Anthony Disappointed in JR Smith

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Nobody can make it rain trouble like Nuggets guard J.R. Smith.</p>

He leads the NBA in apologies. Sorry, J.R. That ain't cutting it.</p>

How many times must Smith get suspended, be involved in a deadly car accident or embarrass his employer with an altercation in a nightclub before the Nuggets realize this 22-year-old fool is more trouble than he's worth and dump him?</p>

"Nobody's putting J.R. in these kinds of situations except himself," Denver vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said Monday. "He's a young 22. But I'm not excusing anything. He lives in a grown-up world."</p>

Nobody knows the trouble Smith has seen in the past 12 months. It's sadly pathetic. If he were a kid, J.R. would be grounded. For life.</p>

So I asked him point-blank: When are you going to grow up?</p>

"When am I going to grow up?" Smith replied. "I grow up as as fast as I can. But, at the same time, I'm not going to rush it."</p>

He stood at the angry center of an ugly fight against the New York Knicks last December, which resulted in a 10-game suspension dictated by the league. The 6-foot-6 guard got himself kicked off the Nuggets in the spring, with coach George Karl insisting teammates no longer wanted J.R. on the bench. During the summer, Smith was behind the wheel during a car crash in New Jersey that killed his friend, 21-year-old Andre Bell.</p>

Now, on a team desperate for perimeter shooting, Smith has been suspended for three games to open this season after being issued a summons on allegations of destroying private property, disturbing the peace and assault during an incident Oct. 13 at the DC-10 lounge in Denver.</p>

"Everybody makes mistakes," Smith said.</p>

The shame is Smith, raised in a loving home, seems to have difficulty learning from his mistakes.</p>

And the scary thought for the Nuggets: What bloody mess might J.R. make the next time?</p>

Teammate Carmelo Anthony has generously tried to be a friend and mentor to Smith. It has not worked.</p>

Back in the day, Karl said, he could take a troubled player under his wing, but the gulf between NBA coaches and athletes has been widened by the big money or an entourage that often makes a close relationship extremely difficult.</div></p>

Source: Denver Post</p>
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