So what is Smoove's best position?

[Packfill]

Josh just had a 25/13 game playing small forward. That begs the question of whether his increased production post injury was a result of a switch to power forward or just the result of being healthy.

After the last two games, I am beginning to think the latter.

[thesheedera]

If we're gonna make long term judgements based on the last two games, Marvin and Shelden are gonna be perrenial All Stars as a Shooting Guard and Power Forward repectively.

Smith played a majority of his season at PF, but he's a new breed "face the basket" PF. PFs seem to play like SFs now, SFs like SGs, Cs like PFs. It's all a jumbled mess.

I just want Smith on the foor for my team doing all the good [censored] he does. PF, SF, doesn't really matter. Drive, post up, make passes, slash, block shots, run the break, finish above the rim...go ahead and do it all Josh.

[Wurider05]

I was kind of wondering that myself. I can see Marvin as a power forward but he has that sweet jumper and if he can become a three point threat then Smoove will have to play PF. At this point why do we need to label players with positions they are simply basket ball players.......that is a Billoy Knight quote.

[Popeye]

Quote:

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If we're gonna make long term judgements based on the last two games, Marvin and Shelden are gonna be perrenial All Stars as a Shooting Guard and Power Forward repectively.

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I agree, Marvin was playing SG these last few games and he was effective more than when he was at SF. But it's just few games though. It's all about matchups and against some teams Smoove is better at PF and others he is better at SF. Smoove is a tweener he doesn't really have position right now.

[BusBoyIsBack]

I think Smoove is good when he's around the basket period.

When he attacks the basket offensively it doesn't matter if he's playing the 3 or the 4 his scoring goes up tremendously.

I think the 4 allows him to be around that basket more often.

He has potential to be an elite 4. Better than Stoudemire around the basket because of his added athleticism.

At the 3 he is more prone to shooting 3s and his perimeter defense is pretty shaky. Also takes him away from blocking and rebounding.

[Diesel]

In general, you need to learn that defense determines position. There is nothing to Smoove's low post defense. It's bad. He actually allows a big to get his position and catch the ball in the low post so that he can go for the shot block. I don't think that Smoove is trying to pad his stats, I just think Smoove has never been taught positional defense. That type of defense is horrible against an average big man who has been trained all his life to get his spot in the low post and score off an up and under or drop step or just a plain power move. To me it's like watching that Speedy cornerback who gives this large cushion so that he can go for the interception... After a couple of hitch routes after a couple of go routes, some offensive coordinate will call for a skinny post, and out and go, or a slant and go and that corner will be burned every time. That's what happens to Smoove. The low post players get all the position in the world on Smoove and score easily.

We need to quit moving people out of their positions in order to give Marvin underserved minutes.

[PlayaPat420]

BOOOO, give me a break. Smoove was moved to PF because he would be better there, not to give MArvin "undeserved" minutes. At the 4, Josh has quicks and athletics over a lot of the rest of the league and as he grows, he will be more effective at the 4. Josh cannot shoot well enough from the outside to be a SF and his ball handling off the dribble isn't that good.... nor his decision making if he is dribbling the ball around the perimeter. Those are offensive reason he can't play the 3. As far as defensive, he was 2 or 3rd in the league in blocks at the 4, he must be doing something right. Attack Marvin all you want, go ahead. He simply let Josh transition to his better position-PF

[Wurider05]

Quote:

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We need to quit moving people out of their positions in order to give Marvin underserved minutes.

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Damn Diesel I thought that you were passed that bridge. How in the hell did Marvin get undeserved minutes. Please Explain yourself.

[chillzatl]

Nobody wants to apply the same requirements on Marvin in his second year that they did for Josh Smith in his second year. People just can't(or won't)get over the fact that he was picked 2nd and wasn't ready to be an immediate 16/8 player. Yet because Josh was picked late, it's ok for him to take 3+ years to develop. It amazes me that after two full seasons with steady improvement people still won't put their draft position expectations aside and let him develop the same way most 18-19 year old draft picks have had to in NBA history.

[joannes3000]

F - like Shawn Marion. I can't believe this questions still keeps getting posted. It doesn't matter if Smoove plays the 3 or 4. What matters is if we can get him interior defensive help.

[Diesel]

Marvin's minutes are underserved because he doesn't give us anything that we can't get from Smoove or Chillz.

CHilzatl wants to harp on the fact that JSmoove took 3 years to develop. However, let us remember clearly. JSmoove wasn't playing 34 mpg. Al was playing PF and Smoove was sharing Sf with Chillz and Marvin. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be time for development, but you don't play a player 34 minutes per game while you're trying to develop him if it puts other players out of position.

Let me give you some reference.

Kobe sat the bench while Eddie Jones was in LA. When Kobe finally play, it wasn't Eddie who was moved out of position, it was Kobe who played the 3 and backed up the 2.

KG sat the bench when Googs was in town. KG eventually proved that he was worth Starters minutes.

Marvin has been given a blank check when it comes to Spending the Hawks resources. We put a non-post defender in the post. We bench the post defender. We trade away a scoring Pf/Sf for a pick in order to give Marvin more playing time.

And when you really watch Marvin, there's no big progress going on. Marvin's progress to date suggests that at best he may be a 16/8 player. Regardless of who we didn't get, when you consider everything we gave up to get in a position to get Marvin, that's some piss poor results.

[AHF]

Josh Smith does a better job defending 4s than he does defending 3s. His numbers are significantly better at the PF defensively (as well as offensively).

[PlayaPat420]

A perimeter shot is one thing MArvin can provide that neither Chillz nor Smoove really have. Chillz is terrible and Smoove is too erratic. Stats may get brought up but I would argue that if Smoove and Chillz actually shot as much as Marvin from the perimeter, they would be shooting worse. The fine line to that is Marvin should drive a little more.

[AtLaS]

Quote:

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A perimeter shot is one thing MArvin can provide that neither Chillz nor Smoove really have.

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No, that's the ONLY thing that Marvin can do, and he's not even great at it. Chillz and Smith help out in other ways, Marvin doesn't.

[Diesel]

Quote:

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A perimeter shot is one thing MArvin can provide that neither Chillz nor Smoove really have. Chillz is terrible and Smoove is too erratic.

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Perimeter shooting?

3pt %.

Marvin = 24.4

Chillz = 33.8

Smoove = 25.0

FG%

Marvin = 43.3

Chillz = 50.4

Smoove = 43.9

3 pters Made

Marvin = 11

Chillz = 26

Smoove = 38

Minutes per game:

Marvin = 34.0

Chillz = 36.8

Smoove = 36.8

In similar time, Marvin is not even close to being as good as Chillz (who you call terrible) and he's not close to Smoove either. Not to mention that both these guys bring more to the table than Marvin in other areas. Marvin's only bright spot is that he can shoot and that spot is kinda dim when you consider that any Sf can shoot more than 24.4% from 3 and more than 43% from the field. There are Sfs who went undrafted doing better than Marvin and we picked him 2nd overall??

Come on man.

[AtLaS]

How about we add efficiency to this argument..

Marvin: +12.55

Childress: +16.29

Smith: +20.00

Marvin's efficiency didn't improve from his rookie year to his soph. year..

[Lascar78]

I don't think anyone was calling Marvin a 3 pt shooter. He doesn't quite have that range yet. The relevant stat here would be effective FG% on jumpers only

Marvin: .408

Smith: .315

Chill: .380

For comparison, JJ: .498

[Lascar78]

And last year,

Marvin: .360

Smith: .363

Chill: .508

So Smith and Chill's shooting seems to be regressing (on jumpers), while Marvin is progressing.

[AtLaS]

Quote:

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I don't think anyone was calling Marvin a 3 pt shooter. He doesn't quite have that range yet. The relevant stat here would be effective FG% on jumpers only

Marvin: .408

Smith: .315

Chill: .380

For comparison, JJ: .498

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There is no reason to even make this argument though, you are comparing only ONE PART of their games, which is the ONLY thing Marvin contributes in. Childress and Smith contribute more in other ways. Look at Childress's overall FG%, that's ultimately what matters. Marvin's FG% on jumpers is basically his overall FG%, because that's all he does. Marvin's efficiency (which is what matters) didn't improve from his rookie year to this year..

[pimp]

JJ= .498 on jumpers

That's amazing, when you think about all of those

0ne-on-one jumpers, with a hand in his face that he takes

Those other guys are wide open most of the time.