Smoove should never take another jump shot.

[thefloydian]

Ever.

[AnnArborHawk]

Am I the only one watching the end of that game that thought Smoove cared more about getting 20/20 than winning the game?

[exodus]

I have been hoping that Smith would stop taking those jumpers for no other reason than the fact that it kills his shooting percentage. This is his 4th year. At some point you have to realize you aren't a shooter.

If we had a real coach he wouldn't let Smith shoot those jumpers.

[txsting]

I say he can take the shot only if the shot clock is at 5 or under. Late in the game he put one up with 11 on the clock just as were getting very close. Rockets then scored about 8 quick points and it was over. I'm getting very irritated with his inconsistent play.

[jhay610]

I don't mind him taking wide open shots that he catches in rhythm, he sometimes hits those....but both he and salim have this thing where they will get a swing pass and hesitate on an open shot. Then, once the defense recovers to them, they'll take a jabstep or a dribble and a step back and shoot.

They turn down a wide open look in the flow of the offense and then try to create a shot. Salim doesnt shoot these well, but Smoove is flat out horrible. In a game like last night where points are at a premium you cant be giving away possessions like that.

[coachx]

Smith has many "bad habits" that the current staff allows him to get away with.

He needs direction, he needs a teacher, a coach to crack the whip and erase these bad habits.

Larry Brown is the man for the job.

I have not been big on Brown coaching the Hawks until very recently. This team is serioulsly lacking any semblance of order. Larry Brown will bring order and control. He would make Josh play within himself and if he could mentor Acie Law ,as he did Billups, it would be a God send. Starbury was too stubborn to listen to Larry Brown........Law is not too stubborn, he is very coachable......to bad we don't have a coach to "coach him up."

We are better then 90% of the teams in the NBA from an atheletic stand point. Houston has inferior athletes on their roster compared to the Hawks (exception McGrady). Yet, with good coaching, and organized game plan they win 20 games in a row. Consistency like that only comes with playing with a high level of basketball IQ.....which the current Hawks team and coaching staff are obviously lacking.

[dig]

I agree with you coachx... Smooth came right out of HS into the outstretched arms of the ASG. After his first year, he already had more power than Woody and realized this shortly thereafter, hence the well-documented "maturity issues." How often does Woody even recognize, let alone discipline, JSmoove after his many dumbA** jumpers or prayer jump-hooks? The answer is never.

Like you mentioned, Smoove needs (1) discipline and (2) BBIQ. The first one requires a HC that forces him to play within his limits or risk riding the pine, and would still make him a dangerous player because he can do so many things even with his current skill level. Hopefully, he will realize that his unique talents -- the ability to jump high & fast with his long arms and a 6-9 frame -- could make him an elite post player if he developed those skills. Often, IQ develops from discipline as a player understands (i.e. is taught) what he has to do from a fundamentals standpoint and improves his game incrementally to take advantage of newly-developed skills.

This is why I'm reluctant to judge guys like Smoove and Marvin who have (had?) superstar potential... they simply haven't had the teaching to develop their skills. With Marvin's case, his development may be irreparable as his confidence is likely shattered from years of second-guessing...

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Quote:

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Smith has many "bad habits" that the current staff allows him to get away with.

He needs direction, he needs a teacher, a coach to crack the whip and erase these bad habits.

Larry Brown is the man for the job.

I have not been big on Brown coaching the Hawks until very recently. This team is serioulsly lacking any semblance of order. Larry Brown will bring order and control. He would make Josh play within himself and if he could mentor Acie Law ,as he did Billups, it would be a God send. Starbury was too stubborn to listen to Larry Brown........Law is not too stubborn, he is very coachable......to bad we don't have a coach to "coach him up."

We are better then 90% of the teams in the NBA from an atheletic stand point. Houston has inferior athletes on their roster compared to the Hawks (exception McGrady). Yet, with good coaching, and organized game plan they win 20 games in a row. Consistency like that only comes with playing with a high level of basketball IQ.....which the current Hawks team and coaching staff are obviously lacking.

Yep . . just like Larry Brown got the job done with the Knicks with all of those players that had bad habits.

Woody needs to go, but a lot of you are just fooling yourselves if you think a mere coaching change is going to make everything all better.

The Rockets have highly intelligent players who have always been like that ever since they came into the league. Battier and Hayes were 2 of the smartest college players I've ever seen. Scola plays smart, as most international players ( minus Zaza ) do. Deke hs always been an intelligent player. And T-Mac, whom may lack a little heart like his cousin sometimes, is also a smart basketball player.

The most athletic team rarely wins anything in sports, which is why I'm scared to death for my Vols in the NCAA tournament. I can see them going all the way, or losing to a smart team that controls tempo ( like Kentucky did to them a few weeks ago when they almost beat us ) in the 2nd round.

Almost every team Brown went to, he had some smart players to work with . . except in NY, and that team failed horribly. Here, he might have similar problems if Smoove is still one of the main pieces.

That being said, I'm not against having Brown here at all. But don't be shocked if he can't get this team, as currently constructed, to win either.

One thing with Brown though . . say bye-bye to the "uptempo/trying to play a little faster" style, if we get him.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Quote:

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I agree with you coachx... Smooth came right out of HS into the outstretched arms of the ASG. After his first year, he already had more power than Woody and realized this shortly thereafter, hence the well-documented "maturity issues." How often does Woody even recognize, let alone discipline, JSmoove after his many dumbA** jumpers or prayer jump-hooks? The answer is never.

Like you mentioned, Smoove needs (1) discipline and (2) BBIQ. The first one requires a HC that forces him to play within his limits or risk riding the pine, and would still make him a dangerous player because he can do so many things even with his current skill level. Hopefully, he will realize that his unique talents -- the ability to jump high & fast with his long arms and a 6-9 frame -- could make him an elite post player if he developed those skills. Often, IQ develops from discipline as a player understands (i.e. is taught) what he has to do from a fundamentals standpoint and improves his game incrementally to take advantage of newly-developed skills.

This is why I'm reluctant to judge guys like Smoove and Marvin who have (had?) superstar potential... they simply haven't had the teaching to develop their skills. With Marvin's case, his development may be irreparable as his confidence is likely shattered from years of second-guessing...

You guys make this sound so easy, without looking at the makeup of our team. Woody has tried to reign in Smoove in the past, by inserting Shelden in the lineup. But it's hard to discipline a player, when his backup is killing the team with his poor play.

At the beginning of the season, the supposedly deep Hawks frontcourt would've enabled Woody to do just what you suggested. I think if Zaza was healthy to start the year, and was worth a damn, Horforf would've been Smoove's "yoke". He would've been the guy that Woody went to, in order to try to control Smoove when he got too wild.

But with Shelden getting worse and worse, and Zaza becoming a completely garbage player, whom do you suggest Woody try to bench Smoove in favor of?

Solo?

Marvin at the 4?

I pointed out in that "stats" thread yesterday just how important Smoove is defensively to this ballclub. So when you try to discipline Smoove these days, with only Zaza, Marvin, and Solo as your options, you severely hamper this team defensively.

And I bet you that Josh Smith definitely knows this. So for every bad shot on offense, he'll try to make up for it, with a good play on defense.

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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Woody needs to go, but a lot of you are just fooling yourselves if you think a mere coaching change is going to make everything all better.

A-[censored]-men!

Quote:

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The Rockets have highly intelligent players who have always been like that ever since they came into the league. Battier and Hayes were 2 of the smartest college players I've ever seen. Scola plays smart, as most international players ( minus Zaza ) do. Deke hs always been an intelligent player. And T-Mac, whom may lack a little heart like his cousin sometimes, is also a smart basketball player.

The most athletic team rarely wins anything in sports, which is why I'm scared to death for my Vols in the NCAA tournament. I can see them going all the way, or losing to a smart team that controls tempo ( like Kentucky did to them a few weeks ago when they almost beat us ) in the 2nd round.

Almost every team Brown went to, he had some smart players to work with . . except in NY, and that team failed horribly. Here, he might have similar problems if Smoove is still one of the main pieces.

That being said, I'm not against having Brown here at all. But don't be shocked if he can't get this team, as currently constructed, to win either.

One thing with Brown though . . say bye-bye to the "uptempo/trying to play a little faster" style, if we get him.

Agreed. I can't get super excited about any coach because frankly I realize just how EMPTY this rebuild by BK is. We are absent the necessary talent, many skill--sets, positions, and now, perhaps brains. PERHAPS, not even the Wizard can give our scarecrow team a brain.

W

[coachx]

Quote:

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Almost every team Brown went to, he had some smart players to work with . . except in NY, and that team failed horribly. Here, he might have similar problems if Smoove is still one of the main pieces.

That being said, I'm not against having Brown here at all. But don't be shocked if he can't get this team, as currently constructed, to win either.

One thing with Brown though . . say bye-bye to the "uptempo/trying to play a little faster" style, if we get him.

True, Brown has had smart players before:

1 . In San Antonio he inherited Sean Elliot and David Robinson.

2. At U of Kansas he had the player of the year, Danny Manning, who played a cerebral game.

3. In Detroit I would not call that a smart team BEFORE Brown arrived. Brown made them into a smart team. He inherited a journey man PG in Billups who credits Brown's tough love as to what turned him into a elite PG. R. Wallace was and is a head case, Darko was a rookie, Prince an Hamilton were still a babies, Ben Wallace was a defensive demon but has never been known for basketall IQ on the offensive end.

4. I don't remember his Cippers teams b/c well, there the Clippers

5. In Philly he had Eric Snow (who could be a good coach one day), McKie,Mutumbo, Hill and Lynch....all smart veterans......an ahead case in AI........

The roster he inerited in NY as awful. He had 3 selfish, street ballers in Starbury, Crawford, and Richardson. Curry who seems dumb as a brick. That roster is destined to fail no matter who is coaching it.

Atlanta has JJ who seems smart. Brown would break his bad habit of not passing out of double teams.

Bibby and Law seem very coachable......like Billups..........unike Marbury

Smith needs "tough love" and someone to crack a whip.

Marvin needs direction and a system to be effective.......seems like a smart guy but has no direction under Woody

Horford is any coaches dream.

Brown likes defense....I think he will find away to work with Smith playing more "with in himself." After working with Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, and Allen Iverson..... Josh Smith may seem like a good kid in compaison.

If Smith doesn't like it he can hit the road. We are not married to Smith and if he does not want to play smarter basketball then his game will never improve anymore. Good bye Smith ...hello Elton Brand ?

This young team needs to learn how to play smart, winning, basketball. Running a fast break system only camouflages the real problems.

[jhay610]

agreed. woody is going to take the fall for all of this, and he should because he is horrid, but this roster as it is configured is inherently flawed.

Thank BK for that. A coaching change will not be enough.

[dig]

Quote:

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You guys make this sound so easy, without looking at the makeup of our team. Woody has tried to reign in Smoove in the past, by inserting Shelden in the lineup. But it's hard to discipline a player, when his backup is killing the team with his poor play.

At the beginning of the season, the supposedly deep Hawks frontcourt would've enabled Woody to do just what you suggested. I think if Zaza was healthy to start the year, and was worth a damn, Horforf would've been Smoove's "yoke". He would've been the guy that Woody went to, in order to try to control Smoove when he got too wild.

But with Shelden getting worse and worse, and Zaza becoming a completely garbage player, whom do you suggest Woody try to bench Smoove in favor of?

Solo?

Marvin at the 4?

I pointed out in that "stats" thread yesterday just how important Smoove is defensively to this ballclub. So when you try to discipline Smoove these days, with only Zaza, Marvin, and Solo as your options, you severely hamper this team defensively.

And I bet you that Josh Smith definitely knows this. So for every bad shot on offense, he'll try to make up for it, with a good play on defense.

When you are installed as the long-term head coach of a team, it is your responsibility to teach your players how to play basketball and maximize their skills to win games. As you said, Woody has tried (and failed) to reign in J-Smoove in the past... like many of they guys on our team Smoove no longer respects the head man, and even benching him probably won't help that at this point. When focused, he's a great defender, but his offensive mistakes are never punished and that allows him to continue this behavior...

A good head coach demands respect and forces his young guys to listen to him, or they sit on the bench. If they don't listen, they don't play and someone who will gets the PT, even if it costs you Ws in the short-term. This is how you build long-term success and develop players/teams. Of course, we're not winning anyways so it's not like any of this matters.

I'm not delusional enough to think changing coaches immediately makes us an upper echelon team, but to say we're not playing up to our skill level is a gross understatement. We need to make a number of personnel changes, starting at the top with BK and Woody.

My argument is that we don't really know what our players are capable of because they haven't been taught the game of basketball and don't understand what their roles should be, and we should begin by hiring a new head man to see what pieces are worthwhile and how to move forward...

[jhay610]

well said. nice post. agreed. we definitely need new management from the top down. BK is getting a pass on all of this because of the Bibby trade and last year's draft and Woody is the fall guy.

While woody needs to go, this franchise needs an overhaul starting at the top (that means ownership). Actually the roster needs only to be adjusted here and there. The rest of the franchise needs to be blown up.

[Kimsey]

The thing is he is so wide open he should take a dribble forward and take a shot drifting towards the basket instead of just hoisting a shot up. He has a decent pull up shot that is un-blockable but he just needs to gather himself and not settle for an open 20 foot shot.

Off-season routine for him duck tape a catchers glove to his left hand and do EVERYTHING right-handed.

[AHF]

Quote:

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The most athletic team rarely wins anything in sports, which is why I'm scared to death for my Vols in the NCAA tournament. I can see them going all the way, or losing to a smart team that controls tempo ( like Kentucky did to them a few weeks ago when they almost beat us ) in the 2nd round.

The Kentucky/Vol reference is interesting on another level as well. UK's new coach came in this year to a team with some significant flaws and had to deal with a team whose most experienced players had terrible habits - Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford. Gillespie put the long-term growth of the team above shortterm wins to the point that he was benching Crawford and UK was losing to the likes of Gardner Webb on their way to a 7-9 start. The sacrifice was worth it, though. The team learned some fundamentals and guys like Bradley learned to play within the team system.

If a college coach can recognize the value in that in an environment where nothing less than NCAA tournament success will be accepted, how can someone like Woody who has a free pass for several years not find it within himself to suck it up and break some of his player's most obvious bad habits?