Lakers add Lebron ally J.R. Smith for Orlando championship push
J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push.
The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA’s summer restart.
Smith is the Lakers’ roster replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Smith, 34, hasn’t played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During their four years together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they won a title in 2016 and reached four consecutive NBA Finals.
Head coach Frank Vogel also said the Lakers remain “hopeful and optimistic” that center Dwight Howard will be with the team in Orlando. Howard is contemplating the welfare of his 6-year-old son, whose mother died this year.
• Houston’s Thabo Sefolosha reportedly is opting out of the NBA’s restart in Orlando. Sefolosha, 36, is a 14-year NBA veteran who has played for Utah, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Chicago.
• Sacramento head coach Luke Walton says forward Jabari Parker has been cleared to end his self-isolation following a positive test for the coronavirus. Center Alex Len and guard Buddy Hield, who also tested positive, are “doing much better.”
ELSEWHERE
Cardinals to play
on Field of Dreams
The St. Louis Cardinals have replaced the New York Yankees as the opponent for the Chicago White Sox in the Field of Dreams game Aug. 13 at Dyersville, Iowa.
The schedule change caused by the new coronavirus pandemic meant the White Sox no longer play the Yankees...