CLEVELAND, Ohio -- J.R. Smith said "absolutely" he is frustrated that he lost his place in the Cavaliers' starting lineup to Dwyane Wade, though neither he nor Tristan Thompson aim to make trouble now that they're both coming off the bench.
"We talked about it," Smith told cleveland.com. "It wasn't the most positive conversation, but we talked about it and we'll get through it together."
Smith and Thompson were starters for the Cavs in each of the last three Finals. First, Thompson learned early in camp he'd been moved to a reserve role so coach Tyronn Lue could start new forward Jae Crowder and move Kevin Love to center.
On Monday, Lue announced that Wade, the 12-time All-Star who signed as a free agent Sept. 27, would start at shooting guard instead of Smith.
Smith said he "kind of knew it" was coming with Wade. LeBron James told cleveland.com he had talked to Smith "way before" Lue made the decision, which was perhaps an indicator for Smith that a change was coming.
"Was pretty much bracing myself for it," said Smith, who compared what happened with Wade to a situation he experienced with the New York Knicks.
Smith was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13, averaging 18 points off the bench for the Knicks. He started 37 games the following year and just six for New York in the first few months of the following season, when he was traded to the Cavs.
"Was working hard all summer and then coming in and not even really having a chance to earn my spot, but it's all right," Smith said. "It is what it is."
Smith played 18 minutes Tuesday in a 108-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls. He was the second player off the bench (Iman Shumpert was first) and scored just one point. He was 0-of-6 shooting from the field.
But Smith also contributed four assists and three rebounds, and the second unit acquitted itself well overall. Thompson, Kyle Korver, and Jeff Green are the other reserves figuring to see significant minutes.
Smith is coming off the worst of his three seasons with Cleveland, in which he averaged just 8.6 points and saw his 3-point shooting percentage drop nearly five points. He also missed three months recovering from thumb surgery.
"I actually like playing on the second unit better, I'm more of a playmaker and distributor and I handle the ball a little bit more instead of just running to the corner," Smith said, referring to the catch-and-shoot role he's played for three seasons here.
Thompson scored seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 21 minutes. He said he's using his time on the bench as a "cheat sheet" to see how the referees are calling the game, and then making the same impact as if he were a starter.
"Me and JR, we know what we've brought to this team, what we've done the last three years, being in three Finals," Thompson told cleveland.com. "But at the end of the day, to win a championship you've got to sacrifice. We both know that and coming off the bench in that second unit, you gotta be a spark."
Thompson said he and Smith wanted "everybody to know" they weren't "upset or angry" over their new rules. There certainly is a difference between personal, human frustration and anger projected awkwardly toward teammates.
James said Smith "seems OK" and said he was going through an "adjustment period."
"Obviously, he's a competitor, he wants to start," James said. "Everyone would love to start but J.R. is in a position where he feels he wants to do whatever is best for the team. So if it's playmaking if he's out there with the second unit -- you saw what he did tonight. If it's giving up his starting job to D Wade.
"It's not about who starts or who comes off the bench, it's about who all can make sacrifices to win a championship. And that's what we're all here for."
Throughout camp, numerous Cavs have said there are no egos on this team, or at least those egos aren't getting in the way.
Lue said it was a message he preached at the outset of camp, but, "it doesn't always work. "You deliver that message, but we'll see how it goes," Lue said.