J.R. Smith would accept bench role to help struggling Cavaliers

J.R. Smith has come around to the idea of coming off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the former Sixth Man of the Year told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

While Smith is known as a good teammate, it's still a stark change in attitude from just three months ago when he said he was "hurt" by his early-season benching in favor of Dwyane Wade. But with the Cavaliers now mired in a 3-10 slump, head coach Tyronn Lue made it known his lineup is going to change ahead of Friday's game against the Pacers.

Naturally, LeBron James is assured of his starting slot, and Kevin Love is also reportedly safe, but Smith, Jae Crowder, and Isaiah Thomas are each in danger of shifting into reserve roles to help stabilize both ends of the floor.

Since Thomas made his team and season debut on Jan. 2, the Thomas-Smith-Crowder-James-Love unit has scored just 95 points per 100 possessions while allowing 117.7 - a net rating of minus-22.8.

Smith, who scored a career-high 18.1 points per game with the New York Knicks in 2012-13 without starting once, is scoring a career-low 7.4 points and shooting just 24.3 percent on 3-pointers since Thomas joined the lineup.