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Making his CBA debut, J.R. Smith injured his knee during the fourth quarter of the season opener.
J.R. Smith's basketball adventure in China appears to have ended before it could ever really begin. Playing in his first game in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), Smith was driving to the net in the fourth quarter when he went down on the court while attempting to pick up a loose ball. Check out the video below starting at the 25-second mark or so.
As we can see, this was a non-contact injury, which could potentially be even worse than had he injured it while colliding with another player. He got over to the bench before the pain got unbearable, which you can see in these photos. There has been no additional update on his injury.
Smith was unable to walk after that and had to be helped by his teammates to an ambulance outside the arena. Before the injury, Smith had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in the game.
Certainly this might be a precautionary tale for players thinking of playing overseas during the lockout, but the same injury could happen during an NBA game. Of course, if a contract gets voided as a result of the injury, that's another matter entirely.
For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. Check out SB Nation NBA for more on the ongoing lockout.
J.R. Smith Injury: Father Claims J.R.'s Knee Is 'Sore,' According To Report
Although J.R. Smith appeared to have badly hurt his knee in a non-contact situation during his first game in the Chinese Basketball Association, his father, Earl Smith, has told Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that Smith is able to walk around and dealing with a sore knee.
Smith's father, though, did confirm that his son will receive an MRI soon. Hopefully that will just confirm everything Smith's father is telling reporters now; otherwise, Smith is just trying to deflect away all the attention this could receiver.
If Smith does have a serious knee injury, his $3 million contract becomes a warning to other players thinking about playing overseas: even if the money is there, the chance at injury is still great.
So far, though, former Nuggets teammate Wilson Chandler hasn't had any issues with the CBA. He scored 43 points and pulled down 22 rebounds in his debut
For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. Check out SB Nation NBA for more on the ongoing lockout.
Nov 21 11:18a by Russ Oates