J Smoove a Top 50 NBA Player?

[Traceman]

Good to see Smoove getting some love. I think the article does an excellent job of capturing the essence of Smoove and how he can frustrate you one moment and make you go WOW the next.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/slamonline-top-50/2009/09/top-50-josh-smith-no-40/

[TeagueForMVP]

yea boi.

[DrReality]

I'm surprised. Guess this is based on his upside only?

[sillent]

I'm surprised. Guess this is based on his upside only?

When your 23 and already have all the talent that he possess this is based on his growth and development which has actually been noticed slowly but surely since he got in the league. The reason we as fans get more frustrated with him(My favorite player since Nique) is because deep inside we know how great he can be as well. Take Lebron for instance, besides a little extra muscle/weight what makes him different from J-Smoove. Decision making and focus on honing his talents and turning them into a skill. Lebron came in with better handles, passing, and decision making Smoove came in with better off the ball defense. Lebron learned how to shoot off the dribble, three pointers, free throws and he recently put together his off the ball defense. Smith definitely developed a nice post game but it is his decision making that makes his development seem stagnant. Both are freaks of nature and can start a new Nique/Jordan rivalry its just taking Josh a little more time to develop and hone his skills but that's all a mental aspect because there is no denying the talent is there.

[Mdizzle5]

I'm not the biggest Lebron fan but...

I feel like you're insulting Lebron with that comparison. He didn't just have better handles and passing... he understands how to play basketball. You can see that if he wasn't 260 or w/e he is, and have the athleticism, he'd probably still be a decent player. Josh (from the very few games I get to see...) just doesn't have that same level of understanding. Take away Josh's freak athleticism and what do you have?

[HawksFan87]

Its awesome that the people who REALLY matter respect his game more than some fans do...

[MaceCase]

I'm not the biggest Lebron fan but...

I feel like you're insulting Lebron with that comparison. He didn't just have better handles and passing... he understands how to play basketball. You can see that if he wasn't 260 or w/e he is, and have the athleticism, he'd probably still be a decent player. Josh (from the very few games I get to see...) just doesn't have that same level of understanding. Take away Josh's freak athleticism and what do you have?

It's funny but in the article itself they didn't understand why Josh's stats took a decline last season and it's because of exactly what you said. Josh suffered the high ankle sprain early on and it limited his athleticism across the board be it physically or mentally from fear of reaggravating it. He has to improve more in his knowledge of the game and it's fundamentals for him to not only achieve greatness but also longevity in the league but with his raw ability anything is possible.

[frankthetank966]

I would put him around 35. He has major upside and I think he will have a great yr.

[ATLNY7]

Good to see him getting noticed.

[sillent]

When your 23 and already have all the talent that he possess this is based on his growth and development which has actually been noticed slowly but surely since he got in the league. The reason we as fans get more frustrated with him(My favorite player since Nique) is because deep inside we know how great he can be as well. Take Lebron for instance, besides a little extra muscle/weight what makes him different from J-Smoove. Decision making and focus on honing his talents and turning them into a skill. Lebron came in with better handles, passing, and decision making Smoove came in with better off the ball defense. Lebron learned how to shoot off the dribble, three pointers, free throws and he recently put together his off the ball defense. Smith definitely developed a nice post game but it is his decision making that makes his development seem stagnant. Both are freaks of nature and can start a new Nique/Jordan rivalry its just taking Josh a little more time to develop and hone his skills but that's all a mental aspect because there is no denying the talent is there.

I'm not the biggest Lebron fan but...

I feel like you're insulting Lebron with that comparison. He didn't just have better handles and passing... he understands how to play basketball. You can see that if he wasn't 260 or w/e he is, and have the athleticism, he'd probably still be a decent player. Josh (from the very few games I get to see...) just doesn't have that same level of understanding. Take away Josh's freak athleticism and what do you have?

I didn't think I was too insulting!!

[Traceman]

I'm not the biggest Lebron fan but...

I feel like you're insulting Lebron with that comparison. He didn't just have better handles and passing... he understands how to play basketball. You can see that if he wasn't 260 or w/e he is, and have the athleticism, he'd probably still be a decent player. Josh (from the very few games I get to see...) just doesn't have that same level of understanding. Take away Josh's freak athleticism and what do you have?

I have to agree. Smoove shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron. LeBron is arguably the best player in the NBA right now and he is going to end up being a top 10 player EVER (maybe top 5). I hope I'm wrong but I don't see Smoove ever being a top 10 player in the NBA at any point in time. Trade Smoove for LeBron and we become the favorites to win it all. As things stand now, we are probably only the 4th best team in the EC. There is NO comparison between the two. To put it in perspective, Marvin is FAR closer to being as good as Smoove as a player than Smoove is to being as good as LeBron.