How Shaq can Help the Hawks

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

First off, congrats to Shaq on a great NBA career that will make him a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. He is a top 5 center all time and I would not argue with anyone that put him in the top 10 all time. Of Shaq's many names the Big Aristotle is the one that I want to focus on. Why? Because Aristotle is a noted philosopher and having a concrete philosophy is something that the Hawks organization and one specific player could really benefit from.

Enter Josh Smith. When Shaq first came into the league I was not a big fan. I thought he was simply a big unskilled guy that used brute power to defeat his opponent. I once dubbed him the Big Offensive Fouler. As time went on I started to really respect this guys game because he never ventured too far away from what had undoubtedly worked his entire basketball career. He developed a little push shot but it was still in the paint. Everything this guy ever did was built on paint dominance and he was built to do just that. He is a 4 time NBA champion, a former regular season MVP winner, and multiple time Finals MVP winner without ever developing anything that even resembled a jumpshot. At the end of his career it is easy to see that he was simply dominate by using what came natural to him.

Josh Smith may never be a 4 time NBA champion or Finals MVP or regular season MVP, but he could be simply dominate by using what was given to him. When he first entered the league he was a SF who was the best athlete on the floor night in and night out. At some point he and the Hawks franchise not only decided that he was a PF but that neglecting his natural gifts for developing his dream tools where more important to them. I'm quite sure Josh Smith will never realize his full potential for he has been enabled by this franchise to go astray but I must say I would love to see Josh Smith be as hell bent on using his physical tools as Shaq was. Josh could be great with a little bit of the Big Aristotle in his game.

Edited June 1, 2011 by TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA

[DrReality]

I thought this was a post from a year ago? Shaq needs to retire for good.

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

I thought this was a post from a year ago? Shaq needs to retire for good.

He did today

[DrReality]

Thankfully

[sasuke]

Sund's best move this season was not to sign Shaq.

[Gray Mule]

As I see it, not Shaq the player but Shaq's In-the-paint dominance was the point of this post.

Shaq took what natural ability he had and made the most of and didn't really try to become

someone he wasn't. He dominated inside.

Our own J Smooove could really dominate inside if he concentrates, as Shaq did, on playing

exclusively inside and forget about lazing about behind the three point circle. How often did

Shaq hang around out there?

So, the point of this post was, as I see it? Josh needs to stay inside a lot more. If you disagree

with this idea, then let's hear it.

:chillpill:

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

As I see it, not Shaq the player but Shaq's In-the-paint dominance was the point of this post.

Shaq took what natural ability he had and made the most of and didn't really try to become

someone he wasn't. He dominated inside.

Our own J Smooove could really dominate inside if he concentrates, as Shaq did, on playing

exclusively inside and forget about lazing about behind the three point circle. How often did

Shaq hang around out there?

So, the point of this post was, as I see it? Josh needs to stay inside a lot more. If you disagree

with this idea, then let's hear it.

:chillpill:

Thanks for reading my post. You don't know how much that meant. I was starting to think that people around here just post to see there post count grow. +1 my friend that was the whole point of the post. Shaq is a 1st ballot HOF'er and I really can't say he really fully developed if developing a jumpshot is the only way someone can develop. He sure did develop mentally enough were he was strong enough to never stray though.

[Frenzy]

Some of you guys obviously didnt read the post.

[Guest]

I read the post, but using Shaq as an example for Josh I just don't see the connection. There are other great players you can use as an example in terms of playing to their strengths, Tim Duncan or Hakeem even, they had a post game but also developed a good shot from 8-10 feet. Shaq was soo much bigger than everybody else he always had the advantage no matter what.

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

I read the post, but using Shaq as an example for Josh I just don't see the connection. There are other great players you can use as an example in terms of playing to their strengths, Tim Duncan or Hakeem even, they had a post game but also developed a good shot from 8-10 feet. Shaq was soo much bigger than everybody else he always had the advantage no matter what.

Atleast you read it, but I disagree with you because Tim Duncan was skilled in college, so skilled that some thought he was soft and the same goes for Hakeem and neither one of those guys was a freak athlete like Josh nor Shaq. If skill including a jumpshot was simply part of Josh's DNA like Duncan and Hakeem I would make that comparison. Duncan nor Hakeem every had the ability to just dominate physically

[Guest]

Atleast you read it, but I disagree with you because Tim Duncan was skilled in college, so skilled that some thought he was soft and the same goes for Hakeem and neither one of those guys was a freak athlete like Josh nor Shaq. If skill including a jumpshot was simply part of Josh's DNA like Duncan and Hakeem I would make that comparison. Duncan nor Hakeem every had the ability to just dominate physically

Josh and "dominate physically" don't belong in the same sentence, there is nothing physically imposing about Josh, I'll give you athletically though.

Edited June 2, 2011 by jaybird

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

Josh and "dominate physically" don't belong in the same sentence, there is nothing physically imposing about Josh, I'll give you athletically though.

A post like this would never get through to Josh because they can't even get through to his supporters. Josh would have been better off never worrying about trying to become a jumpshooter, bottomline. The guy actually worked with a shooting coach last summer which is just a waste of his time and natural gifts.

[Cwell]

if Josh Smith was 7'1" 300+ im pretty sure hed stay in the paint as well. Dont really see the point here

[Guest]

A post like this would never get through to Josh because they can't even get through to his supporters. Josh would have been better off never worrying about trying to become a jumpshooter, bottomline. The guy actually worked with a shooting coach last summer which is just a waste of his time and natural gifts.

There is nothing wrong with Josh shooting jump shots, the issue has always been and continues to be - time, distance and circumstance.

[TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA]

There is nothing wrong with Josh shooting jump shots, the issue has always been and continues to be - time, distance and circumstance.

Cool, you simply disagree with me and the post. Josh has no business operating outside of the painted area and until he does he is not maximizing his potential like Shaq did. He needs to get a concrete philosophy like the Big Aristotle. One year he stops 3's, the next year he shoots any open shot anyone wants to give to him. The guy has never really thought about forcing his will on the opponent and taking what is his, which is the paint. Or maybe he has thought about it and has a fantasy perception of himself and should be traded. He could learn from Shaq but seeing how people take up for his play I am starting to think he is a lost cause and would love to see him moved.

Edited June 2, 2011 by TRUEINTELLECTPLAYA

[Guest]

I guess we'll just disagree, but please don't lump me in with those that have no issue with Josh's play. My point was using Shaq the most imposing center the last decade as an example, I didn't see the correlation with Josh a SF/PF. Some would also say that Shaq did not maximize his full potential because so many times he went to camp over weight and didn't work to improve his game as many thought he could have. He used his big body because it was his advantage.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I disagree with the post as well. Shaq is not the example to use for Smith playing like he should play . . . Shawn Kemp is.

If Smith attacked the paint and the rim like Kemp, he'd be a perennial All-Star and the undisputed best player on the team.

Shaq's entire skill set is using his power around the rim to be effective. Smith's post game is nowhere good enough to expect him to play around the rim like Shaq did.

But Shawn Kemp? There's the guy he should emulate. A guy that had a decent, but not great post game.

A guy that played from the top of the key in, with emphasis on scoring points in the paint.

A guy that always ran the floor, filling the wings to receive the pass back for a dunk.

A guy that would attack the rim with one or two dribbles from 16 feet away, instead of settling for the open 18 foot jumper.

I've said it for years

"I want to see more Shawn Kemp, and less Rasheed Wallace, out of Josh Smith."

Unfortunately, the Rasheed version of Smith was in full effect this season.

[LucastheThird]

I think that everybody is misunderstanding the intent of the topic, imo TRUE isn't calling for Smoove to go into the post like Shaq. But rather use his natural athleticism to his fullest extent.

[niremetal]

I disagree with the post as well. Shaq is not the example to use for Smith playing like he should play . . . Shawn Kemp is.

If Smith attacked the paint and the rim like Kemp, he'd be a perennial All-Star and the undisputed best player on the team.

Shaq's entire skill set is using his power around the rim to be effective. Smith's post game is nowhere good enough to expect him to play around the rim like Shaq did.

But Shawn Kemp? There's the guy he should emulate. A guy that had a decent, but not great post game.

A guy that played from the top of the key in, with emphasis on scoring points in the paint.

A guy that always ran the floor, filling the wings to receive the pass back for a dunk.

A guy that would attack the rim with one or two dribbles from 16 feet away, instead of settling for the open 18 foot jumper.

I've said it for years

"I want to see more Shawn Kemp, and less Rasheed Wallace, out of Josh Smith."

Unfortunately, the Rasheed version of Smith was in full effect this season.

Well, Josh started to look more like Shawn Kemp this year. Of course, I'm referring to the 1999 model, not the 1996 model :training:

[sasuke]

I think that using Shaq to discuss Smoove's dos & don'ts is the wrong approach. There's just nothing alike. No sense at all. I think if used a prime Shaun Marion, for example, this topic would be a complete different story. Not that Marion was a beast on the paint, but, a more accurate comparison.

Edited June 3, 2011 by sasuke