Diesel talks about the Hawks... vol 1.

[fashoe1]

so your are alright with have smooth be the starting PF on the team, you don't see any problem with that, i have a problem with Al being the starting PF but i can deal with because of his strength and girth. where are inside moves? smooth is a slasher

[Lascar78]

smoove is 19. He doesn't have slasher moves either. He has one of the worst handles of any major contributor in the league. Dude is raw, and will have to work hard at grooming his game at either position. His body tells me he can easily be a PF.

[Nicholasp27]

first size: smoove is the same size as kmart/amare/toine/al/brand/kemp/etc

at least on DEFENSE, smoove is a pf

he is not a good perimeter defender

furthermore, if he guards the sf, then when he comes in to get the weakside block, he leaves his man on the perimeter wide open

did u not watch last season?

if he guards the pf (or whichever forward plays in the paint the most), then he can get blocks without leaving his man wide open...

[Lascar78]

yeah also his biggest problem on D last year was that quicker guards/SFs would give him fakes and he would bite for them as they blew by him. Bigs don't blow by you. They'll always be within Smoove's blocking reach

[fashoe1]

if smooth was in the defending the paint he would foul out of every game. everyone of the those you mentioned would kill smooth in the paint but who do you remember killing him on the perimiter

[Nicholasp27]

he didn't foul out guarding kg last year

his pf opps only had a per of 15 when he guarded them, vs sfs having a per of 20.4 when he guarded them...

he also had 2.1 higher per as pf than sf

his points went up (3.5), his blocks went up, his rebounds went way up (5!)...

he also held his pf opps to over .1 less efg than his sf opps! that is HUGE .434 vs .537!

and before u say he didn't play enough pf, well that's true, but he also played over half as much pf as sg, which everyone seems to think he played a lot...

[fashoe1]

where are you pulling these stats from and when did j. smith ever play PF last year. never

[tmac13]

He played pf the entire time Al was out the last 3 weeks of the season and did very well..

[Guest Walter]

Smoove might be able to play Pf but the position where he can be a star is Sf.

That's what I hate about this "versatility" only team. Because we can play everyone out of their primary position and because they all play similar positions we must play them out of position. A potentially great Sf (i.e. Marion) played at Pf is just a GD sorry Pf. Ugh!

W

[Nicholasp27]

i disagree

i think smoove can be a star at pf

think about it, he could put up 20+/10/3+

and he helps our team most at pf defensively

[asdogg]

I would really like to have Knight on our team. He is a great point gaurd. Only his size is a problem, but when you have 10 SF that are 6'8 and above I dont think his size would be an obstacle. Even in the long run if his size is a problem I think he would still be a solid stop gap measure.We shoould have gotten Deron in the Draft. Stupid BK.

[Guest Walter]

WTF does that mean? Does that mean Josh Smith is more apt to be a star Pf than Sf? Is he likely to become a bigger star at Pf than Sf? If that is what you mean, then hell no!

The great 6'9" 225 Lb Pfs are few and far between (if ever again in this era). The top Pfs by TENDEX ranking are in order:

1) Garnett

2) Nowitzki

3) Stoudamire

4) Duncan

5) Brand

6) Webber

7) Odom

8) Gasol

9) Boozer

10) Bosh

Not ONE single one of these top 10 Pfs are 6'9" or shorter and 225 Lbs or less (Josh Smith's height and weight). Brand is 6'8" but has a HUGE wingspan and wieghs 50 lbs more than Josh Smith. Boozer is listed at the same height but again is 50 lbs heavier (and isn't my idea of a "star" Pf). Odom has an entirely different game as a point forward. Everybody else is taller and bigger. Bosh is and has a greater wingspan difference as well.

My point? Not one of the top ten Pfs currently resemble Josh Smith physically. The guy can physically dominate the Sf competition but the reverse is true at Pf. Why try and force him in the "star" Pf puzzle when he doesn't fit?!?

The ONLY reason I can see is because you acknowledge our glut at "forward". Fine. If you want to take the position that we get our best players on the court no matter what position, go ahead. Just don't try and sell me on Josh Smith is better suited for Pf than Sf. If we play him at Pf because of our logjam we had better accept we will be hindering his ability to reach a positionaly lower ceiling.

W

[fashoe1]

no, smooth played SF while Al was out, googs started at PF

[fashoe1]

how do i create a new thread so i can post my column in a more visible place

[tmac13]

I have to disagree. I think Smoove's game is much better suited to the 4..First, he is no longer 225, I read a piece that said he was up to 235, and it was obvious that he was much more muscular from all the summer league games I watched..He has a frame that can continue to add mass..Second, Smoove is far and away our best shotblocker..At the 3 he has to leave his man to come on help defense around the basket, playing the 4 he is closer in and does not leave guys wide open on the perimeter..Third, Smoove is a shakey ballhandler..He has small hands for his size and simply does not have good handles..A good 3 needs to be able to drive to the hoop without dribbling the ball off his foot. Fourth, Smoove has quick hops alot like Rodman had..He just gets off the ground quicker than 95 percent of guys in the league..Playing a more inside position will allow him to use those hops to become a solid rebounder..I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him average between 8 and 10 rebounds a game playing the 4..I just don't think Smoove will ever have the handles or the consistant outside shot to be a dominant 3, but his natural skills and size could very well make him a Shawn Kemp-like 4..Kemp is the player Smoove reminds me of the most...

[tmac13]

I will not argue who started and who didn't, but I personally watched Smoove play the 4 MOST of the time during the last 2 or 3 weeks of the season..His game playing Garnett is what cemented my opinion that he could definately handle the 4.

[tmac13]

[Guest Walter]

Smoove is more likley to get a handle than post moves in the next 3 years. The guy is a slasher, don't make him a spot up shooter (Sg) or make him back down defenders (Pf).

[Diesel]