J.R. Smith guaranteed today the Knicks will “bring it home’’, referring to a title, and claimed the Nets are “still not good.’’
During a question-and-answer session with kid golfers at Chelsea Piers, Smith was asked how sure he was of the Knicks bringing it home this season.
“I’m 100-percent sure,’’ Smith said.
He was then asked why he joined the Knicks over the Nets when he came back from China in February, 2012.
“The Nets weren’t good,’’ Smith said. “Now they’re still not good.’’
The Nets have been chirping a lot this offseason after the bold moves by Brooklyn adding Paul Pierce, who has been the most outspoken. At the event, Smith also said in a subsequent interview with ESPN New York that Pierce was a “bitter person just getting out of Boston” and added there could be “consequences” for his bold remarks.
When asked by The Post why he is so confident, Smith said, “I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andreas (Bargnani), Beno (Udrih), Metta. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way.’’
When the Knicks re-signed, they also got back his flamboyance. He no longer has his blonde hair and denied he was ever in the $450,000 armored truck that was parked outside the Meatpacking restaurant he was at. Smith said it was his friend’s and he came in a Bentley.
“I don’t know how that got out,’’ Smith said. “I wasn’t even in the truck. I was standing next to the truck. It’s not my truck. It’s one of my friends. The Bentley was just over there. I don’t know why they didn’t think that was mine.’’
Smith, who had knee surgery on a chipped patella tendong in mid-July, said he doubts he can be ready for training camp’s opening day but still is hoping for the opener. But he warned the medical staff is taking his rehab very cautiously. Smith was listed to be out three to four months. Smith said he will meet with the team’s orthopedic surgeon next week.
“Hopefully they say some good stuff,’’ Smith said. “Me personally, I want to play the season opener but I know Dr. Allen is not going to let me rush it. He’s going to take it like – if I have a week, he’ll give me two weeks.’’
Smith also no longer has his blonde hair after his mother and coach Mike Woodson put a stop to it. “My mom was killing me,’’ Smith said. “(Woodson) didn’t like it at all. He told me he wasn’t playing my golf outing if I had it blonde. My mom was the deciding factor. She said it was time to bring back the old me.’’