tomac

@ Traceman & Coachx You've got a point, but the majority of the game, RJ and VC were guarded by Joe & Marvin. They put up great numbers against these two. Josh was beat a few times by those guys. I'll be the first to admit that Josh has growing to do on both sides of the ball, but his #2 in blocks, #14 in steals, and # 29 in rebounding. He's by far the most intimidating defensive player we have. He continues to get better offensively year by year. He's only 22. Numbers do not lie. The kid is getting better and honestly has a chance to become one of the best players in this franchise's history. I'm just trying to figure out why he gets hated on so much.

I think we all have to realize that this guy will get better. He's not the best jumpshooter now, but it's obvious that he's working on it. Just like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Amare Stoudamire, and Dwight Howard, his medium range game will improve with more work. The same goes for his post game. Personally, I believe that there are very few players in the league with his skill set (especially at his age), and with proper coaching Smooth will be a regular all-star. Now with that being said, I must address some of the comments made regarding the game against the Nets. Smooth did not play RJ at all (Marvin did), and he didn't play Vince until late in the 4th. RJ ate Marvin alive on quick backdoor cuts all night. Smooth came over in help defense, and no one would ever pick up his guy. This is one of the reasons that New Jersey got so many offensive boards. Marvin looked lost on D. Lawrence Frank ran multiple high screen sets that pulled Smooth away form the basket; which opened up the lane for most of the night. As for Vince, why did Woody not double him? Joe could not do it by himself. Lawrence Frank figured out pretty quickly that he could not afford to let VC guard Joe and play solid offense. Why didn't Woody see the same scenario for Joe? Where was Mario West? Josh guarded VC on three possessions at the end of the game. Two were great defensive possesions that stopped VC from scoring. VC put him in the blender on the third possession. It's all on tape. It amazes me that some people can watch the same game that I watched and see such different things. No offense, but it really makes me wonder how many posters actually have a knowledge of the game (or have even played it). Smooth has a lot of growing to do, but if he played for a winning franchise, we'd be salivating for him. Smooth is not the issue; Marvin is.

I agree that Josh has too amny turnovers, but some of those are due to other players not paying attention. Marvin in particular has missed out on easy layups on would- be assists simply because he doesn't keep hie eyes up when cuts through the lane. In Josh's defense, absolutely no one on this team is playing harder than he is right now. If it wasn't for him and Big Al (especially on the defensive side of rthe ball), we'd be dead last in the division. It's hard for me to knock a player when I see that kind of work. Lastly, Josh would be a more polished player with better coaching. Woody has to go.

I agree with you (especially about the point guard issue). Last night we needed a point guard to take control and run the offense effectively in the 4th quarter. Instead, what we got was a bunch of iso-bullcrap. Our pg's don't have the killer instinct at all. The sad part about last night is that we played well enough defensively to win (even though we were out-rebounded). Our offense was greatly ineffective. The FO needs to do something, because Speedy's money should have been spent on someone who will actually help this team.

Quote: Quote: I thought that Josh Smith should have guarded Lebron in the 4th. He's the only player on our team who can match size and athletisism with LBJ. Other than that, I thought that our point guards played timidly. For the most part, they did not attack the rim, and they passed on open looks in the 4th (particularly AJ). We miss that killer instinct out of our PG's. I also agree that JJ was not assertive enough in the 4th. The whole team was flat. But unfortunately Smith doesn't move his feet well enough to guard a player like LeBron on the perimeter. I understand your logic, but nothing else worked (except the agressive double-teams). Joe put a lot of pressure on him, but he's not long enough to make LBJ change his shot once he elevates.

I thought that Josh Smith should have guarded Lebron in the 4th. He's the only player on our team who can match size and athletisism with LBJ. Other than that, I thought that our point guards played timidly. For the most part, they did not attack the rim, and they passed on open looks in the 4th (particularly AJ). We miss that killer instinct out of our PG's. I also agree that JJ was not assertive enough in the 4th. The whole team was flat.