The unsung hero of the week: J.R. Smith

The New York Knicks won two more games this week, as they remain the only undefeated team in the NBA. It's hard to find anything wrong with the Knicks so far. Defense? Good. Offense? Good. Coaching? Good. Chemistry? Good. Carmelo Anthony has transformed into an all-around, multidimensional player. The duo of Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd is thriving in the backcourt. Tyson Chandler's doing what he does best. Ronnie Brewer is giving the team what they hoped for. But this week's under-the-radar player who has thrived is J.R. Smith.

In the first victory this week, over the Philadelphia 76ers, Smith scored 17 points, and added seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. He was 7-for-15 from the floor and made two out of four threes. On Friday, in the resounding win over the Dallas Mavericks, he poured in 22 points, on 8-for-16 shooting, with four steals, a block, a rebound and was a perfect 3-for-3 behind the arc.

After making a fuss in the preseason about not wanting to come off the bench, Smith's played his role as sixth man to perfection, and he hasn't made a peep since the season's started. He's been getting starter's minutes, played defense and hasn't been a chucker, the way's he's been in the past. And he also hasn't tweeted anything that's remotely dumb or stupid. All that makes him the Unsung Hero of the Week.