The J.R. Smith souper saga made a splash in the NBA on Friday, after details revealed he had earned his suspension against the Philadelphia 76ers for throwing a bowl of soup at assistant Damon Jones.
Jones, a former Cleveland Cavalier, has been known as somewhat of an irritant, never missing a chance to toot his own horn as a former marksman in the league. His talk has reverberated enough to make the likes of Kevin Love, remarkable sharpshooter in his own right; to wish his 3-pointers made in a season record is broken by Miami Heat shooting guard Wayne Ellington.
“I don’t know if there is anybody who likes to listen to his own voice more than Damon Jones,” Love joked (I think) during his stay in Los Angeles for the All-Star Break, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. “I wouldn’t say he’s my favorite guy to talk about, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
Even if Love was indeed kidding, which I doubt — the mere fact this was brought up means that he talks about himself enough to annoy people. And while that is perhaps somewhat endearing on an old man, musing about his times in the ’70s or ’80s, it surely isn’t cute for a 41-year-old who is relatively fresh off a career in the league.
Smith had no excuse to throw the soup on him, but verbal spats always have a starting spark, to which the saying applies — if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the (soup) kitchen.