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The New York Knicks failed to land a star yet again. Since Carmelo Anthony last played for the franchise in 2016-17, the Knicks have failed to have their roster headlined by a perennial All-Star. They had Kristaps Porzingis and still have Julius Randle. Neither of those players are in the category of the three-time All-Star that the Knicks missed out on this offseason.
The player in question is Donovan Mitchell. The 2017 13th overall draft pick was traded by the Utah Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month. The Knicks were considered to be strong favorites in the race for the 26-year-old, but lost out to the Cavaliers in the end.
NBA analyst and long-time Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith is unhappy that the franchise could not get its hands on Mitchell. A day after Mitchell had his first media session as a member of the Cavaliers, Smith said this on the latest episode of "First Take:"
"I was in a good mood. Clearly, you want me to cry. I was with him [Mitchell] the other night. We spoke about it. ... Listen, he's in a better situation."
Smith continued:
"The Cleveland Cavaliers right now are a better team than the New York Knicks. They are a better franchise than the New York Knicks. But I can't fault the New York Knicks completely for not getting this done.
"Because when it comes to Danny Ainge, he was going to insist that the New York Knicks give up the farm in order to get Donovan Mitchell. And you know they [the Knicks] made that decision."
Smith said that he didn't blame the Knicks for their inability to get Mitchell. However, he is still peeved that the Knicks still doesn't have a star playing for them:
"But it still hurts because I believe Donovan Mitchell is a star. And I believe he's the kind of star that should be at The Garden. And I am a bit perturbed that the New York Knicks still don't have a star inside Madison Square Garden.
"Again, we'll see what happens. I'm happy for Donovan. Listen, he's good with it. He isn't in Utah. He's in Cleveland. He's happy, but I'm not. "
Donovan Mitchell was on the brink of joining the New York Knicks
Mitchell was born in New York and so a homecoming would have been welcomed by the player. By his own admission, him playing for the New York Knicks this season was very much a possibility. He told NBA analyst Brian Windhorst:
"Very close. I won't say more than that, but I know a little bit more than most. But definitely very close. It didn't happen and you know, God has a plan for everything."
However, Mitchell claims that he is ultimately happy with the fact that he is now playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said:
"It wasn't so much as a rumor. It was more like this will just happen, it's just a matter of when. ... It didn't happen. I'm not sad about it. I'm ready to go. I'm ultimately with a group that can compete, can win and can do big things. I'm excited. "
Guess the Lakers players!
