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Cold Dog
Jack Nicklaus
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 14372
Location: Montreal
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:42 am
Post subject: JR Smith Nearly Traded - Feud Revealed
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Finally some damn news. I've been wondering what the hell was going on in Hornetsville for some time now. I'm sure most of you will read this and start jumping on Smith. I personally think that it is a little more two-sided than this article would suggest. Scott can be a royal pain in the ass for anyone that falls out of favour with him. Perhaps JR did something to get up his nose early on, but Scott has gone way overboard on this one. From my memory, this all started because JR missed ONE practice. He was yanked from the line-up all together and didn't play again for like 5 games when he was give garbage time.
Anyhow, decide for yourself..
| Quote: |
According to various reports, including one by his own father, Rick, Brent Barry was almost traded away by the Spurs on Thursday afternoon. Some insiders indicate that another Spurs player was also discussed, but details could not be confirmed since the parties involved have remained tight-lipped regarding key details of the proceedings.
What is clear, is that the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets were on the phone to various clubs looking for "a big man."
The trade, reportedly, would have sent Barry packing. The veteran Spurs guard earns $4.6 million this year and his contract expires after next season.
In exchange, former Hornets starting guard J.R. Smith would have ended up in a Spurs uniform. Smith's contract ends this season and calls for him to earn roughly $1.3 miliion.
The proposed trade fell apart when the deal could not be completed before Thursday's NBA trading deadline. In fact, the deal was only minutes away from happening.
The Hornets had to settle for another deal as they were able to get 6-foot-10 journeyman Marc Jackson, 6-8 small forward Linton Johnson and cash from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Bostjan Nachbar.
Everyone involved in the talks was visibly disappointed soon after the 2 p.m. deadline according to insiders.
“We tried to get another deal done that we weren’t able to get done,” Scott said. “It went down to the last second, (and) we would have been pretty happy about it. We didn’t get it done, but our first priority was to get another big guy in here and we were able to accomplish that.”
Scott declined to give specifics of the deal that fell apart involving the Spurs, but he said the Hornets had entered discussions about 30 minutes before the deadline and with five minutes left, both teams were in agreement.
“We got it (to the league) five minutes after the clock and it was the league who said, ‘No deal.’” Scott said. “So it was squashed, and everybody in the room was a little disappointed. We were that close to really feeling pretty good about the whole thing.”
Smith, for one, was really looking forward to the change because a major rift has developed between him and Hornets Coach Byron Scott. Both acknowledged that they haven't been on speaking terms since early January. Scott demoted Smith in favor of Kirk Snyder in the starting lineup.
"I stop talking to people that don't listen," Scott said. "I'm not going to waste my breath. I've sat down with J.R. on numerous occasions and told him what he needed to do.
"If he chose not to, there is nothing I can do about that. I tell all our players what they need to do to improve. I have an open-door policy. There hasn't been one time that J.R. has come into my office and talked to me. Like I said, he's lying."
Scott said they have spoken only one time since January when Scott replaced him in the starting lineup after Smith called to ask if he was getting traded nearly two weeks ago.
"I said, 'No, we're not trying to trade you, but here's what you have to do, though,' " Scott said. "I don't understand what more you want. (He) comes in with five minutes left in practice (Monday in Indianapolis) and goes and sits down, and when we finish scrimmaging, (he) goes to shoot free throws, and he doesn't come to us and say 'Coach, I'm sorry that I overslept.' It's not acceptable."
Smith said he wasn't surprised when Scott did not play him in Wednesday night's loss to the Utah Jazz at the Ford Center, despite that backup guard Speedy Claxton was sidelined with a sprained left ankle.
"I wasn't surprised at all, because his ego is too big in order to put something petty aside and try to win the game," Smith said. "At this point, something has to be done; I'm not going to prosper from this situation. When you can't communicate with the head guy, something is wrong. I come in early, stay in late, and if that don't work, I don't know what will. So there is nothing for me to do. I've approached him (Scott) numerous times, tried to call, set up meetings -- no communication. Every team I've been on, I've always been friends with the head coach."
Smith completely anticipated that the trade was going to happen. But no deal occurred.
After the trade deadline passed, Scott said, "He (Smith) will be here. Like I said before, it isn't never going to be personal with me. But I would like for the man to start telling the truth, that he'd be honest not only with you guys (media) but also his self. That's to me is the bottom line."
The Hornets have looked to acquire a big man for several weeks, playing all season with an undersized frontcourt following their preseason trade of center Jamaal Magloire to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for small forward Desmond Mason.
The frontcourt became further depleted with Chris Andersen’s two-year suspension from the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy then reserve forward Jackson Vroman broke his right wrist. The injury is expected to cause him to miss the rest of the season. |
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Cold Dog
Jack Nicklaus
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 14372
Location: Montreal
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:48 am
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Actually this story stinks of the Jim Jackson/Don Nelson fiasco. Don Nelson wanted him traded and instead of just pulling the trigger, he threw in some comments about how JJ is cancerous etc. It took JJ half of his career to shake this "tag" and was never the same after averaging nearly 26PPG at one point.
I really hope that Scott puts his personal differences aside and does not try to taint JR's reputation. All interviews, articles etc that I've read have shown JR to be a softly spoken and respectful young man. Sure, he has probably missed a few practices and needs a kick up the ass, but he is no Isaiah Rider.
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gmoney
Dwight 'Superman' Howard
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 13771
Location: Vegas Baby!
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:14 am
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JR stinks,all hype,no game,no brain
That's my story and sticking to it
CD,check your email,lemme know what you think
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TimM846
Michael Johnson
Joined: 13 Nov 2005
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Location: Tempe, Arizona
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:18 am
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I'm not really sure who is to blame, probably both sides, tough to tell based on this. I wish the Spurs were able to get Smith for Barry though, becuase that would've been a hell of a deal. Hopefully JR will land in a better situation next year and make the most of it.
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Infinite1
Yao Ming
Joined: 27 Sep 2005
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Location: Southern California
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:31 am
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fuck byron scott, jason kidd didn't like him and got his ass fired, he is not a coach a lot of players like.
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Cold Dog
Jack Nicklaus
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:41 am
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Interesting Infinite...
I didn't read much about that situation in NJ at the time.
Just did some reading, seems the whole team wanted him gone. A bit of a mutiny occurred there. I'm not saying that he is a bad coach, but I think there are more than a few skeletons in his closet. He has a big ego and seems to have a real nasty streak when challenged.
Anyhow, time will tell...
Now is a good time to buy up JR cards me thinks 
Gary - I will ignore your pissy post, unless of course you can explain why you think JR has "no game" etc. Ridiculous comment really.
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Infinite1
Yao Ming
Joined: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Southern California
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:44 am
Post subject: Re:
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| Cold Dog wrote: |
Interesting Infinite...
I didn't read much about that situation in NJ at the time.
Just did some reading, seems the whole team wanted him gone. A bit of a mutiny occurred there. I'm not saying that he is a bad coach, but I think there are more than a few skeletons in his closet. He has a big ego and seems to have a real nasty streak when challenged.
Anyhow, time will tell...
Now is a good time to buy up JR cards me thinks
Gary - I will ignore your pissy post, unless of course you can explain why you think JR has "no game" etc. Ridiculous comment really. |
indeed, he is not a "players" coach. Jr is a fa so he will say good buy.
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Charles and David Aldridge on the clippers being on tnt:
Charles: We gotta get the Clippers off TNT im off that bandwagon.
David: You jumped off and sprained your ankle didn't you.
Charles: Sprained my ankle, I tore my damn acl
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poocano
Peter Brock
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 12423
Location: Indy
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:48 am
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J.R. Smith/Josh Smith = two players that should of went to college and matured mentally and physically before going to the NBA. These two are prime examples of why High Schoolers should not be allowed in the NBA as they are just not ready on so many different levels.
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Thumbboy
David Boon
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 10582
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:56 am
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Josh Smith may be a bit inexperienced but the guy is a raw talent with amazing athletic ability.
He has flashes where he can do very special things. Look at his numbers a few days back. 21 pts 15 rebs and 3 blocks in a win, the next night he got 10 pts 15 rebs 7 blocks
The guy could be really something in a few years time. I don't think it was a huge mistake for him to go straight to the NBA.
JR Smith is just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time right now. He's supertalented but it seems like the coach hates his guts, not sure whats up with that. Byron Scott seems a bit unprofessional to talk about one of his own players like that in the media.
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chadjaja
Mark Spitz
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 7489
Location: Australia/Melb
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:31 pm
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Scott is a Laker and will always be a Laker therefore you treat him with the upmost contempt 
The ego seems to be the main problem like in NJ. At first he was touted as a players coach as most ex players are but after a while the success and acclaim he got went to his head even more. Hence the blow up with Kidd and co. I'm not at all surprised to read about the trouble. I can't see either JR or Scott backing down about anything.
Scott is a good assistant coach at best no more.
Guys will pout and not perform and its a eiter they go or he goes situation. Although most of the time the coach loses and is a scapegoat. So many coaches have paid for the player having power or a big contract. Not sure JR fits that bill yet though.
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Infinite1
Yao Ming
Joined: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Southern California
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:47 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| chadjaja wrote: |
Scott is a Laker and will always be a Laker therefore you treat him with the upmost contempt
The ego seems to be the main problem like in NJ. At first he was touted as a players coach as most ex players are but after a while the success and acclaim he got went to his head even more. Hence the blow up with Kidd and co. I'm not at all surprised to read about the trouble. I can't see either JR or Scott backing down about anything.
Scott is a good assistant coach at best no more.
Guys will pout and not perform and its a eiter they go or he goes situation. Although most of the time the coach loses and is a scapegoat. So many coaches have paid for the player having power or a big contract. Not sure JR fits that bill yet though. |
i agree he got to the big dance but got blown up by teams each time. I believe he got swept both times. Guy has a huge ego, Jr is a fa and will say Fuck you on his way out.
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Charles and David Aldridge on the clippers being on tnt:
Charles: We gotta get the Clippers off TNT im off that bandwagon.
David: You jumped off and sprained your ankle didn't you.
Charles: Sprained my ankle, I tore my damn acl
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RattMan
Jonah Lomu
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:13 am
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I didnt have the patience to read the entire article beause Im on my way out, but I wanted to post my thoughts.
I always thought that the two best players from the 04/05 rookie class would be Dwight Howard and JR Smith. Im not so sure I believe that now.
Granted Scott has had problems with players in the past, I got to believe this one is on JR. I think part of this has to do with the fact that Scott pretty much handed the team over to Paul before he had done anything in the NBA. And who can blame Scott for doing that? Look at how good the Hornets are this year with Paul running the show? JR has to resent the teams success just a little...seeing as how they were terrible last year WITH HIM being a huge part and winning quite a bit this year with him out of the picture.
There is just something about JR that rubs me the wrong way. Just look at some of his poses in his sports cards and you will know what I am talking about.
Yes, I think he is a great talent and could be a superstar one day. But right now, he is heading down the path that his namesake, JR Rider went down early in his career. Smith could learn quite a bit from that so he doesnt suffer the same fate.
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Cold Dog
Jack Nicklaus
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 14372
Location: Montreal
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:44 am
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| Quote: |
| I didnt have the patience to read the entire article beause Im on my way out, but I wanted to post my thoughts. |
Urgh.
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| There is just something about JR that rubs me the wrong way. Just look at some of his poses in his sports cards and you will know what I am talking about. |
Urgh x2
You base your opinions on his "poses"? Come on man.
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chadjaja
Mark Spitz
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 7489
Location: Australia/Melb
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:46 am
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yeah C'mon Ratt. What would that make Deng or Devin Harris then???
LMAO
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justdabest
Hicham El Guerrouj
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 2785
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:31 am
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| Quote: |
| I'm not really sure who is to blame, probably both sides, |
I think your 100% right Tim, it takes two.
Scott should be the bigger proffesional as JR is just a kid. I'm sure Scott thinks he was teaching JR a lesson - in his own stupid way and it got outta control as JR is a proud boy.
way out of my league on NBA knowledge here  
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TimM846
Michael Johnson
Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 4399
Location: Tempe, Arizona
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:07 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| justdabest wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I'm not really sure who is to blame, probably both sides, |
I think your 100% right Tim, it takes two.
Scott should be the bigger proffesional as JR is just a kid. I'm sure Scott thinks he was teaching JR a lesson - in his own stupid way and it got outta control as JR is a proud boy.
way out of my league on NBA knowledge here |
You're not out of your league at all, visit the forum more often! I agree with you and others, Scott was out of line talking to the media about Smith the way he did.
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justdabest
Hicham El Guerrouj
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:09 pm
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thanks Tim 
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Sham
Wang Nan
Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
Location: England
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:34 pm
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J.R. Smith has next to nothing outside of athleticism, dunking, and streaky 3 point shooting. He has no mid range game, poor handles, worse defense, very low bball IQ, cannot create for himself or others, does not board, and has bad shot selection.
Do not confuse athleticism with talent.
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gmoney
Dwight 'Superman' Howard
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 13771
Location: Vegas Baby!
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:07 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| Sham wrote: |
J.R. Smith has next to nothing outside of athleticism, dunking, and streaky 3 point shooting. He has no mid range game, poor handles, worse defense, very low bball IQ, cannot create for himself or others, does not board, and has bad shot selection.
Do not confuse athleticism with talent. |
Amen to that!
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RattMan
Jonah Lomu
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
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Location: Tempe and Peoria, AZ
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:11 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| Cold Dog wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I didnt have the patience to read the entire article beause Im on my way out, but I wanted to post my thoughts. |
Urgh.
| Quote: |
| There is just something about JR that rubs me the wrong way. Just look at some of his poses in his sports cards and you will know what I am talking about. |
Urgh x2
You base your opinions on his "poses"? Come on man. |
Man, at the time I really wanted to post what I was thinking, but I had a bkb game to get to...had to make an executive decision.
As for the poses...you can tell a lot by the way a person poses. It is all about attitude and confidence, both of which he exudes in his pictures.
Yes, Ive seen him play before and he does have that "cocky, Im the king of the world" type of mindset. A lot of times, that type of thing is necessary for a superstar to have. But, when guys fall out of a favor, as Smith has in NOK, its not a great personality trait to have. It becomes a detriment to them...Seriously, look at what it did to JR Rider.
I still think he has a chance to be the 2nd best player from the 04 draft, but it wont be with the Hornets. He MUST get moved this summer, otherwise I really dont know if this is going to turn out well for him...The question is, where does he fit? What team could he go to that would allow him to play for a coach that will let him be JR? I have thought about this, and few teams come to mind. I actually think the Sonics could use a guy like him, but man...Seattle? Would a place like that be fitting for someone like him?
You're a JR fan...what kind of team do you think he would thrive on (the Suns dont count - pick someone other than them).
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RattMan
Jonah Lomu
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
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Location: Tempe and Peoria, AZ
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:17 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| Sham wrote: |
J.R. Smith has next to nothing outside of athleticism, dunking, and streaky 3 point shooting. He has no mid range game, poor handles, worse defense, very low bball IQ, cannot create for himself or others, does not board, and has bad shot selection.
Do not confuse athleticism with talent. |
Athleticism is a talent. I think JR has all the talent in the world...but he lacks defining "something" that turns players into superstars. Sometimes players dont get that right away, but they acquire it through the process of learning the game.
For instance, Allen Iverson came into the league and had a ton of talent. Sure, he came right into the league and scored at first, but his defense was iffy and he couldn’t shot above 40%. His assists were low and he didnt rebound the ball at all. Furthermore, could he get along with teammates.
Look at him now...he is one of the more complete players in the league and now shoots 45%, which is VERY GOOD for someone at his position. He is one of the grittiest players in the league...and I wish all players played with the same heart and intensity that he does. His transformation goes to show you that players like JR can turn things around...sometimes its just a matter of growing up.
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RattMan
Jonah Lomu
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:23 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| TimM846 wrote: |
| justdabest wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I'm not really sure who is to blame, probably both sides, |
I think your 100% right Tim, it takes two.
Scott should be the bigger proffesional as JR is just a kid. I'm sure Scott thinks he was teaching JR a lesson - in his own stupid way and it got outta control as JR is a proud boy.
way out of my league on NBA knowledge here |
You're not out of your league at all, visit the forum more often! I agree with you and others, Scott was out of line talking to the media about Smith the way he did. |
You are completely right about Scott. He should have kept his mouth shut, regardless of what was said by JR. Its the job of the coach to keep things copasetic with the team, but he is just adding fuel to the fire. Its the same thing that happened in NJ. Once he and Kidd began to argue through the media, Scott had the chance to be the bigger man and refuse comment, but he just kept things going until it deteriorated to the point that it was too late to fix.
I think this goes to show you that Scott, while maybe he is a good coach with the Xs and Os, does not have the ability to work well with people. Lets be honest, would stuff like this ever happy with Popavich? The answer is no...because he knows how to handle his players both on AND off the court.
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poocano
Peter Brock
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 12423
Location: Indy
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:23 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| RattMan wrote: |
| Look at him now...he is one of the more complete players in the league and now shoots 45%, which is VERY GOOD for someone at his position. He is one of the grittiest players in the league...and I wish all players played with the same heart and intensity that he does. His transformation goes to show you that players like JR can turn things around...sometimes its just a matter of growing up. |
In 10 years in the league he has only shot about .424% twice and is a career .420% shooter in the playoffs. Iverson lives at the foul line and is a great actor when it comes to getting there.
just thought I'd throw that out there, I hate Iverson
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Sham
Wang Nan
Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
Location: England
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:04 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| RattMan wrote: |
Athleticism is a talent. |
It should be part of your talent. But for J..R, it's almost all of it.
| Quote: |
| I think JR has all the talent in the world... |
Maybe "athleticism"........
| Quote: |
For instance, Allen Iverson came into the league and had a ton of talent. Sure, he came right into the league and scored at first, but his defense was iffy and he couldn’t shot above 40%. His assists were low and he didnt rebound the ball at all. Furthermore, could he get along with teammates. |
Iverson's rookie assist per game total was 7.5 , a figure he did not surpass for 7 seasons up until last season. He also shot above 41% for his first 5 seasons. And more importantly, he won ROY. And accomplished immeasurably more at that stage than J.R. ever has.
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TimM846
Michael Johnson
Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 4399
Location: Tempe, Arizona
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:56 pm
Post subject: Re:
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| Sham wrote: |
J.R. Smith has next to nothing outside of athleticism, dunking, and streaky 3 point shooting. He has no mid range game, poor handles, worse defense, very low bball IQ, cannot create for himself or others, does not board, and has bad shot selection.
Do not confuse athleticism with talent. |
You're right, he's athleticism, he's a streaky scorer and nothing more. But he's 19 years old. You can't tell me based on what he did last year (granted for a bad team) at 18 years old that he doesn't have the potential to become an all-star down the road.
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