CLEVELAND—Through 12 mostly head-scratching years in the NBA, J.R. Smith had become the personification of a loose cannon.
In-game, he was always looking to make the highlight reel play, the one to make TNT broadcaster Kevin Harlan exclaim with a throaty boom that we’d all just seen a man fly. He shot Stephen Curry-type threes before Curry had the never-ending green light to do so, without both that green light nor the accuracy.
Beyond the shot selection were the bizarre and costly decisions he made that often led to fines or suspensions. His penchant for untying his opponent’s shoelaces cost him $50,000 in 2014.