J.R. Smith to players: Be careful out there
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – As a member of the New York Knicks, J.R. Smith frequented the nightclub in the Chelsea section of New York, where the Indiana Pacers' Chris Copeland and the Atlanta Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic were involved in a late-night incident this week. Now a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Smith says one of his rules for going out could have helped from keeping the situation his NBA brethren found themselves in from ever occurring.
"For me, I feel like a target every time," Smith said after Cavs shootaround Friday in advance of their game with the Boston Celtics. "So, I try to handle myself with care when I'm out and about. It's one of those situations when you're out at 4 in the morning -- I'm not saying it's [Copeland's] fault by any means -- but when you're out at 4 in the morning, there's no way you should be walking anywhere. Get in your car and go home or go wherever you're going. That's one of my cardinal rules. You don't just stand outside of the events like that. You just get in and go and keep it moving."
Copeland suffered stab wounds to his left elbow and abdomen, while the Hawks players were both arrested as a result of the incident, with Sefolosha suffering a season-ending leg injury in the process.
"I've never seen anything like that at all," Smith said. "You hear about stuff like that all the time, but seeing it firsthand? I've never seen it."
http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/678/j-r-smith-to-players-be-careful-out-there