J.R. Smith Got Suspended For Allegedly Throwing A Bowl Of Soup At An Assistant Coach, And The Internet Slurped It Up

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J.R. Smith has nine lives. Either that or he has inside information that could derail LeBron’s career. At this point, that’s the most logical conclusion I can draw from his incessant antics and his immunity from LeBron’s criticism.

With the exception of Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, Smith is the only player remaining with LeBron from the 2016 title team. When the Cars acquired Rodney Hood off this season, it would be reasonable to assume that Hood would be thrown in the starting lineup, seeing as Smith’s dismal 39.4 shooting percentage from the field, 36.7 percent from 3, and his lowest scoring average since his second year in the league (8.3 ppg) wasn’t exactly resurrecting the struggling Cavs.

But Smith’s head-shaking flashes of greatness has [See: Game 6 2016 NBA Finals], have given him free reign in Cleveland and his latest controversy exemplifies that.

According to ESPN, the 32-year-old shooting guard earned his one-game suspension from the team Thursday for throwing a bowl of soup at assistant coach Damon Jones. Smith was absent from Thursday’s chippy home loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The team was initially ambitious with the reasoning, claiming it was simply “detrimental conduct.”

“He was great this morning,” Cavs Coach Tyronn Lue said before the game. “Something happened after shoot-around, so that’s all the details I’m going to give to you.”

But, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin dug up the real reason for the suspension, and it involved hot soup. The suspension cost Smith $94,897.

If Windhorst and McMenamin were next-level reporters, they would have found out what kind of soup was thrown. For a reason I can’t put my finger on, that information is important. 

Smith will return to practice todayand resume his role as the starting shooting guard. But not before a good online razzing.

The internet can be a great thing.

[h/t The Washington Post]

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Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.