Smith reclaims old starting job following Shumpert’s wrist surgery

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio _ J.R. Smith’s difficult summer began with lingering memories of his miserable Finals performance and were compounded by his contract snafu which resulted in him taking less money for this season. tmpplchld With all that behind him now, Smith at least has one thing in his favor: He is suddenly the Cavaliers’ starting shooting guard again. tmpplchld Smith is expected to reclaim his old job to start the season now that Iman Shumpert is out for at least three months after surgery Wednesday to repair a tear in his right wrist. Smith started 45 games at shooting guard for the Cavs last season following a midseason trade, averaging 12.7 points while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. But he lost his starting job after he was suspended in the postseason and struggled miserably in the Finals, shooting 26 percent from deep over the final three games _ all losses. tmpplchld “It’s difficult losing, but it’s even more difficult when you didn’t make a shot,” Smith said. “I could see (if) the ball just didn’t go your way on an out-of-bounds play or something like that. But when you’re just not making them it’s frustrating.”tmpplchld The Cavs are facing the possibility of beginning the season without their starting backcourt of Shumpert and Kyrie Irving, who are now both rehabbing from surgeries. That increases Smith’s role, along with perhaps new veterans like Mo Williams and Richard Jefferson.tmpplchld Smith’s free-agent process took longer than expected after he declined a player option for this season and then struggled to draw interest on the open market. He was forced to return to the Cavs for less money, but now they’re thrilled to have him given Shumpert’s injury. Cavs coach David Blatt and LeBron James were two of Smith’s loudest supporters last season and remain so now. tmpplchld “He fits in on the floor and he fits in in the locker room,” Blatt said Wednesday. “J.R. is a Cavalier. He’s part of the fabric of this team. So he doesn’t have to worry about fitting in anymore. He’s very much a part of us and vice versa. So I’m not concerned about that at all. I love coaching the guy.”tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)tmpplchld Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld