Cleveland Cavaliers Offer Perfect Stage for J.R. Smith to Thrive
J.R. Smith didn't have to become a free agent this summer, but the Cleveland Cavaliers put him in a position to make money.
Smith had a player option on the docket for 2015-16—one that seemed like a no-brainer to pick up when he was clanking like a construction worker for the New York Knicks during the first half of the season. But after just a fraction of a season's worth of games in Cleveland, and more importantly, after helping a lacerated Cavs team to the Finals, he's regained the value that once helped him sign a three-year, $18 million contract with the Knicks.
For 46 games, he shared a symbiotic relationship with the Cavs. In declining his player option—as he did last week—he is actually choosing to be a free agent. He can thank LeBron James for making everyone forget about his dud of a first half.
After starting the year 19-16 (and eventually falling to 19-20), Cleveland went 34-13 after acquiring Smith and Iman Shumpert in a three-team deal back in January. The team also brought Timofey Mozgov to town that same week. It was right around that time when the Cavaliers' roster as we knew it in April, May and June started to mesh.
When Smith said no to the $6.4 million the Cavs could've owed him next year, he took a chance Cleveland would shake its head at bringing him back altogether. The Cavs have their fair share of free-agent problems already. Smith's is hardly the first name on their list of priorities.
They have to bring back Kevin Love and LeBron, obviously, though James' return does seem like a given from the outside. They'll have to lend plenty of attention to Tristan Thompson and Shump, who will have wooers aplenty on the open market.
If Cleveland is able to retain its more essential pieces at a financially responsible rate, it can turn to Smith, who averaged 12.7 points per game and shot 39 percent from three in a Cavs uniform. But owner Dan Gilbert would likely have to be content with paying the luxury tax for a second straight year in that scenario—a circumstance that could force Cleveland to pay the dreaded repeater tax a year or two down the line.
No one actually needs Smith. He's a luxury—someone to bolster the fringes of a roster that's already complete or close to it. Let's not forget that there was a time only half a year ago when the Knicks couldn't even trade the former Sixth Man of the Year.
If there's one thing we know about Smith, though, it's that he's more situation-dependent than many big-name players in the league. And that's not because he doesn't have value. It's because he's a role player whose outrageous quotes and high-tech segways have turned him into a half-basketball-player, half-celebrity hybrid.
There's a reason the basketball community uses the term "role player." It's not because those sorts of performers can prove capable in any situation. Quite the contrary. A role player succeeds in positions that fit his skill set and fails to do so when he's in more uncomfortable ones.
That's why guys like Smith and Shumpert didn't flourish in New York.
In Cleveland, in a better basketball situation, they adjusted their respective styles.
Smith, especially, started to reach back for the approach he showed during his Sixth Man of the Year campaign. He started to take easier, smarter shots. NBA.com's SportVU data even notes the increase in catch-and-shoot opportunities he saw upon his arrival in Cleveland. But that was probably more due to the players around him than because of J.R. himself.
Smith doesn't necessarily need the Cavs, specifically, but he does need an environment similar to the one in Cleveland.
Give him at least one other guy who can handle the ball most of the time and create open opportunities for him on the outside. Give him a roster that won't force him to play in high-leverage moments. Give him a group of teammates who can keep him in check throughout a full season so that his moon-sized personality doesn't eclipse his obvious skill.
But that being said, maybe I'm all wrong. Maybe J.R. is different than your average role player. (Actually, that's definitely true.) Maybe he does need Cleveland and only Cleveland.
After all, it was the local lifestyle that inspired one of the most wholesomely honest quotes from this NBA season:
"I think this is the best situation for me, 'cause there's nothing but basketball," Smith said to David Aldridge of NBA.com back in January. "There's nothing you expect but basketball. There's nothing; there's no going out; there's no late nights. There's video games, basketball and basketball."
Throw him on a bad team, and his value deteriorates. In that way, his time with the Knicks was a perfect microcosm of his career.
When New York was good, when the team was winning 54 games and earning No. 2 seeds (I don't know why I'm referring to this like it wasn't just one glitch of a season), J.R. actually carried the squad for stretches. Seriously. That's how he won Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13.
Remember his numbers during the final two months of that season?
26 games. 22.1 points per game. 6.2 rebounds. 46 percent shooting. 36 percent from long range.
14 20-point games. Seven 30-point games. All of it off the bench.
It was classic Hot J.R., except it was the most beautiful basketball Hot J.R. had ever played, like hanging out at the Staten Island Dump right as the cherry blossoms are starting to grow in mid-March. Sure, there's natural beauty, and you're right on the shoreline, but you're still infested with trash.
As soon as the Knicks' blossoms went away, so did Smith's prowess. He deteriorated over the last couple of seasons until he was generally useless for the first half of 2014-15. His value was so shot that the Knicks had to include Shumpert just to unload him for scraps and a 2019 second-round pick.
But after helping the Cavs to the Finals, Smith's play and reputation have recovered on a national stage. In only a few months, he's gone from unwanted to coveted. Playing in a cushy place—and playing with LeBron—can make that much of a difference. Now, Smith has to hope the Cavs are willing to spend the dollars necessary to bring him back to town for another interdependent run.
Follow Fred Katz on Twitter at @FredKatz.
All statistics are current as of June 29 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise. Salary information is courtesy of Basketball Insiders.
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