According to ESPN, JR Smith was late to a team meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 14th) which likely is what led to his benching that night against the Bobcats. Also, according to the report, he had a "run-in" with coach Mike Woodson on Monday after griping about playing time, against the Suns.
Sources say JR Smith expressed his frustration with coach Woodson during the game and the two had a brief, heated discussion over Smith's displeasure shortly after the game. Smith's behavior on Tuesday and his frustration with playing just 45 seconds in overtime likely led to Woodson benching him on Tuesday night against Charlotte.
JR Smith said following Tuesday's game that he was surprised by not playing and called it "ridiculous" for the sneaker incident to have been the catalyst. "For that to be the trigger point and for all this to happen is ridiculous," Smith told reporters. "I'll figure out what I can do better to help this team and go from there. If I can't help the team, [there's] no point in me being here."
Check out JR Smith's post-game interview in the video above.
Source: YouTube
