Some Advice From Experts About J.R. Smith and Others

Discussion in 'Fantasy Basketball' started by elevate, Jan 12, 2007.

  1. elevate

    elevate JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">J.R. Smith - SG, Denver Nuggets

    GUY: J.R. Smith is back. The question for you is where is he in your fantasy league? Was he dropped? Doubtful. Traded? Probable. Benched? I would hope so. If you have him either in your active roster or on your bench, you have to be wondering what to expect from one of the more pleasant surprises of the 2006-7 season. Many pundits, including our own Brian McKitish, were high on him before the season. Here's what Brian said in his preseason profile: "Lacking a shooting guard, the Nuggets desperately needed a long-distance dialer?A great athletic talent whose range starts as soon as he enters the building?Throw out last year?s statistics; he gets a fresh start with a new head coach and the opportunity to secure around 30 minutes per game for the Nuggets." That McKitish kid is pretty smart. Smith has averaged 29 minutes, 16.5 points, 2.7 threes, 1.0 steals on 45.3 percent gunning from the field and 83.5 percent from the line. Now he has come back from his ten-game suspension and stepped right into the starting lineup. The Nuggets have been struggling as a team since Allen Iverson's arrival. Will J.R. answer the bell and come out firing? And what will his role be when Carmelo Anthony finally comes back after four more games? A lot of questions. What it all boils down to is?

    J.R. Smith? Are You For Real?

    GUY: For Real. With a caveat. He is unlikely to get you quite the same numbers he got before. The shot attempts won't be there to the same degree when Carmelo makes his return. Even before Iverson's arrival in the mile-high city, when Anthony was in the lineup alongside Smith, J.R.'s shots would fluctuate widely game-to-game. Take the games he played before the December 18 suspension. His shot attempts each day were: 12/8: 18; 12/9: 9; 12/12: 13; 12/15: 11; 12/16: 7. One move that helps Smith's value is yesterday's trade of Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge to the Bucks for Steve Blake. Blake is a pass-first guard who will quickly locate an open Smith for threes. Boykins, on the other hand, averaged 17.9 field goal attempts in the eleven games since the suspension. With him gone and Melo out four more games, Smith will see a lot more shots. So, in the short term, Smith will be more than fine. But even before the suspensions, Earl was getting close to ten shots per game. Some of those looks will be coming Smith's way despite the needs of his famously ravenous teammates. He remains the team's best three-point shooter (38.8 percent) and is the logical choice for Iverson to kick to on his drive and dishes. If he was dropped, grab him. If you need threes, start him. He will be helpful to most fantasy teams out there.

    TOM: Not Real. Let me get this out of the way first ? yes, I own J.R. Smith in our experts league. So, before Guy, BMac, Tardy or Gawron start sending me Jerome James or Patrick O?Bryant (of NBDL fame) for Smith, I need some time to explain myself. There is a new culture in Denver. A new sheriff in town, if you will. Hey Denver, Allen Iverson owns property in your backyard. J.R. Smith is a special talent. But, so is AI and so are Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. J.R. Smith is undoubtedly a tremendous three-point shooter. He makes 2.7 threes per game shooting nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc. At the age of 21, we are already starting to see Smith as a scorer in this league. He?s also a guy who can stir up the controversy. He was shipped out of the New Orleans for his rocky relationship with Byron Scott. Smith was then bounced from the Chicago Bulls and sent to Denver before ever suiting up for Coach Skiles. What happens when Melo comes back in a week and a half and he and AI take up 50-plus shots per game, leaving Smith stranded beyond the arc singing a lonesome tune and wishing for the good old days? For me, calling him ?unreal? has a lot to do with his emotions and my skepticism that he will be content being the third option in his breakout year. Smith is a nice talent who has the potential to blossom into a star in this league, but Smith may still be in for a bit of some growing pains with Iverson and Anthony running the show. </div>
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