Ray Williams — NBA star who lost it all — dead at 58

Former NBA star Ray Williams passed away today at Manhattan's Sloan-Kettering Hospital after a long battle with colon cancer.  The former New York Knicks guard, who had fallen on unbelievably hard times, was 58 when he died, reports the New York Post.

Williams' harrowing rags-to-riches-to-rags story is a cautionary tale for all athletes or anyone who thinks they have got it all.  The Mount Vernon, N.Y. playground legend was a first-round NBA draft pick out of Minnesota in 1977 and played 10 seasons with six teams over his career and went to the NBA finals with the Larry Bird-led Celtics in 1985.

Doctors affiliated with a New Jersey medical group that offers health care to indigent athletes discovered a tumor in his colon during a routine colonoscopy.  At the time, Williams was homeless and living in a 1992 Buick.

Former Knicks guard Ray Williams, who was brought to NYC for his final days by the Knicks, has passed away according to the team.
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) March 22, 2013

The gritty guard — fondly known as "Sugar Ray" — retired in 1987 and blew the $2 million he had earned throughout his career but always insisted he never fell prey to drugs, alcohol or gambling. In 1994 he filed for bankruptcy and a $200,000 grant he received from the NBA Legends Foundation was lost in a real estate scam.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson — who played one season with Williams — recently visited his ailing friend.

“He was awesome,'' Woodson told The Post recently. "Physical. Tough. Knew how to play. He was a prototype combo guard because he can play 1, he could play 2 and could guard the 3 because he was so physical. To see him in the hospital like that you don’t wish that on anyone. That’s why we should be fortunate we can walk around and laugh.''

Williams, who played at Minnesota, averaged 16.4 points for the Knicks. He was a backcourt mate of Micheal Ray Richardson.

"We talked about fond memories,'' Woodson said. "We have a lot of fond memories. We laughed about a lot of things. It was kind of nice.''

In the late '70's and early '80's Williams did two stints with both the Knicks and the New Jersey Nets and was a shining star in the New York area.

It's sad to think about how hard and fast that star fell.

Hornets exec allegedly caught carrying gun onto plane at Newark Airport

An NBA executive was arrested after allegedly trying to carry a handgun onto a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend, according to NJ.com.

Joshua Richardson, vice president of event presentation and broadcasting for the New Orleans Hornets, was trying to fly back to Louisiana on Friday when Transportation Security Administration agents found a .38-caliber handgun in his bag.

Richardson claimed he accidentally left the gun in his wife's bag by mistake, the report said,  but TSA agents only noticed it on the return flight when it almost slipped through security again.  That means the gun wasn't detected on the first flight from New Orleans to Newark.

This incident comes a day after an off-duty Florida firefighter was able to bring a handgun onto a flight from Orlando to Newark.  The woman discovered the gun only after she cleared TSA checkpoints in Orlando and reported it to Newark authorities.

Richardson said the gun was legally registered to his wife.  The Hornets VP was charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon, the report said.  The TSA said it will conduct a full investigation.

It's hard to blame the Newark agents for their oversights.  Even the city lost a whole NBA team this fall.

Brooklyn Nets surprise Deron Williams with giant Happy Birthday card

The Brooklyn Nets literally drove out of their way to convince free-agent-to-be Deron Williams to stay with the team— after it crosses the Hudson and East Rivers next season— by trucking over a giant Happy Birthday card and parking it outside his Manhattan apartment building.

It might be nice to show their All-Star point guard he is wanted in Brooklyn but— with Williams only a week from becoming a free agent— it reeks of desperation.

The Nets surprised Williams— who turned 28 on Tuesday— and his family by parking a flat-bed truck with a 8'x 16' mobile billboard outside the player's Soho home.  The truck was scheduled to be parked until Tuesday afternoon.

The sign read: "Happy Birthday Deron! From your Brooklyn family" below the Nets' new black and white logo.

And no, that wasn't Jay-Z behind the wheel.

Amy Williams saw the sign before her husband and tweeted a picture of the giant card next to the couple's young children.

"@deronwilliams this is parked in front of our house!" she tweeted.

The Nets are hoping Williams will re-sign with the team for the maximum 5-year deal.  But the Dallas-raised star has his hometown Mavericks believing they are the top threat to land him.

At least until July 1, the Nets can hope their billboard might help sway Williams decision.  I hope they realize there's alternate side of the street parking and it's a tow-away zone.

Kris Humphries dating Kim Kardashian lookalike

Is Kris Humphries a glutton for punishment or what?  The New Jersey Net has had a new girlfriend since January and she looks eerily similar to his soon-to-be-divorced-from-wife Kim Kardashian, according to TMZ.

If the big guy has a type, now we know what it is.  An what better way to date a Kardashian— without the annoying siblings, cameras and Bruce Jenner's face— than to find a lookalike.

The site said Humphries has been secretly dating the 25-year old brunette Fatmire Sinanaj, who goes by the nickname Myla, a few months after his 72 day marriage to Kardashian hit the rocks.  The couple filed for divorce on Oct. 31.

Humphries was photographed on a beach in Miami last weekend with his new woman and it was hard not to notice the similarities— ample butt, big brown eyes and loads of makeup— between Myla and Kim K.

Humphries told TMZ he never met Sinanaj, and just happened to be sitting next to her on the beach but sources said the NBA star actually flew her down to Miami to be with him.


TMZ sources also said they met at her place of employment— a five-star hotel in New York City.  They said it's possible she could work at the same hotel where Humphries and Kardashian lived as a couple.

Kris Humphries disses Kanye West in 'Funny or Die' video

Kris Humphries is taking advantage of being voted the most hated player in the NBA and getting a poke at Kanye West at the same time.

West, who is dating Humphries ex-wife of 72 days Kim Kardashian, released a song saying he would have his pal Jay-Z drop Humphries from the New Jersey Nets and generally raps about how Humphries got in the new couple's way. DJ's started playing the song every time Humphries entered a nightclub and the big lug just sat back and took it.

Now, the Brooklyn Nets forward appears in a new "Funny or Die" video and take his own potshots at the rapper.  In the R-rated clip, marketing executives try to convince Humphries to channel his inner d-bag as a way to money.

The execs try to convince Humphries to "think Artest, Lambeer and Rodman" as a player fans "just hate."  He even wears West's pompous shutter glasses and pork-pie hat to bring on the hatred and is told his NBA player's face will be printed on toilet paper, urinal cakes and punching bags.



Humphries has paid his dues.  You have to give him some credit for withstanding that brain-numbing reality show with the Kardashian clan and the din of boos in every arena the Nets played. And he is a pretty decent baller.  At least now he's in on the joke.

Nets officially belong to Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Nets new logo was officially unveiled at an event today when merchandise for the former-New Jersey resident went on sale at a Modell's store, across Flatbush Avenue from the Barclays Center, the team's new home.

Now that the Nets' 35 year tenure in Jersey is over and Gov. Chris Christie gave the team a kick-in-the-butt as a parting gift, the team can get down to calling itself the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets P.A. announcer kicked off the event by saying, "Helloooo Brooklyn!" before the team showed off the new logo and black-and-white team colors.  The minimalist  logo— contained in a sheild— features the word "Nets" arched over the image of a basketball emblazoned with a "B" in black typeface.

"We're thrilled to introduce the brand identity," Nets CEO Brett Yormark said.  "It truly is Brooklyn."

Last week a picture of the logo was leaked to the public by an IT employee but now fans can actually go out and buy a hat or shirt with the logo printed on it.

Brook Lopez, the Nets center who will be a free-agent this summer, wore a black suit to represent the team's primary colors.  He helped show off the new merchandise.  Head coach Avery Johnson was on hand but there was no sign of Deron Williams.

Even though the logo was unveiled today, the team said it won't introduce its new uniforms until the fall.

Wonder if they'll make one in a size XXXXL and send it to Christie.  Oops, too soon?

DJs tormenting Kris Humphries with Kanye West song

He may be 10th in the league in double-doubles, but the only number that only seems to follow Kris Humphries around is 72— the number of days his marriage to Kim Kardashian lasted.

Now— while going through a nasty divorce— DJs in every nightclub where Humphries shows up taunt the New Jersey Nets forward by playing Kanye West's song "Way Too Cold" which describes the  rapper's love for Kim K and declares, "Lucky I ain't have Jay[-Z] drop him [Humphries] from the team."

West released the song a couple of weeks ago under the name "Theraflu" after he started dating Humphries ex-wife.  The line refers to Nets minority owner Jay-Z if you didn't know.

The hardworking and under-rated Humphries puts up with a lot of hostile crowds— who boo him at every game and even on his own home court— but, after spending which must have seemed like an interminable amount of days as Mr. K with the mind-numbing Kardashian clan, the jeers probably sound a lot better than their air-headed chatter or  Kanye's song.

Humphries was spotted with friends at a booth next to Carmelo Anthony on Wednesday— after the Knicks beat the Nets— at a Manhattan club when some DJ named "Theory" played West's track.  Humphries ignored it and stayed late anyway.

Texter gets hit in face by ball at Nets game

A guy was sitting in the front row at Newark's Prudential Center— watching the New Jersey Nets host the New York Knicks while texting someone and without paying attention to the game— when an outlet pass from  Knicks center Tyson Chandler sailed by Steve Novak and bopped the guy in the face.

While the woman sitting next to the texter had the awareness to shield her face, this guy was so into his texting he didn't even see the play unfold from his front row seat and went back to texting after the ball bounced off his head.

The pissed off man's text probably went something like this: "Sitting courtside next to the Nets bench.  Chillin'. Watching Carmelo Anthony light up the Pru... ouch! WTF!... Oh...  just got hit in the face by Tyson Chandler's pass. Awesome."

If the texter was a Nets fan, his night was already pretty bad. The evening started out with the hometown Nets getting booed while their cross-river rivals, the Knicks, got rousing cheers during the introductions.

Anthony finished the night with 33 points in 34 minutes— 21 of them coming in the first quarter— and the Nets ended up on the short end of a 104-95 loss.

LeBron gives gear to Beyonce's nephew after dumping 37 on Nets

After hearing New Jersey Nets fans serenade him with chants of 'Let's Go Heat' and 'MVP'— while he single-handedly scored the final 17 points giving the Miami Heat a 101-98 victory— LeBron James took off his shoes, autographed them and handed them to 7-year old standing courtside after Monday night's game.

It wasn't bad enough that the chants for James were on the Nets' home court at the Prudential Center but that lucky kid was singer Beyonce's nephew.  The entertainer is also the wife of rapper and Nets minority owner Jay-Z.

It starting to look like Jay-Z and the Nets can't wait to cross the Brooklyn Bridge soon enough and James' gifts are a nice parting gift.




Little Daniel Julez Smith was the lucky recipient of James' shoes along with a head band, shooting sleeve and wrist band.

James scored 37 points last night giving the Heat a sweep of the lame duck Nets this season.  That makes 10 straight losses to the Heat for the Nets.

The next time the Heat come up here to play, it will be against a team called the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center across the Hudson and East Rivers.

LeBron scores Miami's final 17 points for win as Nets fans chant 'Let's Go Heat'

LeBron James scored the Miami Heat's final 17 points giving his team a 101-98 victory over the New Jersey Nets as the entire arena serenaded the forward with chats of 'Let's Go Heat' and 'MVP.'

Only problem was . . . the game was being played on the Nets home court.

While James had his way with the Nets down the stretch, the home town crowd at Prudential Center cheered for an opposing player— even thought the Nets had led almost the entire game Monday night.

"It was amazing, honestly. I give a lot of thanks to all the Heat fans that we have, and all the Nets fans that rooted as well," said James.  "Like I said at one point last year, I never thought I would hear 'Let's Go Heat' on someone else's floor.  So I am happy to be a part of it."

If it was going to happen LeBron, you had to know it would be in Jersey.



Nets forward Kris Humphries (29 pts.) wasn't as enamored about the love shown to an arch-villain on his home court.

"Yeah, I'm surprised.  Where were those fans earlier?" said Humphries.  "If you're a Heat fan, you should have been screaming the whole game even when we got them down."

James finished the game with 37 points while his teammate Dwayne Wade sat on the bench with an injury.

To add insult to embarassment— after the game James took off his shoes, autographed them and handed them to 7-year old Daniel Julez Smith— the nephew of singer Beyonce Knowles and her husband Nets minority owner Jay-Z.

Nets star Deron Williams— who can only dream of hearing  'MVP' chants at the Pru— could only watch and listen from the pine as he nursed a sore calf.

The Nets— who have lost their last 10 games to the Heat— actually led up until the very end— even with a starting lineup which included two rookies and two players acquired on 10-day contracts.

James shouldn't expect the adulation in Newark to continue— literally and figuratively.  The next time these two teams meet up here, it will against the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center.

Former NBA player Dwayne Schintzius dead at 43

Dwayne Schintzius— the former-New Jersey Nets center— died Sunday from complications from a rare form of leukemia.

Considered the first great big man at the University of Florida, Schintzius never lived up to his potential after college.  He went on to play for six NBA teams in a nine year professional career.  He was drafted out of Florida in the first round of the 1990 draft (24th overall) by the San Antonio Spurs before bouncing around the league with the Sacramento Kings, Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.

Schintzius didn't produce big numbers during his injury-plagued pro career and night have been better known for his mullet haircut— which he called The Lobster— than his play.  It was one of the all-time great hairstyles in sports.

The 7-1 center led the Gators to the first of three NCAA tournaments for 1987-90, but unceremoniously quit the team 11 games into the 89-90 season after clashing with interim coach Don DeVoe.  He was named to the All-American team in '89.

Schintzius had been battling complications from a bone marrow transplant he received as treatment for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia diagnosed two years ago.

The big man with the "business up front, party in the back" haircut played four years with the Nets and posted career bests of 5.8 points per game and 5.0 rebounds off the bench for the team in the 1993 NBA playoffs.

Kanye West confesses love for Kim K, bashes Kris Humphries in new song "Theraflu"

It sounds like Kanye West has a lot of things to get off his chest and he doesn't hold back his latest single "Theraflu."

Tomorrow marks the return of G.O.O.D. Fridays— his weekly tradition of premiering songs by himself and his friends and the singer lets it all hang out.

"Theraflu" reads like a gossip column and has a second verse that touches upon his love for Kim Kardashian while trashing her ex, New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries.

Kanye claims he could have had Humphries dropped from the team.

The track— released Wednesday night— also touches on his ex, model Amber Rose and her current flame, rapper Wiz Khalifa.

"And the whole industry want to f--- your old chick


Only n----- I got respect for is Wiz


And I admit I fell in love with Kim


Around the same time she fell in love with him


Well that's cool baby girl, do your thing


Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team"


The "Jay" in question is Jay-Z, who is part owner of the Nets.

Kris Humphries scores one for the other team

Kris Humphries probably came as close as he ever will to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, after he inadvertently tipped in a basket for the home team last night.

The New Jersey Net finished the game with 15 rebounds and 20 points— too bad a couple of them were for the other guys.

Maybe he was pretending to be Lamar Odom?

You might be able to forgive the much-booed forward for Tuesday night's goof.

He's has a lot on his mind with that $7 million divorce thingee with Kim Kardashian or visions of Blake Griffin having a highlight reel against him every time they meet.

The Nets almost pulled off a big upset until Kobe Bryant rattled home a 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left— after the Lakers almost blew a 12 point fourth quarter lead— to beat the Nets, 91-87.

Kris, we all make mistakes.  It's not like you entered into a fake marriage for publicity and money.

Deron Williams uses Brooklyn in final pitch for Dwight Howard

The future of the New Jersey Nets might hinge on the plight of Dwight Howard before today's 3 pm trade deadline and the Nets free-agent-to-be Deron Williams is banking on the the borough of Brooklyn to lure the Orlando Magic center to the Nets.

After a bizarre sequence of events over the past few months, including drunk-dialing from the Magic CEO and continuing with Howard telling the team he would exercise his one-year option to remain in Orlando, it looks like the big man could end up in New Jersey— until the move to Brooklyn next year.

Williams sounded like a man who would remain with the Nets if Howard came aboard and sang the praises of Brooklyn to show why the new location was desirable.

"Companies I'm dealing with are real excited about the move to Brooklyn," Williams said.  "That's what really excites them ... they see the buzz around the new arena, the fans are excited about a team coming to the borough, and I think everybody is trying to get a head start on that."

All that, and free Jay-Z tickets to boot.

Williams was traded to the Nets at the end of the 2010-11 season and made it clear he would not stay if the team didn't build the franchise around him.

The Nets guard, who becomes a free agent after the season said he will stay if the Nets sign Howard.

Nets general manager Billy King has continued to engage in trade talks with the Magic with the hope of  making a deal before the trade deadline.  King insists that the Nets will not trade Williams.

While the Nets are one of many teams vying for Howard's services, Howard has said in the past that the Nets were a top choice when he became a free agent.

If the Nets do not sign Howard, it's almost a foregone conclusion Williams— their best player— will leave at the end of the season.

Williams— who came to New Jersey from the Utah Jazz— wants Howard to know that by coming to the Nets opens up a lot of marketing opportunities especially when they relocate to Brooklyn.

"It's been a lot different than Utah, that's for sure.  It's definitely a bigger market, a better market, able to reach more people," said Williams, who has picked up deals with Audi, Metro PCS, and Red Bull.

"A lot of the companies I'm dealing with are excited about the move to Brooklyn."

If Howard re-signs with the Magic, it would be the worst-case-scenario for the Nets.

Is Williams concerned about being traded himself or his future with the Nets?

"There is no way to tell," he reasoned.  "We'll see what happens and go from there."

Gerald Green's windmill alley-oop is insane

There might not be too many New Jersey Nets highlights this year but, if there is one play that takes your mind off the Linsanity (is that still around?) across the Hudson River, it's this powerful dunk by Gerald Green.



Against the Houston Rockets Saturday night in Newark, Green— the journeyman NBA player— took a fast break pass from MarShon Brooks and raced full court to throw down the windmill alley-oop with authority.

Everyone knows Green can get air— he did win the 2007 slam-dunk contest and, in 2008, wowed the crowd by blowing out a candle on a cupcake placed on the rim— but this was really insane.

Green's acrobatics might have given the fans in Prudential Center some high-flying entertainment and the Nets a small rally but you knew there had to be payback for the moment of glory.

Later, Green would inadvertently tip the ball into the Rockets' basket with 1:03 left giving Houston a lead they would not relinquish.

Green finished with 26 points in 23 minutes but the Nets ended up losing to the Rockets 112-106.

Kris Humphries appoints himself as lawyer in Kardashian divorce case

Kris Humphries has appointed himself as his own attorney in his upcoming divorce from Kim Kardashian.

Humphries , who was married to the reality star for 72 days before she filed for divorce, filed legal documents in Los Angeles appointing himself as his attorney, according to TMZ.

It's to bad the New Jersey Nets forward is going in as a defense lawyer.  Expect to see a lot of alley-oops by the other team.

Humphries originally wanted his Minnesota attorney to represent  him in the divorce case but California law stipulates that out-of-state lawyers must be accompanied by a local attorney.

Humphries hired a Los Angeles attorney, but the lawyer withdrew from the case, which led him to name himself instead.

What's that old saying?  A fool for a client?

The 6-foot-9 NBA player will have a tall task in front of him.  He will be facing one of Hollywood's top divorce lawyers in this court.

Kardashian's attorney, Laura Wasser has a full roster of A-list stars as clients including Angelina Jolie, Maria Shriver, Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears.

That's a tough line-up on any one's hardwood.

The pretty much then-unknown Humphries, 31,  married the reality show conglomerate Kardashian, 27,  Aug. 20 in a celebrity-studded wedding which was broadcast on cable network E! and attracted over 10 million suckers— I mean viewers.

Kardashian filed for divorce less than three months later citing "irreconcilable differences."

Maybe she just got tired of hearing her sisters calling him names or the big lug was even more boring than her brother.

Kim K offered a settlement to Humphries to keep things quiet, but he didn't want to go down without clearing the air.  Humphries wants to prove the marriage was a sham and is seeking an annulment instead of a divorce.

 There has been no word if cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.  Yeah... right.

Kris Humphries stuffs Blake Griffin and Nets beat Clippers

New Jersey Nets fans who came out to see Blake Griffin put on a highlight reel got to see their own Kris Humphries stuff the mad dunker and the Nets squeeze out a 101-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Prudential Center tonight.

Griffin put on another clinic but the Clippers 6-foot-10 power forward was met one time under the basket by the 6-foot-9 Humphries who swatted the ball from way above Griffin's head into the stands.

On the following play, Griffin knocked the Nets power forward on his hump as payback and no call.

It still had to feel good to Humphries who had been manhandled by Griffin the last time they met.   A Kardashian family reunion would have been more welcome sight than the Clippers power forward after that game.

The Nets led by as much as 16 points in the last two minutes of the third period before Griffin continued having his way with the Nets like the last time the Clippers won, 101-91,  on Jan. 16 at the Staples Center.

Sloppy play by the Nets led to an 8-0 run by Los Angeles to tie the game at 88 with 4:19 left in the game.

The Nets challenged Griffin the whole game and there was a scary moment— with less than three minutes left— when Humphries rolled over Griffin's left ankle while they both went for a loose ball.  The Clippers star didn't get up for a minute before re-entering the game— limping.

Things got very chippy on the court after that foul by Humphries.

Two late fouls by the Nets gave the Clippers a 100-98 lead with 4.2 seconds left before Deron Williams took the inbounds and passed it to Jordan Farmar who hit a 3-point shot for the victory with :00.2 on the clock.

It snaps a seven game home losing streak at home for the Nets.

Highlight totals: Griffin-6 Humphries-1 plus the win.

Kris Humphries' sister Kaela signs plus-size modeling contract

Kris Humphries older sister Kaela is stepping out from the shadow of her former sister-in-laws and into a spotlight of her own.

The 29-year-old sister of Kim Kardashian's ex-husband and New Jersey Nets basketball player Kris has signed a contract as plus-size model with Ford modeling agency.

The six degrees of Kardashian keeps spreading down another avenue of exploitation.

Ford confirmed the signing of the blue-eyed model to its roster of other curvy women.

"A true size 16-18, Kaela will be in a league of her own," a spokesperson told People Stylewatch.

"So excited to be working with the team @fordmodels," Kaela tweeted on Tuesday.  "This is going to be a great 2012!  Stay tuned."

The voluptuous model has some experience on the catwalk and worked with Wilhemina Models in Los Angeles.

The former-Minnesota native has also appeared on "Kourtney and Khloe take  New York"— the reality show which features her former sister-in-laws.

On that series, Kaela was witness to the rise and fall of her brother's doomed marriage with Kim K.

Forget Linsanity; Nets have Lopez-apalooza

In only his third game back from surgery for a broken foot, Brook Lopez blew up for 38 points and led the New Jersey Nets to an upset win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, 93-92.

While all the talk was about Deron Williams and speculation that he would return to his hometown of Dallas, it was Lopez who made the loudest statement.

At the same time, Lopez has increased his own trade value.

The Nets center scored 21 points in the first half and hit the winning free-throws with 42.4 seconds remaining in the game.

The Mav's Jason Terry made a slashing gesture against his throat to get the Dallas crowd pumped up, but Lopez hit both free throws.

"Lopez was a monster tonight," said Williams.  "He carried us from the start of the game and it makes a difference."

If Williams was auditioning for the Mavericks, he got a slight case of stage fright.

The Nets All-Star finished the night with 12 points on 2-for-15 shooting, but still had 12 assists.

"I've said it all season, when we get him back we become a different team and you saw a lot of that tonight," he added.

Jason Kidd, who led the Nets to two NBA Championship series, missed two potential game-winning shots for Dallas in the final seconds of the game.

The Nets have now won three tough road games in a row— in Chicago, New York and Dallas— and appear to be making a run at the playoffs.

"I had to get back in and find my place.  I didn't want to be that monkey wrench coming back and mess up their flow," said Lopez.  "These guys have been playing great on the road and so we just wanted to continue to do that tonight."

Maybe a "donny-Brook" will break out for the big guy's services.

Baron Davis tweets: Gesture was a kiss; not smoking a joint

Baron Davis wanted to clear the air after a photo of the New York Knicks backup point guard appeared on numerous websites which characterized him as simulating smoking a joint to celebrate making his first basket in a Knicks uniform during Tuesday night's game against the New Jersey Nets.

The photo— taken from the MSG Network— showed Baron putting his fingertips to his mouth like he was toking on a roach after he sunk a three-point shot.

Davis tweeted and his agent Todd Ramasar confirmed to The New York Post that the point guard was just blowing a kiss.

Last night, Jeremy Lin's new backup tweeted, "To clear up rumors, I was kissing my hands after I shot the 3 last night.  Kissing the 3 was all I was doing.  Stop fishing and hating plz."

Ramasar said he was angry that the gesture was taken out of context.

"He wasn't making gestures of smoking," said Ramasar.  "Baron was making gestures of blowing kisses on his three.  That's ridiculous anyone would insinuate he was making smoking gestures."

It does look like he is imitating one of those chefs drawn on a pizza box and saying, "Hey!  That's a good shot."

 Baron was making his Knicks debut and came off the bench for 10 minutes during the 100-92 loss.

He was playing his first NBA game since April with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished with three points, one assist and a turnover.

The NBA did not comment.