Stephen A. Smith claims to be a die-hard New York Knicks fan, but some are now questioning if that is really true. Following the Knicks’ 122-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Smith made some comments on the Stephen A. Smith Show that raised eyebrows.
“I’m looking at (Quentin) Grimes, he’s looked good,” Smith said. “I’m looking at Isaiah Hartenstein as a reserve giving you activity off the bench, I’m looking at Mitchell Robinson being here back on the court. I’m thinking about this and OG Anunoby is back in the lineup, still favoring that elbow a little bit but he’s back in the lineup… And I’m sorry I didn’t mean Grimes because I know he got traded.”
"I'm looking at Grimes, he's looked good!"
…
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean Grimes…" pic.twitter.com/mig3hhKrmt
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 9, 2024
While Smith corrected himself in the end there, you can hear his producer telling him just before he said it, that Grimes had been traded. This account later showed it as well.
The producer in his ear…"Grimes got traded"…wait for it…🤣 pic.twitter.com/Km8n7VfW6e
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 9, 2024
I have to say this is not a great look for Smith. Grimes had been traded back at the Feb. 8 trade deadline to the Detroit Pistons as part of the package that brought Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to New York. To seemingly not even know about that, considering a couple of months have passed, is not good.
Smith’s comment about Isaiah Hartenstein’s activity off the bench was a peculiar one, too, as the big man has been the starter for the last few months. Hartenstein has started 46 games now this season, including this one against the Bucks, where he had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. With Mitchell Robinson having finally returned from injury, Hartenstein might be headed back to the bench soon, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Knicks Fans Blasted Stephen A. Smith
Smith has never been quite the most popular figure among Knicks fans, so when this video started doing the rounds on social media, they blasted the 56-year-old.
One wanted Smith to stop pretending to support the team.
@stephenasmith just stop being a so called FAN at this point, so cringe dude.
— Dropkick Discussions (@jjoseph___) April 9, 2024
A fan said it seems like Smith has not watched a game since January.
Sounds like he hasn’t watched the Knicks since January
— Dylan Backer (@DylanBackerESM) April 9, 2024
One stated this was more proof that Smith doesn’t actually support the team.
More proof he's not an actual fan.
— I’m Just Here (@PayMeNoMindBro) April 9, 2024
A fan called Smith the ‘fraudest fakest fan.’
Guys a fraud fakest fan lmao hate him so much
— KnickNova (@KnickN0VA) April 9, 2024
One said Smith knows nothing about the team and had his blushes somewhat spared by his producer.
Bro knows nothing anymore bout our team , bro got saved by his teleprompter tellin him he made a mistake 💀
— Chris (@Chrisknickss) April 9, 2024
It’s safe to say that they were not holding back on Smith. The fact that you can hear someone telling him that Grimes had been traded is what makes it so much worse. Maybe he got him mixed up with someone else on the team, but it’s still not a good look. A die-hard Knicks fan certainly wouldn’t make that mistake.
While Knicks fans might be mad at Smith, they certainly aren’t with their team. That win over the Bucks meant they now have a 46-32 record on the season. The Knicks are fourth in the Eastern Conference but are just a game behind the 47-31 Bucks, who are second.
It would be quite the feat if the Knicks do end up as the second seed. They have had some key pieces miss a fair bit of time due to injuries but have still managed to stay afloat.
While Robinson and Anunoby have now returned, Julius Randle will not, as he has been ruled out for the season. That is a significant blow for the Knicks as they head into the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how well they cope without him in the postseason.
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