NBA Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers Need To Keep J.R. Smith Under Control

Fresh Videos

By @ShaneRantSports

Getty Images

Getty Images

J.R. Smith is a ticking time bomb and there isn’t a better way to put it. Just ask the New York Knicks about their time with the shooting guard and they would probably answer they are happy he is gone. Now the Cleveland Cavaliers have the nearly impossible task of controlling a known troublemaker in the NBA.

Since acquiring Smith 10 games ago, the Cavaliers have gone 6-4 including an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon, 108-98. Smith has not played poorly either, contributing four 20-plus point performances and seven double-digit games. However, it isn’t his scoring or Cleveland’s record that concerns me, but how exactly Smith is scoring.

In those 10 games he has sported the Cavaliers uniform, he has taken 10-plus three-point attempts in five outings. He has taken a grand total of 85 three-point field goal attempts and has only made 33 of them. Over half of his shot attempts with Cleveland have been three-pointers. It is all fine and dandy when those shots are falling, but when they aren’t is when there is trouble.

If anything, the Cavaliers did not need another player who is looking for 10-plus shot attempts per game. And then there is that old saying: ” You either live by the three or you die by the three.” There are few players in the league who average 10-plus three-point attempts per game and there are few coaches who would put up with it. Either David Blatt is has no clue what is going on, or he wants to avoid all confrontation with Smith.

Whatever it might be, the Cavaliers need to get control of Smith because they are one bad losing streak away from him turning into a bad spectacle. It seems that when Smith said “When in doubt, shoot it”, he meant it. If I am Blatt, that concerns the heck outta me.

Shane Phillips is an NBA Writer at www.RantSports.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneRantSports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also email Shane at [email protected].

Share Tweet
Trending Now on