J.R. Smith's Twitter Dossier File

Valentines Day may have passed but through Thursday night, fringe NBA All-Star, J.R. Smith was still holding the hearts of three fan bases in his hands. "Who Signs JR?" was the biggest thing to happen to a JR since "Who Shot JR?. JR Smith must be a fan of ABC’s The Bachelor because he held one rose for three franchises and on Friday morning he declared his love for the New York Knicks. You've got to give him credit for efficiency. What took Lebron an hour-long special, took Smith five words and 23 characters. Now let's spend 700 words explaining it.

Smith has spent the last few months in China after signing to play during the NBA lockout. Because the Chinese Basketball League refused to follow the lead of international leagues and stipulated that all NBA players would have to honor the length of their contracts. According to Smith, the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers,Orlando Magic and the Clippers were originally in the running before he wittled it down to the Knicks, Clippers andLakers. Amazingly enough, the Miami Heat were never seriously in the mix.

I read The Da Vinci Code last year and played Clue so I fancy myself an amateur detective. Because he announced his decision via Twitter, let’s follow the trail of online clues that led to JR Smith signing with the Knicks.

I don’t know why he or any other big-time free agents over the last two years haven’t seriously considered the Bulls as a destination. I’ve thought since last summer that they were closer to being championship contenders. They’ve since proven that they’re closer to a title than any NBA team besides the Miami Heat and the addition of a two-guard that could take the scoring load off of Derrick Rose and put pressure on opposing defenses would have been a huge asset. However, this tweet might be a clue.

That was the last we heard of the Chicago Bulls but more importantly he mentioned a Laker fan in response. The Lakers also worked out Gilbert Arenas. However, it’s unlikely Smith would become a Laker as L.A. had more pressing needs at point guard. Plus, Smith and Kobe have huge egos and two years ago Smith ripped Kobe over Twitter. Plus, the Lakers can only offer Smith the veterans minimum because they spent their mini-midlevel exception on Josh McRoberts.

I honestly thought Smith would sign with the Clippers after Retweeting Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who introduced new Clipper Kenyon Martin to Twitter. He's even had an ongoing online conversation with Clipper Darrell and as late as last night was watching Chris Paul score 13 fourth quarter points to overcome an 18 point third quarter deficit against the Portland Trailblazers.

After reading those tweets last night, it seemed inevitable that Smith would sign with the Clippers. He played with @ CP3 aka Chris Paul in New Orleans for two seasons (was actually traded for Tyson Chandler) and started alongsideChauncey Billups and Martin with the Clippers. However, Smith also played with Carmelo Anthony in Denver and surely took notice of Lin’s impact and watching Lin put up 38 on Kobe’s Lakers probably brought a smile to his face.

Signing with New York used to mean taking advantage of the world’s largest media market while playing in front of the most passionate fans in the NBA. Not anymore. China is the new frontier. It’s why Derrick Rose’s shoe contract with Adidas now eclipses Lebron’s. China loves winners and apparently they love Jeremy Lin as well. Even before he became an overnight sensation, Yao Ming wanted him to play for the Shanghai Sharks, a franchise he owns.

After leaving Asia, Smith ultimately signed with the Knicks and hitched his wagon to Lin’s while they both could become icons in the Chinese market. You’re crazy if you think Smith didn’t hear Lin’s name every second in basketball circles over in China over the past two weeks. Basketball-wise, D'Antoni's offense is going to give him the offensive freedom he would have lacked with the Clippers, Lakers or Bulls. For all the speculation about Lin and Smith's impact in the global market, it doesn’t hurt that he grew up nearby in New Jersey.