Chris Russo spoils Stephen A. Smith’s Knicks excitement

Chris Russo wasn’t going to let Stephen A. Smith enjoy the Knicks’ blockbuster move on Tuesday night.

During an appearance Wednesday morning on ESPN’s “First Take” with Smith and NBA insider Brian Windhorst, Russo downplayed the Knicks’ surprise trade for Mikal Bridges, saying the Nets forward was “not the missing piece of the puzzle” to winning the championship.

“Should I throw cold water on this, Brian?” Russo asked playfully before launching into his rant.

“Oh my God, relax,” he continued. “This is not Howard Komives to Dave DeBusschere. … I mean, he’s not the missing piece of the puzzle to win a championship. Does he make the Knicks a little better? Absolutely.”

Russo later described Bridges as a “nice” player, but suggested that he was not a “lynchpin” in Brooklyn.

“Before you sit there and tell me he’s scoring 24 points a game and putting them real close to Boston, putting them ahead of Indiana…” Russo added before being interrupted by both Smith and anchor Molly Qerim.

During Russo’s monologue, Smith is seen covering his face and shaking his head.

Regarding Russo’s argument: The 27-year-old Bridges was never an All-Star and never averaged more than 20.1 points per game in a season.

After trading for Bridges in February 2023, the newly formed Nets finished the 2022–23 season 12-15 before being swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.

Although Bridges started all 82 games, Brooklyn finished with a dismal 32-50 record the following year, leading to the firing of head coach Jacque Vaughn.

Across town, the Knicks had a great 2023-24 season, securing second place in the Eastern Conference and reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second year in a row.

Bridges will join former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, as well as potentially influential players such as Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, subject to any transfer and free agency decisions.