The New Answer? J.R. Smith a key to Detroit Pistons-Denver Nuggets trade

November 05 08

Patience is a virtue, I guess. Lost in the Allen Iverson trade is the news Denver’s J.R. Smith will finally get his.

With Iverson gone, Smith is suddenly a starter, which means an increase in minutes, attempts, and notoriety. And newly-acquired, pass-first point guard Chauncey Billups will be feeding him the rock and, at times, encouraging the energetic pro to slow down.

Getting to this point wasn’t easy. Smith was once a polarizing controversy –think Sarah Palin with tattoos and a headband. Many coaches chained him to the bench, citing his poor attitude and decision-making.

Last year, he took a massive step forward, finally maturing into his talent. So I wasn’t surprised by recent comments from George Karl. The veteran sideline boss claimed Smith’s rapid development factored heavily into the decision to move Iverson.

“The minutes problem that I was having with A.I. and J.R., I thought would be consistently (frustrating to both players)," Karl said. "No question (Iverson) wants to play 40, and cutting him to 34 to 35 would have been a challenge.” (Rocky Mountain News)

Some like this deal for Denver because they believe Smith is ready. Ready to command a bigger role and ready for stardom. After years of indifference, I’m coming round on the former prep-to-pro star. This is Smith’s moment. His game is blossoming and he will have an elite table-setter in the backcourt.

It’s now or never time. Smith must prove the doubters wrong and reward management’s patience. Opportunities like this never come twice.

Is Smith the key to the Denver-Detroit blockbuster? Get at us in the comment box below and come back to HoopsVibe The Blog for more NBA tidbits. Photo courtesy of no, i have no idea.

22 Comments: The New Answer? J.R. Smith a key to Detroit Pistons-Denver (...)

Posted by

on 11.15.2008

I CHECKED OUT THE PROFESSOR FROM AND 1 SITE OUT IT WAS CRAZY. .

Posted by

on 11.9.2008

Detroit is a team to watch in the upcoming summer .

Posted by
J Kelly is trash
on 11.6.2008

I really hope that Kelly that left the comment below, is J Kelly. Because I don’t ever want to see another article from him.Oly you’re the best on here, still terrible but the best on this site, so that is something. I can’t comment because I’m the idiot which wasted their time reading it and then commenting on this trash. I’m ashamed. .

Posted by
CK is OK
on 11.6.2008

Believe it or not. This deal was done to clear up a SG spot for Coby Karl. Who can now play SG as a back up and allow JR to move into the starting SG spot, while getting the PG the really needed to run the team. Karl has been convincing upper management Coby would be a good fit, so this deal gave them that opportunity .

Posted by
plain and simple
on 11.6.2008

Umm Jack, Oly doesn’t run the nuggets. If the powers that be have already explained the primary reason why this deal was done( Darryl explained it best) The Nuggets aren’t confident in JR, but they really have no choice but to give him an opportunity .

Posted by
Jack
on 11.6.2008

Don’t worry about them Oly, they obviously can’t read. What he is trying to say people, is that they (the Nuggets) wouldn’t have done this deal if they didn’t think J.R. Smith wasn’t ready for it, and that it was a factor in the trade, and that he should take the opportunity head-on, all of which I fully agree. He’s the next Kobe in my opinion, the sky’s the limit for the guy. .

Posted by
J.R. is the anwser
on 11.6.2008

J.R. is my 3rd favourite player! i think hes awesome. like a mini kobe. He can shoot threes and does cool dunks at times. i hope he blossoms into a consitant scorer for the nuggets and become a well known star through out the league. last year he had a game where he scored over 45 points! yea baby! .

Posted by
O.Sandor
on 11.5.2008

Hi Clear as Water ... Sure Daryl and others have their point and I respect that ... I’m not making it that JR is the key, or that this deal is JUST about him ... read my past stuff and you shall see I have looked at other factors in this deal ... my point is JR is being overlooked! Part of the reason why this trade happened according to Karl the coach is that JR is ready for more minutes. That is all. Thanks for the feedback and commenting, though .

Posted by
Clear as water
on 11.5.2008

Broncos City, and Darryl know what they are talking about. And Oly I think you should have said that it like they did, it would be a lot better. You make it seem like this trade is for JR when it clearly isn’t, he’s just a piece in the mix .

Posted by
O.Sandor
on 11.5.2008

Hi there, thanks for commenting Broncos City ... I see him as a key, not the key. If he can fill in the two-spot and be more of a well-rounded player and seize the moment, then Denver are certainly better off. That’s all. Thanks for commenting... .

Posted by
Broncos City
on 11.5.2008

To say JR is the key to this is bad analysis. True this does involve him, because he’s next in line to start. But like most trades it involves a lot of players, coaches, even GM’s. Smith isn’t going to make his teammates better, and Chuancey nor any other person can keep him in line. All he wants to do is shoot it as many times as he can. It’s all about JR. Always has been. He’s not a basketball player. He shoots the ball and hopes it goes in. They can pay me to do what he does, since he only makes crap half the time. JR is a bum and if they did that trade for him, (which they didn’t living in Denver I know) then that was dumber than giving Camby away for nothing .

Posted by
Timmy
on 11.5.2008

This trade is good for denver for the following reason. They now have a pa-------first pg AGAIN. Remember andre miller, how exciting and good the nuggets were with him. Especially how good carmelo was playing before a.i came. He was the nba’s leading scorer. .

Posted by
Kelly
on 11.5.2008

No writer on this site knows what they are talking about. Lately they have been writing and expressing some outrageous sh*t. Since craponline bought this site, things have gone downhill. It’s time for a new editor or something. I am disappointed and hate to leave the site I have come to know, but I can no longer read this crap .

Posted by
kasmot
on 11.5.2008

You forgot about carmelo! why allen? eventhough he’s the franchise player of denver, performance wise. Watch out, this trading thing.Denver will not reach the conference finals. .

Posted by
Kentino
on 11.5.2008

How can nobody think of Carmelo with this. I think you all made great points that probably all factored into the trade. Carmelo is the face of the franchise though and the addition of Chauncey gives Denver a better distributor for Carmelo AND JR. Billups can also keep the floor spread like AI did. McDyess will also take some pressure of Carmelo on the defensive end, but it will be interesting to see how he will do. I think Detriot was the perfect fit for him. .

Posted by
O.Sandor
on 11.5.2008

Hi there McNugget ... thanks for commenting. No it isn’t specifically about JR, but he will play a role and I think that has been understated ... just my thoughts. I’ll check in later today .

Posted by
McNuggets
on 11.5.2008

I agree with the first commenter. Oly your point was a little strecthed out. Darryl hit the nail on the head. This isn’t about JR .

Posted by
Darryl Taylor
on 11.5.2008

That is not why they did this deal. I live in denver and they were asked specifically and they said that this was more of an opportunity to get a PG they desperately needed, as well as getting the chance to get rid of Iverson and without losing him for nothing. They weren’t going to resign him, and the other offers they got were crap. they took advantage of the opportunity. But JR was not the reason. Karl said putting JR in the starting lineup concerns him more because he doesn’t want him to get carried away, that’s his biggest fear. Because they are going for change and getting rid of Iverson and putting a guy who does the same thing is not what they want. The believe Chuancey can unite this squad, that was the biggest key .

Posted by

on 11.5.2008

Smith should do okay. He has much in the way of athletic gifts. denver starting unit is interesting! .

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	About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

The New Answer? J.R. Smith a key to Detroit Pistons-Denver Nuggets trade

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