In an interview with ESPNNewYork.com this weekend, Smith said he thinks that the Knicks, on paper, have the talent to win a championship, something the franchise hasn’t done in 40 years.
“Right now with the talent we have, what it says on paper is championship all day. But it’s a matter of us going out there and doing it,” Smith said after appearing at an event in Harlem at Nike’s House of Hoops to promote/give away some Nike sneakers to children.
Smith says he goes into every season with a “championship or bust” mentality.
But that’s particularly true this season.
Smith believes the moves the Knicks made in the offseason give them enough talent to “compete with anybody.”
“It’s just a matter of us being smart with our talents and making the right plays,” Smith said.
New York Knickerbockers Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Chris Smith to a contract.
Smith, 6-2, 195 pounds, played two years at Louisville University to average 9.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 27.5 minutes in 40 games (38 starts), helping lead the Cardinals to reach the NCAA Final Four during his senior season in 2011-12.
The Millstone, N.J native represented the Knicks entry at the 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and is the younger brother of Knicks guard J.R. Smith.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, “J.R. is close with his brother, paid for Chris’s college at Louisville after he agreed to have the program take away his scholarship in order to recruit more players. Chris Smith has J.R.’s knack for offbeat tweets as yesterday he posted a photo of him signing a document by GM Glen Grunwald’s side. The Knicks have three point guards on the roster in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.”
Yao Ming doesn’t give many interviews anymore, but he stopped long enough yesterday as he entered the Olympic Park’s basketball arena to give a thumbs up to Jeremy Lin leaving the Knicks and joining his former club, the Rockets.
The 7-foot-6 Yao is doing Olympic commentary for Chinese TV and worked Spain’s 97-81 victory over China. When asked what he thought of Lin joining the Rockets, Yao told The Post, “It will be good for both of them, Jeremy and Houston.’’
Yao declined further comment, saying he is here for the Olympics.
Many believe Brewer will start at shooting guard ahead of J.R. Smith, who is more suited for a bench role. But Brewer was noncommittal when asked about his role on Thursday.
He said he’ll do whatever Woodson needs him to do.
Brewer prides himself on being a ‘hustle player’ and a lockdown perimeter defender — two aspects of the game that the Knicks need while Iman Shumpert works his way back from a knee injury.
“A lot of people want to play defense but some people just don’t have the ability to do it,” the 6-7 veteran said. “… I take pride in defense and, in my opinion, I think defense wins championships.”
Five people were shot on a Harlem basketball court Wednesday night during an annual basketball tournament, officials and witnesses said.
Gunfire erupted around 10 p.m. at the Holcombe Rucker Park court on Frederick Douglass Boulevard near W. 155th St. after a dispute during a game for the Entertainers Basketball Classic, witnesses said.
“They started arguing, about a bad call or something like that,” said Rodney Harris, 47. “The guy was standing no more than five feet away from me. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot once. He then shot one more time. Everyone started running.”
“He was real close to me,” Harris said. “I thought I got shot.”
Nate Robinson, a former point guard for the Knicks, was at the game but escaped unscathed, witnesses said.
The NYPD conducts an investigation after a shooting occurred during a basketball tournament at Rucker Park on Wednesday.
Five people were shot last night at a basketball game at Harlem’s famed Rucker Park where ex-Knicks guard Nate Robinson was among those scrambling for safety during the chaos, authorities and witnesses said.
The mayhem broke loose just before 11 p.m. at the courts on West 155th Street and Eighth Avenue during the annual Entertainers Basketball Classic, which has featured numerous NBA superstars.
“All of a sudden the game stopped because an argument broke out in the stands,” said witness Rodney Harris Jr., 47, who was five feet from the melee.
The New York Knicks today added some defensive guard depth.
Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced that the team has signed free agent guard Ronnie Brewer to a contract.
Brewer, 6-7, 227-pounds, holds career averages of 9.0 points, on 50.1-percent shooting, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.37 steals over 25.2 minutes in 418 games (267 starts) over six seasons with Utah, Memphis and Chicago. He appeared in 66 games (43 starts) for Chicago in 2011-12, averaging 6.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.09 steals over 24.8 minutes. The Fayetteville, AR-native was originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (14th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft following his junior season at the University of Arkansas.
New York Knickerbockers Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Pablo Prigioni.
Prigioni, 6-3, 180-pounds, is a veteran of the Argentine and Spanish leagues, having played professionally since 1995. The 35-year-old has played for Ramallo (1995-96), Belgrano (1996-98) and Obras Sanitarias (1998-99) of the Argentine League and for Fuenlabrada (1999-01), Alicante (2001-03), Caja Laboral (2003-09, 2011) and Real Madrid (2009-11) of the Spanish ACB and LEB Leagues. He won the Spanish National Championship in 2007-08, the King’s Cup three times (2004, 06, 09) and Spanish Super Cup three times (2005, 06, 08) and is also a two-time All-Euroleague second team selection (2006, 07).
In addition, Prigioni is a key member of the Argentinean National team, winning the gold medal at the 2011 Americas Championship, the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the bronze medal at the 2009 Americas Championship. He represented his country in the 2006 and 2010 World Championships and is scheduled to play in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.
Count Kris Humphries among those looking forward to a true Knicks-Nets rivalry now that the Nets are moving to Brooklyn.
“I’m excited for it,” Humphries said Friday at a press conference announcing his re-signing with the Nets. “I think it’s always great playing in there, and now when they come over to us, we’re gonna have a lot of our support over there, too. It’s exciting … it’s the Garden. Anytime you’re in the Garden for whatever you’re doing, it’s so much history, the fans are passionate in New York, and we hope to have the same passion in our building, and excitement.
“It should be good.”
Humphries got a good taste of the passion of the Knicks crowd last season, when he was showered with boos each time he touched the ball in his three appearances there last season following his brief marriage to reality television star Kim Kardashian.
Since leaving (New York), Felton hasn’t been the same. After finishing the 2011 season with Denver, he was dealt again before last season to Portland, where he slumped to a career-low 11.4 points to go along with 6.5 assists and admitted showing up to camp out of shape.
“I wasn’t at the weight I normally [am],” Felton said. “I am the first one to say, ‘I wasn’t in shape.’ I don’t make no excuses, I don’t blame anyone else.
“I am hearing from everybody, ‘He wasn’t in shape last year.’ I played in the league seven years, about to be eight, came in out of shape one year and that’s all everybody wants to talk about. … I look forward to this year and shutting up everybody’s mouth.”
Lin, a 23-year-old undrafted point guard out of Harvard, became a Rocket again when the New York Knicks decided not to match Houston’s three-year, $25 million offer.
“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” Lin said. “Just a lot of things I didn’t expect to happen, in terms of just the way last season went. I still have to kind of remind myself that this is all actually happening, sometimes. But it’s a huge blessing. I can’t believe how it all shaped up, and for me to be here right now. I’m definitely excited and thankful.”
Lin said he expected to be re-signed by the Knicks after he electrified the Big Apple last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury. Shortly after the Knicks officially declined to match, Lin was quoted on SI.com as saying, “Honestly, I preferred New York.”
Lin said the question he answered was set in the context of before the start of the free agency period.
