I wonder if the Lakers signed J.R. Smith with the intention of him being good and helping the team, or if they just signed him because it was funny and would attract approximately ~5-10 more viewers to the Lakers’ broadcasts. The Lakers are known for questionable veteran acquisitions, so I wouldn’t put it past them to acquire Smith thinking that he would bolster their shooting for the ‘yoffs, or something.
Was this signing the work of LeGM? They were teammates on the Cavaliers team that won it all, so it’s not impossible. But 31-year-old J.R. Smith is considerably more likely to be a positive contributor than 35-year-old J.R. Smith would be. Does LeBron not realize that, while he himself is ageless and immortal, not all players are so blessed with a steroid regimen that keeps them perpetually in tip-top game shape?
The real question is not about Smith’s on-court production but rather his off-court production. How many bowls of soup has he thrown since he got to The Bubb? What kind of soup was in these bowls? These are the questions that demand answers. And I am demanding the answers RIGHT NOW.