Josh Smith is really coming around

[Duff_Man]

I checked Josh's last 6 games, and here are the stats:

LAST 6 GAMES

OPP MIN PTS TREB AST TO STL BLK

03/18 NY 36 16 8 3 2 0 3

03/21 CHI 32 16 4 1 0 1 4

03/22 PHO 37 14 12 1 2 0 1

03/25 SA 26 7 3 1 0 1 0

03/26 TOR 34 19 6 1 2 0 3

03/28 ORL 31 14 5 1 2 1 1

Add in last night's game of 34min, 17pts, 5reb, 3ast, 1TO, 3blk, and he is averaging 14.7pts, 6.1rebs, 3blk, and his turnovers are very low. Plus, he is starting to drain those 15-20 foot jumpers with some more consistency. I really am liking what I am seeing here late in the season when he should be running out of gas. Perhaps the Walker trade has helped Smoove develop faster due to necessity.

[Diesel]

I think we will find that once Smoove develops, we will have less need for Harrington. They play the same way. I would like to put some weight on him and play him at PF. He hasn't developed the SF's game yet. Plus, Chillz should be our SF.. And after Last night, Green could be our SG of the future.

Jaric, Green, Chillz, Smoove, Dally!

[Lascar78]

they play the same way?

Do you watch the games or just come up with impossible trades?

Al Harrington likes to get the ball in the post with his back to the basket and work his stuff down low. Josh Smith gets the bulk of his points on the fast break, back door cuts (alley oops), or by getting the ball on the perimeter facing the basket and trying to blow by his man. Their respective games couldn't be more different. It is possible that Smoove will be groomed into a PF, but his game is nothing like Al's

[KBatPCSOM]

Which is why Harrington is the power forward and Smooth is the small forward.

I'm really curious about why people want to negate Josh's advantages by putting him inside, where he will become a size liability.

[Nicholasp27]

size liability?

smoove: 6'9 225lbs (at beginning of season; bigger now)

al: 6'9 250lbs

toine: 6'9 245lbs

brand: 6'8 272lbs

big ben: 6'9 240lbs

okafor: 6'10 252lbs

kmart: 6'9 234lbs

boozer: 6'8 258lbs

ak47: 6'9 205lbs

haslem: 6'8 228lbs

kurt thomas: 6'9 235lbs

jamison: 6'9 230lbs

[chillzatl]

size wise, he's the prototypical PF. Unless you compare him to freaks like Duncan and Garnett.

You have to look at what is the most realistic goal. It's more realistic for him to bulk up and play inside than it is for him to become a 50% mid-range shooter. His game is so raw that you aren't working against an established style. His play right now, is that of a highschool kid who is playing the way he played in HS, relying completely on athleticism.

You say that you take away his advantages by making him play inside. I disagree. I think his quickness will be a huge advantage against most PF's in the league. Offensively he will still be able to face them up at short range and use that quickness to his advantage. Defenisively, his leaping ability will give him an edge against most PF's and help close the gap against the taller monsters like Duncan and Co. Once he bulks up and learns to play iwth his back to the basket, he will be even more dangerous.

[Diesel]

Mean to say that he plays the same position. PF/SF.

I think Smoove putting on more muscle mass will leave no doubt him being a PF.

He doesn't dribble well enough to be a Sf nor does he have the midrange of a Sf.

Smoove is very young and if he works on his back to the basket moves, he will be a very dangerous PF.

Let's be honest about some of the PFs in the league.

Duncan is really a Center that is very skilled.

KG is a freak of nature. He can play All positions. He just plays PF because he's 7'0.

Guys like Walker and Reef has shown that you can take a guy that comes in the league at 6'9 225 and make them into PFs by adding 20 pounds to them. The difference with Smoove is that he's like a clean slate. Nobody has ever told him that he must play Sf. In HS, he played PF because of his size and he plays the game now like an athletic Pf. He can actually take the same track that Harrington took when he came in the league. Harrington was 6'9 230 when he came into the league and he was tutored on the low post game by A. Davis.

[Plainview1981]

Josh Smith needs more skills to develop before he

will be a 3 IMO. His ball handling isn't there and

neither is his shooting. If he develops his shot

he COULD become a Shawn Marion type of player...

Be able to score points without so many plays

being ran for him. If thats the path that the

staff and Knight are looking for it is understandable.

[Duff_Man]

The fact of the matter is that I don't care what position he plays. Why typecast a guy? Put him in the best position to make plays. I think Smoove is doing a pretty good job of getting his own looks. I love his aggressive rebounding and defense (blocks), and the way he seems to find the open spots on offense. He does need to work on shooting and dribbling, but he has shown signs of work in those areas, and that is definitely a good thing. Bad part: he and Chill will continue to develop and both will need to be signed around the same time.

Overall, I know this has been a bad year record-wise, but watching these young guys go all out every night has been way better than winning 30 games with Shareef jacking 20-footers all night and pouting over no-calls. If we play our cards right in the offseason (draft and FAs), we'll be way better off next year...keep the team intact and we should be in the playoffs in two years.

[Diesel]

Duff,

The difference is..

Where we put Smoove effects other players.

Right now, we have Chillz playing SG. The only reason is because we want to look at Smoove at the 3. Chills can play the 2, but he's a much better and effective 3. If we were to draft Green (somehow).. He would become our 2 of the future because if you watched last night, he has a beatiful shot AND he can put the ball on the floor and create his shot. A future based on Contract would be: Green, Chillz, Smoove at the 2, 3, and 4... That would be really interesting. Being that Smoove is the least specialized... Having him at the 4 would be easier to do than trying to teach him to be a 3.

In short... Position matters.

[Weez]

Chillz, I agree with you, esp. about his 'not having a particular style to 'unlearn' right now...but if you watch those 'highlight' reels of his hs games...he also took quite a few three's/perimeter shots. He's shown that he can dunk and finish already in the league...I'd simply like to 'force' him to learn to create his own shot with the ball in his hands for a season or so, make him work for his minutes (against fellow sf Chill)...before moving him down low permanently (with the trade of AL).

Yes, I realize that the risk is run of his becoming more 'carterish'...falling in love with the 3 and neglecting to go inside as much (TMAC has followed similarly to some degree). But I think it'd be worth it if you ultimate goal is to play him at the 4 (a transition that neither TMAC nor Vince had to do).

[Traceman]

The attached article was in today's AJC. In the article, both Al and Coach Woodson talk about Al losing weight to improve his quickness. If he were going to be expected to bang with bigger PFs all the time, I think the emphasis would be on improving his strength rather than his quickness. Obviously improved quickness would help him at PF as well, but not if it means he loses size/strength in the process.

Notes: Tendinitis afflicts Harrington

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/31/05

WASHINGTON — Al Harrington's right knee has become a major source of pain for the Hawks forward. So much so that Harrington and Hawks coach Mike Woodson have talked about Harrington's season ending before the Hawks final regular season game April 20 in Philadelphia.

"It's really a game by game thing for me," Harrington said before the Hawks' game against Washington Wednesday night at MCI center. "Hopefully, it continues to feel good like (tonight). I hope it feels good Friday when Antoine (and the Boston Celtics) comes to town."

Harrington's recurring bout with tendinitis forced him to sit out Monday's game at Orlando. He's played through the pain most of the season, though he did miss the final five games before the All-Star break to rest.

"We're talking about a guy who's played a lot of minutes this year," Woodson said. "And I think his body has gone through a major transition trying to handle the minutes. So he's going to have to do some different things this summer to regroup. He's going to have come back a little lighter and take some pressure off his knees."

Harrington acknowledged he's played this season a bit heavier, 252 pounds, than he prefers. That's why he'll spend most of his summer doing whatever it takes to trim down and return for training camp in the fall leaner.

"Last summer my hand was hurt so I didn't really get a chance to go into the offseason working like I'm used to," Harrington said. "I really didn't want to be in the gym just running and stuff because I always work on my game in the summers. But I'd like to come back around 245 or maybe even lighter. I need to lose about seven or eight pounds and really concentrate on getting quicker."

Terrapin country

The Washington Wizards have three former Maryland players on the roster: Steve Blake, Juan Dixon and Laron Profit. They know Hawks center Obinna Ekezie, another former Terrapin, well. All of them get together in the offseason for informal pickup games, usually played with other pros at the MCI Center.

"I might get a technical tonight," Ekezie said with a smile before tip off. "These are all my guys. It started back in college and continues to this day. And we'll all always be tight."

Walker on set

Former Hawks forward Antoine Walker will be on the set with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson Jr. on TNT's halftime show tonight.

Walker, back with the Celtics since a Feb. 24 trade, will be in town for Friday night's game against the Hawks, his first against his former team at Philips Arena.

[Weez]

kinda sad to hear about his 'lack of want' to be in the gym last summer. Didn't really realize/remember that...

if he wants to be a sf, with a slight perimeter game...he should have been working on his left hand. Lefties finishing around the basket, passing with the left, dribbling with the left.

That's the work ethic players on this team, a team with talent but VERY little polish...needs.

Here's to improved focus and a great offseason...both in the 'board room' and 'on' the cout.

[chillzatl]

Being a SG. That, if all players develop according to plan, puts chill at SG, Al at SF and Smooth at PF. Sounds perfect if you ask me.

[Traceman]

hand injury last year prevented him from working on his game in the summer last year and now this year, he'll have to spend a lot of time running and doing other stuff to lose the weight he needs to lose and that will take time away from working on his game THIS summer.

I can see how you read it the way you read it but I think if you look at the situation, that is what he was trying to say.

[Plainview1981]

The problem with that is I doubt Childress/Harrington

and Smith will ever be go-to guys. It's not really

saying anything bad..... I think Josh Smith will be

a Ak47 or Shawn Marion and J Chill will be a Doug

Christie type of all around player. But the Hawks

will not a go-to guy... You don't get those at the

center position so if we where to go with that lineup

we would need a star PG.

[Dukegotgame]

too funny.

apparently according to you guys, jsmith is incapable of working on his handle, but learning some post moves seems like a forgone conclusion.

im also tired of hearing he cant shoot. this is quite the opposite. if you have been watching games lately, his jumper is very nice. he just needs to add 3 point range and work on his handle. then he will be set

[Iman]

I think we have an adequate core with Chillz, JSmoove, and Harrington at the 2, 3, and 4 respectively. The main weakness of that lineup is Chillz outside shooting and the fact that Harrington is a little bit of a tweener. We have the flexibility to move Chillz to the 3 if we get a good SG or to maybe move JSmoove to the 4 assuming he bulks up. Chillz at the 2 with Marvin Williams at the 3 and JSmoove at the 4 works well too, after keeping Harrington for one more year, maybe sign and trade him. Most of these lineups do need a good defensive center, a running PG, and someone to help with scoring, especially clutch down the stretch scoring.

I'm ready for the draft lottery and free agent signings, about tired of this season.

[Diesel]

The injury means one thing... Al can't bang with PFs.. Not that Al is soft, he just plays too physically I guess. I don't think we'd withle him down to 232 to play PF when he's getting injured at 252.

Moroever, with the logjam at the 3 and Als contract, I suspect BK might consider trading...

I keep hearing Odom's name....

It would be wild if we could get Odom...

[emeans]

Josh is going to be a fine player in this league. People keep forgetting that this is still a teenager in his 1st year in the NBA. Looking at the McDonald's All-American game, Josh is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone of those guys in his development and he just played in that game LAST YEAR!!

He is a rookie, teenager and straight out of high school. Three major knocks on anyone in the NBA.

In 3 to 4 years from now we are going to be saying Wow, look how far he has come compared to his rookie year.

He is doing very good being a rookie people!!