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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and former NBA star Dennis Rodman speak at a basketball game in Pyongyang in March.

(AFP/Getty Images)

Former Knicks star Charles Smith is second-guessing his decision to travel to North Korea with Dennis Rodman to stage an exhibition basketball game to celebrate the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.

Smith apparently thought that, with Rodman as the organizer, the goodwill tour of the communist country -- where human rights are abused and Kim recently executed his own uncle -- would go smoothly and without controversy.

To which we say: Really?

Smith's comments came after Rodman's latest circus -- a meltdown in a CNN interview.

"What we are doing is positive, but it is getting dwarfed by the other circumstances around it," Smith told the Associated Press on Tuesday. "Apparently our message is not being conveyed properly due to the circumstances that are much bigger than us, and I think that has to do with politics and government."

Smith, Rodman and other ex-NBA players are scheduled to play against a team of North Koreans on Wednesday in honor of Kim's birthday. Rodman and his friends see the trip as a step toward building a better relationship between the United States and North Korea, but critics have blasted them for indulguing Kim.

Rodman has stoked the fire by calling Kim his friend for life and for defending the leader -- however feebly -- in interview after interview.

"Some of the statements and things that Dennis has said has tainted our efforts," Smith said. "Dennis is a great guy, but how he articulates what goes on -- he gets emotional and he says things that he'll apologize for later.

"I feel a lot of remorse for the guys because we are doing something positive, but it's a lot bigger than us. We are not naive, we understand why things are being portrayed the way they are. We can't do anything about that; if we could, we would."

In a statement Monday, NBA Commissioner David Stern distanced the league from Rodman and the exhibition.

"The NBA is not involved with Mr. Rodman's North Korea trip and would not participate or support such a venture without the approval of the U.S. State Department," Stern said. "Although sports in many instances can be helpful in bridging cultural divides, this is not one of them."