J.R. Smith to L.A. Lakers Would Be Like Chad Ochocinco to New England Patriots
Over the past months, the NFL has been haunted by a lockout that prevented free agency and threatened to chip away at the season. Well, the lockout was lifted a week ago and the insanity began.
In the last week, NFL free agency has been going berserk. Veterans such as Albert Haynesworth, Plaxico Burress and Matt Hasselbeck have changed zip codes for the chance at an Super Bowl.
Possibly the most noticeable acquisition occurred when Chad Ochocinco was traded to the Patriots. Chad has always been known for his antics on and off the field and he is coming off a bad year.
Bad? Not for the Patriots.
When they acquired Ocho, Chad immediately went into full-on focus mode and is expected to be the next Randy Moss in terms of coming to New England and revamping his career.
If J.R. Smith joined the Lake Show, the same would happen.
J.R. Smith has fallen in and out of Coach George Carl's favor in Denver. He is an electrifying player that struggles to keep his attitude in check. But if he got sent to the Lakers, he would turn his antics into focus on the basketball court.
NBA players play in the league to do one thing: win a ring. And if J.R. wants one, he might as well go to the historical and highly-successful-of-late Los Angeles Lakers.
The comparison between the players and the teams are very similar.
Let's talk about Ocho and Smith.
Ocho and Smith are both hot-dogging players that are often at risk of going through slumps. The two can both be divas. But when they are fully devoted to being effective, they are nearly unstoppable.
Chad has been a top receiver for the Bengals for years and remains, in my opinion, a top-10 WR (when he's healthy). Smith is a top-five sixth man in the NBA, a streaky but skilled shooter, and an insane athlete, but J.R. can often become unmotivated and chooses to almost disappear when that happens.
Now let's talk about the Lakers and the Pats.
The Lakers and the Patriots franchises have both been successful for the last decade or so, and, as of late, have been notably capable of winning a title. The Lakers are one of the most veteran-driven teams in the NBA and have won two titles in the last three years, but last year (when they left the second round disappointed), their lack of energy and youth was evident.
The Patriots have won three titles in the last decade, but are 0-3 in their last three playoff games and needed a down-field specialist to stretch defenses.
Well, the Patriots got Chad Ochocinco who fits that void perfectly, and has promised to stay away from the media where he has constantly gotten in trouble.
If J.R. Smith ended up in Los Angeles, it would solve their need for youth and energy and they would get a more focused-on-winning Smith, instead of the inconsistent Smith.
