Finally, some good news for the Knicks. Fourth-year shooting guard Iman Shumpert suffered a dislocated left shoulder on December 12 in a win over the Boston Celtics, and it seemed like he was headed for surgery. Turns out, that won’t be necessary.
From Peter Botte of the New York Daily News:Iman Shumpert called it “music to my ears” that he didn’t need surgery on the dislocated left shoulder he suffered Dec. 12 in Boston.
The Knicks’ starting shooting guard will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks and hopes to be back soon thereafter.
“Yeah, definitely. I wanted to get back on the court as soon as possible. But it’s a healing process,” Shumpert said before Saturday’s 99-90 loss to Phoenix. “It’s a lot better now that it’s back in place. I don’t need any medication or anything for it, just ice.
“It’s not like it’s hurting me walking. I don’t have to use a sling. It’s just all about strengthening the muscle so that it doesn’t pop out again when I return back… They gotta look at it and say that everything is healed up when I go out there and practice and I’m comfortable with getting hit when I get out there.”Getting Shumpert back sooner than expected is great for the Knicks. He’s their best perimeter defender, and they need the help at that end badly. They have the fourth-worst defense in the league, giving up 107.6 points per 100 possessions. Shumpert is having his best season offensively, shooting a career-high 40.9 percent from the field and averaging 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Those aren’t amazing numbers by any means, but considering what the Knicks have when he’s out, it’s an upgrade. And at 5-24, they need all the extra help they can get.