"I want the owner gone"- Stephen A. blames Knicks' front office for incapable management, says nothing is worse than New York Knicks except rats, roaches and Cowboys
While the New York Knicks were considered favorites to land guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade, they failed to make a deal with the Utah Jazz. Instead, despite numerous trade talks between the teams, the NBA world was thrown a curveball when Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was another opportunity for the Knicks to land a star that will be considered a "what if" even if the asking price was high. On "First Take," analyst Stephen A. Smith voiced his displeasure with the Knicks for not getting a deal done:
"I want the owner gone. He won't go away. I want Leon Rose to stop hiding from the media and to be accountable and to answer questions and be a leader of the franchise. I can't get him to do it. I mean, I want players to step up and recognize what it supposed to be about when you represent in New York, and they won't do it.
"I just cannot believe that just happened. Then, worse, they got me on national television acknowledging that something is worse than the Cowboys. When I talk about Cowboy fans, I talk about a nuclear bomb dropping and three things: rats, roaches and a Cowboy fan. That's what I say.
"But then, but then somehow, someway, that is still not as bad as the New York Knicks."
New York Knicks move on from Donovan Mitchell rumors
Although Donovan Mitchell was widely expected to end up with the New York Knicks, the idea ended when Cleveland nabbed the Utah Jazz guard instead. The Knicks will now focus their attention on trying to upgrade their roster before the start of the season.
With training camp just around the corner, teams had been waiting to see where Mitchell would end up. Now that the combo guard has been traded, there could be more movement around the league.
"They had everything necessary to get a deal done ... in their last offer they put on the table RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, two unprotected first-round picks but Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz wanted more."
@ShamsCharania reports on Utah taking the Cavs offer over the Knicks. https://t.co/2rKkNpIThl
The Knicks still have plenty of excitement to build on heading into the upcoming season. The team just announced a hefty extension for young wing RJ Barrett, and they recently signed Jalen Brunson in free agency to be the starting point guard.
Barrett, the No. 3 pick in 2019, is a three-year veteran who averaged a career-best 20.0 points per game last season. Brunson, a four-year veteran, averaged career highs in points (16.3), assists (4.8) and minutes (31.9) last season.