The Cleveland Cavaliers will be shorthanded during their game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The team announced two hours before tip-off that they had made the decision to suspend guard JR Smith for one game.
According to a March 1 report by USA Today , the Cleveland Cavaliers confirmed that JR Smith would not be playing in the game against Philadelphia on Thursday. Smith, a starting guard for the team was suspended for conduct deemed detrimental to the team. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue told ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin that “something happened after shoot around” and JR’s action required that he be disciplined. McMenamin later revealed on SportsCenter that the incident is an “internal team” situation. While the Cavs have yet to comment on the reason behind JR’s suspension, it seems that the news is just the latest drama surrounding LeBron James’ team this year.
As many Cleveland Cavaliers fans know, it’s been a rocky road for the Cavs thus far. During the offseason, the team’s starting point guard, Kyrie Irving, requested a trade from the team after going to the NBA Finals three consecutive years and winning the championship in 2016. Kyrie was ultimately traded to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and a first-round draft pick. Thomas, who was injured at the time of the trade, didn’t make his debut with the Cavs until after the first of the year and spent only 15 games with the wine and gold before being traded to the L.A. Lakers.
Cavs fans watched the team start off strong and then struggle during the month of January. Cleveland then traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Dwayne Wade, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Fry and in return brought in Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., and George Hill. Although there were talks of the team trading JR Smith and/or Tristan Thompson, they remained with the team after the trade deadline.
Rodney Hood will start in JR Smith’s place on Thursday, and Smith will be back at practice on Friday and will be eligible to play on Saturday when the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Denver Nuggets, where he will return to his starting spot in the Cavs lineup.
