J.R. Smith: Playing Away From NYC Is Good for Me

With 45 games games in the rearview mirror since the trade, (Cavaliers J.R. Smith) I’ve been able to reflect on things, and now see it as a blessing in disguise. For me, being away from New York, my hometown, has led to far fewer distractions. In Cleveland, there just isn’t much to do after 9 p.m., so the days of fashion shows, shopping, and the nights out have been replaced by one thing and one thing only: Basketball.

There have been unfair rumors that lead people to have misconceptions about me: that I don’t care; that I don’t take my job seriously; that I am not committed to my craft. It’s unfortunate, but people have been saying this about me during my entire career. It obviously bothers me and naturally would bother anyone to feel that people don’t take you seriously as a person. I see it in media commentary during each season, and I experience it firsthand when I’m on the golf course in the offseason, everywhere. Then after 18 holes, or lunch, or a meeting, without fail, someone tells me I am a completely different person than who they perceived me to be.

via J.R. Smith for the Medium