【关注】J.R. Smith Rookie Diary

First Installment



This is my first diary of what should be an exciting rookie season. I will try and give you guys an inside look on what goes on in my life on and off the court. I can’t tell you how happy I was when the Hornets took me 18th in the draft. I have been working on my game all summer and can’t wait to play in my first NBA game.

I played in the Southern California Summer Pro League with Tim (Pickett), Alex (Garcia) and others. It was a lot of fun to play with different guys and see what they are able to do. I played against good competition in Devin (Harris) and Josh (Howard) of the Mavericks. Olden Polynice, our assistant coach, taught me a lot and was great to be around. It was a lot different than high school.

I try and stay grounded, that is why I have my family here. I had a great performance putting up 35 against the Mavs and Josh Howard, but I know it is just summer league and the NBA is a lot tougher. I just take it day by day and work hard.

I also played at Rucker Park this summer on the Los Angeles team. I am from Jersey, but BD (Baron Davis) and Game asked me to play, plus New York didn’t ask me, so I gave it a go. I had a good time playing with Baron and Gilbert (Arenas), we played against some great competition. We had a great run, but lost to Terror Squad in the finals by one on their home court. They were leading most of the game, but we made a great comeback to take the lead in the fourth. We were down one at the end 121-120 and had a chance, but fell short. My nickname was “The Prodigy”.

This summer I have been going back and forth from Jersey to L.A. to see my agent and work out in Santa Monica. Other than that, I have been spending time with my family, especially my middle brother and sister who are staying back in Jersey because of school. My Dad, little brother and my friend, Randy are going to live with me down here in New Orleans, while my Mom goes back and forth.

I got to New Orleans a couple weeks ago. I am trying to get used to this weather, it has either been burning up or raining. I am excited about the season starting and making New Orleans my home.

I signed with Adidas not too long ago. It was a hard process because it took so long to get a shoe deal. A lot of guys who got drafted had already signed, so the wait was long and tiring. I am glad I signed with Adidas and they have hooked me up.

Training Camp has been all right so far; I have been working hard and will continue to work hard. I knew going in that it would be tough, so I worked really hard this summer to prepare myself.

My car is on the way, so I am excited about getting that. I am getting a Chrysler 300, so I will have my own ride next time I talk to you.

- JR

Second Installment



I hope everyone is doing well. The pre-season is almost done and the first game is right around the corner. I will keep you guys updated on what has been going on in my life the last couple of weeks in this diary.

I faced the Mavs in my first NBA game and that was a lot of fun to go up against Dirk (Nowitzki), Stack (Jerry Stackhouse) and (Michael) Finley. They have a great team and the crowd responded well and helped us to beat them.

Pre-season practices have been good. I have been working hard and keeping up with all the other guys. I've really focused on what the coaches and my teammates say to help me out with my game and learning Coach Scott's offense. Today's practice (10/27) was tough, it was a lot like a training camp practice, but it will pay off for us during the season.

My first NBA road trip was to Chicago to play the Bulls. I was getting used to the weather down here being 90 degrees, so I was wearing a t-shirt when we left for Chicago. Nobody told me it was going to be cold and windy in Chicago, so I was pretty cold when we got there. I got some shopping done and had a good time. It was nice to fly in a private jet with swivel chairs, DVD's, TV's and all the stuff you would need, then when we got to Chicago we stayed at the Ritz Carlton. Last year in high school we bused six hours to a game and six hours back, so it was a big upgrade.

We played in Biloxi last week against the Orlando Magic. It was cool to see Dwight (Howard) and Jameer (Nelson). I have known Dwight for a little while, so we caught up on how our training camps and practices have been going. He has gained about 25 pounds of muscle this summer and looked really good in the game.

It has been nice to get recognized for my play this pre-season. I have been working hard to get ready for the NBA and know that I will have to work even harder when the regular season starts. A lot of people ask me if my goal is to be on the rookie team or be rookie-of-the-year, but I don't really have any personal goals for the year. My goals are to help the team get better and do everything I can to be the best basketball player for the Hornets.

I've gotten all settled into my new house on the Westbank. My Dad and I closed on it the other week and it is nice to come home to my own house and my two cars (Denali and Chrysler 300). I am starting to learn my way around New Orleans and am really enjoying everything about the city.

I am looking forward to opening night next week when we play the Mavericks. It should be a lot of fun; about 30 family and friends of mine will be in attendance, so I have to start trying to get tickets for them. I hope the crowd responds the way it did for us in the pre-season. It should be a good battle for us to go up against a good team in our division.

I hope to see you guys at a Hornets game this season. I will holler again in a couple weeks.

- JR

Third Installment



I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I haven’t talked to you guys in a few weeks, so I will try and catch you up on a few things.

The season has been going alright. I wish we had a few more wins, but I think it will come. We are in a little bit of a slump right now. We have been playing some pretty good teams lately, but we need to get some wins. We have had some major injuries with Baron, Big Cat and Rodney being out, but we have to keep our heads up and play as hard as we can.

It was nice to start our five game West Coast road trip with a win in Utah. It felt good to get off to a good start and finish the Jazz game with a win. Unfortunately, it was our only win on the road trip, but we were in most of the games out West. We just have to keep fighting and finish them off with a W.

Everybody is getting tired of losing and guys are getting tired of hearing the same old story of how we lost the game. Everybody on the team is focusing on the next game that much harder to get a win.

It has been pretty tough for me personally. I have never been on a losing team in my life. Last year in high school, we only lost two games all year long. I haven’t been getting that much playing time lately, but I am staying focused and working hard.

It is hard, but a lot of the vets are helping me out and talking to me. Ever since I was little, I have been starting on a team and playing the majority of the minutes, so it is a struggle.

I went back to New Jersey last week before our game in Phoenix due to a death in my family. It was hard to lose my grandfather because I was real close to him. It was good to see all of my family, because a lot of them are spread out across the country, but I wish it were under different circumstances. Everybody was real sad about the death, but we have to move on and cherish his legacy.

I am getting used to New Orleans. I know New Orleans pretty well, so I am trying to get familiar with places like Metairie and Kenner. I am not too crazy about the cold weather we are having (that is one thing I don’t miss about Jersey).

Everything else is going pretty good. I am real happy with my Adidas deal. They have really hooked me up with some nice gear and my shoes are pretty sweet.

I will talk to you again in a couple weeks. Please come out and support us at the Arena. We are working hard and things will start to turn around.

- JR