When LeBron James speaks, people take notice. So his comments toward the Cavs on Friday regarding J.R. Smith's contract made an understandable impact.
"I hate coming into another season – two years in a row – with one of my big guns not here," James said to reporters . "So, for a leader of a team and for me personally, I just hate to deal with this s--- again. It's just too big of a piece to our team to have to deal with in another training camp."
James is also referring to Tristan Thompson, who missed all of last year's training camp in a contract dispute.
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Smith reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Cavs that would have paid him $10-11 million per season. That deal is a below average contract for shooting guards this season, which is around $11.2 million. James is siding with Smith, and believes Cleveland needs to accommodate their player.
"Negotiations are always two sides but J.R. did his part," James said. "He showed up every day. Worked his ass off every day. Became a two-way player, a model citizen in Cleveland and he's a fan favorite, obviously we all know that. All of the sudden now he's a season ticket holder at the Indians games.
"We just miss him. We miss having him around. He's a big piece of our team and they just need to get it done."
Having James tell the Cavs they "need to get it done," is a strong statement, and we'll have to wait to see if they listen. Cleveland general manager David Griffin said earlier this week the team felt it made "an incredibly competitive and aggressive offer."
