Stephen A Smith Credits ... Quentin Grimes? ... For New York Knicks' Latest Win
New York Knicks fan/critic Stephen A Smith has landed in a Grimey situation.
The ESPN personality appears to have found new optimism after the news of Julius Randle's season-ending diagnosis moved him to tears on the Worldwide Leader's airwaves last week. New York recovered well enough from Randle's downgrade to post a 122-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, rendering the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket very much in play with four games to go (the Knicks are a game behind Milwaukee entering Tuesday).
Analyzing Sunday's win, Smith bestowed credit to shooting guard Quentin Grimes (h/t @CynicalNYK on X), claiming that he's "looked good." Smith further lauded center Isaiah Hartenstein for "giving activity off the bench," which could be viewed as curious by some considering Smith previously referred to the big man as "some dude named Hartenstein" while analyzing the team's Christmas win over the Bucks.
Fans were quick to point out a few flaws in Smith's analysis: Grimes hasn't played for the Knicks since late January, as he was sent to Detroit in a trade deadline deal that acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Grimes is also out for the season, as he stepped out early to rehab the knee injury that marred the end of his Knicks tenure.
Others noted that not only does Smith appear to be pronouncing Hartenstein's name wrong (he said "hart-en-steen" while the official NBA pronunciation guide says it's "Hart-en-schtein") but that he has been in the starting lineup in place of the injured Mitchell Robinson on 46 occasions this season and each of the past 19.
To his credit, Smith acknowledged at least one of his gaffes, claiming he confused Grimes with fellow backcourt reserve and active Knick Miles McBride. He did, however, attack sports broadcasting news and analysis site Awful Announcing for highlighting it.
"Thank you — and Awful Announcing — for spelling my name right! And pointing out the latest error I made," Smith said on an X post responding to @CynicalNYK. "I believe I know McBride is on the team and Grimes is not. But OMG, with all the stuff on my mind, I forgot. When I make a mistake, I own it. Ya want a cookie for catching it? Knock yourself out. Not my first mistake. Won’t be my last. Infallible is not my middle name. Enjoy your moment!"
Hartenstein, McBride, and the rest of the Knicks ... sans Grimes ... will be back in action on Tuesday night in Chicago (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks