Chris Smith Was Released by the NBA D-League's Erie BayHawks Yesterday

#knickstape!

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Complex Original

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Prior to the start of the 2013-14 NBA season, the Knicks decided to keep J.R. Smith's brother Chris on their roster. And Knicks fans were not happy about it. Many people felt that the younger Smith only got a chance with the Knicks because of who his brother is. And in the end, the Chris Smith experiment didn't work in New York, with the Knicks deciding to part ways with him just two months later.

After leaving the Knicks, Smith then signed a deal with the NBA D-League's Erie BayHawks. But now, it sounds like that deal has gone South, too. Because according to multiple sources, the BayHawks decided to part ways with Smith yesterday by releasing him, and they did it because he reportedly clashed with the team's coaching staff in recent weeks. Apparently, he wasn't happy with how much playing time he was getting and made a big stink about it. And that didn't sit well with Erie, so they decided to cut him.

Smith is now a D-League free agent, and we suspect that he'll get another deal before the end of the season. But in the end, didn't the Knicks keeping him on their roster earlier this season actually hurt him more than it helped him? At this point, yes. But we'll have to keep an eye on where he lands next.

RELATED: Knicks Fans Are Being So Mean to J.R. Smith's Brother Chris on Twitter

[via Posting and Toasting]

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