With the situation devolving in Utah, the New York Knicks have emerged as a potential candidate to land Donovan Mitchell this summer. After years of dysfunction, Mitchell would be the first true star to don the Orange and Blue since Carmelo Anthony.
After hearing the latest development on Mitchell, Knicks superfan Stephen A. Smith promptly went off on his team and called out Phil Jackson for not drafting him back in 2017:
“We all know that the great Phil Jackson, 11x champion as coach, should be banned from the city of New York. He should never be allowed in New York again after the atrocity of the New York Knicks organization. This man passed up on Donovan Mitchell to draft Frank Ntilikina!”
Unless you’re new to the NBA, you aren’t surprised by Stephen A’s rant. The Knicks have been an absolute mess over the years and Smith has been very vocal about all of their mistakes:
“The New York Knicks are a national disgrace, ladies and gentlemen. They are horrible. Thibs, we’re hearing the New York Knicks organization ain’t too fond of him anymore, he may be out. I don’t give a damn if he’s gone tonight. Julius Randle, I’m done with him. Leon Rose. We’ve got inmates in state penitentiaries more visible than this man. He’s the president of basketball operations and we can’t find this man. They are trash. No KD, no Kyrie and no Ben Simmons and you lose a 28-point lead courtesy of a rookie by the name of Cam Thomas. The New York Knicks are trash. I’m so done with this team. You just stink. This is a disgrace.”
Needless to say, the Knicks have a lot to consider this offseason. After such an impressive showing last season, they failed to move forward and actually took several steps back as a team during the 2021-22 campaign.
Had the Knicks drafted Mitchell, or Bam, back in 2017, things would likely be way different today. Unfortunately, we’ll just never know.
