Stephen A. Smith is riding an incredible high this week after the New York Knicks landed Mikal Bridges in a stunning trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, following that up by agreeing to a $212.5 million contract to keep OG Anunoby as well.
There are still some decisions to be made to round out the roster, most notably whether they can keep Isaiah Hartenstein in town, but the Knicks certainly look the part of a top contender in the East. The question that will be debated for months is exactly how good New York is and where they fall in the NBA’s hierarchy. What happens over the next few weeks with free agency and trades will go a long way in determining that, but right now there are plenty of folks who see them as the No. 2 team in the East behind the champion Boston Celtics.
Stephen A. is, unsurprisingly, one of them, boasting that they’re a top-5 team in the NBA on First Take with CJ McCollum and Kendrick Perkins. McCollum wasn’t quite so sure of that fact, which led Smith to prod at the Pelicans point guard by stating that if New Orleans had more “rough riders” like the Knicks, they could be in that conversation too.
.@stephenasmith tells @CJMcCollum the Pelicans need more Knicks' "grit" 😅
"If some of your teammates were rough riders, I mean who knows what New Orleans would be." pic.twitter.com/PQcAhKAbAQ
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 27, 2024
It’s pretty clear who, exactly, Stephen A. is talking about, as Zion Williamson has been a frequent target of criticism for not being able to stay on the floor. McCollum does his best to laugh it off (and Kendrick Perkins was genuinely delighted by it), but, similarly to Paul George when Smith made a crack about Kawhi Leonard to him, he was probably not thrilled with Smith going down that road.
