Fansided

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving urged Cavaliers to trade for J.R. Smith

By Trisity Miller

Jan 23, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20), Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) laugh on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 129-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20), Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) laugh on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 129-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reportedly urged the Cavaliers front office to trade for J.R. Smith.

Here’s a surprise: the Cleveland Cavaliers were on the fence about acquiring then-New York Knicks J.R. Smith because of his past run-ins with the law.

Fortunately for Smith, he had a few pals willing to pull for him inside the Cavaliers organization as Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer reports. Stars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James urged David Griffin, general manager of the Cavaliers, and company to trade for former Sixth Man of the Year, leading to the acquisition of both Smith and Iman Shumpert.

From Cleveland.com:

"Smith has had some legal problems off the court. Before the deal was made, the front office talked to Irving and James, two players who know him. Both urged the team to make the trade."

Not wanting to trade for J.R. Smith isn’t anything that’d cause a ruckus from any fan base or front office. While he is a talented wing, he’s brought as much bad to teams as he has good, with his defense, willingness to chuck shots from the perimeter and immaturity (elbowing Jason Terry in the playoffs, forcing a suspension comes to mind) have hindered his teams.

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But for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the gamble looks like it’s starting to pay off.

In the 9 games Smith has played with the franchise, J.R. is averaging 15.3 points on 45 percent shooting (39 percent from three), 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. And in the six games since James has returned from a knee and back injury, the Cavaliers are 5-1, playing their best basketball of the season, with Smith playing a vital part in those games.

What the Cavaliers did was trade a chucker for a chucker who knows what he’s capable of as a player. With Dion Waiters, there was an unwillingness to play within the role asked of him by head coach David Blatt, assuming he’s just as important to the franchise as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were (hint: he wasn’t). While Smith can be as big a wildcard as Waiters, Smith has proven to be a better shooter than Waiters, as well as a better defender and playmaker (even if it’s comparing not good to very bad).

These traits are playing big in the Cavaliers finding themselves as a franchise and if Smith can continue to excel in an eventual sixth man role, the gamble to pursue Smith by Irving and James will be well worth it.

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