Though J.R. Smith is a Cowboys fan, he hopes the Giants sign his buddy, free agent receiver Victor Cruz, who is a courtside fixture at Knicks games.
“I hope he does,’’ Smith told The Post before the Knicks’ 110-84 victory over the Raptors last night. “This is pretty much where he wants to be. I’m a Cowboys fan but I still root for him. It would be nice for him to stay home.’’
Smith admits it’s no done deal because of the complexity of the NFL cap.
“I don’t know the way football works,’’ Smith said. “I’m still trying to figure out the salary cap. I hope it works out for him.’’
Cruz attends Knicks games mostly to watch his New Jersey school buddy, Smith. The two were teammates on AAU basketball teams in Jersey. Smith also played wide receiver and safety at Lakewood High School.
“He was good,’’ Smith said of Cruz’s basketball ability. “I think he could’ve played both the NBA and NFL. But his passion and love was football.’’
Asked if he could have had an NFL career, Smith said: “I think so, but basketball was my first love.’’
Smith continued his hot hand last night against the Raptors, scoring 25 points — even if two of them came at the buzzer as the Knicks were dribbling out the clock and nobody was guarding him. He laid it in anyway. Smith had three turnovers in the first three minutes of action before erupting. He made 9 of 16 shots and was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, continuing his new goal of driving the ball.
* Chris Copeland led the fans into singing “Happy Birthday’’ to Jason Kidd before the game. Kidd turned 40 yesterday.
“It was really nice of the organization to do that,’’ Kidd said.
Carmelo Anthony called Copeland’s performance “awful.”
* Iman Shumpert had four steals to lead the Knicks to their season-high 14.
* On the day Ray Williams passed away, was it karma or coincidence Micheal Ray Richardson was on the Knicks’ scene Friday night at Air Canada Centre? The Knicks drafted Williams with the 10th pick in 1977 to be Walt Frazier’s successor. Williams and backcourt mate Richardson were supposed to lead the Knicks back to the promised land. Last night, the Garden held a moment of silence for Williams and original Knick, Bud Palmer.
Never worked out that way. “I’m real sad,’’ Richardson told The Post Friday night while watching the Knicks beat the Raptors. “He and I were like brothers.’’
Williams died yesterday after battling colon cancer at Sloane Kettering Hospital at age 58. Richardson is living in Canada, coaching the nearby London Lightning of the NBL, and had stopped by to visit his former teammates, Knicks coach Mike Woodson and assistant Darrell Walker.
Richardson spoke to Williams for 45 minutes Monday.
“We talked about the olden times, about how life isn’t fair but sometimes it’s what you do with it,’’ Richardson said. “He was a tough defender, he could do it all. A big guy in the locker room. We all did think that (he’d be a superstar). Things happen. He was traded. I was traded. I got into something I shouldn’t have gotten into.’’
* Toronto’s Rudy Gay, who hurt his back Friday and sat out the second half, didn’t make the trip to New York last night.