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After vanishing act with Hornets, Smith joins Nuggets at last

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 22, 2006 at midnight

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Just three months ago, J.R. Smith was a forgotten man glued to the end of an NBA bench, his spirit broken and his confidence in need of a search-and-rescue team.

That certainly wasn't the case Friday as Smith began getting familiar with his new surroundings.

Dressed shoulder to toe in Nuggets practice gear, the 20-year-old guard spoke with an uninhibited swagger as he compared his game with that of seven-time All-Star guard Vince Carter and talked of bringing a championship to Denver in the spring.

For good measure, Smith said one of his goals in the next three years is to become a premier player worthy of his own line of shoes in stores nationwide.

"I've always dreamt about stuff like that when I was kid, so why stop now?" he said.

The dream sequence officially moved to Denver on Thursday when the Nuggets acquired Smith from the Chicago Bulls for veteran point guard Howard Eisley and two second-round draft picks in 2007.

Smith spent his first two NBA seasons with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and was shipped to Chicago last week as part of a deal for forward Tyson Chandler.

Though he welcomed a fresh start with the Bulls, Smith happily accepted the news he would be joining the Nuggets, a team in need of a shooting guard.

"Denver is the perfect spot for me," he said. "It's a very athletic team, and I like to get up and down the court.

"They're looking for somebody to make the outside shot when they double down on Carmelo (Anthony). Hopefully, I'm the guy they can use."

Smith, a career 37.1 percent three-point shooter, hardly has a tough act to follow.

After initially pinning their perimeter hopes on an eclectic cast that included Greg Buckner, Voshon Lenard and Earl Watson, the Nuggets misfired their way to a league-worst 32.5 three-point percentage last season.

Lenard and Watson were gone by the NBA trade deadline, and Buckner signed with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent last week.

Smith and rookie Yakhouba Diawara are the early candidates to start at shooting guard, though the Nuggets remain on the lookout for perimeter help through a trade or free agency.

"Whatever we have to do to get shooting on the court, I think

we're very serious about," coach George Karl said.

Smith, a former McDonald's All-American who jumped from high school to the pros, is eager to prove he can be part of the solution.

After falling out of favor with Hornets coach Byron Scott last season, his self-confidence was offset by a dose of humility. That tends to happen when young players go from rising stars to frustrated benchwarmers.

"I've always been on the court, never knew what it was like to be benched," Smith said. "It definitely humbled me and made me realize what I really have to do to get to work in this league."

The newest members of the Nuggets backcourt could be featured in a case study on the varying paths to NBA employment.

While Smith was a highly touted first-round draft pick out of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J., his soon-to-be-teammate Diawara left Pepperdine University as a virtual unknown.

Diawara returned to his native France after going undrafted and excelled for Dijon before joining Bologna of the Italian League.

After one season overseas, Diawara is on the verge of signing a two-year, $1.1 million guaranteed contract with the Nuggets. He said Dallas offered him about $700,000 more, but he had already given Denver a verbal agreement.

"I told George I had given my word to him," Diawara said. "I think Denver is a good fit for me. . . . The money is not important. I'm young. I just want to learn. I think if you're good enough, the money will come to you."

Diawara, 23, said he expects to sign a contract Monday. The Nuggets still are exchanging paperwork with Bologna, which will receive a standard $500,000 buyout fee.

The money will be well spent if Diawara can replace Buckner's defensive tenacity and provide an occasional three-pointer. He said he shot 67 percent from behind the arc while playing in France.

While Karl would like to see Diawara provide some range, he is more excited about his attitude and work ethic.

"He's a cocky worker," Karl said. "He told me that he'll be my hardest worker in camp. It ought to be fun."

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