Nuggets thrilled by thievery of Smith

By CHRIS TOMASSON
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The 20th century saw The Great Train Robbery and the Brinks Job. The 21st century so far has the J.R. Smith trade.

The Denver Nuggets in July acquired Smith, a shooting guard, from Chicago, for next to nothing. The price, which conjures memories of Peter Minuit buying Manhattan for $24 in 1626, was two second-round draft picks and guard Howard Eisley, who then was waived.

"It's definitely a steal," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said.

Smith agrees.

"In my opinion, I think so," he said.

Heading into Tuesday night's game with Chicago, Smith is averaging 14 points and has developed into the Nuggets' top three-point shooter (22-of-59, 37.3 percent).

The Bulls in the summer shipped forward Tyson Chandler to New Orleans/Oklahoma City for forward P.J. Brown and Smith. They had thrown nearly all their salary-cap room at center Ben Wallace, who got a four-year, $60 million contract.

With plenty of young backcourt players, Bulls general manager John Paxson didn't feel Smith, a third-year player, would play much. He wanted a veteran.

The Bulls sought free-agent swingman Adrian Griffin. But, to outbid Dallas for Griffin, they needed cap room.

So the Bulls dealt Smith to the Nuggets on July 20 for Eisley, who had a nonguaranteed deal worth $1.18 million. Eisley was waived the next day, and the Bulls soon signed Griffin to a three-year contract that pays him $1.48 million this season.

Hampered by a calf strain, Griffin has played in only six games and is averaging 2.0 points for the struggling Bulls (3-7).

"I've got nothing to say about it," Paxson said about the deal. "You paint it any way you want to paint it."

The Nuggets are painting the town red, although perhaps they prefer blue and gold.

"We're way happy with (the trade)," vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said.

Warkentien gives much credit to Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, who agreed to pay an extra $75,000 for the Nuggets to have a tradeable asset in Eisley.

Instead of signing Eisley in March to a minimum contract for the rest of the season, the Nuggets also gave him a nonguaranteed deal for this season, meaning the NBA wouldn't supplement his salary.

Warkentien said Eisley is the "conduit" in the deal. The Bulls traded Smith to Denver a week after he arrived from the Hornets.

"I don't feel any animosity toward (the Bulls)," Smith said. "It was a business decision. I understand. I think I'm in a better place anyway."

The Nuggets long have sought an impact shooting guard. Warkentien said the Nuggets tried to trade for Smith last season, when he averaged 7.7 points for the Hornets, and were rejected in the summer when they offered the Hornets the same package Chicago eventually got.

Smith is 21. But Smith, who is making $1.39 million and recently had his $2.14 million option for next season picked up, has great potential.

"He's just a very good talent that we've got to mold and push and direct and cheer and kick and do everything with," said Nuggets coach George Karl, trying to get Smith to drive and draw more fouls after he shot 4-of-13 on three-pointers but didn't get to the free-throw line Saturday against Toronto.

Karl said the trade so far "looks great." The Nuggets had coveted Smith since he was drafted No. 18 in 2004, two spots ahead of Denver's pick.

"I remember him being here during his workout," Camby said. "He was shooting from darn near half court, swishing it.

"I was like, 'Man, I hope we have a chance to pick him.' . . . His potential is limitless. For us to get him was a big steal for us."

So far, there have been no arrests in the incident. But the Nuggets are regarded as prime suspects.