Josh Smith Loss it For Us

[mrhonline]

This team has manged to allow Miami to almost catch up with them for 5th seed. Even in all my "negativity" I didn't actually believe they would let a one man team catch up. But they've managed to do it.

They looked better in the 2nd half, though. They've not shown any "fight" in a week.

If they can stay healthy until Horford returns, they should be able to scratch out some road victories.

This team is definitely in need of a February trade, though.

[Popeye]

The worst part about SMoove is that when he is open he thinks it's a defensive breakdown and he shoots it right away. He still doesn't get it that it is a f***ing STRATEGY. OMG!!!!!!!

[tonegully]

The worst part about SMoove is that when he is open he thinks it's a defensive breakdown and he shoots it right away. He still doesn't get it that it is a f***ing STRATEGY. OMG!!!!!!!

And people get mad at me when i say SMOOVE IS A STUPID BASKETBALL PLAYER!!..LMAO.

Everyone in the league knows that strategy except him.

[Popeye]

SMOOVE IS A STUPID BASKETBALL PLAYER!!..LMAO.

I will quote you cause you are 100% right.

[gsuteke]

I will quote you cause you are 100% right.

So great. Two individuals looking to start something on an Atlanta Hawks website?

Please keep in mind this is an Atlanta Hawks forum.

In some cases it's better to be "wrong" than "right" catch the drift?

[bronnt]

Smith started the game 1-8. he was fine after that. Yeah he takes too many jumpers but he still took it to the basket a lot. he got to the line 9 times.

If JJ has a slightly below average game instead of a horrible one we win. He seems to have some of his worst games against the Suns.

Smith had one of the worst individual first quarters you'll ever see. Woodson actually benched him-I've seldom seen Woodson actually bench a guy when he's out of control and not contributing.

He settled down later, but he really did make some bad decisions in the fourth quarter as well. Had a charging call that was either going to be a charge, or else he'd have just lost the ball out of bounds. Missed a 20 footer with lots of time on the shot clock.

EDIT:

I should add that JJ took like 5 shots in the 5 fourth quarter minutes he played, missed them all. Even had some possession where no one else touched the ball. When he's not feeling it, the team stills defers to him. If Flip and Marvin had decided to take over during the fourth quarter, we might have had a chance.

Edited January 14, 2009 by bronnt

[thecampster]

I hate to soley blame the game on one guy. But what it comes down to, is Josh Smith lost the game for the Hawks vs the Suns. Smoove took too many outside shots and tried to force several shots down the line. He did not execute down the line and it cost us. We have talked about this several times, JSmoove should be playing the inside game. No need for him to be taking 18 footers. I really think we should have one this game. Those two missed ft's by Marv were huge and Bibby did not need to force a 3PT when we were tied and had the ball. At that point of the game you set up a play and wait for the open shot. Just my two cents.

You have got to be kidding me. Your "observation". The game wasn't even on t.v. It was blacked out on league pass. How did you "Observe" anything? You freaking Josh Smith haters have got to go. Seriously, just go down to Barnes and Noble and pick up Basketball 101 for Dummies. It's got pictures, you'd like it.

Josh smith was 1 for 8 to start the game and 8 of 14 after that. He kept shooting because people kept feeding the only hot player on the floor the ball. JJ played 41 minutes tonight, Smith 31. Smith shot 41% from the floor, Johnson shot 19 percent. Josh Smith was 0 for 1 from 3 point range, Joe Johnson was 1 for 6. 1 of 6 from 3 when he's shot 25% for the month. But he just kept jacking em up. Joe Johnson drew 1 foul for 2 free throws. Josh got to the line for 9. Smith had 10 boards and 1 assist with 2 turnovers. Johnson had 3 boards with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

Now you tell me who lost this game. yeah it was obviously the one of the big 3 to shoot over 40% from the floor for the night. It was the guy who went 24 and 10 in 31 minutes and not the guy who went 11 and 3 in 41 minutes.

How about for the month...yeah let's talk about how this losing streak / tough month is all Josh Smith's fault. Smith has now shot 53 percent from the floor for the month while averaging 19.2 ppg and 5.5 reb and 1.4 assists per game. Joe Johnson has shot 32% from the field while averaging 14.5 ppg and 3.2 rebounds and 8 assists. Josh Smith has been playing on a bum ankle and just can't jump like Josh Smith (as evidenced by the lower rebound and block numbers) and has still been the hawks best player for the month so far. All you supposed basketball fans that keep repeating each other's posts need to wise up. The last time I heard something this stupid was when a bunch of Atlanta basketball guru's decided that it was a good idea to trade away an aging star and bring in an up and comer by the name of Danny Manning.

Is that what you guys want? Seriously, do you want to drive out of town a 23 year old guy who has been 2nd in the league in blocks, a stellar defender and has yet to get into any of the kind of trouble this league is known for. Good Grief give it a rest already. He's not rebounding or blocking shots because he's got no lift. Anyone that's had a severe high ankle sprain will tell you it's a 3 month plus rehab heal. But he's out there playing on it because this team has / had a shot at the ECF this year and home court advantage matters. For those of you willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, please read this http://orthopedics.about.com/od/sprainsstr...syndesmosis.htm

I'll give you the last section here:

What is the treatment for a high ankle sprain?

Syndesmotic injuries tend not to heal as well as more common ankle sprain, that is why trainers and coaches of athletes are often concerned about "high ankle sprains." Your orthopedic doctor will first determine if the injury is stable or unstable. If the injury is stable, then the high ankle sprain can be treated in a cast, usually for a period of 6 weeks.

If the injury is unstable, then a "syndesmotic screw" can be placed between the tibia and fibula to hold the bones in proper position while the syndesmotic ligament heals. The are several methods of fixation of syndesmotic injuries, all with potential risks and benefits. It is a relatively safe and well-tolerated surgical procedure.

Patients will have the screw in place for about 3 months while the syndesmotic ligament heals. Patients should understand that if they walk on the leg while the syndesmotic screw is in their leg (even after the ligament has healed) the screw can break. The reason for this is that there is normally some motion between these bones when people walk. Therefore, some doctors prefer a second operation to remove the sydensmotic screw before allowing the patient to walk. Other doctors will leave the screw in and allow it to possibly break. The reason being that there are few reported problems with the broken screw. Either way, you can talk with your doctor about this if you need to have surgery for a high ankle sprain.

So there you have it. Bare minimum he should have been in a cast for 6 weeks. Then rehab. Not running the floor with the likes of Lebron and Dwayne 4 times a week. Josh got injured November 7th and less than 4 weeks later, he went for 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 28 minutes against Memphis when he should have been in a cast for 2 more weeks and then rehabing for 2-4 more weeks and only stepping back on the court this week. He's trying to help the team. A team that was barely 500 with him out. I'm sure this post has the potential of earning me my first warning but I really don't care at this point. Claiming you have observations on a game played in phoenix and not on t.v. just shows you are a part of the mob mentality and really have no clue about the validity of your statement.

I read this board every day. I can link to 20 posts complaining about Josh Smith shooting 3's or jumpers or not rebounding enough or not blocking shots anymore. Mostly by the same people. But if I told you today I could get you a new player for this team that would be a 3rd option, who would shoot 47% for the year, score 15 points, get 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals and 2.8 assists per game from a combo Forward position while playing injured, who wouldn't take that? If you don't you are a moron. These stats make you the 9th highest scoring forward in the league, the 7th highest rebounding forward, the 3rd best in steals, 2nd in blocks, and 3rd highest rated forward in assists. Don't believe me? do the stat comparison on yahoo of all players..... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/bypositi...ear=season_2008

[AtLaS]

This team has manged to allow Miami to almost catch up with them for 5th seed. Even in all my "negativity" I didn't actually believe they would let a one man team catch up. But they've managed to do it.

You never thought we'd be close to the 4th/5th seed anyway so what are you complaining about?

[PureGreatness]

You have got to be kidding me. Your "observation". The game wasn't even on t.v. It was blacked out on league pass. How did you "Observe" anything? You freaking Josh Smith haters have got to go. Seriously, just go down to Barnes and Noble and pick up Basketball 101 for Dummies. It's got pictures, you'd like it.

Josh smith was 1 for 8 to start the game and 8 of 14 after that. He kept shooting because people kept feeding the only hot player on the floor the ball. JJ played 41 minutes tonight, Smith 31. Smith shot 41% from the floor, Johnson shot 19 percent. Josh Smith was 0 for 1 from 3 point range, Joe Johnson was 1 for 6. 1 of 6 from 3 when he's shot 25% for the month. But he just kept jacking em up. Joe Johnson drew 1 foul for 2 free throws. Josh got to the line for 9. Smith had 10 boards and 1 assist with 2 turnovers. Johnson had 3 boards with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

Now you tell me who lost this game. yeah it was obviously the one of the big 3 to shoot over 40% from the floor for the night. It was the guy who went 24 and 10 in 31 minutes and not the guy who went 11 and 3 in 41 minutes.

How about for the month...yeah let's talk about how this losing streak / tough month is all Josh Smith's fault. Smith has now shot 53 percent from the floor for the month while averaging 19.2 ppg and 5.5 reb and 1.4 assists per game. Joe Johnson has shot 32% from the field while averaging 14.5 ppg and 3.2 rebounds and 8 assists. Josh Smith has been playing on a bum ankle and just can't jump like Josh Smith (as evidenced by the lower rebound and block numbers) and has still been the hawks best player for the month so far. All you supposed basketball fans that keep repeating each other's posts need to wise up. The last time I heard something this stupid was when a bunch of Atlanta basketball guru's decided that it was a good idea to trade away an aging star and bring in an up and comer by the name of Danny Manning.

Is that what you guys want? Seriously, do you want to drive out of town a 23 year old guy who has been 2nd in the league in blocks, a stellar defender and has yet to get into any of the kind of trouble this league is known for. Good Grief give it a rest already. He's not rebounding or blocking shots because he's got no lift. Anyone that's had a severe high ankle sprain will tell you it's a 3 month plus rehab heal. But he's out there playing on it because this team has / had a shot at the ECF this year and home court advantage matters. For those of you willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, please read this http://orthopedics.about.com/od/sprainsstr...syndesmosis.htm

I'll give you the last section here:

What is the treatment for a high ankle sprain?

Syndesmotic injuries tend not to heal as well as more common ankle sprain, that is why trainers and coaches of athletes are often concerned about "high ankle sprains." Your orthopedic doctor will first determine if the injury is stable or unstable. If the injury is stable, then the high ankle sprain can be treated in a cast, usually for a period of 6 weeks.

If the injury is unstable, then a "syndesmotic screw" can be placed between the tibia and fibula to hold the bones in proper position while the syndesmotic ligament heals. The are several methods of fixation of syndesmotic injuries, all with potential risks and benefits. It is a relatively safe and well-tolerated surgical procedure.

Patients will have the screw in place for about 3 months while the syndesmotic ligament heals. Patients should understand that if they walk on the leg while the syndesmotic screw is in their leg (even after the ligament has healed) the screw can break. The reason for this is that there is normally some motion between these bones when people walk. Therefore, some doctors prefer a second operation to remove the sydensmotic screw before allowing the patient to walk. Other doctors will leave the screw in and allow it to possibly break. The reason being that there are few reported problems with the broken screw. Either way, you can talk with your doctor about this if you need to have surgery for a high ankle sprain.

So there you have it. Bare minimum he should have been in a cast for 6 weeks. Then rehab. Not running the floor with the likes of Lebron and Dwayne 4 times a week. Josh got injured November 7th and less than 4 weeks later, he went for 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 28 minutes against Memphis when he should have been in a cast for 2 more weeks and then rehabing for 2-4 more weeks and only stepping back on the court this week. He's trying to help the team. A team that was barely 500 with him out. I'm sure this post has the potential of earning me my first warning but I really don't care at this point. Claiming you have observations on a game played in phoenix and not on t.v. just shows you are a part of the mob mentality and really have no clue about the validity of your statement.

I read this board every day. I can link to 20 posts complaining about Josh Smith shooting 3's or jumpers or not rebounding enough or not blocking shots anymore. Mostly by the same people. But if I told you today I could get you a new player for this team that would be a 3rd option, who would shoot 47% for the year, score 15 points, get 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals and 2.8 assists per game from a combo Forward position while playing injured, who wouldn't take that? If you don't you are a moron. These stats make you the 9th highest scoring forward in the league, the 7th highest rebounding forward, the 3rd best in steals, 2nd in blocks, and 3rd highest rated forward in assists. Don't believe me? do the stat comparison on yahoo of all players..... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/bypositi...ear=season_2008

this what you call a SHUT DOWN/KILLA POST

THIS THREAD IS OVER!!!

[Kimsey]

Just a reminder of when things were worse.

Ah, yes. The promising backcourt of Dion Glover and Dermarr Johnson.

Aye man those two had alot of potential pre career threatening injuries. It a shame Demarr had the neck injury.

Seriously tho, JJ and Benjamin Button dug us a deep hole in the 1st. JS played like thrash but settled down and help lead the comeback. Subbing Law for a young Button when he was just getting in a groove was terrible. MW is coming on but made some bad turnovers with the stupid techs.

[Kimsey]

Good post Camp, tried to use the Percy Harvin as an example but they still don't get it. Percy was rehabbing non stop for 40 plus days and still wasn't quite right and JS came back in about 3 weeks on the run...

But JS still makes bad decisions, I'm positive a real pg or coach can help limit.

[Plainview1981]

You never thought we'd be close to the 4th/5th seed anyway so what are you complaining about?

I did think they would hold Miami off for 4th or 5th seed.

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index....amp;hl=rankings

I once had these guys ranked in the top 8. Too bad they couldn't stay there.

[Admin]

I read this board every day. I can link to 20 posts complaining about Josh Smith shooting 3's or jumpers or not rebounding enough or not blocking shots anymore. Mostly by the same people. But if I told you today I could get you a new player for this team that would be a 3rd option, who would shoot 47% for the year, score 15 points, get 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals and 2.8 assists per game from a combo Forward position while playing injured, who wouldn't take that? If you don't you are a moron. These stats make you the 9th highest scoring forward in the league, the 7th highest rebounding forward, the 3rd best in steals, 2nd in blocks, and 3rd highest rated forward in assists. Don't believe me? do the stat comparison on yahoo of all players..... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/bypositi...ear=season_2008

Campster while I don't disagree with you about Smith and he certainly isn't the reason we lost tonight, those stats are not accurate. They are broken down positionally in a very odd way (I think for fantasy reasons). Even his Yahoo player profile shows him as a "Forward". Clicking on PF shows you that according to Yahoo there are only 15 PF's in the NBA.

Take a look at the rebounds per game by PF in the NBA on ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statistics?s...pe=2&pos=pf

Smith isn't shown for some reason at any position but at 6.6 rebounds per game (link) he would be tied for 4th among SF's and tied for 18th among PF's. Considering that he is our PF and plays the vast majority of his minutes there being tied for 18th is simply not acceptable. I'd gladly see his assists, points, and likely his turnovers drop in order to get his rebounds up to where they should be for him among PFs.

Here's Hollinger's profile on Smith

2007-08 season: Smith is an All-Star caliber talent, and might have been tabbed for the game last season if somebody had grabbed him by the lapels and shaken him while yelling "STOP TAKING OUTSIDE SHOTS," and not quit until he agreed.

There are worse shooters in the league than Smith, but they know it and don't shoot. Smith is a fairly bad shooter but converts just frequently enough that it encourages him to keep launching, so any time he's left open from outside he fires away. Let's check out the results, shall we?

Smith made 30.4 percent of his long 2-pointers last season, the second-worst mark in the league among players with at least 100 attempts. At least there was symmetry to it: on 2-pointers that weren't layups, he was the worst player from the left side of the floor (28.0 percent) and the second-worst on the right side (29.1 percent); if we include all 2-pointers that weren't layups, only two players were worse than his 28.9 percent, and Smith had more than three times as many attempts as either of them.

In fact, among players with at least 150 attempts on non-layup 2-pointers he was the only one to make fewer than 30 percent. It's not like he was having an off year either -- Smith only made 30.6 percent of his non-layup 2-pointers the year before.

Wait, there's more. Smith also took 99 3-pointers and made just 25 of them. That was -- you guessed it -- the worst percentage of any player who attempted at least 80.

The itchy trigger from outside detracted from what otherwise was an outstanding season. Smith was so good in transition and on the drive that he posted a decent TS% in spite of himself, and did it while creating more shots and making fewer turnovers than the year before. He was ninth among power forwards in usage rate, 14th in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt and 12th in steals per minute.

And then there's the shot-blocking. Smith has great hops and timing and ranked second in the league in blocks per game, as well as second among all power forwards in blocks per minute.

In addition, Smith drew 38 offensive fouls last season, easily the best on the Hawks and the 14th-best in the league. While some of those were legitimate charging fouls, a great many were on wipe-aways by shooters who were surprised to find Smith's long arm hovering above them.

Scouting report: The left-handed Smith has filled out and is now a legit power forward at 6-9, 235 pounds. He isn't a great ball handler but has outstanding speed for his size; as a result he can often push his rebounds up court for a dribble or two and get a quick transition situation started. And of course he's fantastic on the business end of alley-oops thanks to his length and leaping ability.

Smith has a quickness edge against most power forwards and is effective taking them off the dribble from the high post, although he goes left almost every time and is prone to losing the ball in traffic. He also is beginning to develop a low-post game, one that's mostly seen against undersized defenders.

Smith's defensive fundamentals have improved tremendously, albeit from a very low base. He still will get lost off the ball and leaves his feet too quickly going for shot blocks. While the rest of his D isn't anywhere near the level of his shot-blocking skill, he's clearly a plus on that end.

2008-09 outlook: Smith signed a five-year, $58 million offer sheet with Memphis that the Hawks matched; though some other restricted free agents got larger total deals, on a per-year basis Smith is making as much as any of them.

And with good reason. Though he has maturity issues to work through, Smith is an All-Star in the making, and it appears not even his shot selection can keep him from this destiny. It's easy to forget how young he still is -- if he'd gone to college this would be his rookie year. Seen in that light, the ill-advised jumpers and his clashes with Mike Woodson are part of those growing pains.

[A_voice_of_Reasoning]

Campster are you serious...... JSmoove simply doesn't get it.... I don't see any improvement in his overall game at all..... I question his work ethic... Okay yeah, he got injured ... I will give you that........ But when you look at the way he approaches each game..... He never try's to impose his will on a team....... He show's a glimpse of his true ability....but many times only when he's pissed off.... or when someone has given him a hard foul in a earlier play.... Many times he gets caught up in one on one battles... that he seldom wins.... his basketball IQ isn't the greatest..... If he hits his first shot from the perimeter .. its going to be a long night..... If anything I see regression in his game from last season.....

Everyone says he's young..... so what ....... we are paying him millions to do what ...... produce..... the D-league is for players that need to develop their skills.......

Josh has to look himself in the mirror and ask himself am I putting in the work to become the best player I can be...........

Look at Dwight Howard, Amare' Stoudemire, and Chris Bosh (1 yr at GT).... Does anyone remember how small and frail Chris Bosh was his rookie season..... All of these players have improved over the past years...... Josh still looks like a rookie most nights.......

Coaching has a major role in his failure to progress his game, but Josh has to take it upon himself to get better, much better.

[exodus]

You have got to be kidding me. Your "observation". The game wasn't even on t.v. It was blacked out on league pass. How did you "Observe" anything?

I watched the game on TV on league pass and saw it on the schedule on LP broadband.

[Diesel]

I am waiting for someone to say: SMoove had 24 and 10 how did he lose us the game?

When SMoove realizes that we don't want him to shoot 25 times and just play defense we will be a great team. He needs to play on a team like Thunder and Wolves so he can be the "man", not HERE.

Our "best" defensive player with no SHOT and LIMITED offensive game attempts 22 freaking shots. OMG

With that being said Joe lost us this game not Smoove though. Joe was DION GLOVER tonite.

I don't think that Smoove should be Limited on offense, I just think more controlled. I applauded Smoove everytime he bypassed the open shot and put the ball on the floor and either passed it or tried to finish at the rim. He did that tonight in the second half a lot baetter than last year at this time. I think he's learning, it's just hard for him to bypass the open shot. He is encouraged too much.

Next Homegame, Hawks fans should boo everytime he takes the open shot from outside of his range.. even if he hits it. He needs the psychological discouragement for taking that shot.

[thecampster]

Campster are you serious...... JSmoove simply doesn't get it.... I don't see any improvement in his overall game at all..... I question his work ethic... Okay yeah, he got injured ... I will give you that........ But when you look at the way he approaches each game..... He never try's to impose his will on a team....... He show's a glimpse of his true ability....but many times only when he's pissed off.... or when someone has given him a hard foul in a earlier play.... Many times he gets caught up in one on one battles... that he seldom wins.... his basketball IQ isn't the greatest..... If he hits his first shot from the perimeter .. its going to be a long night..... If anything I see regression in his game from last season.....

Everyone says he's young..... so what ....... we are paying him millions to do what ...... produce..... the D-league is for players that need to develop their skills.......

Josh has to look himself in the mirror and ask himself am I putting in the work to become the best player I can be...........

Look at Dwight Howard, Amare' Stoudemire, and Chris Bosh (1 yr at GT).... Does anyone remember how small and frail Chris Bosh was his rookie season..... All of these players have improved over the past years...... Josh still looks like a rookie most nights.......

Coaching has a major role in his failure to progress his game, but Josh has to take it upon himself to get better, much better.

You're damn skippy I'm serious. I'm not talking about your opinions on his IQ, or what shot's he should be taking. Every player in the league....even Jordan had detractors that said "If he just did this he could be so much better". Remember Shaq in his prime. Legitimately the scariest player in the NBA night in and Night out but every time you turned around someone complained about his free throw shooting. They complained so much he practiced and tweaked himself into shoooting worse. yes people were complaining about a guy that was going for 30 and 13 a night. What did shaq do...he bolted Orlando. you need to take an even harder look in the mirror and decide if you are whining because you get jumped over by every lefty in the gym. I don't know what your issue with him is. do you expect him to be perfect, never make a turnover, never shoot a J. you can not play this game inside only. There is a reason there are 5 positions. My original point is simple. Over his last 6 games he's shooting 53 percent from the field and Joe Johnson is shooting under 35 percent and their turnover numbers are very similar. Why are you jumping all over Josh's shot choice and decision making when Joe is no better. For the month, statistically, Josh has been your best player. The fact you can't see that shows you have an agenda.

On the subject of the why Josh doesn't show up as a PF on the Yahoo board, you have 'qualified' marked. Choose show all players and choose the "F" option. The yahoo ranking allow for combo players so any player that plays as a F/C in their ranking will show in the PF rankings even if that player is a center. Click on the F options to show players that play only SF or PF and never slide down to the SG or up to the C positions. Josh is not a PF or an SF. He is a F. A tweaner and should be judged as such. He is too much of an atheletic wing to be a PF and too big to be a SF. He is a tweaner.

On the subject of why doesn't he take every ball to the hole. If you listened to last nights game Josh missed or was blocked in 3 of his last 5 shots. He had dish and roll working and the defense started to collapse on it. Even if the percentages are low, you have to shoot from the outside once in a while to keep the defense honest and vice versa. If you never go down low, then the defense gets right in the face of the jump shooters. You have to have balance.

[coachx]

I agree Smith took WAY too many bad perimeter shots. To Woody's credit he did sit him the entire 2nd quarter b/c of the bad periemter shots he took to start the game. That helped contribute to us getting in the early hole again.

JJ was off and Bibby was not too hot either. Marvin was hot but his teamates did not look to him often. I hope something was said about that in the locker room after the game. I thought Zaza and Morris played well.There is plenty of blame to go around. I do have a little extra blame for Smith b/c Bibby and JJ were missing shots they routinely make while Smith was missing perimeter shots he normally misses.

Smith is an X-factor who can be the difference in this team being .500 or 10 games over .500. However, a more traditional post player, who is either a PF or C, would make this team better by giving them the offensive anchor in the post it has sorely lacked. We all complain about the offense. I think the offensive problems are directly related to the mix of the personell on the floor as much or more then the coach. When the Hawks are at their best its when they are playing helter-skelter up tempo or the jumpers are falling...........there is no anchor in the post to solidify the offense when things are not going well. Long term that will have to be addressed.

On a positive note I like how some mis-matches were recognized. Marvin saw ZaZa posting up Grant Hill and quickly got him the ball for an easy 2. A second time ZaZa was stuck on Hill in the post and Bibby got him the ball for an easy 2............I wish the the team and their PGs would realize who is hot (Marvin last game) and call their number. I'd like to see Marvin get the ball in the high post area more. With his mid range game and ability to drive and get to the line there should more plays to incorporate him into the offense. I also liked how Marvin was a rebounding machine the first half and 2nd quarter. I liked how Smith challenged both O'Neil and Stoudemire at the rim on several occaisons and kept Stoudemire off the boards all night. Too bad he jacked up about 10 perimeter shots that have little hope of ever going in.

Edited January 14, 2009 by coachx

[coachx]

Good post Camp, tried to use the Percy Harvin as an example but they still don't get it. Percy was rehabbing non stop for 40 plus days and still wasn't quite right and JS came back in about 3 weeks on the run...

But JS still makes bad decisions, I'm positive a real pg or coach can help limit.

To Woody's credit Smith was benched for the entire 2nd quarter...........I would assume as a reprimand for all the bad perimeter shots he missed to start the game which directly attributed to the team falling in another early hole to climb out of. The bottom line is without Horford and other frontcourt options Smith has to play. The coach is in his ear all the time. Its well documented that has made their relationship shakey. Smith just seems hard headed and stubborn b/c in 4.5 season he has changed very little with his shot attempts.

To blame on the PG is silly. Smith normally gets those passes from a random player when the ball is being swung on the perimeter. I don't recall Bibby trying to get Smith the ball on the perimeter as a focal point. I do recall him trying to get Smith the ball on the break and in the paint, as a focal point, just as a PG should.

Some one posted a Hollinger link saying Smith had the 2nd worst FG % in the leage on attempts that were not layups and dunks. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE ! Yet, he continues to shoot a ton of perimeter shots. At least Bibby and JJ have a track record of being very good perimeter shooters but Smith never has.

Its time for Smith to grow up or a unbiased GM, who did not draft him, will eventually right the ship.

[coachx]

You have got to be kidding me. Your "observation". The game wasn't even on t.v. It was blacked out on league pass. How did you "Observe" anything? You freaking Josh Smith haters have got to go. Seriously, just go down to Barnes and Noble and pick up Basketball 101 for Dummies. It's got pictures, you'd like it.

Maybe Smith should be the one reading it. With all his ability his mind is the only thing holding him back.

Props to Woody for his benching in the 2nd quarter. It was well deserved.

I will also give props to Smoove for what he did right in the 2nd half. He challenged Shaq and made him miss on a couple of occaisons. That takes guts ! He also challenged Stoudemire several times and kept him off the board, by actually boxing out, which was beautiful to see. He sprinted the floor in transition. He did plenty right but continues to make the same mistakes over and over again for over 4 seasons now. Isn't that the one of definitions of insanity............to continue to the same thing while expecting different results.

I'll give credit where its due but can't give a pass on bone headed play either.