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What's going on with J.R. Smith? He's having an awful preseason, shooting just 32% from the field (including 0-11 from three-point land), eliciting criticism from George Karl for his bad decision-making. But is there something else going on behind the scenes? After starting the preseason opener, Smith didn't play at all in the second game and came off the bench in the third game. And then there's this note from the Rocky Mountain News:

Smith apologized to his teammates after practice Thursday. He told them, "I'm not trying to be a team cancer."

Smith declined comment after the game Friday but said after the morning shootaround he disagrees with there being "a lot of speculation and stuff going around about me being an individual player."

Regarding his apology, Smith said "something between me and the team" happened Thursday, but he wouldn't elaborate.

What, pray tell, is this all about? I can't imagine it's just about Smith's play in the opener, so I'm pretty sure that means there must have been some kind of incident in practice. A fight? An argument?

The Nugg Doctor claims to have a source (ht: Blog-a-Bull) saying it was a "difference of opinion" with Karl, which is surprising since even Smith must realize that nothing good can come from that situation. Smith clearly fashions himself as a big-time scoring threat, but in a lineup that already features Camelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, it may be time for the Nuggets to start shopping Smith, assuming they haven't already started.