“I Am A Bigger Star Than Most Of The New York Knicks!”: Stephen A Smith Goes Off On His Team’s Inability To Attract Superstars

After going 5 7 over their last 12 games, the made a trade to acquire forward OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors for RJ Barrett, Emmanuel Quickley, and a second round pick. Anunoby is a shrewd pickup, and he had a promising debut, scoring 17 points and six rebounds in an impressive 112 106 win for the Knicks over the .

But he’s not a player who would turn the tide of a franchise, due to which lifelong Knicks fan is frustrated with the team’s failure to land a marquee talent. Advertisement In the pre game show prior to the Knicks’ contest against the , Smith reiterated his vexation at the team’s failure to land a superstar.

He said: Advertisement Smith argued that the superstars from every facet of entertainment visit Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks in action. But the team never has a superstar player. He went on to suggest that he is more famous than any current Knicks player: Smith may have a point. The Knicks haven’t made any big trades or deep playoff runs to write home about in the last ten years.

Really, it’s only when Stephen A is ranting about the team that they seem to appear on national television. Since ‘s exit from the franchise in 2000, the Knicks have had a dearth of big name talents playing for the franchise. remains their biggest acquisition of the 21st century. The Knicks landed the former All Star in a trade in January 2011, after which he went on to lead them to the playoffs in his first three seasons with the franchise.

However, the furthest they went with him on the roster was the second round, with the Knicks only winning one playoff series in Anthony’s seven seasons with the franchise. Advertisement The Knicks didn’t do too well in free agency. Their biggest free agent signings of the 21st century are Amar’e Stoudemire, and .

Stoudemire’s five year stint with the Knicks was marred with injuries, and he never hit the heights from his Phoenix Suns days, during his time in New York, and the other two have never been bonafide superstars either. The Knicks are a big market team and a historic franchise, however, they’ve acted like neither in the 21st century.

The Knicks’ free agency whiffs The New York Knicks have failed to land any massive free agent over the last 15 years, but it’s not due to a lack of trying. In 2010, they were ‘ first choice when he decided to leave the . However, the team failed to impress him during their meeting. Per Bill Simmons: Loading embed instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CCBuhrJjLt_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading James joined the and won two NBA titles in four seasons with the franchise.

The 2019 free agency was the wildest in NBA history. The amount of talent available was unfathomable. , , , , and were looking for new homes. The Knicks had their sights set on landing Durant and Irving. The superstar duo did team up only to sign together with the Knicks’ crosstown rivals, the . In 2022, Irving admitted the Knicks could’ve landed the duo, saying: “[The Knicks] had a good chance at getting us back in free agency.

But we just felt like we wanted to build here and just make our mark on this franchise.” Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1511902828213772294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The Knicks’ other option in the 2019 free agency was signing Kemba Walker, a New York native who hinted at being open to playing for the franchise.

In an interview in 2018, he said: “Every time I come home, ‘When you coming home to the Knicks?’ That’s all I get now. So I don’t know. MSG is a special place. The Knicks are a special team. Of course, I was a Knicks fan growing up. Always rooted for the home team.” The Knicks whiffed on landing Walker, too.

He signed with the , rubbing more salt in New York’s wounds. Their only huge free agent acquisition was Julius Randle, who is still with the franchise. The Knicks’ geographical location and history should ideally give them a significant advantage in landing free agents. The have used similar benefits to devastating effect since free agency became a thing in 1988.

However, the Knicks, bafflingly, continue to fail in bringing superstars to the Big Apple. Stephen A. Smith’s claim about being the most famous person associated with the Knicks in 2023 may be outlandish. But it’s also likely correct. Advertisement.