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JR Smith says Jerryd Bayless has ‘little man complex’ after fight (Video)

November 17, 2012 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith and Memphis Grizzlies guard Jerryd Bayless got into a bit of a skirmish during the second quarter of the Grizzlies’ win over the Knicks on Friday night. While the two were battling for position on the perimeter, Smith threw a pretty blatant elbow toward Bayless’ upper body. Bayless was understandably upset, so he reacted by shoving Smith before teammates and coaches stepped in to separate the two.

After the game, Smith pleaded ignorance to the entire thing.

“I dunno what he could’ve been mad at,” Smith said according to Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal. “Some small guys got little man complex. Maybe he’s gotta work that out.”

Smith has a whopping three inches on Bayless if their stats are accurate, so I don’t know if that’s the best insult to go with. It was no Metta World Peach knockout blow, but J.R. clearly intended to hit Bayless with the elbow. When you do something like that you have to expect retaliation.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Jerryd Bayless, JR Smith

JR Smith says partying less has led to improved play on the court

November 15, 2012 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

J.R. Smith is off to a scorching start with the New York Knicks this season, averaging 18.2 points per game and converting more than 70% of his shots from three-point range. The three-point percentage will obviously fall at some point, but Smith’s scoring average is notable as it is almost a full six points higher than his career mark of 12.6 points per game.

The Knicks have only played five games, but their sharp-shooter has looked like a new man. On Wednesday, Smith admitted that his improvement on the court has to do with focusing more off of it.

“I’m not going to lie,” Smith told Marc Berman of the NY Post. “The New York City nightlife pretty much got to me (last season). I was going out pretty much every other night and not focused on the task at hand.”

New York head coach Mike Woodson says he has noticed a change in Smith. Woodson said the eight-year veteran has taken his advice by acting more professionally and doing things like wearing suits to games instead of baggy jeans.

“My thing is, being professional 24 hours a day – 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Smith said. “I can’t let myself slip as well as my teammates slip. In order for me to hold them accountable, I have to hold myself accountable. I go out here and there. I definitely have to choose my spots. Definitely not before games. I’ve been smart about it.”

Not going out before games is a great career choice. Now if Smith could stop writing ridiculously dumb things on his Twitter account, the Knicks would really be in business. J.R. said he expects a championship and nothing less for New York this season. While there is still a long way to go before anyone starts thinking about that, he would certainly give the Knicks a major boost if he keeps playing at an incredibly high level.

Chest bump to Pro Basketball Talk
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: JR Smith

J.R. Smith expects the Knicks to win a championship and ‘nothing less’

September 10, 2012 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

This offseason may have brought a shift in power across the NBA, but few believe that power has gone to the Knicks. In the Eastern Conference, the defending champion Miami Heat should be even more dangerous with the addition of Ray Allen and a now-confident LeBron James. In the West, the Lakers have managed to add Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. Those teams are easily your two favorites for the NBA Finals.

Coming off a disappointing 2011-2012 season in which they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks have bolstered their bench by signing veterans Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby. They also brought back J.R. Smith, who confidently said he is expecting “a championship” from the team this upcoming season.

“Nothing less,” Smith said according to the NY Post. “If we settle for anything less, we already start off losing.”

Kidd and Camby are big names, but it remains to be seen if they can make a difference at ages 39 and 38. Smith did acknowledge where the power lies in the NBA, but he was quick to say that New York will beat any of those teams.

“Lakers, Heat — whoever,” he said confidently.

For his own part, Smith could probably benefit the team by not becoming a distraction. Between talk about Jeremy Lin’s contract situation and the idiotic things he says on Twitter, J.R. tends to make headlines for what he does off the court far more frequently than what he does on it. Less talk and more three-pointers is what the Knicks need from the shooting guard.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: JR Smith, New York Knicks

J.R. Smith uses hashtag ‘No Sandusky’ frequently on his Twitter page as a joke

August 24, 2012 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

J.R. Smith seems to have come up with a new way to joke about the Jerry Sandusky scandal in a completely inappropriate manner. Oftentimes you will hear people say “pause” when they say something that could be interpretted as homosexual content. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the use of “pause,” Dwight Howard gave us an example of it when talking about Andrew Bynum after a game last season.

If you haven’t heard of “pause” you may have heard of “no homo,” which is basically a more modern and insensitive way of saying the exact same thing. However, Black Sports Online pointed out to us that Smith has taken it to an entirely new level by using the hashtag “#nosandusky” on his Twitter account. Here are a couple of examples:

My Golf event is today!!! Very excited an cant wait to see the kids! #nosandusky

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) August 23, 2012

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Jerry Sandusky, JR Smith

JR Smith: Jeremy Lin’s big contract would bother Knicks players

July 16, 2012 By Larry Brown 6 Comments

The Knicks reportedly are not planning to match the contract offer Jeremy Lin has from the Rockets, and that may be wise for more than financial reasons. If the comments from J.R. Smith are any indication, Lin’s contract could be a troubling issue for Knicks players.

“Without a doubt,” Smith told SI’s Sam Amick when asked if Lin’s contract would be a challenge for teammates. “I think some guys take it personal, because they’ve been doing it longer and haven’t received any reward for it yet. I think it’s a tough subject to touch on for a lot of guys.”

Carmelo Anthony may have indicated a similar feeling when he termed Lin’s contract “ridiculous” over the weekend, although we can’t be sure if he was talking about the entire 3-year $25.1 deal, or the $15 million “poison pill” salary Lin will earn in the third year.

Amick also reports that Raymond Felton agreed to sign-and-trade from the Blazers to the Knicks with the understanding that New York was not going to match Houston’s offer for Lin.

Whether or not Lin is worth the contract depends on how he plays over the next few years. I certainly think he can prove he’s worth it. But these comments indicate jealousy over money is a factor in locker rooms, and it probably is an indication that some players were jealous of all the attention Lin got last season.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Jeremy Lin, JR Smith

J.R. Smith and Rihanna reportedly have been seeing each other for weeks

May 29, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

We shared a report two weeks that said Knicks guard J.R. Smith and singer Rihanna were getting cozy together at a club, prompting speculation that the two were dating. Now we have a second report saying they’ve been seeing each other.

The New York Daily News says the two have been spending time together for weeks, and that they were hanging out in South Beach over the weekend.

Smith was arrested late last Thursday night in Miami Beach after a routine traffic stop that showed he had a warrant out for not addressing a past ticket. Maybe Rihanna was there to bail him out.

Chest bump I am a GM

Filed Under: Gossip Tagged With: JR Smith, Rihanna

J.R. Smith’s Young Money tattoo looked swell in his mug shot (Picture)

May 25, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Knicks guard J.R. Smith was arrested late Thursday night in Miami Beach after officers learned there was a warrant out for his arrest following a routine traffic stop. Yup, Smith had a warrant out for his arrest because he never addressed a past ticket for driving without a valid license.

Come on J.R., how hard is it to toss a check for a few hundo in the mail so you can avoid this sort of embarrassment? Or I guess if what your dad is saying about you is true, maybe you just didn’t have the money. Now that would be sad.

Another question is why Smith was pulled over in the first place. He’s in Miami Beach for the always popular Urban Beach weekend, the same setting where Gilbert Arenas and a teammate were arrested six years ago.

You know it’s a sensitive environment down there, J.R., so you gotta know better than that. Oh yeah, and that Young Money tattoo was looking fly.

Filed Under: Darwin Nominees Tagged With: JR Smith