The trash-talking shooting guard was at a Manhattan fashion event this weekend and — when asked by a reporter from NYPost.com what fans could expect from the Knicks this season — gave a simple answer, "a championship."
Nothing less," he added. "If we settle for anything less, we already start off losing."
Asked if it was a guarantee, the former New Jersey high school star drafted straight into the NBA replied, "In my eyes, yeah. Whoever ... Lakers, Heat ... whoever."
Such a positive attitude and confidence from the sometimes trouble-plagued Smith is a good sign for the Knicks who look to build on last year's first trip to the playoffs in over a decade by adding Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and Raymond Felton to the super duo of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. Newly signed free-agent Ronnie Brewer will be sidelined with a knee injury for up to six weeks, so Smith might become even more important. Smith agreed to a two-year contract with the Knicks in July.
Smith sounded confident that the Knicks can compete with any of the NBA's elite teams — including the champion Heat, who signed Ray Allen, and the Lakers who added Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to an already strong lineup.
The 27-year old Smith's bold prediction is not so far-fetched. Anthony just led the U.S. Olympic squad to gold at the 2012 London Games and Stoudemire has been working out with former Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon. So the Knicks are loaded themselves.
A good omen for the Knicks is that a happy JR Smith in the mix can only bode well for the team.
r u sure J.R?
ReplyDeleteTypical J.R.
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