There’s absolutely nothing going on right now in the NBA, so some sort of media feud between J.R. Smith and Paul Pierce, representing the budding rivalry between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks is actually the best thing anyone can mention in “current events”.
Pierce talked about hating the Knicks even more than he did while playing for the Boston Celtics. Apparantly, just signing with a new team and not even playing for them is enough to make a player feel sort of burning hatred deep inside of him. Maybe getting knocked out of the postseason last year by the Knicks hurt as well.
J.R. Smith didn’t stay quiet for long. The currently injured shooting guard who might not even be available for the season opener at the current rate of his recovery claimed that Pierce is simply bitter. Why? Because he had to leave Boston after the team crumbled around him, and has no idea what New York is all about.
Pierce left Boston to try and win another title with the Nets. Smith? He seems to be willing to guarantee a title for the New York Knicks in the near future. The way his team hasn’t actually improved over the summer and the fact that they looked awful through the playoffs, including their six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers, doesn’t seem to phase him out.
And the Nets? While this team might be able to last a season or two and make some sort of playoff run, their expiration date is coming very soon. Kevin Garnett is looking worse and worse with every basketball game he plays, while the only premier player that’s supposedly in his prime due to his age is Deron Williams. Brook Lopez is good offensively, but he’s one big Achilles heel on defense, while Garnett isn’t good enough anymore to make up for those faults.
We won’t see a title going to New York City this season, or the next. Carmelo Anthony isn’t good enough as a number one player, at least when it comes to pulling a title team behind him. The Nets are simply good but not great. While it might be enough to have a good season in the East, a conference with the Heat, Pacers and Bulls in it means you need to be more than that. Both the Knicks and the Nets aren’t.