Wednesday Windmill: Stephen A. Smith owes Kristaps Porzingis an apology

     On draft night, many New York Knicks fans were not pleased with Phil Jackson's decision to select Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-footer from Latvia, with the 4th overall pick. They were primarily upset because they had no idea who Porzingis was and they associated European big men as guys who don't pan out in the NBA. Given that they are fans, I give them a hall pass. Especially since their team over the years has let them down and proven to be inept.

     However, I do not give the same hall pass to Stephen A. Smith, who likewise ripped the pick to the delight of ignorant Knicks fans. Stephen A. Smith is supposed to be an analyst who knows more than the average fan. He is supposed to do his homework and actually have an educated opinion on such matters as opposed to being a guy who gets paid millions of dollars to be a voice for the ignorant New York sports fan.

     If he actually did his homework and researched Kristaps Porzingis like I did, he would have found Porzingis to be a very good pick because of his length, mobility, athleticism, and overall potential. He would have recognized that considering they were picking 4th, Kristaps Porzingis was definitely the best player to roll with.

     Thankfully, Kristaps Porzingis has proven his doubters wrong. He has averaged 13.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game this season as one of the league's most exciting young talents. He is making Phil Jackson look really smart while simultaneously making Stephen A. Smith look like nothing more than a clown and a buffoon.

     So, what do I want Stephen A. Smith to do? I want him to admit he was wrong. I want him to apologize to Kristaps Porzingis and own his mistake to rip the young man on national television. More importantly, I want Stephen A. Smith to spend more time researching and gathering information as opposed to just spouting off whatever comes into his mind like he doesn't care if he's wrong.

     The bottom line is that Stephen A. Smith prides himself on being a well-respected journalist and more importantly, he prides himself on having a very high basketball IQ. So far, Stephen A. Smith has done nothing to convince me that he is a quality journalist or one with a good understanding of the game of basketball. Unless he admits he was wrong about Kristaps Porzingis and also admit that he didn't do his homework, he will continue to be nothing more than an entertaining buffoon who speaks only opinion without any facts to back up his claims.

Note: Click here to read my 2015 NBA mock draft. I was very high on Porzingis.