J.R. Smith to be suspended

For Monta Ellis and a bag of potatoes.

It’s okay, I understand where you’re coming from. JR is a talented young player and he DOES ahve all the potential in the world. When you see shit like this happen with him ALL THE FREAKIN TIME though, it’s time to realize that he has problems that may not be able to be solved simply through “more time”. Remember Chauncey mentoring him in Vegas this summer? Doesn’t even look like that helped.

I love(d) JR too, but it may be time to let go.

we really can do nothing to back JR anymore. anybody wanna buy my JR jersey?

CB is shooting the 3-ball at nearly a 42% clip this year (and 41% last year, with a career 3-pt % of 38.9%). Describing Chauncey as jacking up random 3s does not mesh very well with him shooting 42% this year from beyond the arc (indeed, that % puts him in the top 15). Sure, maybe every other game or two you see a shot you do not like, but the numbers don’t lie — Chauncey is shooting the 3-ball very well this year.

JOEY GRAHAM TO THE RESCUE?!?!?

 The suspension the Denver Nuggets are pondering slapping on shooting guard J.R. Smith really shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that is around the team on a consistent basis. The specific actions he engaged in during Saturday’s loss will likely be cited as the reason for the suspension should the team decide to follow through, but this is not simply a cause-and-effect of the events that transpired in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Instead, this is a situation that has been simmering for years now.

Smith was just 20 years of age in the summer of 2006 when the team acquired him. It was clear at the time that he still had some maturing to do. It was also clear that Smith had the skill-level necessary to develop into an elite player.

Early in his tenure with the team Smith demonstrated extremely poor shot-selection and an attitude that left a lot to be desired. While this kind of behavior often left coaches and even teammates shaking their heads, there was always a hope that Smith would eventually “get it.”

After Smith spent 30 days in jail this summer, there was optimism from both fans and members of the organization that this event would serve as the catalyst for Smith’s maturation. That simply hasn’t happened. In fact, in many ways Smith has regressed both on the court and in his level of maturity.

It’s no secret that Smith and Denver Nuggets head coach Karl don’t often see eye-to-eye. Karl rarely communicates with the mercurial shooting guard often using assistant coach Tim Grgurich and others as a go between. Fans might be quick to say Karl should communicate more with Smith, but it’s not as though he hasn’t tried in the past. Multiple well placed sources have indicated that Smith has made it abundantly clear through his actions and non-verbal behavior that he has no intention of listening to Karl, and it takes two willing parties for successful communication to happen.

Over the last couple of seasons Karl has “overlooked” and not gone public with episodes of insubordination from Smith. The situation has nearly boiled over on a number different occasions over the last several seasons. There were members of the organization that were so frustrated with Smith last season that they were advocating for a swap of Smith for Flip Murray when Murray was a member of the Detroit Pistons.

The team remains split on what to do with Smith. Some members of the organization are infatuated with his undeniable talent and believe the light switch will eventually go on while others are frustrated with his persistent bad attitude and low basketball I.Q.

When Smith gets hot offensively he can win a game by himself. The problem is that he doesn’t have the focus or work ethic at this juncture necessary to become a consistent player on a team competing for a championship.

Smith’s performance against the Atlanta Hawks on December 23rd was perhaps the perfect example of the walking contradiction he has become. He hoisted up an almost unthinkable 17 three-point shots making 10 of them. In the same game he only made one of his six free throw attempts. It was an electric and simultaneously confusing performance. It was enough to make a basketball purist’s head explode and a talent evaluator salivate.

The question that remains is what Denver should do with Smith moving forward. Dumping Smith simply to get him out of the locker room could be devastating to Denver’s championship aspirations. While Arron Afflalo had a great night in Denver’s latest win over the Hornets scoring 19 points and making five three-point field goals, he’s not a player that has shown he can be a consistent offensive threat quite yet. Moreover, Smith’s ability to score in bunches was a key ingredient to Denver’s extended playoff run last season. Giving that up would have its risks for the Nuggets.

It should also be noted that it’s not as though Smith’s teammates don’t like him, although there are some players both past and present who have admitted that they sometimes get exasperated with his antics from time-to-time.

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One thing you can count on in the NBA is that there will always be a market for talent, and Smith has plenty of that. If Denver trades Smith for a big as some have suggested the team should, they will be very thin in the backcourt and lose perhaps the NBA’s most explosive scorer off the bench. The Nuggets will likely have to get some perimeter scoring punch in return in any deal for Smith.

An issue between a player and coach can only be ignored and superficially smoothed over for so long. This latest spat that has gone public can actually serve as an opportunity to clean up a situation that has been lingering now for far too long. Failure to act will almost certainly result in ongoing issues between player and coach.

The organization can either sit both Smith and Karl down and come to a mutual understanding that will be enforced for the rest of the season or they need to cut ties with Smith and move on provided they can find a trade that makes sense.

Confounding the issue is the uncertainty regarding Karl’s future for next season. It wouldn’t make sense to get rid of Smith if the organization doesn’t intend to bring Karl back unless the team believes that Smith is a lost cause no matter who is at the helm.

Temporary fixes are just that. It’s time for the Nuggets to find a permanent solution to an issue that has been one of the worst kept secrets in the league.