J.R. Smith had knee surgery, will be out 3 to 4 months

Damn.

J.R. Smith had patella tendon surgery & arthroscopy for a tear in the lateral meniscus, of his left knee, at the HSS in NYC.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) July 15, 2013

J.R. Smith's injuries were chronic and gradually worsened. Recovery time is approximately 12-16 weeks.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) July 15, 2013

So, that's TWO knee surgeries. We knew J.R. had chronic knee pain during the season and watched him play terribly down the stretch, so I guess this shouldn't be surprising. And while it would have been much nicer to catch and correct these problems right after the season ended, a three- or even four-month absence would only lose him a few regular season games. Ideally, he'll be back for training camp, but even at the pessimistic end of the prognosis, this shouldn't wreck the Knicks too much. Still a bummer.

Probably time to find another guard in free agency.