Lakers Rumors: Signing J.R. Smith Is a Bad Move for Los Angeles

According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, J.R. Smith—currently playing in China—is drawing interest from the Los Angeles Lakers among other teams. Wojnarowski says, "Smith has significant interest around the NBA, including the Lakers, Knicks, Spurs and several more potential contenders."

So, should the Lakers be one of the teams pursuing Smith? Put another way, do the Lakers need a shooting guard who can score?

I think they have that covered. 

Adding another shooting guard who has a love of shooting might not be a good idea. Consider what Casey Jacobsen, Smith's former teammate, has to say about him. 

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"I played with JR his rookie year in New Orleans in 2005. We were a bad team, full of me-first guys, but he took the crown. I’d never seen a guy so intent on shooting the ball every time it hit his hands and I’m sure I never will again. Watching him during his latest Denver years, I can see that not much has changed."

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How well do you see a guy like that sharing the court with Kobe Byrant?

What the Lakers need is a point guard, not a shooting guard. Any time, any energy, any focus they waste on Smith is that much time, that much much energy and that much focus taken away from solving the one problem they do have. 

Smith might be able to bring a little scoring off the bench, but that's a need that has been met by Andrew Goudelock of late, who has scored 46 points combined in his last four games. 

The Lakers signing Smith is a bad idea because it doesn't solve the problems they have and because it opens up the potential for too many other problems to arise. 

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