All Grown up

[Zone034life]

All Grown Up

Fourth-year pros, Josh Smith and Josh Childress are now the big horses to which the Hawks are hitching their wagon.

By Jon Cooper

It doesn't seem that long ago that Josh Smith was a skinny, wide-eyed kid, who spoke in barely audible, short sentences and Josh Childress was an even skinnier kid, with the gigantic 'fro.

it was three years ago, but that's eons in the fast-changing world of the NBA.

In that time, the Joshes, joined at the hip since being selected 11 picks apart in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft (Childress at six, Smith at 17), have not only earned the right to be called longest-tenured Hawk, but also to be called upon as leaders by Head Coach Mike Woodson, coincidentally starting his fourth season at the helm.

"I look at Josh Smith and Josh Childress, they're not babies anymore," said Woodson. "They're a big part of what we're trying to build here. They're veteran players now. I can't even look at them as young players anymore. Their age might indicate that but they're four-year players and I expect major play from those guys this year for us to really compete at a high level."

Both Joshes illustrated their increased maturity by using the recent off-season to both strengthen their character and broaden their horizons — one going across the country to do so, the other venturing across the world.

Smith traveled to Houston, Texas, where he worked out with future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and former NBA great Calvin Murphy.

"My agent knew [Olajuwon] and asked him. He had no problem with it," said Smith, who fondly recalled watching "The Dream" on TV while growing up. "Working out with him, you look at his film, and actually just seeing him at work, you learn from what he did."

Although Smith enters the 2007-08 season as one of the elite defensive players in today's game — last season he was second in the NBA in blocked shots (2.9 bpg), and was one of three players in the top 20 in rebounds, blocks and steals (Chicago's Ben Wallace and Phoenix's Shawn Marion were the others) — he recognized the value of picking up pointers from one of the game's all-time greatest inside presences. More important was his working on improving on the offensive end.

"[i worked on] my post moves, being more finesse down there, being able to counter off my defensive player's moves," said Smith, who averaged a career-best 16.4 points per game, second on the team. "[Olajuwon] saw I was a little raw on the blocks so he kind of polished that up for me."

Murphy, a career .892 free throw shooter, was there to help Smith shoot more consistently from the foul line, where he shot a career-high 387 free throws last season (up 95 FTAs from his previous high), but made only .693 percent of them, down 26 percentage points from 2005-06.

While Smith was absorbing all the basketball knowledge he could, Childress was imparting his knowledge to the kids of South Africa, as part of NBA Without Borders.

"This summer was really nice," said Childress, who spent his second consecutive summer with the program. "It was probably the best trip I've ever been on."

Childress taught the basics of basketball and in return received a lesson on what it takes to literally survive.

"It was eye-opening to see the conditions that some people live in," he said. "It was an awakening for me and allowed me to see how blessed I am and also it brought more perspective to my life. You see what's important to kids over there is running water. You get kids over here are talking about, 'Man, I need the newest Jordans,' or 'I need this.' It was a great experience for me and it helped me mentally."

With a stronger mental outlook, Childress knows how important it is for Atlanta to take the next step, and having been here the longest, how big a role he and Smith will have in taking those steps.

"Technically I am the longest tenured Hawk and Josh is second," Childress said with a laugh before turning serious. "We aren't babies. [Woodson] knows that. His focus is shifting towards treating us like veterans a little more in the sense of asking our opinion on things and trying to learn from us as we learn from him. I think this is going to be a big year for all of us and with us being older and having more experience, I'm looking forward to it."

He also knows winning is a 12-man effort.

"Defensively we need to hold each other accountable but also we need to help each other," he said. "We have to have the same mindset that we all have to be on the same page, we all have to be focused.

"Offensively, we were last in the league in scoring, so there has to be some emphasis there as well," added Childress, who last season set career-highs for points (13.0 ppg), minutes (36.8), rebounds (6.2 rpg) and assists (2.3 apg.), despite missing 27 games due to injuries. "I think that with our focusing toward a more up-tempo style we're going to put more points on the board, too."

While the pre-season has been frustrating for Childress, who has battled a bruised forearm that kept him out of the last two games against Portland and Minnesota, he is no longer afraid to be more vocal in the locker room.

"I think that this summer helped me grow a lot in that regard and that I just became more mature and more able to be that guy if I need to be, that vocal type leader," he said. "I'm not saying that I have to on this team. We have a ton of guys who are but If I see something that's wrong I'm going to make sure that my opinion is expressed just as I expect anybody else to."

"I'm real confident," added Smith, who, through five exhibition games was among league leaders, averaging 13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. "If we take our time and do the right things in the game, we'll win some games this year.”

The knowledge and maturity gained by the Joshes during the off-season and pre-season should work well in concert with lessons learned last season, when Smith and Childress had to step up to fill the void left by injuries to Joe Johnson, that sidelined him for the season’s final 21 games.

"I thought Josh Smith and Josh Childress particularly shined through the injuries that occurred,” said Woodson. “It definitely gave them more stability as players and confidence in their game that they should be really ready this year to step up and make a major impact."

Jon Cooper is a freelance writer based in Atlanta

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[DJlaysitup]

Well I agree to a degree...but watching Deng's post moves tonight I am a bit concerned about how we have really advanced against teams like Chicago and Boston.

Hopefully we will kill against the other teams.

[Dragitoff]

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Childress taught the basics of basketball and in return received a lesson on what it takes to literally survive.

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Did anyone else find that statement a little funny. Josh Childress is a solid NBA player but his jump shot should automatically negate him from teaching anyone "basics of basketball". Good story though.

[Gray Mule]

Hawks "Grow your own" crop of babies are now the vets

that are needed to move foreward.

[exodus]

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"[i worked on] my post moves, being more finesse down there, being able to counter off my defensive player's moves," said Smith, who averaged a career-best 16.4 points per game, second on the team. "[Olajuwon] saw I was a little raw on the blocks so he kind of polished that up for me."

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Diesel won't like this at all. He kept saying that we don't know that Smith worked on his post moves with the Dream. Yeah right.

[thesheedera]

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"[i worked on] my post moves, being more finesse down there, being able to counter off my defensive player's moves," said Smith, who averaged a career-best 16.4 points per game, second on the team. "[Olajuwon] saw I was a little raw on the blocks so he kind of polished that up for me."

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Diesel won't like this at all. He kept saying that we don't know that Smith worked on his post moves with the Dream. Yeah right.

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Unfortunately it doesn't sound like Smith's putting that polished post game into practice yet. Is he saving if for the season?

He would be incredible with a true finesse style post game.

[jerrywest]

Diesel admitting something? What are you smoking?

[DrReality]

I think it shows great leadership, especially for a young kid, by going to one of the game's masters to address his weaknesses. Can't wait to see him put it together on the floor. He'll reap the benefits in his next contract.

[jerrywest]

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I think it shows great leadership, especially for a young kid, by going to one of the game's masters to address his weaknesses. ... He'll reap the benefits in his next contract.

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Or it shows, his agent helped him make the right decision in their journey for a big pay day. Remember, Hendu did all he could do in his contract year too.

Now one of those with Smoove usernames is going to come out and say I compared Smoove with Hendu.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

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Murphy, a career .892 free throw shooter, was there to help Smith shoot more consistently from the foul line, where he shot a career-high 387 free throws last season (up 95 FTAs from his previous high), but made only .693 percent of them, down 26 percentage points from 2005-06.

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Very good news. Smith really needs to improve at the line. And again it runs counter to Diesels nonsense about working with Murphy on his perimeter game.

Where's Diesel?

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OK . . now THIS makes sense, in regards to working with Murphy. Calvin would be a great guy to work with in regards to FT shooting. If Smith could shoot 75% - 80% FT, that would be huge for the Hawks.

I'm sure Calvin may have taught him a thing or two about shooting mechanics on the line and with his jumper. He just needs to stop taking jumpers after he misses 2 in a row.

That should be the rule with Smoove. Miss 2 jumpers in a row, and you have to drive to the hole, no questions asked.

[jerrywest]

Many sources saying Smoove's jumpers looking much better than before.

Don't forget Chillz's new turnaround baseline jumper(although his twin brother could block that shot with his afro).

[AtLaS]

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Or it shows, his agent helped him make the right decision in their journey for a big pay day.

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Seriously, why say this? There have been numerous reports in EVERY offseason about how hard Smith works. I remember LAST summer before the season started, JJ predicted that Smith was going to have a breakout season because Smith worked so much on his game. Guess what happened.

There is no reason to even bring this into the conversation.

[DJlaysitup]

Smoove is a competitor and is basically fearless. All you have to do is watch when Smoove misses an inside shot that he thinks he should have made...he will run the court like a deer and block whatever goes up with authority. The guy has the right attitude for the modern game IMO. Sure, he still needs to mature some and he is a little selfish sometimes...but he wants to win and he won't back down to anybody.

[DJlaysitup]

P.S. - that's not meant to negate my previous post. I really like Deng's game...as well as Smoove's competitiveness. Nothing wrong with liking both players

[Guest MLibid]

I wonder why Childress really went to South Africa for... hmmm....