The move to cut his brother was not yet official, but J.R. Smith took to a social media outlet Monday apparently to vent.
Smith posted this photo Monday on Instagram showing Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone in character from the movie “Casino” with the quote: “You know the sad thing about betrayal? It never comes from an enemy.”
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Chris Smith is expected to be released Tuesday, when the Knicks officially are expected to sign 6-foot-10 Jeremy Tyler from their D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Chris Smith was not on the court when media were admitted to Knicks practice Monday. Tyler arrived in Manhattan Sunday night. The younger Smith, who played a total of two minutes for the Knicks, received a guaranteed deal for near $491,000.
There has been unproven speculation that Chris Smith’s roster spot was part of a package deal to guarantee J.R. Smith re-signed with the Knicks. But an executive from a rival team rumored to have been in the Smith mix insisted his team had not been interested and “the Knicks were bidding against themselves” for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year Award winner. But the elder Smith seemed angered Monday.
Apparently, a quote from another mob film, “Goodfellas,” would have done little to soothe the Smith brothers: “Sometimes, even if people didn’t get out of line, they got whacked.”
A Thursday return in San Antonio for Knicks point guards Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni seems as likely as your neighbor buying you a winning Mega Millions ticket. But a return somewhere on the upcoming Texas trip? Hey, you never know.
“We just got to take it still a day at a time. I’m sure they’ll … let us know when [they are ready],” coach Mike Woodson said. “Right now it’s still day to day, still working to get better.”
So somewhere in Texas is possible. But don’t count on Felton, especially, Thursday because of his strained right groin that dropped him in Orlando on Dec. 23 when Carmelo Anthony also sprained his ankle. Prigioni has been down since fracturing his toe Dec. 16.
“Until the medical and Ray agree he’s ready to go, he’s not on the floor practicing yet. So, I want Ray back in uniform but I can’t push a button and say, ‘Ray, you’re playing tomorrow.’ It’s not that type of deal,” Woodson said, claiming “I don’t think so unless something changes” about Felton’s Thursday availability.
Woodson is optimistic Anthony will play Thursday.
J.R. Smith was given an easy day Monday, Woodson said, following a bout with some flu-like symptoms plus some heavy minutes in the Toronto set (43 and 39).
“He shot some today, yes. He was kind of taking it easy, kind of [a] precautious day,” Woodson said. “Played a lot of minutes this weekend and so he ended up coming out and shooting some along with Melo and Raymond and Pablo.
“So he was just taking it easy today. He played a lot of minutes … coming off flu-like symptoms. He’ll be ready to play.”
In the land of understatement, Anthony admitted Monday this wretched portion of the 2013 season is not how the Knicks thought things would go.
“We can’t change that at this point,” Anthony said of the 9-21 record. “This is not how I envisioned it, this is not how we envisioned it coming into this season. But it is what it is at this point. We can’t be crying about it. We’ve got to find a solution to it, got to take it one game at a time and figure it out.”