Metta World Peace's Brother Isn't Confident About NY Knicks' Chances

Prepare yourself for that awkward moment when Metta World Peace's brother, Daniel Artest, eviscerates the team his sibling plays on.

Ahead of their Texas Triangle road trip, Artest, an open San Antonio Spurs fan, blasted the already cowed New York Knicks:

My condolences to New York's collective ass. Hopefully San Antonio is kind enough to line its seats with extra cushions.

While Knicks fans would normally be offended, Artest is dropping globs of truth.

New York is in dire straights. Entering Jan. 2, the Knicks have the NBA's third-worst record (9-21). Many of their struggles are shocking, too, since the Eastern Conference reeks of fetid dairy products and when you take into account that the Knicks won 54 games last season.

Losers of three straight, the Knicks are now six games off the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors, hoping to end this run of lethargic clumsiness soon.

"This is not how I envisioned it," Carmelo Anthony admitted of New York's troubles, per the New York Daily News' Frank Isola.

Obviously.

Not even those (foolishly) enamored with the re-tooled Brooklyn Nets could've predicted New York's downfall. Some, like Artest's brother, are actually still brimming with (puzzling) optimism.

"This team is stacked," World Peace told USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt in December, when the Knicks were 8-17.

Glass-half-full takes can be appreciated but are quickly becoming unwarranted, if they weren't already.

Gary Dineen/Getty Images

The Knicks rank in the bottom 11 of both offensive and defensive efficiency and have beaten just one team with a winning record—the Atlanta Hawks, twice—all season. Staring down a brutal road trip, during which they'll face the Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, things don't figure to get much better.

Last time the Knicks faced the Spurs, they were manhandled at home, losing 120-89 in a detestable matinee effort—if you could even call being on the wrong end of a 31-point drubbing "effort."

"It was embarrassing for us to come here on our home court and lose a game like this," Anthony said after that loss, per the Associated Press (via ESPN). "It wasn't about losing the game, it was just how we lost the game. We didn't compete today and it showed out there on the court."

Remaining competitive has been a season-long problem for these Knicks, who, like Artest points out, lack pride, along with the wins and identity that traditionally come with it.

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