Stephen A. Smith’s Knicks conspiracy theory is perfect ESPN microcosm
The world champion Knickerbockers, as you may have heard, are off to a slow start.
They are 2-4 following a 98-93 loss to LeBron James and the Sixers on Friday night in their NBA Cup opener. Call it whatever you want — a title hangover, a struggle to get their feet under them following a short summer, a blip that will surely get sorted out over time or, as Stephen A. Smith claims, they are definitely maybe in a malaise due to tension with owner James Dolan over visiting the White House.
No, really,
I would question how stressed you can be when the team does not go to Washington to play the Capitals until right before Christmas, but that is beside the point. The interesting — and telling — thing here is how Smith framed his intel.
I don’t know how much truth there is to it, because I haven’t heard it from the players directly … I don’t know if it’s true or not.
This is what ESPN is now — the No. 1 or No. 1A talent, depending on who is leading between Smith and Pat McAfee in a given moment, throwing out a report on national television that he admittedly does not know the veracity of.
What a world.
James Kratch is a veteran sports reporter and editor. He currently reports on the youth sports industry for Buying Sandlot and was previously ESNY's managing editor. Before that he spent a decade at NJ Advance Media (The Star-Ledger and NJ.com), where he covered high school sports, the Giants and Rutgers.
