At the beginning of the week, Nuggets guard J.R. Smith expressed interest in signing a contract extension that would keep him in Denver beyond the 2007-08 season.

A banishment to the bench has done nothing to change his attitude about his long-term future.

"I love my teammates too much (to want to leave)," Smith said during Denver's morning shootaround Wednesday. "I'm not going to let one person affect my whole lifestyle and the way I am toward my teammates."