Nuggets close to getting JR Smith

Kings113

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Rocky Mountain News - A source said Sunday the Denver Nuggets are close to acquiring J.R. Smith, an up-and-coming guard who played last season for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, the Rocky Mountain News is reporting.

In a deal that was announced Friday, Smith was traded with forward P.J. Brown from the Hornets to the Chicago Bulls for forward Tyson Chandler. The trade is expected to become official after Brown and Smith take physicals Wednesday.

The source said the Bulls then plan to trade Smith to the Nuggets for guard Howard Eisley, who has a nonguaranteed contract, and two future second-round picks. The Bulls, who need to clear salary cap room to sign free-agent forward Adrian Griffin, then would waive Eisley.

The 6-foot-6 Smith, 20, averaged 7.7 points last season after averaging 10.3 as a rookie in 2004-05. He entered the NBA directly from St. Benedict's Prep, a high school in Newark, N.J.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nba/article/0,2777,DRMN_23922_4849650,00.html

Hey, Phillips... they're dropping like flies, chap. :)

Think JR Smith could def. be a good fit in Denver.
 
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The Bulls must have really soured on Chandler. In effect they traded him for PJ Brown and Howard Eisley :eek:.

Has he fallen that far that they would trade him for essentially old role players??
 
The Bulls must have really soured on Chandler. In effect they traded him for PJ Brown and Howard Eisley :eek:.

Has he fallen that far that they would trade him for essentially old role players??


Did you finish reading the article? They aren't trading for Eisley to keep him. It's a salary dump so they can sign Adrian Griffin.
 
Did you finish reading the article? They aren't trading for Eisley to keep him. It's a salary dump so they can sign Adrian Griffin.

And your point is what???

So they traded Chandler to be able to sign Adrian Griffin???

That's much better.....
 
Well, they still can... House/Pargo/Ju. Jones/Delk/Van Horn/Fred Jones are all still on the market. Could well sign Casey Jacobsen (ex-Sun) who has played well in their summer league with an improved game.

They still got the MLE and LLE to use, any of those guys would improve their bench, and give them some outside shooting.
 
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^ the nuggets should try to get one of them. I watched some of their games before and i almost had tears in my eyes. They have very little perimeter shooters. Carmelo seems to think he is Ray Allen...
 
"Denver's soon-to-be-consummated deal of Howard Eisley and two 2007 second-round draft picks for 6-foot-6 shooting guard J.R. Smith, traded by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to the Chicago Bulls last week, could not have happened without an unorthodox approach to Eisley's contract."

"Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, the league would have covered about $75,000 of the $272,000 the Nuggets paid Eisley simply to finish last season with them, since he has played in the league for more than 10 years. But then- general manager Kiki Vande- weghe and his front-office staff convinced owner Stan Kroenke to agree to a second, nonguaranteed year that precluded any NBA assistance over the length of the deal."

"The Nuggets, therefore, could be getting a starter at a relative bargain. Smith, heading into his third NBA season, is due about $1.4 million for the upcoming season, and the Nuggets would have until the start of the regular season to exercise his fourth- year option of $2.1 million. The trade is expected to happen shortly after his physical in Chicago on Wednesday."

"How Smith's potential arrival affects Denver free agent DerMarr Johnson remains to be seen. Smith would arrive at a low enough price to not make money an issue, but Johnson's playing time figures to lessen with Smith on the roster."

"It's still early, but for now, the Nuggets are worse off at shooting guard than they were when the season ended, which was pretty bad. They are about to acquire J.R. Smith, another shooting guard who is not a shooter - and whom New Orleans/Oklahoma City gave up on two years after using a first-round pick to draft him straight out of high school. Ignore the hype. Smith's current NBA market value is 33-year-old Howard Eisley (whose usefulness lies in being cut at no cost) and a couple of future second-rounders. That's not a lot of value."

"It is a puzzling fixation, this attraction for shooting guards who can't shoot, especially on a team that could really use a shooter at the position. The Nuggets tend to shop for shooters in the bargain basement at the last minute. Hence Jon Barry, Wesley Person and Eisley during the past three years. DerMarr Johnson, a genuine shooter, would be perfect if his willowy body didn't get thrown 10 feet down court every time he tried to get over a pick on defense. Smith will join him as a former first-round reclamation project."

"I'm a fan favorite," J.R. Smith said. "I get up and down the court. I like to dunk. . . . I'm sure (Nuggets fans will) love me." Smith appears to be the Nuggets' future shooting guard. He said Monday he expects to be in Denver for a news conference Thursday, with a trade completed by then."

"Thursday also is the deadline for the Nuggets to match the two-year, $6 million offer sheet restricted free agent center Francisco Elson has signed with the San Antonio Spurs. There were indications Monday the acquisition of Smith could lead to it being matched."

"I feel great about going to Denver," said Smith, who said Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin is the favorite player of his mother, Ida Smith. "I think George Karl is a great coach. . . . I'm looking forward to getting to know my new teammates. But I'm not going to make any starting predictions."

"He's been lifting and getting stronger and really working on his skills," said John Lucas, a former Nuggets assistant who has been working Smith out this summer in Houston. "He's got the ability to be as good as anybody in this league."

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_4063573

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4851886,00.html
 
And your point is what???

So they traded Chandler to be able to sign Adrian Griffin???

That's much better.....

Bulls ownership got cheap. The mega$$ for Big Ben basically pinned them. Is funny how effective that luxury tax has been though. Owners are terrified of it beyond all reason.

Have to agree though that they are preparing to bleed talent in a major way on the Chandler deal. In a year or two will have absolutely nothing left from a Top 3 pick. Should have at least nabbed a #1 out of the deals at some point.
 
denver is like the anti kings. inside bangers and rebounders, never the shooter. if smith blossoms, which he definitely has the potential to do (+ karl might be the right coach for him), him and Carmelo will be ridiculous.
 
J.R. Smith is actually a pretty good shooter. If he actually commits to practicing his shot (which he apparently didn't do enough in N.O. to keep Byron happy) he could even be a great shooter. Whoever ends up with that guy is getting a great player. (Well, maybe. They might be getting a total Darius Miles type flameout instead.)
 
J.R. Smith is actually a pretty good shooter. If he actually commits to practicing his shot (which he apparently didn't do enough in N.O. to keep Byron happy) he could even be a great shooter. Whoever ends up with that guy is getting a great player. (Well, maybe. They might be getting a total Darius Miles type flameout instead.)

That has always been the question with Smith, will he try to get as good as he can be?
 
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