Stephen A. Smith calls Knicks' Leon Rose a ‘coward' for Tom Thibodeau statement
Stephen A. Smith isn't happy with Knicks president Leon Rose's 'weak ass statement' attempting to justify Tom Thibodeau's firing.
'I think we all as New Yorkers should find Leon Rose's statement offensive,' Smith said Tuesday on 'NBA Today.' 'Get the hell in front of a microphone and a camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward … that's how he's been acting as president of the New York Knicks when it comes to communicating with the media and articulating the decisions that you make and why they are being made.'
In Rose's statement after the shocking ouster, he said the Knicks are 'singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.'
3 Knicks president Leon Rose in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
'I don't care about that damn statement,' Smith continued in his rant. 'I want to see Leon Rose stand before the camera and justify firing a man that just took you within two games of a berth to the NBA Finals right after you decided to trade five picks for a guy that never even made an All-Star.'
Rose assumed his role in 2020 and has not done a solo press conference with independent media since.
3 Stephen A. Smith believes Knicks president Leon Rose owes fans and media more of an explanation regarding the firing of Tom Thibodeau.
NBA Today
'Leon Rose has done a damn good job, nobody can deny that,' Smith admitted. 'But it hasn't been a flawless situation. There are moves that could've been made that could've better positioned the New York Knicks to be in a championship situation … But it hasn't happened — then you're gonna issue some weak ass statement like, 'we really, really care.''
The Eastern Conference finals run this postseason was the Knicks' deepest since 2000, when they also lost to the Pacers in six games.
The Knicks made the playoffs four times under Thibodeau's stewardship.
3 Tom Thibodeau coached the Knicks to a 226-174 record in his five seasons in New York.
Getty Images
Smith wants more answers from both Rose and team owner James Dolan.
'It emanates from a James Dolan-run organization, who doesn't want to communicate with the media himself,' Smith said. 'They don't have to answer to anybody because they know that Knicks fans are still gonna show up at Madison Square Garden patronizing their product … We can't expect Leon Rose to because, since James Dolan has arrived, that's not something that he likes and Leon Rose seems to fit right in with that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elite DB Brody Jennings on Miami official: 'I had the time of my life'
Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School athlete Brody Jennings spent last weekend at Miami for his official visit under tragic circumstances. His father, Bradley, passed away just before the trip was to begin for the family. The group would follow through and see Coral Gables once more as the Hurricane staff worked to make the weekend as uplifting as possible. Advertisement "My dad passed a few days ago, so I couldn't really think," Jennings told local media. "I came on the visit and had the time of my life. I came here to have fun. It was about football, but more about family and football at the same time. He (Mario Cristobal) is not just a football guy, he's a family guy -- all the coaches are family guys. Father figures. "My dad wanted me to be strong. He liked Miami a lot. He liked the school a lot and I like it a lot. We wanted to still see everything." Jennings has considerable connections to the area and Miami program itself, with two siblings attending UM, including his sister currently on the track team. The bigger picture with the people and the place all came together for a memorable time on campus. Advertisement "It's been great," he said. "I don't know if any other schools are topping this official visit. Not even in just seeing everything, but the coaches. Coach Cristobal is a great coach. Coach (Will) Harris ad Coach (Zac) Etheridge -- great coaches, and the whole staff was great. "I've been here multiple times to see what the program is about is something serious. It's like that for real. It's a great program to play in with great people to be around. My family is from Miami. They've been down before and they enjoyed the visit, too. They enjoy the school and they're Miami Hurricanes fans already, so it would be great playing around the hometown of my parents." CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info Jennings has of course been committed to play at Michigan for nearly one year. He remains on board with the Big Ten power, but all involved know this recruitment has more layers to be determined. Advertisement "It's gonna come down to the wire," he said. "That's not gonna stop Miami from recruiting me. Miami is coming really hard, Michigan is still coming hard. Miami wants me really bad. "Miami is a great school. Academics, private school. I could be successful with the school and life after football. There is a lot to offer." Florida is set to host Jennings this weekend. Georgia and Michigan get the next two weekends of official visits later this month. The four-star recruit says Sherrone Moore and company are keeping an open mind as visits continue to go down. "They know great players will visit other schools," Jennings said. "They know how hard I worked to get here, so they support me even though other schools will be on me." Marcus Benjamin contributed to this report.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How to watch 2025 French Open men's semifinals for free: Schedule, streaming
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. Jannik Sinner of Italy acknowledges the crowd following victor The French Open semifinals wrap up today, June 6, with two matches in the men's bracket. Advertisement The day will start with a match featuring the defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is ranked No. 2, going up against the No. 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti is a clay court specialist who should have been defaulted in his quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe for kicking a ball that accidentally hit a line judge. He only received a code violation during the incident. Later in the day, No. 1 Jannik Sinner will face off against No. 6 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is a three-time French Open champion, but Sinner will advance to the first French Open final of his career should he win today's match. Sinner already has one grand slam win under his belt this year as the reigning Australian Open champion. French Open TV schedule for June 6: No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti vs. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz — 8:30 a.m. ET (TNT/truTV) No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 6 Novak Djokovic — 1 p.m. ET (TNT/truTV) How to watch the French Open for free: If you don't have cable, you'll need a live TV streaming service to stream the French Open for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include TNT and truTV. Advertisement DIRECTV Other ways to stream the French Open: You can also watch every match of the French Open on Max. Max starts at $9.99/month, but you can also subscribe to one of our favorite streaming bundles and get Max with Disney+ and Hulu for 16.99/month. MAX Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post's streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she's also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why Thunder vs. Pacers gives NBA a Finals matchup to embrace and enjoy
My thoughts as the NBA Finals play on? First, this is the series we needed to see. It's a look into the NBA's immediate future, one the Golden State Warriors will find difficult to negotiate, and Bay Area fans can only hope it prompts some major changes. The league's high-scoring hierarchy is moving on past Stephen Curry, in a manner dramatically exemplified by Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, each a prime-of-life superstar with a ton of presence. Not that they'll ever be Curry, as a shooter or an influence, but they represent a dynamically youthful revolution in the backcourt, and the signs are just as ominous in the Finals frontcourt with the Thunder's Chet Holmgren and Indiana's Myles Turner, hardly an upstart but still shy of his 30th birthday. • What the Warriors are likely to encounter in trade talks: Jonathan Kuminga looms as a hidden gem, no guarantee to be a master of court vision but spectacular in the transition game. And that's it for high value outside the Big Three of Steph, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. The rest of the rotation players are strictly average by NBA standards. They fit into the league, they have their moments, and once again Warriors have a knack at bringing in character people. But on the scale of talent and track record: nothing special. Even the endearing Brandin Podziemski would be viewed by contending teams as a high-energy reserve. • As a bonanza for small-market teams, these Finals are hardly welcomed by the TV networks, merchandise outlets, ticket-revenue proprietors or sponsors. But as a fan, that's not your problem. Absolutely, Curry's Warriors against the Knicks — Games 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden — would be sensational theater. But in terms of big names and traditional settings, what are we really missing? Once you grew tired of the aging LeBron James and the ceaselessly complaining Luka Doncic, the Lakers were no fun at all. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards found himself stepping aside once again. Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo appear immersed in wanderlust. • Above all, share the Celtics' hurt over Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear, perhaps costing him all of next season. That was an absolutely brutal development, one we've shared locally with Klay Thompson. But the Celtics had been exposed as a lazy, tedious outfit long before Tatum went down. Running an offense that basically came down to five guys whipping passes around the perimeter — hey, one of these 3-point marksmen has to be open — they won a championship bearing no resemblance to the Celtics' finest traditions. This is the franchise that changed things: Bill Russell revolutionizing defense, Bob Cousy inventing the fancy fastbreak, Red Auerbach fielding the first all-Black starting five, John Havlicek setting the all-time standard for moving without the ball (like a blur, even if he was out there 48 minutes), and 3-point shooting rendered secondary by the 1985-86 frontcourt genius of Larry Bird, Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The modern Celtics haven't changed a thing, unless it's your viewing habits. After their Game 1 loss to the Knicks in the second round, Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn claimed they were 'guilty of obscene arrogance, truly believing it's impossible to lose with their relentless long-range style.' It only got worse in Game 2, when the Celtics didn't take 45 shots from 3-point range, they missed 45, and their fourth-quarter disgrace — heaving 19 of their 20 shots from distance — was 'one of the stupidest damn stats I ever heard,' Charles Barkley said on TNT. 'Nobody's that dumb.' • Nobody in the WNBA, that's for sure. What a haven for the fundamentals — and once you get past such obvious favorites as Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Paige Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, you start discovering Natasha Cloud, Allisha Gray, Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, Leonie Fiebich, Sonia Citron — we could easily offer 20 more names. That's what I love about the women's game: You never know what's going to happen next. With the Celtics, easy answer: a 3-point shot. And then a thousand more. • It's not such a crime that the Warriors passed on Haliburton in the 2020 Draft, because eight other teams followed suit as the evening progressed. The disgrace falls on the Sacramento Kings, who once had Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox in their backcourt and let both of them depart. No, their numbers playing together weren't great, but with that kind of talent, show some patience. • First thought on the Knicks' head coaching search: Jay Wright, a pillar of wisdom at Villanova and a chance to reunite with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Second thought: Becky Hammon. It's well past time for a woman to take an NBA head job, and the Las Vegas Aces' coach — who spent eight years as an assistant to Gregg Popovich in San Antonio — couldn't be more ready. Then again: Forget both names. I wouldn't wish incompetent bully James Dolan, the Knicks' owner, on either one of them. • When you know Boston is a great sports town: As Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy took note of Brunson missing what looked to be an easy layup at the worst possible time, 'It was a Frank Selvy moment that would have defeated a lot of teams.' That's it. No explanation. Just 63 short years ago. • Caitlin Clark is brash and defiant, a window into her greatness as she fends off intense defensive scrutiny and every other obstacle in life. But she has to lay off the refs before she becomes the WNBA's version of the whining, petulant Doncic. Some words of advice from one of her biggest fans and a legend in women's soccer: 'You don't want to become the girl, the team, the coach who cries wolf all the time,' Megan Rapinoe said on Sue Bird's 'A Touch More' podcast. 'It's just constant, and to what end? Sometimes you just have to play through it and earn a little bit more respect. If you're constantly asking for fouls all the time, it's just annoying and I feel you get less fouls.' • Final note: Congratulations to former Sporting Green writer Mark Fainaru-Wada, who recently returned from his alma mater, Northwestern, where he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement at the Medill School of Journalism, one of the most distinguished in the country. A Bay Area sportswriter all the way, from his days at the Marin Independent Journal and the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, he moved on to the San Francisco Examiner in 1997 and the Chronicle in 2000 before joining ESPN in 2007. Among his many achievements in investigative reporting: collaborating with the Chronicle's Lance Williams on 'Game of Shadows' (probing the BALCO steroids scandal) and with his brother, Steve, on 'League of Denial,' about the NFL's concussion issues.
