Nuggets' Smith remains hospitalized

[Marc LeVine]

JR Smith was born in Freehold Borough. Our returning sports stars aren't fairing too well visiting here in the off season...

Marc

Nuggets' Smith remains hospitalized
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Denver Nuggets J.R. Smith reacts during the teams 121-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors in NBA basketball action in Toronto, Friday March 23, 2007. Smith and another man were seriously injured Saturday, June 9, 2007, when the sport utility vehicle Smith was driving collided with a car. (AP Photo/Adrian Wyld, CP,file)
NEWARK, N.J. -- Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith remained hospitalized Sunday after being thrown from his vehicle during a crash Saturday night, but his injuries aren't believed to be as serious as first thought.

"J.R. is fine. There is nothing career- or life-threatening," Nuggets spokesman Eric Sebastian said Sunday. "I did not hear anything that would suggest he is going to be out any games. He is more concerned about the other people in the accident."

Smith and a passenger, Andre Bell, 21, of East Orange, were seriously injured Saturday when the sport utility vehicle Smith was driving went through a stop sign and overturned after colliding with a car at about 5:30 p.m. in Millstone Township, state police said.

Carroll Marshall, 23, another passenger in the SUV, and Lynn Sinatra, 49, of Millstone, who was driving the car, sustained minor injuries. They were taken to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, where they were treated and later released.

Both Smith and Bell were ejected from the vehicle, said Lt. Brian McPherson, commander of the state police's Hamilton barracks. Bell - who sustained life-threatening head injuries - was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Hospital in Neptune, while Smith was taken there by ambulance.

Further details on their status and their injuries were not disclosed Sunday.

Smith, 21, was a star player at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey before being the 18th overall pick of New Orleans in the 2004 NBA draft. He averaged 13.0 points in 63 games for Denver this past season.

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Basketball star had license suspended five times before crash
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 06/12/07
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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The driver's license of Denver Nuggets' guard J.R. Smith, who was at the wheel in a weekend accident that claimed the life of a friend, had been suspended five times in less than a year, authorities said.

Smith's license was "in good standing'' at the time of Saturday's crash, according to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman Kevin Cranston. He said that Smith, 21, had paid all restoration fees and fines.

Smith's friend, Andre Bell, died about 6 p.m. Monday night at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he and Smith had been taken following the crash in Millstone.

Bell, 21, of East Orange, suffered severe head injuries and had been in a coma.

Smith and Bell had been ejected when Smith's 2003 GMC Yukon went through a stop sign, collided with a Jaguar and flipped over at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, state police said. Neither man was wearing a seat belt.

Smith, of Millstone, was hospitalized with an injured left shoulder and numerous scratches. He has been in stable condition at Jersey Shore.

A third person in Smith's SUV and the driver of the car he hit had only minor injuries.

The investigation into the crash is continuing, but has already resulted in two tickets for Smith: failure to stop at stop sign and improper passing.

Smith amassed 27 points against his license from April 22, 2005, to Jan 10, 2006, with eight violations on seven different dates. The violations included five speeding citations. His most recent license suspension came on Feb. 7, 2006, Cranston said.

Smith had been a star at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in Newark before being the 18th overall pick of New Orleans in the 2004 NBA draft. He averaged 13.0 points in 63 games for Denver this past season.

[Marc LeVine]

Smith's license was "in good standing'' at the time of Saturday's crash, according to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman Kevin Cranston. He said that Smith, 21, had paid all restoration fees and fines.

This is yet another reason professional sport teams have to stop drafting these kids out of high school or before college graduation and giving them millions of dollars to be immature and irresponsible with.

This is not to say that 21 year olds, who aren't sports superstars, do not have auto accidents and get into other trouble. But, when you build a kid's ego so high, at such a young age, they begin to think of themselves as invincible and unfairly entitled. The professional sports leagues are full of similar cases. Even Carmelo Anthony of my alma mater, known to be a great kid, has already been suspended for fighting during an NBA game.

If my kid's drivers license was suspended 5 times in a year I'd stop paying his car insurance (I do this for my college age son) rather than worry about him stopping my mortgage payments (some celebrities do this for family and friends).

JR Smith broke into the league at only 20 and was immediately faced with fast cities, fast women and...unfortunately fast cars. He's already been suspended for fighting in the NBA. At least it took Ron Artest a few more years (than JR) to become known for that!

Same thing goes for the entertainment fields. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are three more examples of kids asked to grow up much too fast to handle life in the fast lane. So, as a result, one is currently in jail and two are in and out of detox, between wild parties.

How does this effect us average, local people? Just ask the family of the 21 year car passenger that died this morning and the 49 year old lady, whose car JR hit when he ran the stop sign on normally quiet Stagecoach and Stillhouse Roads. Used to be you only dodged John Deere tractors over there, not NBA stars.

Let's let kids be kids and young adults gain a little more life experience before we turn them into wealthy sad stories.

Marc