Fans of the New York Knicks might have been disappointed, shocked, or maybe even just indifferent at Stephen A. Smith's latest bit of commentary regarding the 45-25 squad. He blamed Jalen Brunson for the Knicks' blockbuster Mikal Bridges deal, saying that it only happened because the point guard took a pay cut so the Knicks could "get his boy" in his former Villanova teammate.
SNY reporter Ian Begley shut the entire notion down with one simple tweet, saying that faulting Brunson for helping the Knicks extend Bridges was missing the forest for the trees.
Begley advises against Smith's Brunson-blaming
Smith clarified that he credited Brunson for his sacrifice, which the guard has told reporters he hopes is rewarded when he signs his next deal with the team. But he never actually separated the pay cut from the trade for Bridges, leaving Brunson shouldering the blame for the move that Smith said will stop the Knicks from winning it all.
It's one thing to criticize the Knicks for potentially "losing" the trade for Bridges, who hasn't lived up to the high expectations set for him by the five first-round picks the organization dealt to the crosstown Brooklyn Nets. But Begley seemed to think, in his response, that disparaging Brunson for the pay cut on his contract extension was misguided, at best.
"There will be a lot of blame to go around if this Knicks team doesn’t reach expectations. Knocking Jalen Brunson for taking less money because it helped Knicks sign a player they acquired for five first round picks for is not somewhere I’d go," the insider wrote on his Twitter page.
Knicks' high expectations don't just apply to their players
The mention by Begley of the Knicks, and their front office, trading five first-round picks for Bridges was purposeful. While Smith blamed the team's captain for the deal, Begley shifted attention back towards the organization's braintrust – the people who actually made the decision.
The story of Bridges' Knicks tenure is far from over, despite fans' valid frustrations thus far, and it's on the players to execute at a high level. For the most part, Bridges has been the guy the Knicks traded for.
Begley acknowledged that many will be forced to down slices of blame pie if New York doesn't win a ring. He even turned attention towards the offseason coaching change in a reply to his original post. That makes it extra difficult to disagree with the writer's ultimate argument: that it makes little to no sense to serve Brunson the entire thing.