"I like Novak a lot... but the idea that he's a small forward needs to stop. he's a 4. and he can only kind of defend other fours. asking him to guard a three is a recipe for disaster."
I disagree with you on this quote. Clearly his height makes it easier to get off shots at small forward, particularly when he is open, after being fed by Jeremy Lin. Currently I would think Novak and Walker are competing for small forward minutes. Walker's defensive prowess doesn't seem to give the Knicks a strong advantage over the defense that Novak plays. On the offensive side, I do think Novak's prowess shooting open shots, makes Novak more valuable than Walker at small forward. On the other hand, I wouldn't give Novak regular small forward minutes ahead of Shumpert, because Shumpert can really defend even at small forward.
When Baron Davis is able to get on the floor along with Lin, Shumpert probably plays back up shooting guard, and backup small forward minutes.