It’s the offseason, and Stephen A. Smith hasn’t stopped talking about the New York Knicks. He’s one of the top Knicks fans in the world, and his passion is admirable. But with such a vast platform, his opinions may be doing more harm than good.
Last week, Stephen A. Smith called for coach Tom Thibodeau, with a Knick coaching record of 125-111, to “step away” from the Knicks. Coach Thibs has two years left on his current coaching contract.
Swinging a heavy bat, Stephen A. Let’s not forget that behind every great coach is a great player. Smith cites “better” coaches than Thibs: Eric Spoelstra, who coached prime LeBron, then Jimmy Butler, all under the guidance of Pat Riley. Tyronn Lue, who also got a ring with coaching prime LeBron, and Steve Kerr, who amassed four rings under the brilliance of Steph Curry.
The thing that makes these coaches further special in their own right is how they stick around and develop the team culture. Spoelstra is probably a better coach right now because he’s been part of an organization for 28 years, under Pat Riley who has also been at the organization for 28 years. That’s what made their coaching unbeatable in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Stephen A. Smith continues to misrepresent Knicks fanbase with bizarre takes
Calling for a mutual parting of Thibs and New York is noxious. It’s calling for a tired, old New York Knick minute, a stint. Culture is everything, and it requires time to ferment. The only way Thibs becomes as highly regarded as those on Stephen A.’s wishlist is to keep him around. At 65 years old, he has enough coaching left in the tank to make a long-term cultural impact, and time to groom his successor. That’s the Knicks culture we’ve all been craving.
Ironically, just a few days later, Stephen A. got on First Take and critiqued Julius Randle for tampering with the media via Paul George’s podcast, saying:
“I just get disgusted when you seem to fight the media more than you fight opponents.”
You want to rip on Randle? There are plenty of basketball-related points to bring up. Even when he said “Maybe they want it more” after a tragic Game 4 loss to the Miami Heat in the playoffs, Randle still can’t impact the Knicks narrative as much as this pundit, a son of New York who ironically loves the Knicks so dearly, Stephen A. Smith.
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