CLEVELAND _ J.R. Smith believes he has found a permanent home in Cleveland _ and not just because he signed a four-year contract before the start of the season. Smith doesn't plan on leaving Cleveland. Ever. He wants to retire here when he's done playing.
"It makes no sense to go anywhere else," he said. "To get treated the way we get treated here from the people, from the police, from everybody. There's nothing but love here. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else."
Smith will be 34 when his current deal expires. Whether or not he keeps playing _ and playing in Cleveland _ remains to be seen. But he is in the process of buying a home near LeBron James' house in Bath Township and doesn't plan on ever leaving.
Smith isn't surprised he likes Cleveland so much because he says it's similar to where he grew up in southern New Jersey.
"Things are more spaced out. It's more suburban life," he said. "New York is New York. Obviously there's no place like New York, but this is where I belong."
