Stephen A. Smith is giving the New York Knicks' draft night endeavors an “F.”
The ESPN analyst and Knicks fan/critic used post-NBA Draft discussions on Friday's edition of "First Take" to lambast the team for the perceived inactivity in Brooklyn. In apparent efforts to clear cap space and add draft capital for a potential run at a superstar, the Knicks traded the 11th overall selection (Ousmane Dieng) to the Oklahoma City before gaining 13th choice Jalen Duren from Charlotte, only to flip him to Detroit with veteran Kemba Walker.
The yields from elsewhere have produced a situation where the Knicks have 22 picks over the next seven defeats, a stat highlighted by Knicks president Leon Rose in his first public comments on the affair on Friday. It's highly unlikely that all of them will be kept, as New York has made no secrets about its interest in stars from abroad.
That's enough to avoid the wrath of Smith, however.
"The New York Knicks are a disaster. I'm not happy at all," Smith tells fellow analyst Kendrick Perkins. He refuses to call for a boycott, much to the former Boston Celtic's amusement, but don't expect to see him at any Knicks games next season.
"I'm not going to go to (Madison Square Garden) next year. I won't go one game," Smith declares. "I'm so disgusted with them. They're not doing this to me anymore. I'm sick and tired of this nonsense ... this is for my own health and my own sanity. I'm done."
Smith turns to the NFL for his most damning words toward the Knicks, declaring them to be "worse than the Dallas Cowboys.”
Dallas, similarly to the Knicks, has coasted upon a proud history that garners widespread attention and publicity, but success to back that prestige up has been limited in recent years. The Cowboys have likewise been a frequent target of Smith's animated rants on "First Take" and other ESPN programs over the years.
New York wound up using one of its two scheduled picks on Thursday night, drafting Trevor Keels of Duke with the 42nd overall selection.
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