Josh Smith: I've got a lot to prove

[HawksFan87]

Josh Smith: " I've got a lot to prove"

[exodus]

Excellent article. When you look at his athletic ability combined with his work ethic and total lack of fear I have to think he is going to be a special player.

[vdunkndunk]

Great article. I look forward to reading about what's going on in training camp next week.

[DrReality]

If you enlarge the picture, he looks more like a PF. Reminds me of a young Carl Malone.

[SmooveTheFuture]

Great read seems like hes working really hard to be the player he knows he can be and putting the team 1st talking about getting them back to the playoffs and winning a championship. I really hope this is his break out season like he thinks it will be. GO Hawks

[Diesel]

It's unfortunate that PF isn't about how you look but about what you do. Smoove nor Marvin had the essential skills of a PF last year and these are skills that take more than one year to develop. I think Shelden WIlliam will turn out to be a pleasant surprise but what will really drive our team is how well Claxton plays.

[deester11]

I think that Shelden will be serviceable. I still think that Smoove and Marvin can flourish a lot if they're on the floor at the same time. Smoove said the same thing. The athleticism we can throw at teams is amazing. We should see that improvement this year in wins.

[Lascar78]

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Smoove nor Marvin had the essential skills of a PF last year and these are skills that take more than one year to develop.

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Smoove wasn't given a chance to show off his PF skills until very late in the season when Al was injured / playing less. When we finally put him in the post, he did well. Just because Al's presence forced him out to the perimeter doesn't mean that he can't play in the post.

[Guest Walter]

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If you enlarge the picture, he looks more like a PF. Reminds me of a young Carl Malone.

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Taken literally that is very funny. Enlarge the picture = Pf.

Can't we all just accept three things:

1) JS is not a Pf.

2) we need a big, potentially (2-way, but defensively prefered) dominate center prospect to justify a 2-Sf lineup.

3) We cannot afford less talent starting on the court than JS and MW have (ehem, SW).

That doesn't mean we must keep both MW or JS if there is similar talent at another more needed position available nor does it mean we must get such a center (may be too late), but it means if we are to contend we must do one or the other.

'til then we'll all be wanting to "enlarge the picture" of JS or think SW talented enough to bench JS or MW.

[Duff_Man]

Great article. I am so pumped for the season to start.

[CBAreject]

I think this would be interpreted by many as "hijacking the thread". I say that, and I mostly agree with your position. Just let this one go. Josh Smith wants to break out. That's the point here...not that we didn't trade for Bynum and now we're screwed.

[Guest Walter]

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I think this would be interpreted by many as "hijacking the thread". I say that, and I mostly agree with your position. Just let this one go. Josh Smith wants to break out. That's the point here...not that we didn't trade for Bynum and now we're screwed.

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THAT is my point!

How is that hijacking the thread? Without management's total support JS can do everything in his power to succeed and come up short. If one has any doubts look at Diaw's situation. Look at how much difference a totally supportive front office and coaching staff had in developing Diaw! They prized the things he did well and put him in a position to succeed repeatedly.

My fear? The front office and coaching staff will find the things that JS doesn't (like they did with Diaw) do well (post score, maybe post defend other than weakside shot-blocking), overlook everything he does do exceptionally well (like they did with Diaw) and do so enough to make him a BU, and then...oops, they already have. They drafted SW and named him the starter!?!

It appears that Josh Smith (or MW) will not get the opportunity to be the player he can be here as a result of the horrible SW drafting decision that may bench one of them and the utter failure on the part of BK to acquire the right type of player/prospect at center to compliment MW and JS starting at the forward position. One an active mistake (drafting SW) the other a passive one (not getting the right center).

This thread is about how good JS can be right? My response is 100% in agreement with that I-F he were ever given the necessary opportunity and the right situation. Not only are we not giving him the rght situation (not getting the right type center prospect), we are taking away his opportunity afforded by trading Al for nearly nothing (Bernie..."JS is the BU Pf behind SW").

MW and JS NEED a certain type of center to succeed. No amount of work on JS part or promise in his game is going to change the fact. Management seems so lost that they can only make matters worse by not only not getting the right type player to allow for starting MW and JS, but to steal necessary opportunities from JS and MW with another, albeit lesser, prospect.

JS has always been a great prospect. Nothing new here. Management can't help but screw him up and any chance the MW/JS starting forward tandem has. At this rate, as with far too many of our prospects, we may never know how good JS can be until he joins another team.

W

[Diesel]

In post #1, you say: JSmoove is not a PF.

In Post #2, you say: It appears that Josh Smith (or MW) will not get the opportunity to be the player he can be here as a result of the horrible SW drafting decision that may bench one of them and the utter failure on the part of BK to acquire the right type of player/prospect at center to compliment MW and JS starting at the forward position.

Can you take the time to clarify your point with yourself? It seems that you don't know what you're talking about. Or either, your left brain made the first post and your right brain the second.

[CBAreject]

yawn

[Weez]

Correct me if I'm wrong...but I thought that the coach decided who the starters are, not the owners...

[Guest Walter]

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Can you take the time to clarify your point with yourself?

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Last time short-bus rider...

With the right amount of talent one may run a 2-Sf starting lineup if they do not conceed the post as a result.

MW and JS are immensely talented and have differing skill-sets despite both being Sfs. These differing skill-sets do not reflect either being a Pf, but as far as rebounding and shot-blocking one is comperable. Thus, starting JS and MW at the forward positions is not like starting two Adam Morrisons at the forward positions. Adam Morrison is a very good Sf prospect, equal IMO to MW and JS, but he is not as physical as either and with JS being even more dominate athletically than MW the difference between say 2 Morrisons and MW and JS at the starting forwards is big. Still, neither MW or JS are PFs. We are caught somewhere inbetween.

So, we can choose to abandon MW and JS as starting forwards or we can supplement them with a center prospect that prevents the team from conceeding the post.

The drafting of SW was a costly means of abandoning MW and JS starting at the forward positions (and believe me that is what it was or it was the acquisition of even more costly BU, role-playing Pf). First, we traded Al Harrington at a loss. Second, we used a modern day prior to MW, FRANCHISE HIGH 5th overall pick to get SW who is significantly less talented than either MW or JS!!! Third, we still have MW and JS, so one has to sit on the bench, likely diminishing their value and certainly doing less to help us than a similar talent at another position (i.e. Livingston) would do starting for us.

Hybrid centers like ZaZa do not prevent concession of the post under ideal circumstance much less alongside two, uber talented Sf prospects such as ours.

In short, neither option makes a lick of sense. SW cost a [censored] fortune for his meager talent, starting him makes us mediocre and wastes MW or JS's drafting. MW and JS starting alongside ZaZa would make us overly susceptible to conceeding the post. In the meantime we've had center prospect opportunities that make sense pass us by. This front office has NO CLUE!

W

[Peoriabird]

I am having a hard time understanding what skills that Josh Smith currently have that pencils him in at small forward!

You keep saying that he doesn't have the skill to play power forward but I say that he dosn't have the skill to play small forward. He is an avg. to below average shooter, score, dribbler, ability to create own shot, quickness, finish creatively, perimeter defense, movement without the ball on offense. So would someone explain to me why Josh Smith is closer in skill to a small forward vs a power forward. Seems to me that he does not have the polished skill to be either right now.

[HawksFan87]

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I am having a hard time understanding what skills that Josh Smith currently have that pencils him in at small forward!

You keep saying that he doesn't have the skill to play power forward but I say that he dosn't have the skill to play small forward. He is an avg. to below average shooter, score, dribbler, ability to create own shot, quickness, finish creatively, perimeter defense, movement without the ball on offense. So would someone explain to me why Josh Smith is closer in skill to a small forward vs a power forward. Seems to me that he does not have the polished skill to be either right now.

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It's a good thing you are not the coach of the HAWKS, Like Josh said in the article he has A LOT to prove to him self not you or any other person who continues to think they know what type of player he will end up becoming.

[Peoriabird]

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It's a good thing you are not the coach of the HAWKS, Like Josh said in the article he has A LOT to prove to him self not you or any other person who continues to think they know what type of player he will end up becoming.

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The point of my post is that we don't know what type of player Josh Smith will become. A lot of posters want to claim that his skills right now are closer to that of a small forward than a power forward. I don't know about that personally. In fact, my feeling is that he would be a better inside player than a perimeter player in long run.

[Guest Walter]

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He is an avg. to below average shooter, score, dribbler, ability to create own shot, quickness, finish creatively, perimeter defense, movement without the ball on offense. So would someone explain to me why Josh Smith is closer in skill to a small forward vs a power forward. Seems to me that he does not have the polished skill to be either right now.

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If you believe he's "below average..." then cut him, but please don't suggest because his Sf skills aren't "polished" at age 21, he can suddenly (want to) turn into a Pf.

He doesn't even begin to have Pf skills so get a grip on this one. I'll take "unpolished" Sfs skills with his athleticism at this stage over no Pf skills... That's the crux and you seem to be lost in the la-la land that anyone, even those who according to you are "below-average" in every aspect and who show no interest in doing so, can become Pfs by adding water.

BTW, I see no reason to discuss your "below average" specifics such as "quickness" and "finish creatively" as they remain vague and are ridiculous. When did "finish creatively" EVER become important?!? Laughable.

W