SH Blog: Bryant has full medical clearance to play, Howard and Parsons says Asik has to be professional

Last week, it was rumored that the Knicks tried to offer Shumpert in an attempt to acquire Kenneth Faried from the Denver Nuggets. This time, they tried to target Rajon Rondo, from Frank Isola of Daily News:

The Knicks’ primary target is Rondo, Boston’s All-Star point guard who is recovering from knee surgery. The Knicks have been trying to trade Shumpert, Raymond Felton and Stoudemire in a complicated deal for Rondo but the Celtics haven’t shown much interest.
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The general feeling around the league is that Shumpert will be traded sooner than later, especially with Smith now starting and the Knicks looking to develop first-round pick Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks are off to a 3-6 start and Dolan is growing more impatient by the hour.

It’s no secret that the Knicks want to deal Stoudemire, whose bloated contract doesn’t expire until after next season. Felton’s value has never been lower, with the point guard underperforming this season. Felton has been playing with a hamstring injury.

It may have been easier to move Shumpert had it not been reported that the guard had a secret procedure over the summer on his left knee (what is it with the Knicks and secret procedures?):

Iman Shumpert had a second left knee operation over the summer, the Daily News has learned, and it is unclear if the unreported surgery could affect his trade value — with the desperate Knicks trying to package Shumpert in a number of proposed deals, including one for Boston’s Rajon Rondo.

According to a source, Shumpert had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last July that the Knicks never reported. In September, the Daily News reported that Amar’e Stoudemire had knee surgery over the summer, which the Knicks also elected not to make public.

ROCKETS TEAMMATES REACT TO OMER ASIK’S RETURN:

Asik has made no secret of his desire to be traded after being benched last week. For the time being, though, the center has changed his tune and will be available for the team’s next contest. His teammates Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin all chimed in on the situation, from Jason Friedman of Rockets.com:

Howard: “He apologized for it and we have to move on. We can’t dwell on it. We can’t make it an issue. Like I said, we have to love him at the point where he is now and keep on loving him. It’s a tough situation and we all have to be understanding and empathize with him and keep moving forward.”

“We all have to be professional, go out here and practice hard, compete against each other and then go into the game and do what we have to do. We have a whole city that is behind us so we can’t let small things affect us. We all have to sacrifice something.

Lin: ““Our job is to support him. No one can really know what he’s going through against him. It’s easy to be on the outside and just make statements or come to conclusions, but our job is to support him as much as we can, talk to him and try to keep his spirits up.”

Parsons: “I’m not (just) his teammate, I’m his friend so I’m talking to him and telling him that we need him and want him. I understand where he’s coming from but at the end of the day, be a professional, come to work every day and handle your business.

Looking for Rockets tickets? Look no further.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

J.R. Smith deflected blame away from Mike Woodson for their troubling start to the season, from Ian Begley of ESPN NY:

J.R. Smith on the criticism of #Knicks coach Mike Woodson: “He can’t play. I don’t know why they would put blame on him.”

UGLY PLAYS:

• Stephen Curry was putting the finishing touches on a blowout game against the Utah Jazz on Monday until getting his head accidentally stomped to the floor by a falling Marvin Williams, via WarriorsWorld.

• Tony Allen was automatically ejected for kicking Chris Paul in the face:

OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE:

• Dion Waiters denied the notion that he was involved in a fight with Kyrie Irving, from Tom Withers of The AP: “Cavaliers starting guard Dion Waiters returned to practice and denied reports he was involved in a fight during a players’ meeting. Waiters, who missed the past two games with flu-like symptoms, said Monday that he did not get into a physical confrontation with anyone last week when the Cavaliers had a meeting following a 29-point road loss in Minnesota. Reports of a possible altercation surfaced over the weekend. They were fueled by Waiters’ absence from games against Charlotte and Washington as well as All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving’s black eye and broken nose. Waiters said the Cavs ”got everything off our chests” during the meeting. He said he’d rather ”fight somebody else on the other team than one of my teammates.”

• Tobias Harris may be due back soon, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Just talked to #Magic F Tobias Harris, who is excited about testing his ankle today in practice. Still no firm timetable on return… #Magic Tobias Harris:”It will be good to get out there & see how I feel.We can see how the ankle reacts & I can take my time & get in shape”… #Magic have 2 days off before/after playing #Heat Should allow them to incorporate Glen Davis & Tobias in practice. No firm return dates.

James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.