The Knicks seemed to hear things loud and clear from one of ESPN's most prominent voices.
After the Knicks' blowout victory over the 76ers on Friday night, guard Evan Fournier challenged It seems that he criticized “Take'' personality Stephen A. Smith.
Appearing on an ESPN roundtable before the Knicks' win over the Bucks on Christmas Day, Smith lamented the fact that he had to watch Hartenstein on the court.
“Everyone knows how I feel about the Knicks, but Mitchell Robinson, who was 26th in defensive efficiency rating, is also out, and so is Jericho Sims,” he said at the time. said before making the blockbuster trade.
“So I have to deal with a guy named Hartenstein.”
The ESPN noisemaker added that the 7-footer gave a strong effort and was not trying to be “disrespectful.”
Still, it appears the Knicks took the comment to heart.
“A guy named Hartenstein,” Fournier wrote in X after the Knicks' recent win in which Hartenstein routed Philadelphia and had a season-high 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. .
In a 3-0 loss against the Knicks in January, Hartenstein stepped up with 8.5 points and 4.0 blocks per night.
Big win of 128-92. AP
Unsurprisingly, Smith posted to X on Friday night that he was excited about the Knicks again, but some fans weren't hearing it.
“Either apologize to Isaiah Hartenstein or shut up.” one user wrote in a reply.
“Bandwagon” I wrote one more concisely.
After Hartenstein's gem Friday night, maybe Smith will change his tune.
