Josh Smith

[arhawkfan]

Since all star break only Kobe has more shot attempts. Not sure what to think about that.

[Swatguy]

Josh is playing at an ALL-NBA clip. He is bringing it every game. Being banged up and short on bodies, Josh is filling the void. Stop player-hating.

[Sothron]

Josh is probably taking too many shots but to give him credit it seems he can start a game 3-13 and finish 13-28 or something along those lines.

[frankthetank966]

Josh is also scoring 25-30 PPG 8-12 RPG and 3-5 APG in this stretch.He was a beast in Philly.

[AHF]

Everyone knows I want him to stop the long jumpers, but given where our team is right now and where our play is, I have no issues with Josh stepping into a more prominent role. He is playing very well overall right now.

[tonegully]

Stop taking long 2s Josh. Thank you.

[arhawkfan]

Since all star break: JJ - 22.1 pts 4.1 reb 4.1 assists on 48% shooting taking 16.8 shots per gameJosh - 23.4 pts 10.1 reb 4.4 assists on 44.4% shooting taking 20.7 shots per game Both have been playing well but I wish joe would pull the trigger more.

Edited April 2, 2012 by arhawkfan

[capstone21]

Since all star break:JJ - 22.1 pts 4.1 reb 4.1 assists on 48% shooting taking 16.8 shots per gameJosh - 23.4 pts 10.1 reb 4.4 assists on 44.4% shooting taking 20.7 shots per gameBoth have been playing well but I wish joe would pull the trigger more.

Josh could easily drop about 6 - 8 shots from this 20.7 per game and still score the same amount. For as much good he is doing...he is doing a lot of bad too with those jumpers.

[Diesel]

Josh could easily drop about 6 - 8 shots from this 20.7 per game and still score the same amount. For as much good he is doing...he is doing a lot of bad too with those jumpers.

Do you think Josh is trying to raise his trade value?

[capstone21]

Do you think Josh is trying to raise his trade value?

I am good with that....his value is definitely up this year and could get some really good pieces in return in the offseason

[thatsmydawg]

I am good with that....his value is definitely up this year and could get some really good pieces in return in the offseason

I hope he goes somewhere else. He deserves better than this.

Do you think Josh is trying to raise his trade value?

Josh is trying to win games. He actually cares about that.

[Diesel]

Josh is trying to win games. He actually cares about that.

Not likely. I think Josh does care about winning, but not to the point where he would buy into the team philosophy.

[capstone21]

Josh is not going to resign with us and would be happy elsewhere...this offseason is our best opportunity to trade him and get a center in return. Horford will be back and can then move to PF.

[thatsmydawg]

Josh is not going to resign with us and would be happy elsewhere...this offseason is our best opportunity to trade him and get a center in return. Horford will be back and can then move to PF.

I agree. His stock shouldnt be any higher than around the draft time.

[lethalweapon3]

Is Josh going to get an Eastern Conference POTM for March?East of the Mississippi, only LeBron and Dwight had higher "NBA efficiency" numbers for the month, and the Heat went 10-6, only slightly better than the Hawks' 11-8 (Magic went 8-7). Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only player the Heat have had to make-do without for most of last month was Mike Miller.Also correct me on this, but I think only the Bulls had more wins in March (13-3) than the Hawks among Eastern teams. I'm guessing Thibodeau gets the COTM nod for that effort as the Bulls played so well collectively without Rose and with no one player on that team putting up heavy numbers the whole month.(CORRECTION #1: Celtics had more wins and went 12-5).(ASIDE: No one other than the Mount Rushmore of LeBron, Wade, Dwight, and D-Rose has won Eastern Conference POTM in the past four seasons, including this one. In the past five seasons, the only other winners for this honor were Joe Johnson in March 2008 and Hedo Turkoglu in April 2008).~lw3

Edited April 2, 2012 by lethalweapon3

[benhillboy]

Is Josh going to get an Eastern Conference POTM for March?East of the Mississippi, only LeBron and Dwight had higher "NBA efficiency" numbers for the month, and the Heat went 10-6, only slightly better than the Hawks' 11-8 (Magic went 8-7). Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only player the Heat have had to make-do without for most of last month was Mike Miller.Also correct me on this, but I think only the Bulls had more wins in March (13-3) than the Hawks among Eastern teams. I'm guessing Thibodeau gets the COTM nod for that effort as the Bulls played so well collectively without Rose and with no one player on that team putting up heavy numbers the whole month.~lw3

I can't see him winning POTM without having a POTW. Joe has a better chance, and that's slim.

[lethalweapon3]

Stealing from Ptree Hoops' Kris Willis for the Case for POTM:http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/4/2/2920505/josh-smith-stats-atlanta-hawks

The Atlanta Hawks went 11-8 during the month of March and Josh Smith may have been the single biggest reason. Smith did a little bit of everything for the team averaging 23.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.During the month, Smith topped the 30 point scoring plateau six different times topped off by a season-high 34 last time out against Philadelphia. Smith began the month with a 24 point, 19 rebound effort against the Bucks and followed that up with 18 more boards against Milwaukee later in the month. Seven different times Smith grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game during March.Smith hit 45 percent of his shots during the month while significantly raising his number of attempts per game. Perhaps his biggest contribution came from the free throw line where Smith connected at a season-best 72 percent. Smith shot 55 percent in December, 50 percent in January and 61 percent in February.We have talked many times in the past about Josh's shortcomings while at the same time ignoring how many positive contributions he makes to the team. The Hawks navigated a grueling month while utilizing Smith more as the team's primary option. It is no small coincidence that Joe Johnson's hot streak and player of the week award came at a time when Smith was also playing at a high level. Combining the two in tandem creates a variety of problems for opposing defenses no matter the situation.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Also saw on Twitter (via Wolves' PR guy... Kevin Love is a probable lock to win Western POTM) that they plan to announce the POTMs during Kia NBA Shootaround on ESPN Wednesday evening, although I imagine if @hawksprguy gets the info that it's Smoove in advance, A$G will probably leak the announcement out shortly before the national announcement.~lw3

[NekiEcko]

But this does bring up a very good question, what happens when Al comes back from injury, I know that the reason that Josh is getting more touches because Al isnt there and Joe has been hurt as well. I think that ASG needs to address this issue during the offseason. But Josh does deserve some mention besides he is going to be a hot topic during the Draft.

[lethalweapon3]

Politics?

Possibly, as OKC faces the HEAT (*cough**Lebron**cough*) on Wednesday night (ESPN2). No reason to hold out until Wednesday if someone other than LBJ was winning it.~lw3