Adam Himmelsbach

ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com

When Russ Smith plays in an NBA preseason game with the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, it will be a new beginning. But it will also offer him a chance to reflect.

The guard is going back to Louisville, back to the KFC Yum! Center, back to the start. He is going back to the place where he grew from Russ the lovable, skinny teenager to Russ the All-American. This will be Pelicans vs. Heat, but really, it will be a chance for this city to say goodbye to Russ Smith one last time.

"It'll be a real moment for me, just a place that's brought so much happiness when I think back about it," Smith said in a telephone interview. "But it'll also make me really sad."

It will make him sad because it will remind him of all he has left behind. It will remind him of the championships, the teammates and the coaches. It will remind him of the fans who embraced him even when his flaws could not be concealed.

And he knows it will be different, because when you return home with a new team, a new jersey and a new life, it's always different.

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This time, his teammates will be former Kentucky stars Anthony Davis and Darius Miller rather than former Louisville stars Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng. This time, his coach will be Monty Williams rather than Rick Pitino.

I asked Russ how it has felt not to hear Pitino's voice anymore, not to hear the indelible shouts of 'Russ!' Pitino's instructions, a mix of frustration and compassion, had become almost a soundtrack of winter here.

"I actually kind of miss that," Smith said. "I realize how much he cares about me and I just, you miss playing for him. You miss him."

Russ also misses his teammates. But he said that so many of the players he had grown so close to—Siva and Dieng and Rakeem Buckles and Mike Marra and Kyle Kuric and Kevin Ware—are already gone. Those memories had already begun to fade. Smith stays in touch with current Cardinals, but he also understands he must move forward.

He has moved into an apartment in downtown New Orleans and has enjoyed the vibrant city's food and friendly people. Now he must establish himself with the Pelicans just like he once had to establish himself with the Cardinals. He will lean on the lessons learned in Louisville.

"I just stayed ready, and when the opportunity arose I was able to just stay on the floor for a long period of time," Smith said. "Coach P believed in me."

The Pelicans have already shown faith in Smith. They did not have a pick in last June's draft, but they had targeted Smith, and when he was available at No. 47, they pounced. Although second-round picks do not generally receive guaranteed contracts, the Pelicans guaranteed the first year of Smith's two-year deal before he had even participated in training camp.

"I think that was amazing and that's great, giving me a great chance and opportunity to show and prove something," Smith said. "But at the end of the day, [the contract] is not something I'd be satisfied with. I want to be able to play and contribute, and once I get that, that's something I'll be happy about."

Smith has spent the past few months watching game film, working on proper spacing and his ability to see the entire floor at once. He knows that NBA games are complicated. He knows there is still so much to learn.

For one night, though, he will briefly pause the future and reminisce about the past. This game was scheduled long before Russ Smith became a Pelican, but it all worked out perfectly. Now he will start this new journey in the arena where he has crafted so many memories.

"I can't even put it into words," Smith said. "I'm just very happy to be returning there, so I guess it's karma or something. I don't know what it is. I'm just very excited about getting the chance to see the people that supported me."

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach