SH Blog: J.R. Smith expects championship, Shaquille O’Neal calls out Dwight Howard again

As some of you may know, the site was down on Monday due to GoDaddy issues, but we’re back to fill you in on some relevant NBA news. See what Knicks guard J.R. Smith expects from his team this season, what Dwight Howard has to do to earn the respect of Shaquille O’Neal, what Dwyane Wade thinks of his jump shot and more below.

Speaking of Wade, be sure to check out what he thought when Steve Nash was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and more in Chris Perkins’ column.

• J.R. Smith expects big things from from the Knicks this season, according to Marc Raimondi of New York Post: “The Knicks want a ring and “nothing less,” according to JR Smith. The mercurial guard said as much to NYPost.com at a fashion event this weekend. When asked what fans could expect from the Knicks this season, Smith said frankly, “a championship.” “Nothing less,” Smith said. “If we settle for anything less, we already start off losing.” Smith also called out some of the top contending teams in the NBA in the interview, saying the Knicks will beat any of them. “Lakers, Heat – whoever,” Smith said. The Heat won the title last year and added Ray Allen, while the Lakers have brought in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. As long as the Knicks have Smith, though, they’ll be the league leaders in trash talk and eccentricity.”

• Shaquille O’Neal had a conversation with Rachel Whittaker of The Times-Picayune about Dwight Howard, the rumors of him playing in Mexico and more: “What was your reaction to Dwight Howard being traded to the Lakers? “I don’t have a reaction. You have to care to have a reaction. I’ve got businesses to run. I always tell people that in order to step in my shoes you have big shoes to fill. For him, he’s going to have to at least win three to get people’s respect.” How do you feel about a big center like Howard following your same path to the Lakers following four years with the Magic? “I’m flattered, if you want to put it like that.” Is there any truth to the reports that you’ll be playing games in the Mexican League next month? “No truth to that. It’s kind of unfortunate that so-called experts have to get their sources from the Internet. It’s backwards. Especially like when people from ESPN know me and they can call me and ask me, but somebody else said it so they want to be the first to report it even though it’s not true. However, we could talk, but nobody has contacted me.”

• Michael Jordan has realized his failures and will hand basketball operations over to Rich Cho. Completely. Matt Moore of CBS Sports has details, from ESPN the Mag: “Obviously, I’m a competitor,” Jordan said this summer when asked about the Bobcats’ 7-59 season. “I never want to be in the record books for failure.” But he is. And what’s more, to get off this already unlikely path, there comes word that Jordan has taken the most unexpected turn of all during the past year: In order to win basketball games, Michael Jordan has removed himself from the equation. He’s promised his front office staff that he’ll let them do their jobs without his shadow looming over their war-room marker boards. More unlikely still, he’s handed over the reins of the Bobcats to a next-generation GM, armed with high-level metrics, to do for Charlotte what he helped do for Oklahoma City — and in doing so, salvage Jordan’s flagging basketball reputation. Michael Jordan, whose claim to ownership stems almost solely from his inability to admit defeat as a player, has, if only by his actions, admitted defeat as president. The dinosaur is making himself extinct.”

• Patrick Ewing passed up on the opportunity to coach a D-League team, from Frank Isola of New York Daily News: “Patrick Ewing, who for years has been passed over for coaching positions with the Knicks, recently turned down an opportunity to become head coach of the club’s D-League team, the Daily News has learned. Although Ewing is out of work after he was not retained by Orlando, the ex-Knicks great, who interviewed for the Charlotte Bobcats’ head coach position in June, would prefer to work in the NBA. Ewing has previously worked as an assistant coach with the Wizards, Rockets and Magic but has never been offered a job with the Knicks despite numerous openings over the years. The Knicks currently have a vacancy on their coaching staff but Mike Woodson is expected to hire LaSalle Thompson. It is unclear as to why the Knicks have refused to reach out to Ewing, especially since the club has former Knicks Allan Houston, John Starks, Herb Williams, Larry Johnson and Walt Frazier all under contract.”

• Ricky Rubio may not be ready to play basketball yet, but he can still make a pretty sweet trick shot, sitting down and all.

• Dominic McGuire reached an agreement with a team and coach that embraces his style, from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

Door is open for Isiah Thomas to return to Knicks

Kupchak humble about Lakers

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