Thuggets are back

[mavs777]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4298594
Smith gets 90 days in jail, to serve 30
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Associated Press

MILLSTONE, N.J. -- A judge sentenced Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30.

Municipal Judge Debra J. Gelson suspended 60 days of the sentence providing Smith performs 500 hours of community service consisting of visiting sick children at hospitals.

Smith, who grew up in this town about 20 miles east of Trenton, was taken to county jail Tuesday night to begin serving his sentence.

"He's 23 years old; he's a tough kid and he's going to do these four weeks and come out a better person," said Kevin Hextall, an attorney representing Smith.

Gelson also suspended Smith's license for two years, to begin next March after Smith's current license suspension expires.

Smith, who didn't comment after the sentencing, expressed regret at causing the accident that killed his friend, 21-year-old Andre Bell of East Orange, in June 2007.

"It's been unbearable to deal with," he said to the court. "I am deeply sorry. I never intended for this to happen. It tears me up that it went down like that."

Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien released a statement Tuesday night.

"We will continue to support J.R. during this difficult period and will have no further comment at this time," he said.

Smith, who starred at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, admitted driving an SUV through a stop sign and colliding with a car in Millstone Township, about 20 miles east of Trenton, in June 2007. Bell later died from his injuries, and another passenger in the SUV and a woman driving the car were injured but recovered.

Smith suffered scratches and an injury to his left shoulder.

Prosecutor Richard Kelly said Tuesday the data recorder in Smith's vehicle showed he was driving 67 miles per hour in a spot where the speed limit was 35 mph. Both Smith and Bell were ejected from the vehicle after impact.

A grand jury declined to indict Smith, but he faced five motor vehicle violations and pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Gelson focused on Smith's checkered driving record in rejecting Hextall's request to impose a fine but not jail time. She cited court filings that showed that Smith had 28 points on his license in 2005 that included four speeding tickets.

She also gave weight to Smith's two speeding tickets in Colorado since the accident, which she termed "disturbing," and said letting Smith off without jail time would send the wrong message.

"There has to be deterrence," Gelson said. "Young people look up to Mr. Smith; he's a role model. What would that say to them? That's it's OK to speed?"

Bell's family has filed a wrongful death suit against Smith. Attorney Harvey Grossman, representing the family, said discussions are under way.

Bell's mother, Wanda, and his brother attended the hearing but did not comment afterward. Hextall read from a letter Wanda Bell wrote last fall in which she called Smith "a beautiful young man" who was like a brother to her son.

Of the lawsuit negotiations, Hextall said Smith "has every intention of trying to resolve this matter."

Smith, a 6-foot-6 guard, recently finished his fifth NBA season and averaged 15 points per game for Denver.

[Justin Credible]

Wasn't this on the news like over a month ago?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Justin Credible

Wasn't this on the news like over a month ago?

"July 1, 2009, 11:01 AM ET"

It says so at the top of the article...






EDIT:

[Justin Credible]

Well I know for a fact that this has been an ongoing issue for a while now, and it was originally reported on ch8 well over a month ago (iirc) that he was going to be facing a 30 day sentence, which was down from 90 days in a plea by his attorney so that he could be back in time for training.

[edit] Maybe that's when they first made the plea? I don't know, I just remember hearing about it quite some time ago because it wasn't too long after they exited the playoffs.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Justin Credible

Well I know for a fact that this has been an ongoing issue for a while now, and it was originally reported on ch8 well over a month ago (iirc) that he was going to be facing a 30 day sentence, which was down from 90 days in a plea by his attorney so that he could be back in time for training.

The point is that it's old news...

[fluid.forty.one]

mavs777 sucks

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

mavs777 sucks

[Dtownsfinest]

[dirt_dobber]

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith's Twitter page creating controversy
Several recent tweets have been written in a way that gives the impression of an association with a street gang.
By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12986511

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith's tweets are raising questions among fans. Several recent posts by Smith on his page — twitter.com/jr_smith1 — are written in a way that is commonly associated with the Bloods street gang.

Words that would have a "C" in them are replaced with "K," or if a word has both in them, the "C" is removed altogether. Smith has nearly 15,000 followers on his Twitter page.

"Those are still little messages that are being transcended back to some of the neighborhoods," said Rev. Leon Kelly, executive director of Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives in Denver. "Not to say in no way is he promoting a gang. But people got to understand that a lot of these kids come from gang neighborhoods. Their friends are still involved in doing what they do. Just because one was able to get out of that lifestyle, many of them don't forget where they come from."

On a post Sunday, Smith exclaimed "Vegas here I kome!" Last week he wrote that he "Kant wait to get bak in the swing of things."

A post last week, upon his release from jail, caused an online debate among Denver Post readers about the topic. Smith, at the time, thanked his fans and wrote, "I just Kame home. . . . I kouldnt have done it with out yall."

Messages to Smith and his agent, Arn Tellem, seeking comment were not returned Monday.

Smith, 23, is aware of what is posted on his account. Monday morning he implored those writing messages to "watch what you say on here it gets me in a lot of trouble!"

[rmacomic]

[sportsfreak475]

Thuggets. Man that team is a joke, with Smith and Martin running the show. Those two shouldn't even be in the league.

[Justin Credible]

I wonder if the NBA will ever take a stand against gang affiliations. Then again, it makes you wonder how big of a hit that would cause..

[dirno2000]

Chauncey Billups isn’t worried about his Denver Nuggets not picking up any big-name players this offseason. But he is worried about a teammate who hasn’t exactly been helping his name lately.

With that in mind, Billups will fly Sunday to Las Vegas, where embattled guard JR Smith has relocated. Billups will spent the final three weeks of August working out with and mentoring Smith.

“We’ve got some talking to do,’’ Billups said in an interview with HoopsHype.com.

Smith last month spent 24 days in jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving in connection with a 2007 automobile accident in which a friend, Andre Bell, died.

More controversy surfaced after his release. The Denver Post reported there were posts on Smith’s Twitter page written in a way commonly associated with the Bloods street gang. It was reported that Smith, who since has shut down his Twitter page, wrote words with a “C’’ that were replaced with a “K’’ and, if the word contained both those letters, the “C’’ was removed.

“JR’s a work in progress,’’ Billups said. “I’m happy and proud of the progress that he’s made. But the latest thing with the Twitter. That’s immaturity. It’s immature. Those are mistakes that we’ve got to stop him from making. We’ve got to spend some time.’’

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/tom...ith-an-assist/

[mavs777]

http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.co...38893/16870881