So, you’re an NBA free agent, your league’s owners have locked you out, and a payday overseas sounds like a nice option. But in your first game in China you come down awkwardly on your left knee and suddenly your career flashes before your eyes. Is a $3 million payday (or however much the actual amount is) really worth risking your NBA career over? Thankfully, J.R. Smith doesn’t have to answer that question, as he announced on Twitter that nothing was torn on the MRI he underwent on his knee. But you have to think that the talented guard has to be re-thinking his CBA excursion.
Basketball fans should rejoice that Smith's knee is fine. He's a very entertaining player and one that the NBA would miss if the owners and players could ever get their acts together. And if you thought professional sports doctors in the United States were a little fishy in treating players, check out this Tweet:
@NiuBBallJon PastuszekJ.R. knee injury saga far from over though, team did not approve his trip to Beijing to get an MRI and are looking into disciplinary action
Did Smith’s team expect him to just gut out a knee injury? Did they have their own MRI and he wanted a second opinion? How can we get these answers? Suddenly, I feel like an out of state Nuggets fan during the NBA season who is clamoring for more news!
This article right here has all the answers for us on the J.R. Swish front with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
Something I've been thinking about during this lockout: how cool is it that these NBA players are getting a chance to spend some time traveling overseas? Sure, they have gobs of money and can travel wherever they like during the off-season, but to be a 22, 23, or 24-year-old and get an opportunity to see the world is a pretty sweet thing. While the courts now squabble over when basketball will return, some folks are getting a chance to experience something that, if not for the lockout, maybe they would not. As usual, my glass is half full.
What else is going on in basketball news?
The Problems With Austin Rivers – Sebastian Pruiti, Grantland.com
I can't stand the hype that comes with unproven talent. Whether it be high school or college kids jumping to professional sports or even worse, high school kids going into college. Was Austin Rivers really expected to go to Duke and take the college hoops world by storm? He is averaging double-digit figures in points scored, but do we really want to poke holes in an 18 year-old amateur's game? Especially after just a few games? Boo!
Hubbard column: In a thankless league, we still manage to, well, give thanks – Jan Hubbard, Sheridan Hoops
Need a little well-written humor in your life? I know I do, so I read this column. Go do the same! Post Script: Sheridan Hoops is becoming a must-check NBA site!
Sixers 86 their Hip Hop mascot – Rich Hofmann, Philly.com Sports
Did you know the Philadelphia 76ers mascot was some type of Hip Hop character that has been around since the Allen Iverson era? Neither did I. Long live the GREATEST MASCOT IN ALL OF SPORTS: YOUR SUPER MASCOT ROCKY!
NBA's 76ers snap up Julius Erving items at auction – The Times of India
"We spent some real money," (Adam) Aron said. While I'm glad team chief executive Adam Aron did the right thing and snatched up some Erving memorabilia at his personal auction, I'm also confused. I thought all these owners were losing their asses off and needed a way to save money, yet here is Philly dumping cash to buy up memorabilia during a lockout. Hmm … haha.
Lingering NBA lockout makes Jon Gruden dream of LeBron James in Detroit Lions uniform – Philip Zaroo, MLive.com
Yes, I don’t care about James much either, but Zaroo includes other players that Gruden mentioned he wanted to see in the NFL from the NBA … Steve Nash taking over for injured Matt Schuab for the Texans? Uh … Who would you want to see from the Nuggets take a shot at another professional sport, and which sport?
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