Iman Shumpert To Remain with New York Knicks

Melo has publicly urged the Knicks not to trade anyone, specifically Iman Shumpert who has been linked to a number of different rumors (via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com):

Shump, he ain’t going nowhere. He ain’t got to worry about that, Anthony said after reports surfaced Saturday that the Phoenix Suns are interested in trading for Shumpert. I mean, the Knicks shouldn’t even be in trade talks.

He’s a big key. We need him. We need him to get back 100 percent. He’s working, and the minutes he’s been playing (have) been productive for us on defensive end. I don’t know if they limited his minutes or not, but when he’s out there he’s doing what he does best.

As if Anthony’s “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra wasn’t enough, Mike Woodson reiterated that Shumpert wasn’t going to go anywhere while appearing on ESPN Radio 98.7 FM in New York (via Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com):

New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson said reserve guard Iman Shumpert will not be traded before the Feb. 21 deadline.

Woodson made the statement while appearing on ESPN New York 98.7 FM radio on Tuesday. During the show, co-host Stephen A. Smith asked the coach if Shumpert would be in a Knicks uniform after the Feb. 21 trade deadline, and Woodson said, “You got it. I don’t need to say any more.”

Earlier in the week, Carmelo Anthony responded to the Shumpert trade rumors, saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” On Tuesday, Woodson agreed.

Shumpert has been linked to plenty of rumors as of late, none more prominent than the Phoenix Suns reported interest in him.

Though Shumpert is still recovering from a torn ACL, he has proved to be one of the team’s better perimeter defenders as he continues to regain the mobility and explosiveness in his knee. And only last season he proved to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

Admittedly, as the oldest team in the NBA, the prospect of the Knicks moving Shumpert seemed realistic. He’s young and exuberant, everything New York doesn’t stand for. I’m not sure if Jared Dudley would have done the trick (I hope not), but it did seem like a possibility.

After both Melo and Woodson’s latest sentiments, though, it’s become clear that Shumpert isn’t going anywhere. The Knicks are second in the Eastern Conference and aside from some finagling of seldom used reserves, it’s unlikely they make a move at all. And it’s hard to argue against that logic.

New York has had its fair share of struggles and two-way lapses, but they’ve shown glimpses of being a dominant team on both ends of the floor. One of the last things you want to do is disrupt chemistry that is still being established by making a high profile move.

To say this is out of character for the Knicks would be an understatement. They’re always linked to the biggest names and in the past, have made moves seemingly just for the sake of making moves.

But that’s not going to happen this season. Not with the Knicks winning and not under Woodson’s regime.

Oh, and not when Melo is vehemently against it as well.