J.R. Smith and Cleveland Cavaliers May Have Future Together After All
CLEVELAND — J.R. Smith was supposed to be a throw-in for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they wanted to acquire Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks.
After all, Smith had built up quite the reputation in the Big Apple. Drinking, partying and reckless driving often put him in the tabloids for all the wrong reasons.
His fit with the Cavs and their frail chemistry at the time was naturally a huge concern.
Now 16 games into his Cavaliers career, Smith has been nothing but outstanding.
Primarily a sixth man with the Knicks, Smith is averaging 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and shooting 37.4 percent from deep during these 15 starts for Cleveland.
A lot was made about Smith's comments about the city of Cleveland. While no town can live up to the nightlife of New York City, the fair metropolis of Cleveland does represent a substantial drop-off. For Smith, it's allowing him to focus on the game and his job more than ever.
Smith told TNT analyst David Aldridge:
"I think this is the best situation for me, 'cause there's nothing but basketball. 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. So it's a great thing.
"
Is it possible that Smith's partying days are behind him? After all, he entered the league as a 19-year-old straight from high school without receiving the college experience. Smith signed in New York at age 26. He's set to turn 30 in September.
Instead, he's fit in beautifully with these Cavs, helping them reach 12 straight victories and counting.
When asked about how he was fitting in with the team, head coach David Blatt told Bleacher Report, "J.R. has been absolutely, positively terrific, and I am not exaggerating. He came in here wanting to be a part of this team. He's been a great fit professionally. He's been great in the locker room. He's been great on the court. He's a joy to coach, pure and simple."
This is high praise that Smith has perhaps never received from a head coach before, and it makes us ask the question: Could the Cavaliers and Smith actually be a long-term match?
When asked why he fit in so well with the team so quickly, Smith told Bleacher Report, "Just spacing the court. I've had a lot of wide-open shots. We play a lot of transition basketball, so it's my kind of game. Everything else is just off of feel."
Speaking of those wide-open shots, Smith is filling a major hole that had plagued the Cavs all year.
Cleveland needed Dion Waiters to become more of a spot-up shooter, a role he struggled greatly in.
For Smith, the transition has been easy.
The Cavaliers' combo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving creates plenty of open looks for guys on the perimeter. They need shooters to stretch the defense and knock down shots without having to dribble the ball first.
Smith has answered that call. He's converting 38.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers, via NBA.com. His outside shooting has been key, as the Cavaliers are now 8-0 at home when Smith scores 10 or more points and 5-0 when he makes three or more triples, per Cavs.com.
His chemistry and comfort level with the team appears to be extremely high. Of course, a winning streak helps, too.
"Right now we're clicking extremely well," Smith said. "Everybody's moving the ball, everybody's trusting that someone's going to help them on the defensive end. So as long as we have that, we'll be fine."
Some maturity appears to be taking over, especially on a team full of veteran players. They've helped make the transition easier, notes Smith, via Aldridge.
"They just expect me to be me. Don't second-guess anything. If you feel like you're open, shoot the ball. If you feel like you need to pass, make the pass. Don't overthink anything. Play your game. The biggest advice I got when I first got here, the first game I played, I was kind of tentative, because I don't know how the guys will respond to me if I shoot this shot, or what's going to go on. I talked to 'Bron and he was like, 'we got you because of who you are. Play your game. You don't have to fit in. You already fit. So don't try and fit in.' And after that, it was pretty much just go play and be me.
"
Although he's a former Sixth Man of the Year, Smith admitted he enjoys his new starting role in Cleveland.
"I think it depends on the situation. Here, I like starting. When I was in New York, I liked coming off the bench, so it just depends on the situation."
While his present is going well, what about Smith's future in Cleveland, and would he even want to be here?
"I'm extremely comfortable [in Cleveland]," he said. "I know where a lot of things are for the most part. Things where I need to know, to and from the gym and to a few restaurants, so that's good enough for me."
Essentially, it will be Smith's choice whether or not he returns to the Cavaliers next season. He holds a player option valued at roughly $6.4 million, via HoopsHype.com. Smith can choose to exercise the option and stay, or decline it and become an unrestricted free agent. He could also choose to opt out and sign a longer, larger deal with the Cavs.
For now, it's too early to worry about this summer.
"I'm just thinking about winning right now," Smith said. "I know if we win, that will take care of everything."
If Smith is smart, he'll want to stick around, or at least go to another veteran team that will help support him. It's the advice Smith's former coach with the Denver Nuggets, George Karl, gave last year, pointing out that New York was not a good situation for him.
"I think right now that's the position, if I was J.R.'s agent. (I would take). I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure," Karl said in Jan. 2014 on ESPN New York 98.7's FM "The Michael Kay Show, via Kevin Manahan of NJ.com.
With the Cavs, Smith has that peer pressure that Karl alluded to. This certainly isn't the first positive situation he's been around, either. Playing for some successful Nuggets teams under Karl and beside Carmelo Anthony carried their own expectations. The stakes were only raised in New York when he won the league's best reserve award, helping the Knicks win 54 games in 2012-13.
While both ended on a sour note for Smith, he has a chance to redeem himself with the Cavaliers like never before.
Cleveland is now 12-3 with Smith as their starting shooting guard. He's producing at a level not reached in years, staying locked in and focused on what's really important.
Smith may not have been the centerpiece of the trade, but his impact on the Cavaliers could have a long-lasting effect.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All quotes obtained firsthand unless sourced.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
