Iman Shumpert, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in April of 2012, also had a procedure this summer, according to the New York Daily News.

Shumpert had arthroscopic surgery performed on his left knee in July, the same knee he originally injured, the Daily News reports. The Knicks didn't share this information with the media.

Shumpert came back from his injury in January of 2013, but experienced knee pain after his return. That pain must have served as the impetus for Shumpert's latest surgery.

As the Daily News noted, Knicks coach Mike Woodson once mentioned that Shumpert battled injuries over the summer, but his explanation didn't expand beyond that.

The headline that has gained the most attention out of this revelation pertains to Shumpert's trade value. The Knicks have worked to put together a package to haul in Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, the Daily News reports.

The newspaper previously reported that New York looked into a deal centered around Shumpert and Kenneth Faried, a measure that would address the Knicks' frontcourt woes. Other rumors include Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson.

Rondo, who also suffered a torn ACL last season, has been the subject of trade rumors for more than a year, but Boston has always maintained that it had no interest in moving him.


AMARE FRUSTRATED


Stoudemire has been pulled in and out of games as a precaution as he returns from an offseason knee procedure.

For Stoudemire, that means a minutes restriction of 10 minutes, which is tolled out in two five-minute bursts. That can make it hard to get a rhythm or maintain steady production.

But with that restriction also comes the perception that Stoudemire isn't capable of doing more, and he is well aware that it doesn't reflect well on his game.

"It's making me look like my game is gone or that I don't have game anymore because when you play five minutes, it's just tough to really get in a rhythm," Stoudemire told ESPNNewYork.com Saturday.

Because of his sore knees, Stoudemire has played in six of the Knicks' nine games and missed each of their back-to-back sets.

"It's tough to play five minutes and expect to be great in five minutes. It's almost impossible," Stoudemire said. "By the time you get up and down and get adjusted to the speed of the game, it's already three minutes, and then in two minutes you're out of there. And if you miss a shot, it feels (like) the world is collapsing on you because you're expected to do so much and somewhat win the game in five minutes and it's tough. It's hard to deal with."

The honesty is refreshing, but Stoudemire's comments come from a place of frustration. The Knicks are not playing well, and he wants to help. They're 3-6 and struggling to defend or hit 3-pointers. New York has never been a great defending team, but that's been exacerbated by the absence of Tyson Chandler. And, in the past, their shooting helped make up for defensive shortcomings. Without either element, though, they're bound to hit roadblocks.


PLAYER LOYALTY


J.R. Smith didn't like what the Pistons' Brandon Jenning had to say about his brother Chris Smith's spot on the Knicks roster, but he wasn't suprised by the remarks.

Jennings took to Twitter and bluntly asked how it was possible for Chris Smith to maintain an NBA roster spot, and J.R. Smith immediately took exception. What followed were a number of tweets from J.R. Smith, who would eventually be fined $25,000 for threatening Jennings.

Reporters asked J.R. Smith if Jennings' statement broke a code between players, and Smith said there was no code to break.

"There's no loyalty in this game, so there is no loyalty player to player," J.R. Smith told ESPNNewYorkl.com Saturday. "There's no loyalty between anything in this game. I don't really expect that it should be like that, but it isn't."

J.R. Smith has gotten in trouble because of Twitter before. Previously, he was fined $25,000 for posting a semi-nude picture of a woman to his Twitter account.

Woodson has dealt with a number of issues involving J.R. Smith, from his one-game suspension for elbowing Jason Terry in the postseason to his five-game absence for violating the league anti-drug policy. Woodson thinks it's about time for J.R. Smith to cut out the antics.

"He's just got to clean up," Woodson said. "You know that, and I do. He's got to let things roll off, let it go, and just concentrate on playing basketball."

Woodson doesn't plan to impose a social media ban for any of his players.

"There's nothing I can do about that," Woodson said. "I can't take that away from him, none of the players; I don't have the right to do that."

And J.R. Smith doesn't plan on leaving social media.

"No, I'm not going to do that," he said. "I just have to be better at policing myself. (Woodson) sent the right message. It's just a matter of me doing the right thing."

Contributor: DeAntae Prince