Bad week to be a Nugget

I swear I’m not picking on the Denver Nuggets. The team, or more specifically the players, are just having one hell of a week. J.R. Smith, a young guard in his third season in the NBA, was at the wheel of his 2003 GMC Yukon on Saturday when Smith went through a stop sign and hit another car, causing the Yukon to flip over.

Smith, who was not wearing a seat belt at the time, was actually thrown from the vehicle, but walked away only with scratches and an injured left shoulder. One of his two passengers, 21-year-old Andre Bell, was not as lucky. Bell, who was in a coma from severe head injuries, died Monday night.

As is the case with most car accidents, this incident could have been avoided. The more alarming discovery came today, when the Newark Star Ledger reported Smith had his license suspended five times in a span of less than a year. From the Associated Press story on ESPN.com:

 

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.

And though Smith was officially in “good standing,” as far as paying off his fines goes, I find this no less disturbing. I mean, is it even possible to be that bad of a driver? And really, how can you keep getting your license back after that many suspensions?

Posted June 12, 2007 at 3:22 pm by Andrew | Share on Facebook
Categories: basketball

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