Why the Knicks Cannot Rush Iman Shumpert Back

What separates them from the rest of the NBA’s powerhouses? Chemistry, in that others have it, and they don’t.

That’s why this training camp, this pre-season and this regular season are so important, because the Knicks need to ensure that throughout the course of the year, the coaches, and players themselve,s are focusing on the progression of on-court familiarity.

And it all starts with patience, in every possible facet of the game, including Iman Shumpert’s rehabilitation, which according to him (via Twitter), is moving along at an extremely rapid pace.

#shoutout to the Knicks’ first class doctors and training staff…jus heard the best news I’ve heard all summer!!! #post90s #iLoveThisGame

While it’s great news to hear about, well, Shumpert’s mysterious great news, it doesn’t take a genius to surmise that the sophomore guard is ahead of his rehabilitation schedule. And again, that’s great, but the Knicks simply cannot afford to rush him back or read too much into such news, even in their quest to develop team-wide fluidity.

You might think that’s borderline stupid. You might think that Shumpert needs to be on the floor for him to develop an in-game relationship with his teammates, both new and old. And you know what? You might be right.

But here’s the thing, the Knicks can only develop chemistry if all their athletes are actually on the floor, playing in unison. A speedy recovery guarantees that Shumpert would be on the floor sooner, rather than later, but the ramifications of bringing him back even a little too early are far too detrimental to even consider doing so at the moment.

What if Shumpert is cleared to play, and re-injures his ACL because he wasn’t, in fact, fully ready? What if in a desperate attempt to put the best possible product out on the floor, both the Knicks and Shumpert throw caution to the wind? What then?

Nothing good, that’s what.

Shumpert is too important to New York’s future blueprint to warrant bringing him back too early, even if the medical records and experts say otherwise. His suffocating defense, spectacular off-ball anticipation and general energy are too integral a part of the Knicks gameplan for him or them to put his future in any doubt.

Shumpert may be ahead of schedule, and he may be ready to go sooner than anticipated, but even if he is, the Knicks need to cover their bases and their asses.

Because the last thing New York needs is to find itself without it’s best perimeter defender during the heart of the postseason.

Again.