Shved first burst onto the scene during the 2012 Olympics, when he helped lead Russia to a surprise bronze medal. He spent his first two NBA seasons in Minnesota, gradually losing his spot in the Timberwolves’ rotation and wearing out the patience of the fans. He then played his part (as most players do eventually) in this season’s Sam Hinkie/Daryl Morey shell game, moving from Minnesota to Philadelphia to Houston to New York as various draft picks changed hands.

True to form, the Knicks made their usual show of playing up a marginal deadline acquisition, per the New York Post’s Marc Berman:

“They like big guards that can initiate the offense and play on the wing also,” one person familiar with the Knicks thinking said. “It’s a very low-risk opportunity to try him out and round out the picks previously given up.”

And then … SHVEDSANITY!

For all the mad-cap fun of watching Shved post near-triple-doubles on a nightly basis, including embarrassing elite defenders like Kawhi Leonard:

… and despite the inspired, yet laughable comparisons to Drazen Petrovic:

… the New York faithful kept on guard, peppering Twitter with #DontBeFooled hashtags after every scoring outburst.

Knicks fans, of course, are no strangers to mediocre guards who come out of nowhere to grab the spotlight for a few weeks. In some ways, they have been conditioned to expect such phenomena since the Mike D’Antoni era, when the bastardized, MSG-tainted version of his “Seven Seconds or Less” offense allowed scrub guards to post incredible numbers (see, e.g., franchise single-game assist leader, Chris Duhon).

Only, this isn’t D’Antoniball, my friends; this is the Triangle.

Despite joining the team in late February, Shved has shown a natural talent for Tex Winter’s offense. He can work the two-man game with a big on the weak side, as seen at the 3:09 mark:

… and his height allows him to see over defenders and whip passes out from the strong-side corner (where, coincidentally, the point guard often winds up after initiating the Triangle). Equally important, Shved knows when to abandon the Triangle and run a pick-and-roll, or simply take his man off the dribble.

Both guard positions are relatively interchangeable in the Triangle, and head coach Derek Fisher has given each Knicks guard, past and present, opportunity to run the offense. The original guards — Iman Shumpert, Jose Calderon, J.R. Smith, Shane Larkin, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Pablo Prigioni — had a chance to work with premium scorers like Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire back when the Knicks offense wasn’t quite in shambles.

None of them thrived, or transformed the offense, quite like Shved:

None of this is to say that Shved is not a guy with some pretty dramatic weaknesses. He is a wretched defender, despite the fact that the Knicks actually defended better with him on the court. He hasn’t demonstrated an ability to consistently hit from beyond the arc, despite the fact that he shot 41.5 percent from long-range during his time with CSKA Moscow. He doesn’t finish well at the rim, yet with his knack for getting to the line, he ends up with the same true shooting percentage as Dwyane Wade.

Ultimately, though, when you combine Shved’s surprisingly good stint in Philly and his essentially nonexistent run in Houston this season, he will end his third NBA campaign ranked among the top 20 guards with over 700 minutes of playing time in both PER and win shares per 48 minutes. He has shown a talent for running the Knicks’ offense, albeit with inferior players, and can play both guard positions.

So what, if anything, is all this worth to the Jackson and the Knicks?

New York surely won’t pick up the $4.1 million qualifying offer Shved is due this summer, and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. Depending on the draft, the Knicks’ guard rotation could come down to Calderon, Hardaway and Galloway. The front office, if it’s wise, will make it a priority to sign legitimate two-way guards to front their rotation … of which Shved certainly is not, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a useful cog.

The biggest impediment to bringing Shved back to New York is the presence of Hardaway, yet another defensive zero at the shooting guard position. Simply put, Jackson can’t keep both those guys on the roster. Hardaway, who has another year on his rookie deal and the name recognition to perhaps entice another team, might be a trade chip in the GM’s arsenal, even though his weaknesses have been exposed at the professional level. As far as bottom of the roster players go, Shved’s versatility and play-making (at the right price, of course) might actually present the more optimal option for the Knicks over Hardaway, anyway.

If Hardaway cannot be dealt, that means the Point Czar’s run in New York is likely done. Shved will join the ranks of Jeremy Lin, Toney Douglas, and the littany of other Knicks’ guards who enjoyed their brief moment in the warm MSG sun. His month in New York might pale in comparison to Linsanity, but he left an impression nonetheless. Watching that mopey Cossack run the Triangle like a jazz flutist on speed — dropping miraculous dimes, throwing the occasional pass into the fifth row, and driving the lane with reckless abandon — was fun distraction during a season that will otherwise go down in infamy as the worst in franchise history.