New Orleans Pelicans – JR Smith
One of the stranger situations in recent NBA history came when the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) were temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina. When J.R. Smith joined the team the season before the team featured plenty of eclectic and intriguing young talent, including Baron Davis, David West and “Birdman” Chris Andersen. They struggled enough that they were able to add Chris Paul in the draft and Smith appeared to be set up for success.
As a rookie, Smith impressed early. He was Conference Rookie of the Month three months in a row and started alongside Chris Paul as a second-year player to start the season. He was never able to click with head coach Byron Scott, who had a certain idea of what a professional basketball player was. That did not fit with much of the young talent on his roster and before long Smith found himself on the outside of the rotation looking in.
Smith would take plenty of time to catch on but showed flashes of brilliance everywhere. He was a standout sixth man for the Denver Nuggets in his second stop and was the Sixth Man of the Year award winner with the New York Knicks when he followed Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. He would go on to find the ultimate success as a loveable, shirtless winner for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.