JR Smith

[cavsfever]

I have a hard time really blaming JR. Where were all these pompous lecturing twats when Boston was talking about how they wanted to play dirty and deliver a beating? This is the league's fault and the refs fault for not getting this series under control. But with all that said, JR did hurt the team, no doubt.

 

[I'mWithDan]

On NBA radio, Pelicans play by play announcer Joel Meyers is saying the league should really come down hard on JR. He says 5-10 games and that that type play has
absolutely no place in the league. He also mentioned JRs' history as a factor. He calls it bush league. Meyers adds that JR is a good guy off the court, but shows no maturity on it.

5-10 seems extreme. I do think he probably gets more than 1 though.

2 games seems about right to me if you're in the "send a message" crowd.

1 game if the league feels bad about the officiating being terrible, leading to the incident.

Anything more than 2 games and we are severely handicapped. Trying to play half a series without 2 of our 3 best floor spacers would be incredibly tough.

 

[kookoo]

It's bullshit if JR gets suspended just to send a message to the league. Especially in the playoffs. Why not suspend him for the first 10 games of the regular season in that case?

 

[Ohio]

It's bullshit if JR gets suspended just to send a message to the league. Especially in the playoffs. Why not suspend him for the first 10 games of the regular season in that case?

Haha, that would be hilarious. Memories of the Tat 5 being suspended 5 games the following season but playing in the Sugar Bowl.

 

[amurderofcrows]

Haha, that would be hilarious. Memories of the Tat 5 being suspended 5 games the following season but playing in the Sugar Bowl.

Which is what I posted earlier, if JR gets suspended for more than one game, any suspensions but one should be assessed next year.
Penalize the player not the team.

 

[Kyrieville]

I don't think JR had the intent of hitting him in the face when he swung his arm back. It looked like he was trying to clear him off of him, by swinging where his chest would have been, but Crowder was leaning over, so he made contact with his face. If Crowder wasn't applying his weight from his massive body onto JR Smith, he wouldn't have had to do that. Normal reaction to intense pressure being applied to one's body. 0 games for JR, downgraded to a flagrant 1.

 

[I'mWithDan]

I don't think JR had the intent of hitting him in the face when he swung his arm back. It looked like he was trying to clear him off of him, by swinging where his chest would have been, but Crowder was leaning over, so he made contact with his face. If Crowder wasn't applying his weight from his massive body onto JR Smith, he wouldn't have had to do that. Normal reaction to intense pressure being applied to one's body. 0 games for JR, downgraded to a flagrant 1.

There is a 0% chance that gets downgraded. While you can probably argue his intent wasn't to hit him in the jaw, it is sill what happened. When you wildly swing your arm like that, there's a chance it lands somewhere that you did not intend for it to land.

The fact that Crowder was instigating will likely reduce the overall suspension number but it won't eliminate it. JR was getting pushed in the back and shoved during the lead up to the incident but most people handing down discipline would not view Crowder's actions and JR's reaction as equal. Was he intentionally being rough? Obviously but unless a player throws a similar punch / arm swing at you, there's just no way they're wiping your slate clean.

 

[Kyrieville]

There is a 0% chance that gets downgraded. While you can probably argue his intent wasn't to hit him in the jaw, it is sill what happened. When you wildly swing your arm like that, there's a chance it lands somewhere that you did not intend for it to land.

The fact that Crowder was instigating will likely reduce the overall suspension number but it won't eliminate it. JR was getting pushed in the back and shoved during the lead up to the incident but most people handing down discipline would not view Crowder's actions and JR's reaction as equal. Was he intentionally being rough? Obviously but unless a player throws a similar punch / arm swing at you, there's just no way they're wiping your slate clean.

I think he will be suspended, but I don't think he should be. If a 1 game suspension is given, I think he will appeal it and it *could* be reduced to a F1 with a good argument from the player's union and JR. Crowder is responsible for his own injury. Because he was playing dirty and leaning forward on JR's back, his firmly planted knee buckled back when he got smacked in the jaw.

 

[Cayman13]

I think he will be suspended, but I don't think he should be. If a 1 game suspension is given, I think he will appeal it and it *could* be reduced to a F1 with a good argument from the player's union and JR. Crowder is responsible for his own injury. Because he was playing dirty and leaning forward on JR's back, his firmly planted knee buckled back when he got smacked in the jaw.

That's the thing. I do not want to make an excuse for JR. He shouldn't have done that. However what led up to it was really unacceptable by those referrees - absolutely unacceptable and inept officiating basically the entire series.

 

[Kyrieville]

That's the thing. I do not want to make an excuse for JR. He shouldn't have done that. However what led up to it was really unacceptable by those referrees - absolutely unacceptable and inept officiating basically the entire series.

I don't know how much choice he had. All of Crowder's weight, and then some with the pressure he was applying, was being placed on JR's back/knees. JR could have been severely injured, himself. Most people would do what JR did in that situation. JR's intent was to clear him off of him, not to punch him in the face. To me, intent is everything.

 

[KI4MVP]

That'd be terrible precedent to set. What if someone clotheslines LeBron in Game 1 of the Chicago series with an elbow to the throat like Lance Stephenson got? Would you want them back Game 3 as long as they served the remaining 2 game suspension to start the season? Hell no.

You give out the punishment now and it's served now. In JR's case, based on precedent, it should be 1-2 games and a fine, at worst.

I didn't know we were still playing Boston in the 2nd round. Otherwise his is a player returning to play the same team they did a cheap shot on similar to JR coming back against Chicago?

Olynyk didn't even miss the rest of the game when he purposely injured love. The refs didn't even look at the video. In this same series LeBron was tackled and thrown to the ground while he was jumping, he was also fouled from behind while throwing the ball in bounds with nothing called, Tristan was shoved into the stands while in the air with nothing called. And there was more I can't specifically remember off the top of my head, but there were many plays from Boston that were not basketball plays and easily could have injured one of our players including the one that did.

JR already was ejected from the game. Whatever suspension they do give him, that should count as one of the games. What's working against JR is his past history. What should be working for him is the refs losing complete control of the game and the series.

What potentially could work in our favor is a crack down on calling the excessive fouling that is bound to come from Chicago.

 

[Zen]

Some positive news. Crowder will avoid surgery... bone bruise / sprain.

View: https://twitter.com/Murf56/status/592714981654831104

 

[Scar4343]

I didn't know we were still playing Boston in the 2nd round.

Are you dense? What does Boston have to do with what I posted? I was paralleling the idea of suspending our player for only 1 game in the postseason and more games to start the season with another team(who is still playing) doing an egregious offense that calls for a suspension to one of our players.

If our guy deserves to have only 1 game of his suspension applied in the postseason, why not Chicago's or Atlanta's or whatever team? Are you suggesting because we're no longer playing Boston? Well, James Harden didn't have to wait until the next time he played us to serve his suspension for kicking LeBron in the nuts.

This argument is not really worth the time because it can't and won't happen. We might as well discuss if the NBA will let JR pay his fine in Skittles or pipelaying.

If someone can find an instance of punishment being partially applied immediately and then the remaining punishment being applied months later, I'm all ears. In reality(which we have to deal with), punishments are handed down immediately and suspensions are observed immediately unless they are in the process of being appealed.

 

[castor777]

I'm curious to what will happen, but the only thing to remember when checking out all the past highlights are most of those are from the David Stern era, and Adam Silver can come down softer or (more than likely) harder than the suspensions from Stern's time as commissioner. As much as it sucks to say it, I want JR suspended for that crap - he deserves it and I'm not giving him any leeway because of Crowder's weight and all that. That was a BS move, just like what happened to Kevin Love was completely uncalled for. Neither play should happen in NBA basketball and the actions of the commissioner have to be just. It just really sucks because it had to happen at the absolute worst time for us, going into what will be are toughest matchup in the East. But if the Cavs dig down enough, and assuming Love only misses a couple games (wishful, optimistic thinking by me), they should still move on from this and beat the Bulls.

 

[Scar4343]

I'm curious to what will happen, but the only thing to remember when checking out all the past highlights are most of those are from the David Stern era, and Adam Silver can come down softer or (more than likely) harder than the suspensions from Stern's time as commissioner. As much as it sucks to say it, I want JR suspended for that crap - he deserves it and I'm not giving him any leeway because of Crowder's weight and all that. That was a BS move, just like what happened to Kevin Love was completely uncalled for. Neither play should happen in NBA basketball and the actions of the commissioner have to be just. It just really sucks because it had to happen at the absolute worst time for us, going into what will be are toughest matchup in the East. But if the Cavs dig down enough, and assuming Love only misses a couple games (wishful, optimistic thinking by me), they should still move on from this and beat the Bulls.

Whether David Stern or Adam Silver is deciding the punishment, the punishment is handed down by the NBA, not an individual. The NBA can only suspend players because that right was collectively bargained by the NBPA(one behalf of its members) to the NBA as part of the CBA.

As a result, there are established processes for how this goes down and the precedent of what the NBA has done to discipline players is what matters, not an individual. The NBA's precedent doesn't stop with a change of leadership.