Beno Udrih thinks the Knicks can make the NBA Finals

I don't know what kind of kool-aid that the members of the New York Knicks are drinking but whatever it is maybe they need to pass it on to the people that stress a lot.

This past weekend sixth man J.R. Smith guaranteed that the Knicks would bring a championship back to the Big Apple. Now it's newly signed point guard Beno Udrih saying he believes the Knicks have what it takes to make the NBA Finals.

Udrih told Marc Berman of the New York Post that the Knicks need to have that mindset going into next season.

“I believe our team can go as far as going to the Finals,’’ Udrih told The Post at Ashe Stadium in his first remarks since signing. “We have to think like that from the first practice. We can be very good. It all depends how seriously we’re going to take it.

“We all believe we can go really far. And our goal from the beginning has to be win it all because we know we’re going to be in the playoffs. Our mentality from the first practice has to be: we want to win a championship.’’

I know you're supposed to be optimistic but I'm sure Miami, Indiana, Chicago, and Brooklyn will have a say in how far the Knicks go.

I do believe the Knicks are a viable playoff contender and will be a tough out once they get there, but until they prove otherwise they're not championship contenders just yet.

Knicks' J.R. Smith is guaranteeing a title

The NBA season hasn't started and the New York Knicks' sixth man supreme J.R. Smith is already making promises of bringing a championship back to New York.

During a question-and-answer session with kid golfers at Chelsea Piers, Smith was asked how sure he was of the Knicks ending their title drought this season.

“I'm 100 percent sure,” the swingman said.

Smith 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.''

There has been much hype this offseason lavished on the Nets after their bold trade with the Celtics to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who has been the most outspoken promoter of Brooklyn's chances in the Eastern Conference.

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 Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. 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."

Well, I'm sure the two time defending champion Miami Heat feel a little disrespected about that guarantee. The Knicks are a good team but not a championship level team. I'm sure some Knick fans will disagree with me about that but it's true. If they can stay healthy and keep their heads on straight they could give the Heat some problems.

In another tidbit, Smith was asked was he better than teammate Carmelo Anthony. Being the confident man that he is Smith said yes.

 “Yes, I am, but he gets paid more.’’

Hopefully for the Knicks that doesn't ignite any controversy.

Knicks regret wearing their "funeral" outfits

While I do agree with J.R. Smith's assessment of "if I played Game 4 the series would be over", I don't agree with all the talk and grandstanding him and his teammates were doing before Game 5.

The Knicks talked about going to a "funeral" and ending the Boston Celtics season. The team even dressed in all black outfits to signify the moment. Instead the Celtics showed pride and told the Knicks that they weren't dead yet. Maybe the Celtics should show up wearing Freddie Kruger sweaters and hats before Game 6.

The Knicks regret that little stunt and are now focused on knocking the Celtics out in Game 6.

“We was going to a funeral,” (J.R.) Smith said. “But it looks like we got buried.”

Smith owned up to being a key part in this whole deal by mouthing off about Jason Terry before Game 5. But the ringmaster of this funeral stunt, Kenyon Martin, didn't want to talk about it.

“I'm not talking about that,” Martin said. “If you want to talk about basketball, we'll talk about basketball.”

I guess I wouldn't talk either if I only chipped in a bucket and had five fouls.

The Celtics haven't been horrible, they've just killed themselves in one quarter of each of the first three games. The Knicks should've known that the Celtics wouldn't just roll over for them. This team has a lot of pride and veterans that have been through the playoff battles.

Now we'll have to see if the Knicks can bounce back in Game 6 or risk having the Celtics "2004 ALCS" them.

Knicks sign Kenyon Martin to a 10 day contract

Once again Kenyon Martin is on the move to another contender for the stretch run. Martin signed a 10 day contract with the New York Knicks. Last season Martin signed with the Los Angeles Clippers to provide depth up front.

Martin will take Ronnie Brewer's spot on the roster after he was traded earlier today.

Martin will be a welcome addition in the frontcourt, especially with the injuries to Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby. It also provides the Knicks with a veteran presence. The move also reunites Martin with former teammates Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Chauncey Billups, Marcus Camby and Jason Kidd.

The move isn't permanent since it's only a 10 day contract. So if this blows up on the Knicks they can get rid of him with a minimal loss.  

Report: J.R. Smith is broke

Usually when a player is entering free agency the famous quote of "it's not about the money" is always thrown around. Because it's always about the money no matter what a player says. For New York Knicks free agent guard J.R. Smith it will be all about the money.

According to reports Smith chose to play with the Knicks instead of the Los Angeles Clippers because the Knicks offered $2.4 million to the Clippers' $1.4 million. The other part of why is because Smith was "financially broke".

Smith's father, Earl, is pushing for J.R. to stay in New York, I guess since it will be the place that will pay him the most money.


A source told ESPN New York that Smith’s father, Earl, is going to make a strong case for his son to stay in New York, but “it’s very clear that the money is the biggest factor with him.”


In fact, when Smith chose the Knicks over the Clippers in mid-February after coming back from China, a source said the Knicks’ higher offer ($2.443 million to the Clippers’ $1.4 million veteran’s minimum) was the deciding factor because he was financially broke. Therefore, Smith will likely opt out and ask for the 20 percent raise. At that point, the ball will be in the Knicks’ court to re-sign Smith, who’s already said publicly that he wants to return next season.


Smith has earned nearly $26 million in the eight years he's played plus another $3 million from playing in China. He'll probably go into denial about being broke. If he is it's pretty sad especially since he's still playing.

Clippers interested in signing J.R. Smith

The Los Angeles Clippers may not be done raiding the Chinese Basketball Association for the NBA talent that played there during the lockout.

After Kenyon Martin was cleared by FIBA to go back to the NBA, the Clippers pounced and signed the free agent to a one year deal on Friday. They might not be finished according to a source, saying that they have an interest in swingman J.R. Smith.

From Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:  The Clippers, still not done dealing after signing Kenyon Martin on Friday, will pursue guard J.R. Smith after the team he plays on in the Chinese Basketball Assn. finishes its season and he becomes eligible to play in the NBA, said a person not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. 

He would be an unrestricted free agent that the Clippers could sign to the mini-mid-level exception of $2.5 million, or for the veteran minimum of about $1 million.

Under the CBA rules, Smith still can't return to the NBA until his Zhejiang Golden Bulls team's season is over. If the Golden Bulls miss the playoffs, it could open the door for Smith to return to the NBA by the All-Star weekend, Feb. 25-26.

If the Clippers do sign Smith, it would provide a boost to their bench scoring at the wing position behind Caron Butler. Smith can shoot the lights out and would be a solid addition if he can keep his head on straight. The Clippers may actually have the locker room presence to keep him in line since he was a teammate of Martin and Chauncey Billups in Denver and Chris Paul in New Orleans. 

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are also looking hard at Smith, but the Clippers might be the favorites to sign him due to the aforementioned connections.