The NBA announced on Monday that Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith has been suspended two games for swinging his arm and hitting Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the face on Sunday.
After the punishment was handed down, Smith took to Instagram and vowed to improve as a player and a person.
“Not the player I want to be not the player I want my teammates and family to see not the person I want the fans to see but I will be better!” Smith wrote. “I must be better as a player and as a person! #TheLand.”
Some — most notably Charles Barkley — believe Smith got off easy. It certainly looked like he intentionally nailed Crowder in the face, whether he was facing him or not. You can watch the video here and judge for yourself.
With Kevin Love expected to miss the entire Eastern Conference semifinal against either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks, the Cavs could have some serious depth issues. They’ll need Iman Shumpert to play like he did in Game 4 against the Celtics in order to fill the void left by Smith.
