by Adam Figman / @afigman
The price the Knicks are paying—both financially and with an ever-important roster spot—for Chris Smith, JR Smith’s little brother, has been well-documented over the past week. We’ve heard media members and fans alike gripe over the situation, but hadn’t heard a comment on the matter from an actual NBA player until last night, when Detroit guard Brandon Jennings tweeted…
RT @BrandonJennings: Wait wait wait JR smith brother is in the NBA but @PoohJeter & @BBROWNLAU isn’t. Call me hater but not Rollin!!!
— Holly MacKenzie (@stackmack) November 14, 2013
Brandon deleted the tweet shortly thereafter—hence the embedded Holly MacKenzie retweet—but it made the rounds nonetheless. Jennings had a point: Pooh Jeter and Bobby Brown have both had decent stints in the NBA during the past few years and will both be playing in China during the upcoming Chinese Basketball Association season after failing to secure NBA contracts this past summer. Naturally, Brown and Jeter were appreciative of the kind words from their bro:
Thanks for the support bro @BrandonJennings 💯 — Pooh Jeter (@PoohJeter) November 14, 2013
All day bro!!!RT @PoohJeter: Thanks for the support bro @BrandonJennings 💯 — Bobby Brown (@BBROWNLAU) November 14, 2013
Jr Smith, not so much:
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
Might call some of my Number street homies an put #Detroit on smash for a min! #DeadSerious — JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) November 14, 2013
OK then. The first of those two tweets was retweeted by Chris, who chimed in with:
First time I played in 9months was summer league so believe what u want… I’m getting paid to do what I love and I’m working hard!! — Chris Smith (@TheOnlyCSmith0) November 14, 2013
I’m a classy no twitter war for me — Chris Smith (@TheOnlyCSmith0) November 14, 2013
A pretty respectable response from the younger Smith. Big bro wasn’t finished, though.
No war! But ain’t no #peace RT @TheOnlyCSmith0: I’m a classy no twitter war for me — JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) November 14, 2013
Jennings, meanwhile, doubled down on his support for his homies:
“@BBROWNLAU: All day bro!!!RT @PoohJeter: Thanks for the support bro @BrandonJennings 💯” #Day1 I'm just keeping it real
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) November 14, 2013
But JR felt those words were a little less than real.
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
The good folks at PBT believe this was a reference to the time Josh Selby yammed on Jennings during a Goodman League game, which sounds both correct and more than a little irrelevant. Jennings then closed things out with a relatively reasonable take:
Don’t hype this it’s not beef. It’s just basketball talk. I know how twitter get!!! — BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) November 14, 2013
So, things this was not: beef, war, #peace, important. The Knicks visit the Pistons on November 19.
