J.R. Smith is making a rock star type return from China. There are a lot of teams wanting a piece of Smith, and he is in the cat bird’s seat with the luxury of choosing any team he pleases. Will he opt for the largest paycheck and end up in New York, or will he opt to join past teammates and friends in Los Angeles with the Clippers?
Chris Paul is banking on the latter, believing that his personal relationship with Smith from their days as teammates with the Hornets may be the deciding factor. Couple that with Smith’s days in Denver paired with the Clippers Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups, and you have an easy choice right? Not so fast. Smith also has a former teammate and friend in New York with Carmelo Anthony. They can offer a bigger paycheck, and who wouldn’t want to play alongside ‘Linsanity’ these days.
There are still rumors swirling about Indiana and Minnesota trying to sign Smith, but so far they are just that, rumors. Here is what Chris Paul had to say last night after the Clippers loss to the Mavericks:
“I think our chances are very high,” Paul said Monday night after the Clippers’ 96-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks….
Who knows J.R. better than me?” Paul said of Smith, his teammate for two seasons with the Hornets.
Referring to Kenyon Martin and Billups, both of whom played with Smith in Denver, Paul attributes his optimism to “my relationship with J.R., Kenyon’s relationship with him and Chauncey’s relationship with him.”
“Also he knows he’ll have the opportunity to play here,” Paul said. “He can only make us better.”
[Quotes Via]
