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NBA Fans Are Ripping Ty Lue for the Way He Told J.R. Smith He Lost His Starting Spot

For Complex News, I'm Pierce Simpson // Despite having a championship on his resume, Ty Lue is easily one of the most polarizing coaches in the entire NBA. If he wins, people will say that he did it because he has LeBron and if things get rocky, critics will point to him having LeBron. It's almost a lose-lose on his behalf.  However, critics have found a new angle to go after Ty Lue and it's how he handled the benching of J.R. Smith. Prior to last night's game against the Phoenix Suns, Lue opted to start Kyle Korver instead of J.R. who was relegated to the bench for the second time this season. The first time, was due to the arrival of Dwyane Wade.  The criticism comes in the form of Lue not informing J.R. of his benching until the day before the game via text, according to reports. After the game, when asked about why the lineup changed, Ty Lue kept it simple, stating: "[he] just felt like it.".  Ty Lue also mentioned discussing things with J.R. Smith and those two having a "positive" conversation, which is something JR seems to disagree with.  [Quote Card/J.R. Smith via ESPN] "We didn’t talk. He sent me a text [Monday], and I told him, ‘No problem.’ I didn’t know that it was a ‘talk."  When asked about whether or not he was upset, JR kept things honest... [Quote Card/J.R. Smith via ESPN] "That’s all right, though. ’m not upset about it. I just wish there would have been more dialogue, I guess.” Fans & media weighed-in on the drama involving J.R & Ty Lue...  "I'm still stunned that Ty Lue told JR Smith about his new role via text. Think that's poor communication from a head coach." "A lot of people piling on JR but Lue telling him he’s benched via text message is gutless. Terrible leadership." In Monday's win against Phoenix, J.R. scored 14 points in 22 minutes but that's after scoring only 3 points in an embarrassing loss on Sunday in L.A. This season has been especially rocky for Smith.. he was recently suspended one game for throwing a bowl of soup at assistant coach Damon Jones - while only averaging 8.3 points per game and is only shooting 36% from 3.  We'll see what transpires, but J.R.'s new role as sixth man will be something that bears watching as we get closer to the postseason.  For more sports updates keep it locked to Complex News by subscribing to us on YouTube and be sure to check out Out of Bounds every Monday through Thursday.   For Complex News, I'm Pierce Simpson