J.R. Smith's Critics Left With Nothing But His Shirtless Torso to Complain About

J.R Smith is an NBA Champion. Not only is he an NBA champion, but he started and played 39 minutes in Game 7 of the Finals. In fact, he started every game he appeared in this season (77 regular season and 21 playoff), was 4th on the team in scoring, and was considered one of the team’s key perimeter defenders. This is insane considering where Smith was with his life and career just over two years ago when Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski destroyed him after he was benched by the New York Knicks for a regular season game against the Miami Heat on January 9, 2014:

" He can make it sound so sincere, but the con never ends. J.R. Smith was raised in a suburban, middle-class home with two good parents and access to an excellent education. He had a tremendous high school coaching mentor – Dan Hurley at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J. – and he has long been taught the difference of right and wrong. Smith’s always loved to play the part of a tough city kid, but truth be told, he’s a soft, spoiled, suburban jump-shooter. And when Smith’s benching ends with these Knicks, there will be no epiphanies. No revelations. Everyone knows how this story ends with him, how the money will dry up and how he’ll wish he had done everything so differently in his career. It is sad and predictable and on a collision course with cliche. Someday, Smith will make that call to room service – insisting upon more of everything – and there will be no one to answer. J.R. Smith is 28 years old, and it is too late to threaten and punish a spoiled, suburban kid. No trade, no epiphanies, no changes. The Knicks deserve J.R. Smith, and he’ll belong to them until the bitter end. "

Somehow Smith did turn it around. Almost exactly a year later (January 7, 2015)  he was thrown into the trade that brought Iman Shumpert to Cleveland. Smith took Dion Waiters’ spot in the starting lineup and stayed out of trouble to the surprise and delight of his daughter.

When the Cavs won the title he gave an emotional and tear-filled press conference and then celebrated with his team in Las Vegas as you would expect the old J.R. Smith to celebrate. The important distinction is that he didn’t get into any trouble doing so. When Smith and the Cavs returned to Cleveland to a heroes welcome, Smith was still shirtless.

This was too much for a columnist in Minnesota who wishes players today dressed like the 1970’s Montreal Canadiens.

"I know that the days of a team dressing up are long gone. And I would be naïve to expect that a winning club in any sport would feature the blue blazer, the gray slacks and the striped tie. I have seen that, by the way, but it was almost 40 years ago. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup that year over the Boston Bruins and in all public functions — lunches, press conferences — the Canadiens wore their blazers."

When you’re pining for the sartorial choices of the a hockey team from the 70’s it might be time to pack it up. The writer goes on to opine on what it might be like if NBA players dressed up which means he’s ignored the fashion revolution the league has forced on these guys. Smith may not wear a suit and tie to every game, but more often than not he’s dressed in something you probably shouldn’t mind a kid wearing. Via Getty:

Is it unreasonable to think Smith should be wearing a shirt in public? No, but it’s kind of silly to commit 800 words to that thought. If this is the worst thing J.R. Smith is doing these days, that’s pretty good.