From Marc Berman:
When Dennis Smith Jr. got booed off the court at the Garden in late October, the lone player to go over to him on the bench was Knicks shooting guard Damyean Dotson.
Those are the type of quiet leadership gestures Dotson does that go unnoticed by a Knicks front office now two administrations removed from drafting him. That makes the 25-year-old’s future highly uncertain as he enters free agency.
Dotson did not play in eight of the last nine games, including the double-overtime potential season finale March 11 in Atlanta.
“That seemed the writing on the wall,’’ one NBA scout said of the demotion. “You’d think they’d be still trying to develop him.’’
According to NBA sources, three prominent organizations — the Jazz, Bucks and Warriors — are expected to show some interest in Dotson, who made $1.6 million this season as a “3-and-D’’ prototype.
“He’s got a great work ethic, leadership qualities and toughness,’’ former Knicks coach David Fizdale told The Post this week. “He’s extremely coachable and dedicated teammate. Totally committed to the culture with a consistently good attitude regardless of his minutes.’’
I have no beef with Dotson as a basketball player, but I also don’t think losing him will make that much of an impact. However, if other teams just try to get him for the minimum, the Knicks should probably try to at least beat that.
Also, rather than that Smith Jr. thing being a sign of Dotson being a good leader, isn’t it kind of a bad sign for everyone else on the team? Or is Smith Jr. just a dick and the others all hate him?