Los Angeles Lakers: J.R. Smith leads vets in “Last Chance” in Orlando

J.R. Smith was saved by the Los Angeles Lakers. No seriously, he was SAVED by the Los Angeles Lakers!

Here’s a poorly kept secret when it comes to NBA writers and bloggers. We like getting our predictions right. No check that, we absolutely live to get our predictions right. Lake Show Life is no different. Ever since the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Smith home after one of the greatest runs as a shooter in Cavs history not named Kyle Korver or Mark Price, he probably thought that a few Finals runs would land him on another team.

After looking at this proof, most did. Only two things went bad for J.R.

Number one: He accused the Cavaliers for tanking! 

After the Finals mistake seen around the world and probably again a few times this season, the Cavaliers sent J.R. Smith away for the season the next year. The truth lies in why Smith was told to leave based on the frustration of J.R. via Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

You can’t go to the public to demand a trade and for all that is good in a player’s career can you accuse a team of tanking. Was he lying? Based on the facts, nope.

• Tyronn Lue got fired six games into the season. Eventually he linked up with the Los Angeles Clippers.
• By the way, the Cavs were 2-13 when Smith left the team. 
• Then his replacement, Larry Drew, got fired at the end of the season. 
• John Beilein has had major issues connecting with the team. Remember that “Thug” incident? His ouster was planned around Christmas time. 
• The Cavaliers traded for Andre Drummond for who knows what? 
• Kevin Love is hamstringing the salary cap with his contract.

Did J.R. want to sit on the bench (A mandate that Lue balked against that got him fired!) and watch the young core get blown out by 25 points every night? Of course not. But he broke every protocol in the book.

Number two: He didn’t want to accept a buyout!

J.R. Smith had a partially guaranteed contract on his three year, $57 million dollar contract. He wanted it all. Cleveland kept him on the books to clear salary cap space and soon Smith was out of sight and out of mind. Sitting out a season as a veteran can kill a career as J.R. Smith found out as he told the New York Post.

"“I was gone for a while,” Smith said. “Being somebody who has been around the league predominantly for most of their adult life, when that’s taken away from you, it kind of gives you that culture shock. You obviously don’t understand what you’ve lost until it’s gone. I just want to appreciate the moment for what it is, and whether it be next year or never again, I just want to enjoy every possible moment that I get.”"

Tends to make the Los Angeles Lakers wonder what Smith is doing with these shenanigans this week. Frank Vogel has already backed J.R. with what he can accomplish.

"“I think this is really a great story,” Vogel said. “When you look at a guy who could potentially be out of the league and was a starter on a Finals team a couple years back, a champion, for him to have the perseverance to stay ready and give himself this opportunity, I think is to be commended.”"

Let’s just see if he can get to the scrimmage games without getting into any more trouble.