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Maybe he didn't mean it, but Brandon Jennings started a Twitter beef with the Knicks' J.R. Smith on Wednesday night when he questioned why the Knicks are using a roster spot on Chris Smith, the brother of J.R. Smith when friends of his, Pooh Jeter and Bobby Brown, are forced to play overseas. He eventually thought twice about putting his unfiltered thoughts out there, but not before his original tweet was retweeted and screencapped:
Shots Fired by @BrandonJennings to the Smith family @TheRealJRSmith @TheOnlyCSmith0 pic.twitter.com/msDe1zi7uE
— Thakid (@AfricaGullySide) November 14, 2013
Why call out Chris Smith and not mention any number of players holding down the 15th spot on a roster? Because Chris' situation is widely regarded by NBA sources an open and shut case of nepotism. From Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday:
Everyone wants to blame Creative Arts Agency for the packaging of the players, but Chris Smith, associated with a different agency two years ago, had been granted a guaranteed contract with the Knicks for the 2011-12 season. Only, Smith blew out his knee and received his $490,000 on the injured list. This was a stooge deal on New York's behalf, an embarrassment afforded a player, J.R. Smith, who doesn't deserve this kind of treatment.
"Glen Grunwald never wanted to do it, never felt right about it back then," one source with knowledge of the package deal said. "That call came from above him."
Within the Knicks coaching staff, they believe Chris Smith doesn't even have the talent to be an NBA Development League player – never mind worthy of a roster spot. One opposing GM called him "maybe the worst player in the history of the [NBA] summer league."
In any case, Chris Smith refused to take the bait:
I'm a classy no twitter war for me
— Chris Smith (@TheOnlyCSmith0) November 14, 2013
His brother, though? He's not a classy-no-twitter-war kind of dude:
No respect for these lil kids who pop at the mouth on twitter an then want to delete they tweets! #GrowUp! #ManUp! @TheOnlyCSmith0 #Facts!
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) November 14, 2013
No war! But ain't no #peace RT @TheOnlyCSmith0: I'm a classy no twitter war for me
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) November 14, 2013
Smith actually took things a bit further with a since-deleted tweet of his own (screencap courtesy of Ball Don't Lie):
Jennings tried to backpedal, but J.R. wasn't interested:
Don't hype this it's not beef. It's just basketball talk. I know how twitter get!!!
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) November 14, 2013
Here we go sub tweeting again! I didn't hear nothing when @joshselby32 got in them pockets! Money on me all day everyday go get who u want!
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) November 14, 2013
Wait, wait, wait -- how does Josh Selby figure into this? Turns out Selby posterized Jennings a couple of summers ago in the Goodman League in D.C.:
We don't need to wait long for this Twitter beef to spill out onto the court: the Knicks visit the Palace this coming Tuesday, Nov. 19.
TO BE CONTINUED.