Some people liked the Atlanta Model.

[Diesel]

Liking the Atlanta Model.

Smith and Al Horford ran a mean big-big pick-and-roll in Atlanta.

Exactly. That’s because Josh can really pass the ball. He can deliver. When you have frontcourt guys who can pass the ball … that’s why Marc Gasol is so, so good. That’s why with Vlade Divac and Arvydas Sabonis, centers who could really pass it, you don’t worry about what the system is, because whatever it is, they are going to figure it out.

[thecampster]

Liking the Atlanta Model.

I think you missed this quote

Of course, you don’t have the stretch [power forward] or the 3-point shooting [small forward] in that lineup, but what you do have in Monroe and Smith are two guys who really have high basketball IQs, and are very, very good passers. Even if you’re not spreading to the 3-point line, when you have high IQ guys playing together, they make plays for each other.

People on this board trashed Smith's IQ but around the league people covet his passing ability. In Atlanta we cringe when he runs past the point guard on the break but many other team's execs talk openly about Smith's ability to run the break.

I think we all got so used to seeing the bad we forgot the overwhelming impact he had. Dumars obviously watched. Alluding to the chemistry Smith/Horford had as big men means he did his homework. I'll be very interested to see if Al takes a step forward or back without Smith and the same for Monroe.

[Gray Mule]

Wow!

We watched Josh "The Brick" Smith all these years and didn't

know that he was THIS good! And smart, too!

Sounds like Detroit has now become the expected second place

finisher in the east. No one tops the King and his court.

[Diesel]

I think you missed this quote

People on this board trashed Smith's IQ but around the league people covet his passing ability. In Atlanta we cringe when he runs past the point guard on the break but many other team's execs talk openly about Smith's ability to run the break.

I think we all got so used to seeing the bad we forgot the overwhelming impact he had. Dumars obviously watched. Alluding to the chemistry Smith/Horford had as big men means he did his homework. I'll be very interested to see if Al takes a step forward or back without Smith and the same for Monroe.

BBIQ is not about how he passes, it's about when he passes and if he's willing to work in the frame of the offense. Smith was too busy trying to be "the man" that he never let LD's offense work the way it was supposed to work.

[DrReality]

Give him a month in Detroit and lets revisit this issue

[AHF]

People on this board trashed Smith's IQ but around the league people covet his passing ability. In Atlanta we cringe when he runs past the point guard on the break but many other team's execs talk openly about Smith's ability to run the break.

Who is raving about Smith's ability to run the break? I could see Joe D doing it as a sales job to the fans but who else?

Now Josh is a fantastic passer in the half-court game. He will get Monroe and Drummond some easy dunks this season off great passes. Horford will miss that if Millsap can't step up his passing this season, but no one will miss Josh's running of the fast break other than our opponents.

[gurpilo]

Smith is not as bad as you guys think, he is top30 talent, he is a very good defensive player and offensively he has some good tools, he will be hard to replace as he formed a good duo with Horford and without him we will probably be on the limit of missing the playoffs and with him Detroit will make it.Problem with Smith is that he is a tweener but I always will wonder how would look a team with Smith at PF and a true C like Howard, we failed to sign a true C all this years.

[MaceCase]

Who is raving about Smith's ability to run the break? I could see Joe D doing it as a sales job to the fans but who else?

Now Josh is a fantastic passer in the half-court game. He will get Monroe and Drummond some easy dunks this season off great passes. Horford will miss that if Millsap can't step up his passing this season, but no one will miss Josh's running of the fast break other than our opponents.

It's also questionable how effective all of that interior passing will be.....if there's no spacing.

What was common amongst Arvydas, Vlade and Marc?

A) They can all hit a midrange jumper themselves, even stretch out to the 3 meaning that defenses had to honor them for their shot thus opening the interior.

B) Were surrounded by a plethora of other shooters thus opening up lanes for them outside of the post.

I don't know how it escaped Dumass that the Grizzlies model took off when he gave them noted 3 point shooting SF Tayshuan Prince to help them create more spacing from the Gay days. At least he admits that his frontcourt won't be a permanent fixture throughout a game (perhaps even season) so he's actually giving Josh a chance to succeed with either of Monroe or Drummond rather than trying to squeeze them all in at once. His passing was never to the point where he could thread a needle but when you had Joe, Marvin, Jamal, Bibby, Kyle and even Al spacing the floor, it didn't have to be. Al is also tremendously good at working off the ball and getting open in the first place in what I call the "Reggie Miller effect". Is him getting assisted a result of his teammates getting him open or him getting his teammates easy looks as in, is Reggie worthless without Mark Jackson, Michael Williams(who), Vern Fleming(who), Pooh Richardson(who) and Jamaal Tinsley "spoonfeeding" him or was he responsible for allowing them to pad their assist totals?

[thecampster]

I did laugh a bit when he made the Celtics comparison. Josh = Larry Legend? I think not.

Defensively they may be in rare company but I think Joe was "indulging" a bit when he made that comparison.

[High5]

I think you missed this quote

People on this board trashed Smith's IQ but around the league people covet his passing ability. In Atlanta we cringe when he runs past the point guard on the break but many other team's execs talk openly about Smith's ability to run the break.

I think we all got so used to seeing the bad we forgot the overwhelming impact he had. Dumars obviously watched. Alluding to the chemistry Smith/Horford had as big men means he did his homework. I'll be very interested to see if Al takes a step forward or back without Smith and the same for Monroe.

I doubt any basketball mind wants Josh leading the break. It was those designed passes to Hoford in the halfcourt that he excelled at.

[AHawks89]

I think last year as a team, we ranked 3rd in fastbreak points and efficiency. Wish I could find individual stats for each player.

[Plainview1981]

I think you missed this quote

People on this board trashed Smith's IQ but around the league people covet his passing ability. In Atlanta we cringe when he runs past the point guard on the break but many other team's execs talk openly about Smith's ability to run the break.

I think we all got so used to seeing the bad we forgot the overwhelming impact he had. Dumars obviously watched. Alluding to the chemistry Smith/Horford had as big men means he did his homework. I'll be very interested to see if Al takes a step forward or back without Smith and the same for Monroe.

The combo of Josh and Al had it's advantages. It had it's weaknesses also and people also knew that.

Look, Josh had YEARS to play to the best of his abilities and he simply refused to play the right way. He knows/knew what he was doing wrong. He went a whole year with improving his shot selection, and yet he purposely reverted back to his brain dead shot selection the very next year.

The deal is that we see these guys 80 something times a year. Everybody gushed about JJ also... He surely didn't play any better with NJ this year. In fact, players almost never play better after they leave Atlanta.

-Joe

-Marvin

-Salim

-Walker

-Harrington

-Bibby

-Jordan Crawford

-Reef

-Glenn Robinson

Edited August 9, 2013 by Hotlanta1981

[Plainview1981]

I suspect that Josh will do mostly the same thing with Detroit.

If he changes his game with Detroit that will not make me wish we had kept him. It won't and I'll tell you that right now. He is aware if the weaknesses of his game. And he has been for years. The fact that he has not changed over the years goes to prove that he did not put the team first.

There is almost a ZERO chance that I will regret Josh being gone.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Hotlanta1981

[Plainview1981]

I doubt any basketball mind wants Josh leading the break. It was those designed passes to Hoford in the halfcourt that he excelled at.

Bingo.