J.R. Smith: Let me explain what betrayal actually means
5) Betrayal is being a selfish teammate.
A few weeks ago when the Knicks gutted out a rare victory against the Hawks, while your teammates celebrated getting the win, cameras pointed to you sulking on the bench like a sore loser for some reason. Did you forget what team you were on? Your pouting was so embarrassing that even Pablo Prigioni had to come by and pat you on the back to cheer up. Ever since you were a Denver Nugget, you were labeled as a bit of a loser, but we all thought that was gone. That’s why you got the contract offer. Those days were supposed to be behind you. Instead, you proved what irascible coaches like George Karl always said about you. You don’t care about the team, you only care about yourself. It was a minor moment, but it’s one that I’ll never forget about when reflecting on your Knicks career.
6) Betrayal is disrespecting the person who’s had your back the most.
I’m talking about Mike Woodson of course. I went over this in my last piece when I compared you to Starbury, so I won’t get too into it here. Still, the fact you would have the utter gall to mouth something disrespectful to coach Woodson for justifying benching you again shows how much you take your role with the Knicks for granted. For some reason, Woodson has been your most staunch supporter and even saw it fit to reward you with a starting spot over Shumpert after your embarrassing suspension. Many coaches wouldn’t put up with you and Woodson should be the one person you at least show some respect to.
7) Betrayal is letting the Knicks waste a roster spot on your scrub brother.
I don’t know what kind of agreement you and Dolan had when you signed your contract, but you seemed to have really taken the news of Chris Smith’s demotion very hard. It’s commendable you stand up for your brother so much, but the team you play for isn’t the New York Smiths. Each player on this roster is only here for the greater good of the team and your brother has done nothing but occupy a valuable roster spot some other player, like a Chris Copeland or Jeremy Tyler, has killed for each day they leave it out all on the floor of a D-league game. Chris Smith is here solely because of you and there’s no way around it. Your brother has brought absolutely nothing but league-wide embarrassment to the team and certainly isn’t here for the good of the franchise. Not every 15th man makes a huge difference, but this is still a player that is here to fill in when needed. Chris Smith is so terrible that even with hardly any guards to play, he still can’t be trusted with any time on the floor.
I hope all that can marinate a bit because I say all this on behalf of every New York Knick fan that’s been loyal enough to put up with this wretched season and still proudly say that love their Knicks. We’ve been through a lot with this team and we’ve been eternally patient waiting for a return to our glory years. We can be really hard on our players, but if you show us heart, play hard, and embody what it means to wear that prideful Knick jersey, then we’ll never turn our back on you.
If you wonder why so many fans have seemingly turned that back on you, then well, read that last line again.
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