According to a report from NiuBBall.com, recently added Knicks guard J.R. Smith was fined over $1 million for missing practices with his Chinese Basketball team Zhejiang Chouzhou.
A report published by NetEase states that Smith had $1.06 million deducted from his salary over the course of the season for missing practices. Most of the missed practices came during preseason.
“This was the arrangement when he came to the team,” said Zhao Bing, the general manager for Zhejiang Chouzhou. “Every practice we let him know. If he expressed to us that he wasn’t going to come to practice, we’d tell him that in accordance with our contract, we’re deducting money from your salary. And he’d always get back to us with, ‘Whatever. If you’re going to take it, then just take it.’”
So not only was Smith accused of faking injuries and abusing the amenities offered by his overseas team, he was also pulling an Allen Iverson? Zhejiang Chouzhou should have known what they were getting into when they signed Smith to that contract during the lockout. I guess some things never change.
Smith was recently signed by the Knicks for a prorated portion of the $2.5 million veteran’s mid-level exception to solidify their back court. Hopefully Smith has learned a thing or two about saving money.
