When J.R. Smith was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006, "Swish" believed he had found his NBA home. Playing alongside the equally young and talented Carmelo Anthony, the 6'6" wingman got off to a sizzling start and averaged 16.7 points on 45 percent shooting, including 39 percent from beyond the arc.
However, everything changed for the New Jersey native when he got into a scufflewith the New York Knicks' Mardy Collins and was suspended for 10 games. When J.R. returned to the lineup, the Nuggets had already traded for the iconic Allen Iverson, a move that turned him into a sixth man instead of a starter.
During his appearance on the "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast, Smith detailed the difficult adjustments he had to make to his game to accommodate "The Answer's" arrival in the "Mile High City".
The coaching staff then decided it was best to have J.R. come off the bench to give Denver some scoring punch when either "Bubba Chuck" or Melo left the game. However, "Swish" said the transition from starter to reserve was far from smooth.
"When I get there, like we was rolling. When I tell you we was highest scoring duo — I want to say we was the highest scoring duo at the time, I believe. I think he was averaging like 31 or something like that, and I was averaging like 20, 21 or something like that," Smith said, remembering the scoring outbursts he and Anthony had.
However, the dynamic shifted with Iverson's arrival. With Melo and A.I.'s preference for isolation basketball, J.R. opined that his move to the bench somewhat hurt the team, denying them of someone who could space the floor.
"I'm able to see it from a perspective and take my ego out of it, because I know what I bring to teams. I know I could do so many different things. So it's not like I'm talking out of my as*. It's like I know, I space the floor. If I'm in the game with him, he needs space. You don't want nobody crowding up the space," J.R. stressed.
"Chuck is not a spot-up shooter. He's more, 'I need to go to iso, get to my side.' And when you doing that, it's almost counterproductive — 'cause by the time the ball gets swung from one side to the other, there's not enough time to go iso. It's only one person who really going to get majority of those shots," he continued.
"So when I get Chuck, look, I'm thinking I'm going to make this work. But the only way I know how to make this work is allow him to be who he is. That's one part of it," the 6'9" forward explained.
At the same time, the former Syracuse ace also had to get J.R. on board with his new role off the bench. There were some tough conversations between the two.
"The other part of it, this is my man who is in my house every single day. We still young. But now we going through two different situations, and we have two different perspectives. So I got to put my arm around him even more. 'Champ, I got to be big bro now. Because this is what's right," Carmelo remarked.
"We know you a starter. Get that s**t out your head. But now, don't fight this, though. Don't fight this, because if we fight this, you, I got to fight for you, 'cause they going to try to get you out of here," Melo added. "So this is the information that I'm giving him as his brother: 'Let's make this work. We got Chuck. We get this right, we all look good. You the sixth man. You the best MF coming off the bench. You really a starter."
Smith played the role of a good soldier that season and earned Sixth Man of the Year consideration. However, the Nuggets failed to make it out of the first round, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
However, everything changed for the New Jersey native when he got into a scufflewith the New York Knicks' Mardy Collins and was suspended for 10 games. When J.R. returned to the lineup, the Nuggets had already traded for the iconic Allen Iverson, a move that turned him into a sixth man instead of a starter.
During his appearance on the "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast, Smith detailed the difficult adjustments he had to make to his game to accommodate "The Answer's" arrival in the "Mile High City".
A jarring change
After 11 incredible seasons in Philadelphia, highlighted by a run to the NBA Finals in 2001, A.I.'s run with the Sixers ended when he was traded to the Nuggets in December 2006. With Anthony and Iverson sharing the floor, it was apparent there weren't going to be plenty of shots for other players, including Smith.The coaching staff then decided it was best to have J.R. come off the bench to give Denver some scoring punch when either "Bubba Chuck" or Melo left the game. However, "Swish" said the transition from starter to reserve was far from smooth.
"When I get there, like we was rolling. When I tell you we was highest scoring duo — I want to say we was the highest scoring duo at the time, I believe. I think he was averaging like 31 or something like that, and I was averaging like 20, 21 or something like that," Smith said, remembering the scoring outbursts he and Anthony had.
However, the dynamic shifted with Iverson's arrival. With Melo and A.I.'s preference for isolation basketball, J.R. opined that his move to the bench somewhat hurt the team, denying them of someone who could space the floor.
"I'm able to see it from a perspective and take my ego out of it, because I know what I bring to teams. I know I could do so many different things. So it's not like I'm talking out of my as*. It's like I know, I space the floor. If I'm in the game with him, he needs space. You don't want nobody crowding up the space," J.R. stressed.
"Chuck is not a spot-up shooter. He's more, 'I need to go to iso, get to my side.' And when you doing that, it's almost counterproductive — 'cause by the time the ball gets swung from one side to the other, there's not enough time to go iso. It's only one person who really going to get majority of those shots," he continued.
It was best for the team
Looking back on that time, Carmelo said adding a player of Allen's caliber was the right move. In a superstar-driven league, having two bona fide All-Stars on the same team could only lead to success."So when I get Chuck, look, I'm thinking I'm going to make this work. But the only way I know how to make this work is allow him to be who he is. That's one part of it," the 6'9" forward explained.
At the same time, the former Syracuse ace also had to get J.R. on board with his new role off the bench. There were some tough conversations between the two.
"The other part of it, this is my man who is in my house every single day. We still young. But now we going through two different situations, and we have two different perspectives. So I got to put my arm around him even more. 'Champ, I got to be big bro now. Because this is what's right," Carmelo remarked.
"We know you a starter. Get that s**t out your head. But now, don't fight this, though. Don't fight this, because if we fight this, you, I got to fight for you, 'cause they going to try to get you out of here," Melo added. "So this is the information that I'm giving him as his brother: 'Let's make this work. We got Chuck. We get this right, we all look good. You the sixth man. You the best MF coming off the bench. You really a starter."
Smith played the role of a good soldier that season and earned Sixth Man of the Year consideration. However, the Nuggets failed to make it out of the first round, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.