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The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired JR Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks in January 2015. Smith and Shumpert helped the Cavaliers reach the 2015 NBA Finals, where LeBron James and Co. lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Smith did not want to be traded by the Knicks. He told Carmelo Anthony that he cried when the New York-Cleveland trade happened.
“I ain’t going to lie bro, I cried,” Smith said. “I was in Memphis. We were in Memphis. I was working out. We were getting ready for the game and I came back in the locker room and Steve Mills pulled me aside. He’s like, ‘Yeah man, we just traded you and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland.’
“And I was just like, ‘Damn, where like, you know, I ain’t want to say nothing of him or whatever’ because I already had my feelings about him and the situation that we were already in with the new group, new regime, whatever at that time.”
Smith and Shumpert were very close to Anthony. They also loved playing for the Knicks, one of the most historic franchises in sports.
However, Smith and Shumpert eventually grew close to James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Cavaliers returned to the NBA Finals in 2016 and made NBA history by becoming the first team to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals.
Cleveland beat Golden State in seven epic games. Irving hit the game-winning shot over Stephen Curry in Game 7, while James had the famous chase-down block on Andre Iguodala.
Smith and James won their second title together in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Miami Heat in the Walt Disney World bubble.
Shumpert, Smith and Anthony are no longer in the NBA, while James is still with the Lakers. He’s the oldest active player in the league at 40 years old.
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Luka Doncic dominates Mavericks, spoils Anthony Davis' revenge game as Lakers storm into NBA Cup knockout round
Luka Doncic scored 35 points with 11 assists against his former team and the Los Angeles Lakers finished perfect in NBA Cup group play with a 129-119 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Austin Reaves scored 38 points with eight rebounds, Deandre Ayton scored 17 points with eight rebounds, and LeBron James had 13 points with seven assists in his fourth game of the season after returning from sciatica. Doncic improved to 3-0 against Dallas after his surprising trade from the Mavericks in February. Los Angeles, which had already advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, finished 4-0 in West Group B. Anthony Davis' L.A. return didn't go as planned P.J. Washington scored 22 points with nine rebounds and Anthony Davis added 12 points for the Mavericks in his first game on his former home court after he was traded to Dallas in the Doncic deal. He was making his return after missing the previous 14 games with a calf injury. Ryan Nembhard scored 17 points, Naji Marshall added 16, and Max Christie and Cooper Flagg each scored 13 as the Mavericks lost for the fifth time in six games and finished NBA Cup group play with a 1-3 record. Dallas already was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round. The Mavericks grabbed a 110-109 lead on a floater from Davis with 7:52 remaining before the Lakers took charge. Rui Hachimura capped an 8-0 run on a three-pointer with 5:55 remaining to take a 117-110 lead. The Lakers extended the run to 13-1 for a 122-111 lead with 4:24 remaining after three free throws from Doncic and cruised to the victory from there. The Lakers used a 38-32 advantage in the third quarter to take a 98-94 lead into the final period. The Lakers shot 65.2% from the floor in the third to leave them at 61.0% overall through 36 minutes. They finished the game at 59.2%. The Mavericks were the team in charge in the second quarter when they used a 40-32 advantage to take a 62-60 lead into halftime. Washington and Christie, a former Laker, had 11 points for Dallas in the first half, while Reaves had 19 and Doncic 18 for the Lakers.
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Patrick Mahomes has blunt take on Chiefs' disappointing season
The Kansas City Chiefs couldn't secure the win on Thanksgiving, dropping to 6-6 for the season after a 31-28 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. All of Kansas City's losses have been by just one possession, and they might not even make the playoffs now. Thursday's loss followed an epic 23-20 overtime comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Every time it looks like the Chiefs will get back on track, they take a couple of steps back. That's why, even though he still believes in this team, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a pretty blunt way of describing how the season has gone for Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes calls out the Chiefs' inconsistency “Our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl," Mahomes said, per Marleah Campbell of KCTV. "We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody.” Mahomes was the only bright spot for Andy Reid's team in the loss. He completed 66.7% of his passes for 261 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and kept extending plays and making things happen behind a banged-up and inefficient offensive line. Kansas City's playoff hopes are alive for now, but it can't afford any mistakes from now on. They will face the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos at home, and they have road games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans. Of course, facing the best defenses in the game and three divisional rivals is far from ideal, but there won't be a better way to prove that the Chiefs' dynasty is far from over.
Frank Ragnow update fits troubling 2025 Lions pattern
The Detroit Lions can't catch a break. On Saturday, the Lions announced that center Frank Ragnow, who earlier this week came out of retirement to rejoin the team for the stretch run, failed a physical and won't be returning this season after all. Per Detroit's social media account, Ragnow's medical check-up revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain, eliminating the possibility of the four-time Pro Bowler playing this season. Ragnow, 29, left the game with seemingly plenty left in the tank, and his injury setback is another brutal blow for a Lions team that is starting to look cursed. Frank Ragnow's hamstring injury halts comeback before it even begins Detroit has been dealing with several injuries up front along the offensive line, and Ragnow's potential return would have provided stability to a unit that that's become the team's weak link. In Thursday's 31-24 home loss to the Green Bay Packers (8-3-1), Lions quarterback Jared Goff was pressured on 36.7 percent of his drop-backs and sacked three times, via Pro Football Focus. Graham Glasgow, who replaced Ragnow at center this offseason, missed the game with a knee injury. The Lions are also without left guard Christian Mahogany (leg), further depleting the team's depth. Without Ragnow, Detroit must get more creative in figuring out a way to mask its weakness up front if it's to reach the playoffs in a third consecutive season for just the second time in the Super Bowl era. At 7-5, the Lions are a game behind the San Francisco 49ers (8-4) for the NFC's final wild-card spot. On Thursday, they host the Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) in a potential elimination game for the loser. Ragnow's return would have provided a huge boost at the perfect time, fortifying Detroit in the interior of the line of scrimmage. It was the perfect solution to a growing problem. But as has often been the case this season, when it comes to the Lions, it's never that easy.
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