Knicks fans were in disarray on Sunday when it was announced that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be signing with the Brooklyn Nets. Now that the shock has worn off, the mourning fan base looks to their emotional leader ESPN's Stephen A. Smith to lift them through this tough time. But even Smith couldn't find the right words to console New York City's broken hopes and dream.
"This is the absolute worst day in the history of the New York Knicks franchise," Smith began on Monday's episode of First Take. "And it's the worst day for me too because Max Kellerman is absolutely right. The New York Knicks have lost New York to Brooklyn Nets. They are no longer the team, the basketball franchise that represents this city."
While this a horrible revelation for Knicks fans, the organization has only itself to blame. According to reports, the injured Durant was still teetering between the Knicks and Nets up until he was notified the Knicks would not be offering him a max contract. Although both he and Irving took less than the allowed max so that DeAndre Jordan could get a $10 million annual salary, the audacity of the Knicks not to extend this offer has perplexed NBA fans. Especially when the franchise has given questionable contracts to lesser named players than KD with extensive injury reports.
This train of thought led Stephen A. Smith to vent about the frustrating franchise. "This is a devastating day for me," Smith continued. "And as bad as the New York Knicks have been and as disgusted as I have been with them... Because the stars went to Brooklyn, to me, it's over."
