INDEPENDENCE: J.R. Smith was noticeably absent from the Cavaliers’ media day lineup on Monday, just as he was missing from the team’s player-hosted minicamp in California last week.
How long he is away remains to be seen, although LeBron James and Cavs general manager David Griffin both expressed optimism a new contract could be completed sooner rather than later.
Of course, both men said similar things about Tristan Thompson’s holdout last year, and that didn’t end until days before the start of the regular season.
“We have made an incredibly competitive and aggressive offer in re-signing him,” Griffin said.