Stephen A. Smith has let loose on the Knicks after their playoff elimination by the Heat on Friday, imploring the franchise to have Julius Randle pack his bags.
On Friday’s ESPN postgame show, Smith gave his reaction to the 96-92 loss, sending Miami to the Eastern Conference finals to face the winner of Sunday’s Celtics-76ers Game 7.
“Julius Randle, I am done with this man,” Smith bluntly began. “I’m calling for the New York Knicks to trade him. You’re not going to win with him. His body language — the second his shot is not falling — he’s defeated and it has a contagious effect. It’s like a virus that hits everybody — no pun intended considering the times we’re living in.
“Julius Randle is not the answer. Trade him. He needs to go because every postseason, this is what he does and that’s the way that it is” he added.
Smith emphasized Jalen Brunson’s 14 field goals compared to the rest of the Knicks’ eight players in the game, who combined for 13 field goals.
He praised Brunson’s “sensational performance” as the only positive coming out of the game.
“An absolutely pathetic offensive performance and the New York Knicks season is over. Julius Randle was not the answer,” Smith said. “Trade for Damian Lillard or call Karl-Anthony Towns. Find a way. He needs to go. If you can play McBride and Grimes, you can play Damian Lillard with Jalen Brunson.”
Randle re-injured the left ankle that sidelined him for the last five games of the regular season in Game 5 of the first round against the Cavaliers and returned in Game 2 during the conference semifinal series with the Heat.
In the playoffs, the 6-foot-8 power forward averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
All were lower than his regular season averages of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the same categories.
In the playoffs, Randle also shot just 37.4 percent from the field and 25.8 percent on 3-pointers.
Randle also didn’t match his output from the Knicks’ playoff series against the Hawks two seasons ago.
During the Knicks’ first-round exit against Atlanta, Randle put up an average of 18 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
In that regular season, where he won the Most Improved Player Award, he recorded 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
Lillard of the Trail Blazers and Towns of the Timberwolves, who are both NBA All-Stars and have received the league’s Rookie of the Year award, are eligible for trades this summer.
The Nets may have their eyes on Lillard this offseason as well.
Smith also took his shot at RJ Barrett, who had shown a positive uptick in the playoffs, scoring 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting in Game 5, yet lacked in Game 6 where he and his teammates failed to perform.
“RJ Barrett, it’s going to be a long offseason. You were absolutely pathetic. 1 of 10 from the field in 32 minutes — all you could score was one basket? You gotta really look at yourself in the mirror and work on your game, young man,” Smith stated.
Barrett averaged 19.3 points in the playoffs and was up to 22.8 points per game in the Heat series before Game 6.