Next Up for the Cleveland Indians: Football Season
August 28, 2015Watch Brian Hartline’s incredible TD catch
August 29, 2015He said he was happy. He was pretending he was happy — expressing kind thoughts about the city of Cleveland and the Cavaliers. He didn’t really look happy — but that’s only because the photo was intended to make him look pensive and reflective, as if his decision to return to the Cavaliers was the result of some deep journey to the center of his soul which was overrun with epiphanies and the meaning of life, and not the result of a disastrous blunder by him and his agent. But there’s no way he was happy.
When J.R. Smith finally re-signed with the Cavaliers last week after, it had to have been bittersweet at best. Could you imagine taking a leak on a contract offer from your boss and sauntering out of the office only to return a few weeks later to take a 20 percent pay cut? This is what happened to J.R. Smith after he opted out1 of his $6.4 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers, realized the rest of the NBA was largely uninterested in his services, then returned to the Cavaliers for a reported one-year, $5 million deal with a (to add a little poetic insult) new player option for the following year. Even if said contract-urination was done as diplomatically as possible, as were the ensuing negotiations — that still stings the pride in a nasty way to come back for less money. Nevertheless, J.R. Smith’s Instagram post (shown below) did its best to convey happiness to the world about the way things unfolded — but it was merely cosmetic happiness, like a surgically enhanced smile.
But how did it happen? What went wrong for J.R. Smith? And will the episode add another layer of drama to what is sure to be another eventful year on the soap opera that is the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Prelude: Mr. Smith Goes to Cleveland (Or: The Knucklehead Come to Town)
We fans — as fickle and fretful as we are — are prone to have short memories when we want to. When LeBron James returned, fans were quick to forget the misdeed that plunged their franchise into darkness for four seasons, as well as how bad their team had been the year before as they impatiently looked for scapegoats when the team was a mere .500. Browns fans have already rewritten the Brian Hoyer era as some sort of quarterbacking abomination, even though he remains the only quarterback since 1999 to have a winning record for the franchise. So have Cavaliers fans also forgotten how important J.R. Smith had been to the Cavaliers’ success from January to early June.
In December, the Cleveland Cavaliers were below expectations and the New York Knicks were a disaster. The Knicks had become such a radioactive franchise and poisoned the career of J.R. Smith (and to a smaller degree Iman Shumpert) so severely that the Cavs were able to make it look like they were doing the Knicks a favor when they took the erratic shooting guard — less than two years removed from winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year — off their hands.
The trade for Smith and Shumpert was an incredibly savvy move for the Cavaliers. It was hard to believe no other teams across the league stepped in and made the Knicks a better offer. The Cavs got a young guard and defensive wing with tremendous upside for some castoffs, all while upgrading their “shooter without a conscience” position (from Dion Waiters to J.R. Smith). The trade also gave the Cavaliers a first-round pick, which they immediately packaged with another pick for Timofey Mozgov. With the arrivals of Smith, Shumpert, and Mozgov, the Cavs stint in mediocrity was over, and they were a top-four team for the rest of the season. What I’m trying to say here is that every team in the NBA should hate the New York Knicks.
J.R. Smith was surprisingly good for the Cleveland Cavaliers
The J.R. Smith trade would have been good for the Cavaliers even if Smith himself had done nothing productive. Acquiring Shumpert and the first-round pick to be flipped for Mozgov were the primary motivations behind the Knicks trade. Anything that J.R. Smith did that could be filed in the “+” column was a bonus for the Cavaliers. It was all gravy, and by the time of the NBA Finals the Cavs were eating it by the spoonful.
There was no guarantee that J.R. Smith would bring anything of benefit for the Cavs. He had always been a knucklehead that needed (like knuckleheads before and after) a solid infrastructure around to be effective. When the Knicks infrastructure reached “needs to be rescued by Snake Plissken” status, Smith ceased being a functional knucklehead and just became a knucklehead. But that’s when he checked into the LeBron James Knucklehead Rehabilitation Center.
With LeBron James providing a solid foundation that couldn’t be eroded by J.R. Smith’s antics, and Coach David Blatt stroking Smith’s ego at every opportunity, J.R. Smith thrived in Cleveland. Before the trade, J.R. Smith was averaging 11.5 points per game with a 48.7 true shooting percentage (the lowest since his rookie year).2 After the trade, Smith averaged 14.5 points per game with a 56.5 true shooting percentage (his most efficient since leaving the Denver Nuggets in 2011).
He was the Cavs “Kool-Aid” Guy, someone to whom they could add water (give the ball to) and boom! instant offense. Though the Cavs probably had the best offense in the league after mid-January, their offense seldom acted like a group of organs acting as one body, but rather a collection of individuals. The offense mostly relied on the offensive talents of its separate parts — and J.R. Smith’s ability to hit open shots and bundle baskets in bunches allowed LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to do the neat things they’re good at.
Then the magic abandoned Smith in the Finals. In the first half of Game 1, Smith was taking and making the same senseless shots that he had built his career around. Just before halftime of Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, Smith sank an absurd near-halfcourt shot that gave the Cavs the lead.
After that — having exhausted his supply of fairy dust trying to get the Cavs to the Finals — Smith’s shot betrayed him, leaving him to fend for himself in the most important series of his life. He was like Han Solo without his trusty blaster at his side: just a scoundrel wearing a silly shirt without sleeves.3
To say Smith was bad in the Finals really doesn’t do it justice. He was foul. Odious. Pinch-your-nose-while-strafing-the-air-with-a-can-of-Febreze stinky. After the first half of Game 1, J.R. was 21-of-70 from the field (30.0 percent) with a plus-minus of -64. He also had only six assists in 168 minutes over that span. The Cavs had a low probability of winning with J.R. Smith at his best — they were doomed with him at his worst.
J.R. Smith severely overestimated his worth on the open market
After J.R. Smith went up in flames in the Finals (a fire that spread to Iman Shumpert’s offense as well, then the rest of the Cavs non-LeBron James players), he made the ill-fated decision not to exercise his player option for the 2015-16 season. His expectation (I assume) was that other teams would see how he resurrected his career in Cleveland and helped the Cavs to the Finals, and would either sign him to a larger contract than $6.4 million and for multiple years, or force the Cavs to pay more to keep him than he was due in his player option. I expected to have read more stories such as “J.R. Smith Fires Agent Leon Rose,” “TMZ Reports J.R. Smith and Leon Rose Get Into Heated Exchange, According to Pot Dealer,” or “J.R. Smith Has Hired Goons Dangle Leon Rose Over a Balcony,” but no word so far.
But he was dead wrong. In the free agent bonanza that saw Monta Ellis receive $44 million for four years and Enes Kanter get $70 million, teams avoided Smith like plague. NBA teams are progressively becoming smarter, and it’s unclear what Smith underestimated the most: how much his volatile past would frighten teams,4 how replaceable players like him are viewed across the league,5 how teams are putting less of a premium on scoring,6 or how much teams were aware that Smith was uniquely valuable to the Cavs — check Smith out of the LeBron James Knucklehead Rehabilitation Clinic, and you’re left with an unpredictable score-first guard who can derail an offense faster than a speeding bullet. The market for Smith dried up in days, the Cavs threw some money around, and suddenly no one was even mildly interested in Smith except for maybe Portland.
Smith may also resent the Cavs for standing idly by and watching in amusement as he sabotaged his own career and left the free agency market empty-handed. While LeBron James championed Tristan Thompson in the media and had pool parties with new BFF Kevin Love, he remained indifferent about Smith’s plight.
In a season filled with worthy storylines, another plot worth following is how Smith reintegrates onto a team that didn’t flinch when he suggested he was leaving. J.R. Smith, despite being amazing in so many ways (see below), is largely an afterthought for Cavs fans and management.
While Smith fell from grace in the Finals, Matthew Dellavedova ascended to angelic light with his Game 3 performance in the Finals. Delly may not be able to score worth a damn, but he can run the offense for stretches. Iman Shumpert may take a larger role in the offense as the Cavs have invested in his future and he’s been working on his offense, and Mo Williams may take up exactly where he left off in Cleveland — as a fan favorite and valuable guard with whom James has a well-established relationship. Although rumors hint that Kyrie Irving may be shelved until January, giving Smith a less marginal role in the interim, what about after? It’s possible Smith never rediscovers the fit that benefited both him and the Cavs so well from January through May. As the chart summarizes below, there may not be many minutes available for J.R. Smith.7
For now, Smith is doing his best to hide any discontent he had about the way things transpired. But he’ll be in a contract year … again.8 I don’t know how Smith will respond if his minutes go to Mo Williams, Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, or even Richard Jefferson9 but I do know what his proposed solution will be: keep shooting.
EDIT: The post has been updated that J.R. Smith declined to exercise an option for $6.4 million, not $5.3.
- I mean “failed to exercise.” The “opt out” faux pas of player options is a great annoyance to resident WFNY semantic purist Jacob. [↩]
- True shooting percentage is “is a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account field goals, three-point field goals, and free throws.” It’s generally higher than raw shooting percentage — because it takes into account that three-pointers are worth more points — and is a better measure of efficiency. [↩]
- It also didn’t help that Klay Thompson and the other Warriors defenders actually defended Smith, something that other teams were unwilling (or unable) to do. The Warriors never gave Smith more than an arm’s length of space after Smith had been mostly ignored by other teams hellbent on stopping James, Irving, Mozgov, and Thompson. This is just another way in which Kyrie Irving’s presence would have transformed the series — by deflecting the attention of Golden State defenders away from Smith. [↩]
- He has at least 23 suspensions, two of which are Twitter related, and one of which is “for posting a picture of a scantily clad woman on his Twitter account.” [↩]
- Meaning “streaky” guards whose primary asset is scoring. The Cavs obtained Mo Williams for $2.4 million while the market for J.R. Smith evaporated. Whether a player like Smith is actually as replaceable as league consensus currently suggests is an argument to be had, though. The Oklahoma City Thunder have needed someone like J.R. Smith for years — and Dion Waiters certainly didn’t fill that role, nor did Andre Roberson or Perry Jones. [↩]
- You need to look no further than the contract given to Iman Shumpert to see that wings who are seen as multiple-position defenders are more valuable than scorers. [↩]
- Assumptions: 1. Everyone will play the same amount at either point guard, shooting guard, or small forward as they did last year, according to Basketball-Reference.com’s play-by-play data. 2. J.R. Smith is the last option at the 1-3. I think, in reality, Smith will get priority over James Jones and Joe Harris, and he and Jefferson will alternate depending on who is playing better. In any event, it illustrates that with Irving in (and even without him), there aren’t many minutes to go around. [↩]
- Should he not exercise his option for the next season. [↩]
- I know Jefferson is a “forward,” but his role is indistinguishable from that of a third guard, and the Cavs played several three-guard lineups last season that featured Smith. [↩]
12 Comments
He opted out of 6.4M not 5.3
I suspect Shump’s offensive woes had more to do with his inability to raise his arm above his head than effects from Sybil’s stinkitis.
Depending on which Sybil shows up, I don’t think Delly will steal many of his minutes.
Thanks for the correction. I don’t remember if that was a source error or a typo, because I thought I saw a source that said $5.3, and that seemed low.
In any event, appreciate the correction.
You may be right, especially since Delly is more of a point guard. But he still gets minutes at the two on occasion.
I read an article (oblig link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/08/21/yes-j-r-smith-took-a-paycut-to-return-to-the-cavs-but-it-wasnt-a-total-disaster/ ) arguing that J.R. actually made a smart move. Sure, he makes less money this year, but A) He’s guaranteed another year and B)He’s guaranteed more money. If he pulls something stupid, or get hurt, or who knows what else — he still gets 10 million, not 6.4.
Single digit footies. You are slipping Kyle probably due to the absence of footies.
It’s a valid argument. But I disagree. And just because circumstances worked in that regard, doesn’t mean it was a “smart move.” Had he known the market was going to be like it was, I think he just would have opted in.
I forgot to add that I think Leon Rose screwed him to he another player a better deal. Nobody feels sorry for JR SMITH because the media has made him out as the village idiot. I know he wrote a check for over a $100,000 to help disadvantaged kids in his home town & gave more to Katrina relief. Where’s the report on that?
My original post never got posted:
33 wins as a starter
Moved to bench after suspension & contributed greatly for Bulls, Hawks series
Injuries changed his roll. It was like asking a cat to act like a dog. Just not going to happen. The Cavs lost to the Warriors when K Loves arm came out of the socket & Irvings knee gave out. A win in that series would have been as big as the Miricle on Ice in 1980.
Oh, I’m not arguing that position. I do think it isn’t quite as bad of a move as it seems, if only because he has the second guaranteed year. But the 6.4 mil / 1 year was definitely better for him than 10 / 2.
I actually agree with you. Honestly, if I could have $6.4 for one year, or $10 for two years, with the second year being an option, I would choose $10 for two years. Why? Because for $1.4 million I bought an insurance policy that if I get hurt, or have a bad year, I still get $5 million in year 2.
But if I have a great year, I can opt out and get way more than $5. This deal benefits JR way more than the Cavs because if he has a great year and the Cavs want him back, they will have to pay up for it.
The Cavs only made this deal because they want to win it all in 2016 and are willing to overpay to increase their chances.
Delly is having a hard time staying in the NBA. Unless he shows a drastic improvement this season, he will be overseas in two years. He struggles bringing the ball up the floor, cannot handle pressure defense and has a hard time starting the offense because he cannot get to his spots. Right now, delly is on board because he is familiar with the system and a hard worker, not because he has nba level talent. he will be fighting for minutes. Go back and look at the finals, once the warriors realized Delly has a weak handle, they started bullying him all over and pushing the cavs out of their offense.
Hopefully Shumpert is recovered this fall. He was hard to watch after he reinjured the shoulder in the playoffs. Can’t question his effort and his defense was fantastic, but he could barely even dribble a basketball, let alone shoot. If he comes back 100%, he will make a huge impact, pushing Delly even farther down the bench.
JR has his problems, but he brings a lot more to the table than james jones, delly, harris and even Jefferson (at this point in his career).
It will be fun watching Kyrie-Shump-Mo-JR group swap around the guard spots this season. Any one of them can hang 20 in a quarter from behind the line. We’ve never had that type of offensive potential in Cleveland. Looking at the whole lineup brings a tear to my eye. It’s like the 90’s Indians……