The Curious Case of JR Smith
Ate up by vultures, the politicians
In a dog eat dog culture, that'll sick 'em...
DMX once said “I love em, I hate em” and that can be the way that the Nuggets’ execs, fans, and possibly teammates feel about mercurial guard JR Smith right now.
What to do with the conundrum with arguably the team’s best player, who also happens to be the team’s biggest distraction?
Coach Karl has tried everything to rein in JR, from calling him out in public, to benching him, to suspensions, and probably more sitdowns than the Tony Soprano and Johnny Sack. Where can the relationship go from here?
The answer is probably nowhere other than where’s it’s been the last few years, and that’s right here in Our Fair City in the doghouse. The other 29 NBA teams know the Nugs might be looking to move the guard, and will be lying in wait with their castoffs and salary cap clearance players to send to Denver. Some teams won’t even be an option (realistically, could you see JR Smith playing for a no-BS team like San Antonio of Boston?)
The tired cliché is JR needs to grow up. Easy to say, but apparently it isn’t for JR. Think about where you were six years out of high school. That’s when real life starting creeping in for most of us. Job prospects were crystallizing, you might be seeing a little more money, every night wasn’t a party, getting a bit more serious about the life in general. Yet, there were always a few of your crew who weren’t moving in that direction. Years later, they were still going knucklehead and living life like a kid. That is JR. And that is where the Nuggets are with him, and they’re just going to have to live with it at this point.
The Chauncey Nuggets are only 15 months old, so Nugs brass might have to hope the continued exposure to him influences how he handles himself (along with Aron Affalo, and the other polished vets, even the poised Ty Lawson) might be the best road to take with him now.
The last resort might be a permanent seat on the end of the bench. The last two games have shown the Nugs might be capable of hanging without Smith, getting impressive results from Affalo. Think a steady bench player is going to command any takers, or worst yet, at the end of his contract anything more than a vet minimum? The Nugs need to stand pat and JR needs to decide (again) his own path.
What to do with the conundrum with arguably the team’s best player, who also happens to be the team’s biggest distraction?
Coach Karl has tried everything to rein in JR, from calling him out in public, to benching him, to suspensions, and probably more sitdowns than the Tony Soprano and Johnny Sack. Where can the relationship go from here?
The answer is probably nowhere other than where’s it’s been the last few years, and that’s right here in Our Fair City in the doghouse. The other 29 NBA teams know the Nugs might be looking to move the guard, and will be lying in wait with their castoffs and salary cap clearance players to send to Denver. Some teams won’t even be an option (realistically, could you see JR Smith playing for a no-BS team like San Antonio of Boston?)
The tired cliché is JR needs to grow up. Easy to say, but apparently it isn’t for JR. Think about where you were six years out of high school. That’s when real life starting creeping in for most of us. Job prospects were crystallizing, you might be seeing a little more money, every night wasn’t a party, getting a bit more serious about the life in general. Yet, there were always a few of your crew who weren’t moving in that direction. Years later, they were still going knucklehead and living life like a kid. That is JR. And that is where the Nuggets are with him, and they’re just going to have to live with it at this point.
The Chauncey Nuggets are only 15 months old, so Nugs brass might have to hope the continued exposure to him influences how he handles himself (along with Aron Affalo, and the other polished vets, even the poised Ty Lawson) might be the best road to take with him now.
The last resort might be a permanent seat on the end of the bench. The last two games have shown the Nugs might be capable of hanging without Smith, getting impressive results from Affalo. Think a steady bench player is going to command any takers, or worst yet, at the end of his contract anything more than a vet minimum? The Nugs need to stand pat and JR needs to decide (again) his own path.
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Labels: Nuggets
posted by @slushygutter at 7:19 PM
8 Comments:
And then unfortunately tonight (against Houston) you see why the Nuggets can't trade him at this point. Not unless you can somehow package him, Nene and picks for Bosh.
Can't wait for that SG update on CU's sweet upcoming recruiting class. Kazzamm !!!!!! Ha.
Raps gonna stick with Bosh I think. They can get the #5 seed. Unless he tells them hes not staying in tdot.
I'd be amazed if he stays in Toronto, since he's guaranteed a max deal with every other team with cap space.
JR's gotta stay...if not for any semblance of consistency, then for the threat of throwing up 10-15 points in a blink of an eye. Anyone remember how many playoff games he exploded in? I know he's a freaking nightmare to deal with, but which trade makes the nuggets better without him?
Im thinking JR stays too. Id love to get Bosh but think the asking price might be too high. Then again, a championship might be worth any price.
More I see Haywood the more impressed Id be with him. A 10 and 10 guy, veteran. Probably get him for very little.
Good discussion Spotty, CZ, and Homon...
Well that's kinda my point CH, save an injury to the Lakers somewhere along the line do we really believe K-Mart, Nene and Birdman can stand up to Odom, Bynum and Gasol? I sure as hell don't.
I like the idea of Haywood, I really do.
The Nuggets just need to make some sort of impact move if they ever want to be anythign other than the 2nd or 3rd best team in the conference. There are just too many offensive holes for this team to play in the slow it down playoff games.
amazing, we're talking about the Nugs being "stuck" in 2nd in the WC. Five years ago, we'd take that every year. Success spoils eh?
Guys, the Raps have a chance to make some noise. If the Celtics break down with an injury, they actually might be able to get them. Bargnani and Bosh are very formidable and there is HUGE pressure for the team to retain Bosh. The fans dont want McGrady/Carter part 3.
Im amazed no one jumping in with a post about some guy wearing sparkly jumpsuits playing for the Rainbow Hoopers.
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