http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1089188819303050.xml Hornets sign Smith to three-year deal worth $3.1 million Wednesday, July 07, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer The Hornets signed first-round draft pick J.R. Smith to a three-year, $3.1 million contract Tuesday. As the 18th pick, Smith will make $966,800 this season, $1,039,300 in 2005-06 and $1,111,800 in 2006-07. All first-round picks have scaled contracts, based on the order they were selected in last month's draft. Hornets coach Byron Scott is looking to build a younger, more athletic team and sees Smith, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, as a move in that direction. The 18-year-old was one of eight high school players selected in the first round. He has a 44-inch vertical jump, showed range as a shooter and effectively ran the floor in several postseason all-star games. "We obviously were impressed with his basketball skills when we drafted him, but, after meeting with him and his family, we were equally impressed with his character," Hornets general manager Allan Bristow said. Smith could not be reached for comment, so it's not known when he plans to move to New Orleans to begin preparing for training camp in October. Smith will make his professional debut in the Southern California Summer Pro League in Long Beach on July 12-18. Bristow said Smith's teammates include forward David West, the Hornets first-pound pick of last season, recently acquired guard Alex Garcia, last month's second-round draft pick Tim Pickett, Lang and several other free agents trying to make an NBA roster. Scott will make the trip to evaluate his players, but director of player personnel Jeff Bower will coach the team. Smith is the third high school player drafted by the Hornets. In 1996, the Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant and then traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac. Last year, the Hornets drafted center James Lang, who played at Central Park Christian School in Birmingham, Ala. But Lang was waived in December after playing in no regular-season games. Smith was co-MVP of the McDonald's All-Star Game with Dwight Howard, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic. At St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, N.J., Smith averaged 23.9 points and five steals. He set the school single-season records for points (700), 3-pointers (108) and field-goal percentage (.541). The Hornets still are trying to work out a contract agreement with second-round pick Tim Pickett, a guard from Florida State who was selected as the 44th overall pick. Unlike Smith, who has a guaranteed contract, Pickett will have to earn a roster spot during training camp. Only first-round selections have guaranteed contracts. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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