There are certain miracles we as humans experience in a lifetime. The fact that Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith is suddenly wise is one of them.
As a basketball fan, I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent happenings surrounding Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland.
Copeland suffered a broken elbow after being stabbed at a New York City nightclub on Wednesday morning. Even furthering the strangeness of these circumstances, Atlanta Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic were arrested for obstructing justice and other charges.
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Yeah folks, sometimes you can’t even make this stuff up. Fact is infinitely better than fiction.
The fallout for both the Pacers and Hawks is obvious.
Copeland is lost for the remainder of the season, and the Hawks need to deal with Sefalosha also being lost due to a broken tibia from that night.
Perhaps the most shocking thing of all, due to this incident, is the fact that a known nightclub-goer has seemingly grown-up.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith, who is no stranger to the nightlife, recently had this to say regarding this most recent NBA off the court incident, via ESPN:
“For me, I feel like a target every time,” Smith said after Cavs shootaround Friday in advance of their game with the Boston Celtics. “So, I try to handle myself with care when I’m out and about. It’s one of those situations when you’re out at 4 in the morning — I’m not saying it’s fault by any means — but when you’re out at 4 in the morning, there’s no way you should be walking anywhere. Get in your car and go home or go wherever you’re going. That’s one of my cardinal rules. You don’t just stand outside of the events like that. You just get in and go and keep it moving.”
Here’s Smith talking about the NBA lifestyle:
“We fly in late all the time, so then we go out ,” Smith said. “Guys like to have a good time. Just like the average college student. It just so happens that we got a lot of money, we’re young and famous, and people want to want to see us and we like to be seen.
“It just comes with the territory.”
Oh, my.
It seems J.R. Smith has come a long way since his party days in New York.
After all, this is a man who has hardly kept out of the public eye during his off-the-court career.
In 2007, he of course was involved in a car accident which led to the death of friend and passenger, Andre Bell. Just a few months later he was allegedly involved in a fight outside a Denver nightclub.
In 2009, some of his Tweets caught the attention of the public for his constant use of the letters “C” and “K.” This was highly controversial because of how this usually recognizes someone who is affiliated with the Bloods gang.
Another Twitter incident led to the NBA fining Smith $25,000 after Smith posted a risque picture of model Tahiry Jones. In 2012 he was laughably busted by the Miami Police Department for driving a scooter without a license.
King James Gospel
In 2013, with the New York Knicks, he was suspended for five games for a positive drug test.
Is it possible LeBron James has fully entrenched his mature attitude into Smith already? After only a few months?
If this is true, then this is LeBron’s greatest accomplishment to date.
I will give Smith credit for the “move it along” theory. Listen, there have been many athletes through the years to successfully do their night-life thing while flying completely under the radar their entire career; and it seems Smith is starting to think more along those lines.
Moreover, the Cavs will need Smith in the upcoming playoffs. Oftentimes, he represents the Cavs third scorer in the offense behind James and point guard Kyrie Irving.
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