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J.R. Smith

Odds & Ends: Smith, Nicholson, Zeller

September 7th, 2013 at 10:54pm CST by Spencer Lund

J.R. Smith was not in attendance at the Gary Forbes Foundation Strike Out Diabetes Celebrity Softball Tournament in Brooklyn today. But his brother Chris Smith was, and when he was asked about his brother's five-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy, he told the New York Daily News:

"I mean it is what it is. Stuff happens. It’s a little setback, but it’s not the worst thing going on in sports.”

Here's more from around the NBA on a slow September Saturday night less than a month before training camps open in October…

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Poll: Was J.R. Smith’s New Deal A Good Idea?

September 7th, 2013 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks' top priority this offseason was re-signing swingman J.R. Smith to a new deal.  The unrestricted free agent was garnering a good deal of interest on the open market but the Knicks and agent Leon Rose agreed to a four-year, $24.7MM deal on July 4th.  Done deal, right?  Not quite.

Soon after, it was revealed that Smith would have to undergo offseason knee surgery.  Suddenly, what seemed like a no-brainer deal for the defending Sixth Man of the Year was no longer a slam dunk.  The patellar tendon surgery and arthroscopy for a tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee will keep Smith out for at least the first few weeks of the 2013/14 season.  After the news of the surgery was disclosed, Smith and Rose got the deal amended to a three-year, $17.95MM pact, which may be a positive for the Knicks, depending on how you look at it.

Yesterday, we learned that Smith will be out even longer than expected after being suspended for a drug violation.  After his knee heals up, Smith will have to be sidelined for an additional five games and given Smith's reported proclivity for partying, one has to wonder if this could be a recurring issue.  

By the same token, Smith is coming off of a career year in which he averaged 18.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.7 APG in 33.5 minutes per game off of the bench.  It's not easy to find that kind of production elsewhere, especially when you don't have cap space to work with.  All things considered, is Smith's three-year, $17.95MM deal a good idea for the Knicks?

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J.R. Smith Suspended For Drug Violation

September 6th, 2013 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will suspend J.R. Smith for violating the league's substance abuse policy, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Frank Isola of the New York Daily News adds (via Twitter) that the suspension will be for five games, and the NBA has confirmed the news in a press release.

As Isola notes (on Twitter), a five-game suspension, which is identical to the one facing Terrel Harris of the Blazers, would suggest a positive test for marijuana. According to Isola, Smith didn't test positive for a performance-enhancing drug, which would result in a more severe penalty — generally a 20-game suspension.

Smith's status for the start of the season was already in doubt, due to offseason knee surgery, and he'll now miss an additional five games once he's healthy. While missing time with an injury won't affect Smith's pay, the five-game suspension will cost him a small portion of his $5.565MM salary for the 2013/14 season.

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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Smith, Wyatt, Celtics

September 1st, 2013 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

J.R. Smith has never been one to shy away from a microphone and this week he gave Knicks beat writers some solid late-August material.  Somewhere in between firing shots across the East River at Paul Pierce and the Nets, Smith was asked about Carmelo Anthony's opt out in the summer of 2014.  "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him," said Smith.  Here's more out of the Atlantic..

  • Smith told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he signed with the Knicks rather than the Nets when he returned from China in February 2012 because “the Nets weren’t good.  Now they’re still not good.’’  Meanwhile, Berman's colleague Fred Kerber tweets that the Nets never had any interest in the New Jersey native.
  • Smith says that he's unsure of whether or not he'll be ready for the Knicks season opener against the Bucks, but Berman (Sulia link) gets the impression that he won't be.  Berman expects him to miss a week or two of action.
  • Don't be surprised if former Temple standout Khalif Wyatt receives a training camp invitation and spends some time with the Sixers during the regular season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The guard could fill a void on a team in desperate need of a long-range shooter, Pompey writes.  Wyatt averaged a team-best 13.8 PPG for Philadelphia in summer league.
  • Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the Celtics' training camp invites.
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Odds & Ends: Seattle, Kyrie, Sixers, Wiggins

August 31st, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

Earlier this month it was discovered Chris Hansen, the venture capitalist behind the Seattle group bidding for the Kings franchise, had funded an Anti-Kings-Arena group. Many believed the news would derail any future NBA franchise in Seattle. While others wrote that it would not affect a future team in the former home of the Supersonics. 

Today, 95.7 The Game radio host Ric Bucher spoke with an influential NBA owner about whether the Hansen discovery would have any bearing on Seattle landing an NBA franchise. The anonymous owner's response, via Sulia, "none."  

But, Bucher goes on to write – with an important caveat that the translation might have been altered in the text – that the Seattle group might have to write a $1 billion check for the expansion fee.

Bucher adds that he did not think expansion was going to happen during the Sacramento-Seattle back-and-forth, but that the $1 billion cost lining the coffers of the NBA owners would be hard to pass up if Hansen and his group agreed to pay. If the Seattle group balks at the price, then no harm no foul – and, no 31st team.

Here's what else is happening around the league as we come up on just a month remaining before training camps start…

  • Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld believes the future is now for the Cavs and it's time for Kyrie Irving to lead them to the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James donned the No. 23.
  • Marc Porcaro of Secret Rival went through the short- and long-term futures of the Sixers and Suns on Twitter tonight, discussing their current draft picks over the next three offseasons, and possible changes to their current rotations.
  • At the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela, tournament favorites Puerto Rico beat Canada after a strong fourth quarter, reports the Toronto Sun's John Chick.
  • If Canada qualifies for the FIBA World Cup in Spain next summer, Andrew Wiggins' AAU coach Tony McIntyre told SNY.tv (via ZagsBlog.com) Wiggins will play along with fellow Canadians: No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk and incoming Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis.
  • J.R. Smith tells Newsday's Will Sammon he doesn't know whether he'll be ready for the Knicks' training camp in the first week of October. 
  • Jonathan Givony of Draft Express posted part 1 of his detailed scouting reports on the top of the 2014 high school class. The first part focuses on point guards like Tyus Jones and Australian Emmanuel Mudiay, the latter of whom may skip college to declare for next summer's NBA Draft.
  • Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets that DeAndre Liggins was arrested in Oklahoma City tonight on complaint of domestic abuse. Liggins is on a non-guaranteed minimum contract this season, so he'll have to make the team to earn that money.
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Eastern Notes: ‘Melo, Magic, Smith

August 31st, 2013 at 7:09pm CST by Spencer Lund

After J.R. Smith called out Paul Pierce for being bitter after being traded from the Celtics in a piece by ESPN New York's Ian Begley, Begley offered up some additional material from his conversation with Smith.

Begley asked J.R, about Carmelo Anthony's impending decision next summer whether to opt-out of his contract with the Knicks. 'Melo's current deal will pay him $23.333MM for the 2014/15 season. If he does terminate the contract early, as many expect, he'll be eligible to re-sign with the Knicks for a five-year, $129MM deal. Another team could only sign him for $95MM over four years.

Said Smith, via Begley's tweet, "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him." Here's more around the Eastern Conference during a Saturday night when many are watching the opening day of college football…

  • In reaction to the same Begley piece from earlier today, CBS Sports' Zach Harper debates whether the NBA could possibly issue a fine after misconstruing Smith's comments as a more deliberate "threat." 
  • The fine would come on the heels of the news earlier this week that David Stern called a meeting to clear the air last season between Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and Knicks owner James Dolan.
  • Orlando Sentinel columnist Brian K. Schmitz tweets that the Magic are negotiating with Hedo Turkoglu for a buy-out. The Magic are on the hook for $6MM of Hedo's $12MM 2014/15 salary, and the full amount if he's still on the roster by January 7th. 
  • But that's highly unlikely since Turkoglu could well be playing in his native Turkey by that time. Can Pelister of TrendBasket.net reported earlier this week that Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker is prepared to make Hedo a substantial offer.
  • Schmitz also adds that the Magic are inviting 2nd rounder Romero Osby to training camp as well as four free agents.
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Knicks Notes: Nets, Smith, Bargnani

August 31st, 2013 at 2:45pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been a war of words going back and forth between Manhattan and Brooklyn this summer and Knicks guard J.R. Smith is the latest to join the fray.  "I just look at [Paul Pierce] as a bitter person just getting out of Boston. He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career," Smith told Ian Begley of ESPN New York on Saturday."Here's the latest out of MSG..

  • Within the story, Smith also told Begley that doctors have yet to give him an exact timetable for his potential return.  He should be back in action for the first Nets-Knicks showdown in early December, but his status for the season opener is still in question.  The Knicks signed Smith to a lucrative four-year, $24.7MM deal this summer before the news of his surgery was disclosed.
  • Andrea Bargnani told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport that he'll miss Eurobasket with his national team due to pneumonia, but he wants to be ready for camp with the Knicks, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.  Bargnani is hoping to turn over a new leaf in New York after coming over via trade from the Raptors.
  • Earlier today we learned that Chris Smith, J.R.'s younger brother, will be in camp with the Knicks.
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Atlantic Notes: J.R. Smith, Pierce, Murry, Knicks

August 8th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this afternoon, I asked Hoops Rumors readers to vote on the offseason's best head coaching hire in the Eastern Conference. While several choices are bunched together in the middle of the pack so far, Brad Stevens of the Celtics has emerged as the clear top choice. It seems that many of you are fans of Boston's bold decision to hire the 36-year-old Stevens away from Butler and place him in charge of the team's rebuild. Here's more from around the Atlantic:

  • J.R. Smith tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that his free agent negotiations with the Knicks weren't a "long, drawn-out process," since he hopes to eventually retire with the club.
  • In an interview with Adam Figman of SLAM Online, Paul Pierce says that he and Kevin Garnett didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process with the Celtics, and addresses a number of other topics of note.
  • Bernie Lee, the agent for Toure Murry, tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that his client remains in discussions with the Knicks, and will visit two other NBA teams within the next week before hopefully deciding on a deal. After signing Beno Udrih, the Knicks may not have interest in Murry on anything more than a training camp invite, though that's my speculation.
  • The Knicks officially announced Udrih's signing earlier today.
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Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Scola

July 27th, 2013 at 5:55pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Pacers' acqusition of Luis Scola from the Suns today involved them sending out Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green and a lottery-protected 2014 first-round pick. That first-round pick is lottery-protected through 2019, and would become unprotected in 2020, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Of course, the Pacers seem like shoo-ins for the playoffs, so the Suns will likely get the pick in 2014.

The Suns and Pacers had been discussing the Luis Scola trade for weeks, but when Indiana threw Miles Plumlee into the deal, the two sides quickly reached an agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard said the team doesn't plan another major move anytime soon, but said "we are always open for business" when addressing reporters today, including Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star:

"(Team president) Larry (Bird) has long admired Scola’s ability to rebound and score the ball," Pritchard also said. "We watched him last year with Phoenix. We always felt he would be a perfect person for us in terms of backing up (David) West and backing up (Roy) Hibbert, being part of our second unit and being a scorer on that unit."

Larry Bird, especially, has coveted Luis Scola for years, notes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, and the opportunity to add his skills as a sub for front-court starters Roy Hibbert and David West, proved too juicy to pass up, despite losing a likely late first-round pick next year.

Here's what else is happening around an increasingly top-heavy Eastern Conference, including more from the Pacers…

  • NBC 6 anchor Adam Kuperstein and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discussed the upgrades the Pacers have made to their bench this offseason (Twitter link): Chris Copeland and Scola in place of Tyler Hansbrough and Sam Young, while C.J. Watson replaced D.J. Augustin as the backup for George Hill at the point.
  • Winderman details the familiar opponents the Heat will likely face this coming season in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with the Pacers, Knicks and Bulls leading the charge to unseat the Eastern Conference champions over the last three seasons. 
  • The Knicks and Gustavo Ayon have not engaged in discussions, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Ayon is still on waivers after the Bucks released him Thursday. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined teams who could claim the big man before he hits free agency.
  • J.R. Smith has already received $8.974MM of his $17,947,125 deal with the Knicks, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Mark Deeks of ShamSports reported this week that Smith would receive half of this year's salary by November 15th, but it appears the Knicks have already given him all of his salary for 2013/14 and part of his 2014/15 pay.
  • Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer answers questions in her mailbag including whether the Cavs' 33rd pick in this year's draft, Carrick Felix, has enough abilities to secure a roster spot. 

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Eastern Notes: Monroe, Knicks, White, Heat

July 24th, 2013 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Wednesday morning items from around the Eastern Conference….

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