Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-16 Online Edition

Sports
J. R. Smith Talks Free Agency As Season Looms
J. R. SMITH
With the Cleveland Cava- liers set to open their season with a voluntary minicamp in California in less than a week, free-agent guard J. R. Smith shed some light on what is holding up his decision.
"Yes and no," Smith told Complex in an interview pub- lished Friday, when asked if re-signing with the Cavaliers was his "best" option. "It de- pends on how you look at it.
"Financially, you can al- ways go somewhere else. Team morale-wise, there are a few teams that I could see working. There are guys I would like to play with, guys I have played with. Being able to live in that city or a particular place, school systems, kids, family life -- [with] free agency, everything comes into play. Before, I could just sit there and be like, 'I don't care where I go.' But now I have the kids, and it's like, 'OK, what's the best fit?'"
Smith did not pick up his $5.3 million player option for the 2016-17 season in July, be- coming an unrestricted free agent after averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 as- sists and 1.1 steals and hitting 204 3-pointers in 77 starts for Cleveland.
The 2012-13 NBA Sixth Man Award winner, who turned 31 this month, sought to cash in on a robust free- agent market this summer that saw several journeymen shooting guards (Eric Gor- don, Jamal Crawford, Courtney Lee) sign deals worth north of $10 million an- nually.
A source familiar with the negotiations between Smith and the Cavs told ESPN that Smith's camp is prepared to be "in it for the long haul" until a deal is agreed upon.
Adrian Peterson's Wife Says He's Already Walking After Knee Injury Vs. Packers
ADRIAN PETERSON
BEAUTY UNLIMITED
ASHLEY
No, it’s not basketball season yet, but Ashley doesn’t mind. As this week’s Beauty Unlimited fea- ture, Ashley is ready to get in front of the camera and get to work. As you she’s fit and ready for the task that lies ahead of her, and we’re sure she’ll come out victorious. Congratulations to Ashley as this week’s Beauty Unlimited feature.
The knee injury suffered by Minnesota Vikings run- ning back Adrian Peter- son on Sunday isn’t expected to be too serious and his wife says that he was already walking on the in- jured leg before the end of the night.
Peterson had an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, but the running back’s wife believes he will be OK.
While Peterson has had a rough start to the 2016 sea- son, managing just 50 yards on 31 carries with zero
touchdowns, it would be big news for the Vikings if the former MVP is healthy. The team already lost Teddy Bridgewater for the year and Peterson’s backups, Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon, haven’t had much running room either in the first two weeks.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer also seemed to be- lieve that good news was on the way for Peterson, telling reporters that the in- jury "calmed down" after the game and the running back may not even miss a week.
Olympic Champion Simone Biles: I Have ADHD And Am Not Ashamed
SIMONE BILES
Spurs Hire Monty Williams
Russian hackers tried to take away four-time gold medalist Simone Biles’ #BlackGirlMagic by publicly releasing confidential records showing her use of methylphenidate, a.k.a. Ri- talin, but the gymnast wasn’t having it.
After the leaked data hit the Internet, Biles took to Twitter herself to tell the world she suffers from atten- tion deficit hyperactivity dis- order, or ADHD. “I have ADHD and I have taken med- icine for it since I was a kid,” Biles, 19, wrote on Twitter. “Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always fol- lowed the rules, and will con- tinue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.”
The data leak is a big deal because methylphenidate is on the World Anti-Doping Association’s list of banned substances for the Olympics.
But USA Gymnastics quickly stepped in to quiet
any suspicions that Biles cheated her way through the 2016 Olympic games.
“Simone has filed the proper paperwork per USADA and WADA require- ments, and there is no viola- tion,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. Therefore, per protocol, it is OK for Biles and any other athlete to take medication – which may be on the prohib- ited drug list — for an illness or condition as long as it’s of- ficially disclosed and ap- proved prior to the Olympics.
For people without ADHD, a stimulant like methylphenidate can in- crease hyperactivity and focus. But for Biles and oth- ers with ADHD, the drug lessens hyperactivity and lim- its distractions.
“Having ADHD, and tak- ing medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of,” Biles added on Twitter, “nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.”
As Vice President Of
Basketball Operations
The San Antonio Spurs announced multiple changes to their basketball operations staff Friday, most notably the addition of Monty Williams as the vice presi- dent of basketball operations and Brian Wright as assis- tant general manager.
Williams, a former as- sistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder and head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans (2010-15), returns to San An- tonio for his second stint with the organization.
He played nine years in the NBA, including a little more than two seasons with the Spurs before starting his front-office and coaching ca- reer with the team as a coaching intern during the
MONTY WILLIAMS
2004-05 season.
Williams spent last sea-
son with the Thunder as an assistant coach. He took an indefinite leave from the team after his wife's death in a February car accident. After the season, it was an- nounced that Williams would not return to the Thunder.
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