mike Woodson’s dog house for much of last season, he’s one of my favorites because he’s simply our best on-ball defender at the 2 position and also against the bigger 1s. Once he learns the intricacies of the offense, Iman will be able to create scoring opportunities for his teammates and, unlike last season, he’ll know where his own shots will come from.”

Wait – what?! Iman Shumpert goes from a likely trade candidate to Phil Jackson’s favorite player?

Could it be just another Jedi mind trick on behalf of Phil Jackson as he attempts to build up the trade value of Iman Shumpert or is he actually being honest? At this point it’s difficult to tell though it’s certainly a big change for Shumpert who likely was expecting to change zip codes at any time in the next few months. Now it appears he’s found a home in the Big Apple, assuming Phil Jackson isn’t attempting to pull the wool over the eyes.

New York Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson says Iman Shumpert is one of the his favorite players on the roster.

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