WEST POINT — Knicks rookie small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas has an intriguing nickname from his friends back in Lithuania. While Phil Jackson has branded him “Kuz,’’ his buddies have a niftier one.
“It’s ‘Cheese,’ ’’ Kuzminskas told The Post after practice this week. “I’m smiling all the time almost. When you take a picture, you say ‘Cheese.’ That’s my nickname.’’
Kuzminskas, 26, has plenty to smile about now. Undrafted in 2011, the 6-foot-8 Lithuanian Olympian signed a three-year contract with the Knicks in July starting at the $2.8 million cap-room exception. His introductory trip to New York came in July to sign the pact before he rejoined the Olympic team.