With J.R. Smith Facing Suspension, Nuggets Pursue Flip Murray

So what's the word from Nuggets guard J.R. Smith on his seven-game suspension to start the season?

Well, actually there isn't one yet.

"The team said I'm not allowed to speak to nobody yet,'' Smith said Thursday, saying team officials have told him not to talk to the press until media day Sept. 25.

Smith was asked, though, if he at least wanted to make a comment on whether the suspension, handed down Aug. 28, was fair.

"You're trying to get me fined,'' Smith said.

Smith's suspension, for pleading guilty to reckless driving in a 2007 accident that killed a passenger in his vehicle, is also a big fine. Smith will lose about $350,000 in salary for sitting out the seven games.

Smith's suspension has factored into what the Nuggets do as they look to sign a wing player before training camp starts Sept. 26.

Sources said the Nuggets early this month made a minimum contract offer of $1.1 million to free-agent guard Ronald "Flip'' Murray. However, Murray, perhaps hoping to get a deal worth the biannual exception of $1.99 million, has still yet to accept it.

Those close to the situation say Murray really could help the Nuggets during the seven games Smith is out and throughout the season could provide bench scoring lost when free-agent forward Linas Kleiza bolted to Greece during the summer.

But some believe free-agent swingman Keith Bogans could end up being a better fit for the Nuggets due to providing a season-long defensive presence. After a season in which they stepped up their defense and advanced to the Western Conference finals, the Nuggets also lost defensive ace Dahntay Jones, the starting shooting guard who signed with Indiana as a free agent.

Sources said Bogans wants to sign with the Nuggets, and he could be their backup choice if Murray doesn't take their offer. It's not believed Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, whose team is in line to be about $5.5 million over the luxury-tax line, wants to use the biannual exception.

Other free-agent candidates for the Nuggets, who have been pondering their decision for many weeks, are forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Rashad McCants. Out of the mix is swingman Desmond Mason, who signed a one-year minimum deal Thursday with Sacramento.

It appears the Nuggets are giving a good bit of consideration to Smith's seven-game suspension, with Murray currently at the top of the pecking order. Murray, who averaged 12.2 points last season for Atlanta, first made his mark in the NBA when he filled in for an injured Ray Allen during the first month of the 2003-04 season and averaged 23.9 points for Seattle in the first 11 games.

With the Western Conference race expected to again be very close and the Nuggets having a tough schedule during Smith's absence, the first seven games could end up proving pivotal.

"We're definitely worried. J.R. is a hard player. He can affect the team with his talent. We're going to miss him definitely."
-- Nene"We're definitely worried,'' Nuggets center Nene said of the loss of Smith for home games against Utah and Memphis and for road games against Portland, Indiana, New Jersey, Miami and Atlanta. "J.R. is a hard player. He can affect the team with his talent. We're going to miss him definitely.''

Smith averaged 15.2 points last season and was runner-up to Dallas guard Jason Terry for the NBA's Sixth Man Award. While Smith doesn't mean as much to the Nuggets as Stephen Jackson does to Golden State, it's worth nothing that, when Jackson was suspended by the NBA for the first seven games in 2007-08, the Warriors started 1-6, with the suspension perhaps costing them a playoff berth.

Then again, Nene believes Smith could be as valuable to Denver as Jackson is to Golden State.

"[Smith] can be one of the top players in the league,'' Nene said. "He's so talented. He can shoot. He can dunk. He can jump. He can do whatever he wants.''

Unfortunately for Smith, most of the headlines surrounding him over the past few years have been negative. For his role in the 2007 accident, he spent 24 days in jail during the summer.

And it's not the first time Smith has started a season with a suspension. He was sat down by the Nuggets for the first three games in 2007-08 due to conduct detrimental to the team following a disturbance at a nightclub.

Nuggets coach George Karl said at the end of last season, even before Jones departed, he expected Smith to be his starting shooting guard this season. But it remains to be seen how Smith's seven-game suspension might affect that.

In the meantime, after losing Jones and Kleiza, the only wing player brought in by the Nuggets so far this offseason has been shooting guard Arron Afflalo. He said team officials haven't talked to him about what his role could be during Smith's seven-game suspension.

"Whatever [my] role is, I just want to be the best at it.'' Afflalo said. "I just want to be prepared for anything.''

So do the Nuggets. That's why Smith's seven-game suspension can't be ignored when they look to sign a wing player.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.