Shved's recovery act
NEW YORK (NBA/EuroBasket 2015) - It wouldn't be wrong to suggest that Alexey Shved's NBA career hung in the balance when the Houston Rockets sent him to the New York Knicks before the trade deadline on 19
NEW YORK (NBA/EuroBasket 2015) - It wouldn't be wrong to suggest that Alexey Shved's NBA career hung in the balance when the Houston Rockets sent him to the New York Knicks before the trade deadline on 19 February.
Getting sparse minutes with the Philadelphia 76ers in the early part of the season and then virtually none at all with Houston following his move to the Texas club in December, there was plenty of speculation that Shved would return to European basketball for the 2015-16 campaign.
But when the Rockets traded the Russia international to the struggling New York Knicks, the 26-year-old caught a break.
The Knicks, because of injuries and the departure of Pablo Prigioni to Houston in the deal to acquire Shved, needed a point guard.
Shved not only ended up averaging double digits in minutes with the Knicks, but also points.
He got a chance to perform in an offense that allowed him to show off the skills and talent that got him to the league in the first place.
http://t.co/tOoOR5lUfg - Alexey Shved Proved to Be Surprising Blueprint for New York Knicks' Point Guard: http://t.co/3uMNXf2BU5
— New York Knicks (@BR_NYKnicks) March 31, 2015
A former CSKA Moscow guard and bronze medal winner with Russia at the 2012 Olympics, Shved averaged 16.6 points over a 12-game stretch in March, before a rib injury suffered two weeks ago brought a premature end to his season.
He had probably done enough by that point to ensure he would remain an NBA player, with coach Derek Fisher admitting last month to the New York Post that he an appreciation for what the Russian guard could do for the Knicks.
"His skill-set allows him to make plays," Fisher said.
"He can handle the basketball, shoot the ball, his size gets him to spots on the floor where other guys can't, and he's pretty confident, too.
Even though he's kind of unassuming, he's a confident player - Fisher
"Free-throws are not something you can draw up or create.
"As players evolve, they learn to play a game that’s aggressive and attacking.
"Alexey can do that."
Shved admitted to the New York media not long after his move that joining the struggling Knicks was a breath of fresh air for him.
"Yeah, I'm feeling good here," he said.
"It's a different offense, not like everywhere.
"There's no pick-and-rolls, just passing and cutting. I feel comfortable here."
If Knicks fans had long before grown frustrated with all things related to the team and the numerous losses that were piling up this season, Shved saw an opportunity after he arrived in the Big Apple.
He embraced not only the chance to play, but to do so in an offense that helped make Knicks president Phil Jackson's Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers teams so tough.
While Jackson is in the front office, it's his tactics that one of his former players, Fisher, employs as Knicks coach.
"How many championships won with this triangle with Phil Jackson?" Shved said.
"We are old guys, professional players. We play what coach [Derek Fisher] wants.
"If coach wants to play triangle, everybody should like it.
"I don't have any problems.
"I see this as a great opportunity to take my minutes.
"I'm happy to be here right now."
The Irresistible Rise of Alexey Shved. #KnicksTape http://t.co/8mx0rdANCF pic.twitter.com/Fqxu42mzfz
— VICE Sports (@VICESports) March 29, 2015
As recently as 11 February, when Shved was still a Rocket and his NBA future looked bleak, FIBA.com spoke to one of the guards biggest supporters back in Russia, Lokomotiv Kuban coach Sergey Bazarevich.
"Shved is an NBA player," Bazarevich said, "if someone tells him exactly what to do on the floor.
"He is better with the ball than 80 per cent of the players in the NBA.
"But he just needs to find the right situation."
That right situation materialized when Shved went to New York before the trade deadline.
Shved must now play the waiting game because of his impending free agent status.
There is a good bet that the Knicks will re-sign him and give him an opportunity to pick up where he left off on 22 March.
Russia coach Evgeny Pashutin will no doubt be counting on Shved to lead the team at EuroBasket 2015, where the team will attempt to reach the Final and book a place at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, or at bare minimum finish third, fourth or fifth to clinch a place in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Shved was a vital part of the Russia team that made it through the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Once at the London Games, Shved was crucial as Russia made it to podium with a Bronze Medal Game triumph over Argentina in which he scored 25 points, to go with 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
FIBA