Smith/Williams

[Iman]

On one hand I think that once we lose Al and put JSmoove at PF, we'll be a better team due to the defensive improvements. But Diesel does have a good point, we'll have absolutely no traditional post offensive player once that happens. I'm hoping for just a big defensive center to play alongside the Marvin/JSmoove frontline but that still us leaves without anyone to demand double teams. I think it will still work but it definitely wont be traditional and the center will need to be better than ZaZa or Nene. We'll need lotsa dribble penetration into the paint and JSmoove would have to at least develop a couple of post moves which at his age isnt too much to ask. Kenyon Martin is an effective PF and I dont think he does anything that JSmoove cant do better. It'll work but it would be better to wait until JSmoove and especially Marvin develop more. Nene wont fit well and will cause cap problems and I think BK knows that so it wont happen now anyways.

[exodus]

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Let's say you do get Watson and Nene..

It will make it very hard to keep Smoove, Marvin, and Chillz. Hell with Nene, Smoove, Watson, Lue, and Zaza.. Only one of those guys could get a competitive contract.

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If the deal goes down Watson will probably end up in Indy. Lue and Zaza are under contract for awhile and there may not be a need to resign them when their contracts are up. if they do resign them I doubt they will get much more than they are getting now.

I think Zaza's weaknesses are starting to become apparent after the initial excitment over his production. He has poor hands and doesn't defend well so is unlikely to command big money.

[Diesel]

So you mean, we will make the trade and we get NOTHING? It's not like it's guaranteed that Nene will ever play again...

You must be out of your mind if you think that's a worthwhile target.

[exodus]

Your "SAVE AL" campaign is getting really desparate. So now Nene is nothing? He might never play again because of an ACL?

That is on par with your comment that the Hawks can win 10 in a row while giving up 45 ppg in the paint.

[frosgrim]

Actually, Smoove's small hands may not be that much of a concern. The last All-Star player the Hawks drafted was a PF and had small hands, but he had a solid career: Kevin Willis.

So, I believe Smoove can be effective at the PF even with the small hands. Bigger hands would be a bennefit no doubt, but its not a fatal handicap for the position.

As the other posters have said, Smoove needs a post game before we put him to the wolves at PF. We will get killed on offense without a post player. The team already relies too much on jump shots to get rid of Al and not have a suitable post player in return would be a huge mistake.

[Diesel]

Kevin Willis was also 7 foot and he wasn't good right away. We had injury.. then we had a few years of mediocre play before Willis became dependable. I mean being 7 foot and as muscular as he was, he didn't break 10 rebs per game for a long time. It was like 6 or 7 years... But then again, he played beside Tree... I don't think he was ever a 20/10 PF though...

[exodus]

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The last All-Star player the Hawks drafted was a PF and had small hands, but he had a solid career: Kevin Willis.

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I remember Willis. His constant fumbling of the ball in the post used to get on my nerves. He did develop a nice jump hook though so maybe Josh can too.

[Guest Walter]

Again, there isn't a single top ten Pf from last year that is 6'9" or shorter and (still listed at 225 lbs) 235 lbs or lighter. People here project Smoove as our Pf of the future only because we have 3 other Sfs. Elsewhere he would be projected as a Sf and not only that, a Sf with greater potential because he would 1) be of exceptional size for his position not undersized AND 2) have more of the necessary skills given it takes big men much longer to develop a post-up game than it does "forwards" to develop a perimeter game.

25 lbs on Smoove would make him 250-260 and his build will not accept anywhere near that weight well.

We only will ourselves to believe Smoove is best suited at Pf because our GM has compiled a team in which in order for him to have any future at all without benching a #2 pick, he has to be a Pf.

...Lastly, where is Childress in all this? While I think Childress was obviously not the right pick, he seems destined to become the next former Hawk blowing it up in this league because he didn't get enough opportunity.

W

[exodus]

Kenyon Martin is the same size as Smith. Ben Wallace plays center and isn't much bigger. Most are maybe an inch taller and 10 pounds heavier but that's it.

Josh is too slow to guard 3s. His athleticism and shotblocking make him a natural to guard the 4.

Childress is too slow has a weak jumper. He will never be anything but a role player off the bench. At least Diaw could play D.

[Nicholasp27]

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People here project Smoove as our Pf of the future only because we have 3 other Sfs. We only will ourselves to believe Smoove is best suited at Pf because our GM has compiled a team in which in order for him to have any future at all without benching a #2 pick, he has to be a Pf.

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wrong

stop putting words into other people's mouths

i've said OVER and OVER (as have others) WHY i think smoove is a pf...he HAS to guard pfs on defense, as he is 10x better there defensively than at sf

and again, he's basically the same size as amare/brand/big ben/marion/walker/al/etc...but he can jump higher to make up for any inch he gives up on ben (who plays center, not pf)

again, i fully believe that smoove would be more valuable on defense at center than at sf

this has NOTHING to do with the fact that we have marvin...before we ever drafted and when i thought we were getting bogut or deron/paul/felton, i said smoove should be pf...last march while we were playing...and at that point chill was a 2 and we had al at the 4...so if i was going by our personnel, i woulda said smoove should play the 3...but i (and others as well) kept saying smoove should be a pf

so again, it has NOTHING to do with our personnel...wherever smoove ends up long term, he should play pf there

[WraithSentinel]

I have wonder if Smoove could eventually be a Ben Wallace type of Center.

[jezmund]

No...I could definitely see him being every bit as good as Kenyon Martin, though. Hopefully he won't cost us the max. He needs the tenacity of a Martin although I think Smith's offensive game could one day far surpass Kenyon.

[Diesel]

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this has NOTHING to do with the fact that we have marvin...before we ever drafted and when i thought we were getting bogut or deron/paul/felton, i said smoove should be pf...last march while we were playing...and at that point chill was a 2 and we had al at the 4...so if i was going by our personnel, i woulda said smoove should play the 3...but i (and others as well) kept saying smoove should be a pf

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I call...

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Nicholasp27

Carpal 'Tunnel

Reged: 02/09/04

Posts: 3120

what to do...what to do...

#74262 - 03/23/05 02:33 PM

Edit Reply Quote

think of the rebounding of the team:

pg/chill/

smoove

/chandler/bogut

chill and smoove with 7-8rpg and chandler/bogut with 10rpg each...that's 35rpg from 4 starters...

the defense is there as well...

chill/smoove/bogut have all proven they can score...chandler could improve to a 10ppg with woodson's help...

the question is...which pg do u want to go with those 4?

and the bench?...we have ivey/diaw/donta/drobs...we still have smoove on the bench while al is still here...we could go for a 3pt threat like korver or jacobsen...we could also draft one in the 2nd round...we could get another big man like swift or dalembert to backup pf/c 25-30mpg...

we could get a sg like hughes or johnson and then deal with the glut of chill/smoove/al/chandler all vying for 2 positions...

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[Packfill]

Right now it is just speculation as to what Smith will become. It is really up to him and the coaches. The coaches need to decide what they want him to be. On his end if he is going to be a power forward he has to continue getting stronger and work on a post game and post defense, blocking out, etc. If he is going to be a small forward he has to learn to dribble, work on his jump shot and learn to stay in front of his man on defense.

He may become Ben Wallace - he may become Keon Clark. He may become Dominique or he may become Kenny "Sky" Walker.

[TheDude]

much of the rhetoric i'm hearing on what josh can't do as a pf or that he has small hands so won't be able to rebound ARE IGNORING WHAT HE IS ALREADY DOING!..he's already played well at the pf position AND he's already proved to be a solid rebounder even at this young stage...

i don't think becuase some guy is one inch taller than you (god forbid his neck be longer) doesn't mean you can't play it...ESPECIALLY with josh's leaping ability...

but i do agree he needs to work more on his post moves.

[Packfill]

I don't think I said anything about him being too short - I did say he needs to build strength to bang in the post, which is true.

He is already a solid rebounder, but not he is not that great yet. I think he averages about the same amount of rebounds or less per minute as Al, and everyone is unhappy with Al's rebounding.

[Nicholasp27]

he averages the same as al yet he plays sf, not pf and he has much more room to grow than al...