National Basketball Association

Charles Barkley: JR Smith should be suspended 10 games

Published Apr. 27, 2015 2:09 p.m. ET

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By Steve DelVecchio

Cleveland Cavaliers swingman J.R. Smith is in danger of missing at least the first game of his team’s second-round playoff series against either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks after he was ejected on Sunday for nailing an opponent in the face. Charles Barkley feels Smith should be out a lot longer than that.

After watching the replay of Smith clubbing Celtics forward Jae Crowder, Barkley said on “Inside the NBA” that the punishment should be at least a 10-game suspension.

“I want to see what happened to Jae Crowder, first of all,” Barkley said. “They say he has a sprained knee. If it’s more than a sprained knee, I’ve got to throw the book at (Smith), to be honest with you. I hope it’s only a sprain. I thought he blew out his ACL or something, the way he went down on it.

“If it’s just a sprain, I’ve just got to look at the punch, and I might have to suspend him for 10 games. You can’t punch people in the head. He punched a guy in the head.”

Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, Barkley’s TNT colleagues, said they would suspend Smith for five games.

It would be shocking at this point if Smith isn’t suspended for at least a game. A 10-game suspension would guarantee that he misses the entire next series and could keep him out through the Eastern Conference Finals, so it’s doubtful the NBA will come down that hard. Still, you can’t swing your arm this recklessly and expect a slap on the wrist.

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