"We don't claim him": Knicks fans sound off on Stephen A. Smith after he references Quentin Grimes instead of Miles McBride 

ESPN analyst and longtime New York Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith recently expressed optimism in his team's outlook ahead of the playoffs. However, an embarrassing slip-up left NBA fans on X/Twitter questioning the validity of his Knicks fandom.

On Thursday, New York announced that star forward Julius Randle was ruled out for the season after opting to undergo right shoulder surgery. The news put a damper on Knicks fans' hopes of seeing their team make a deep playoff run.

However, two-way forward OG Anunoby (elbow) has since returned to the lineup. Meanwhile, star point guard Jalen Brunson and several Knicks role players continue playing at high levels, reigniting fans' optimism.

That seemingly includes Smith, who listed the positive developments he's seen from New York following Sunday's 122-109 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. However, while doing so, the "First Take" star mentioned that third-year wing Quentin Grimes has "looked good."

The Knicks dealt the 23-year-old to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 8. as part of their trade deadline deal for sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic. Meanwhile, Grimes last suited up for New York on Jan. 30, over two months ago.

Smith later corrected himself, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean Grimes. He got traded."

Nonetheless, the mistake led X users to revoke his "Knicks fan" designation.

"Fakest Knicks fan. We don’t claim him," @David54727532 said.

"More proof he's not an actual fan," @PayMeNoMindBro said.

"He has no idea what’s going on with the Knicks. Casual!" @3BuckChuck35 said.

"[Stephen A. Smith], just stop being a so-called FAN, at this point. So cringe, dude," @jjoseph___ said.

@C_Reilly5 defended Smith, suggesting he probably confused Grimes with third-year guard Miles McBride. The 23-year-old has experienced a midseason breakout, ranking as New York's third-leading scorer (17.9 points per game) since March 18.

However, @NBA_NewYork and @smoothington were skeptical whether the ESPN personality even caught on to his mistake by himself. They alleged that a producer could be heard informing him that "Grimes got traded."

It's unclear whether Smith's mishap was genuine, or if he hasn't been paying close attention to his favorite team. Nonetheless, most would probably agree that it isn't a good look for the 56-year-old to reference the strong play of a traded player.

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Before Quentin Grimes slip-up, Stephen A. Smith had emotional reaction to Julius Randle's season-ending shoulder surgery

Stephen A. Smith may have forgotten that New York traded Quentin Grimes. Nevertheless, he still appeared dispirited about Julius Randle's season being over.

Shortly after the news broke on Thursday, Smith lamented the Knicks' unfortunate injury luck. He noted that this year marked their best chance to make their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000.

“You got an opportunity with Milwaukee looking suspect [and] Miami looking suspect at times,” Smith said on ESPN's "First Take" on Thursday. "The Knicks had a chance to get to the conference finals against Boston, and then this happens. You can’t make it up, man."

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It remains to be seen if the Knicks (46-32, fourth in the East) can make a deep playoff run in Randle's absence. However, if they do, Stephen A. Smith will likely once again be among their most outspoken supporters.

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