J.R. Smith may not be healthy enough to play in the season opener for the New York Knicks, but that is not stopping him from doing a lot of talking. Commissioner David Stern is sending out warning shots to both the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets about trash talking and creating an inner-city feud, but that has apparently fallen on deaf ears with Smith. Not only is the guard continuing to trash talk Paul Pierce, but he is guaranteeing the Knicks with the NBA Championship next season.
Pierce started it all by saying that it was time for the Nets to start running New York over the Knicks. The newly signed Net said he always had hatred toward the Knicks and now that he is in Brooklyn, things are worse. Those comments apparently did not sit too well with Smith who is never shy about holding back his thoughts.
"I just look at him as a bitter person just getting out of Boston. He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career," Smith told ESPN New York. "He just knows, just know that his words have consequences and he's going to have to pay for them."
Smith simply laughed off the idea that the Nets could one day run New York. He said while that team is in one borough, the Knicks were all over and it would stay that way. Smith thinks the war of words is great for the rivalry and will make for some exciting matchups between the two teams.
Smith is feeling pretty good about his team's chances this year. The guard spoke with the New York Post and guaranteed a championship this season. Not only did he say they will win, he said he was "100 percent sure" the Knicks would end the title drought.
The Knicks made a few offseason moves that could certainly help their chances. They acquired Andrea Bargnani, Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih. Those players will certainly help their bench, but are they good enough to compete with the upgraded Brooklyn lineup or the consistent Miami Heat? That remains to be seen.
These comments by Smith have some of the Nets certainly laughing. Reggie Evens heard about Smith guaranteeing a championship and responded on Twitter by saying, "LOL." Enough said. Hopefully Evans will respond to the fact that Smith also said the Nets were not good before the offseason and they still are not good despite signing Kevin Garnett and Pierce amongst others.
The war in New York continues on and likely will not stop. The two teams will meet up four times in the regular season. The first game between the two is Dec. 5 in Brooklyn.
