What happened to Josh?

[IheartVolt]

Came into the league athletic and talented , Now he is just taking up space on the Pistons roster. Everything just seems to have completely derailed for the guy and that saddens me.

Now I know a few on here will say " yea I always knew he is a bum " but most on here , including myself , thought he was heading for big things at one time. What the bleep happened to this cat? Was Woody just that awful at developing talent? Is Josh just that thick skulled and cannot be coached?

I bring this up because the more I think about this guy and his situation , well the more tragic it seems to me. It brings me down a little to be honest..

[AHF]

It makes me sad, too.  Bad coaching and bad basketball IQ have combined to make him a liability at this point which is crazy given his size, athleticism and passing abilities.  All those years of Woody and Drew defending his *right* to take 3's and his blind inability to understand how detrimental it is to his game and his team have taken their toll.  He could have been something but it looks like that will never come to pass now.

[BrazilianHawk]

I think after that season when he shot, like, a dozen three-pointers the entire season, blocked a lot of shots, rebounded a lot and had his best FG% while scoring in bunches (2009/10 if memory serves well) no coach can take the blame for he being what he is.

 

Perhaps after that season he decided he was better that he really is, and proceeded to kill the team. I definitely don't miss him.

[Duff_Man]

He never had any fundamental skills other than "jump high". He can't shoot, can't pass, can't defend outside of 5 feet, can't dribble, and his brain is completely broken. 

 

But he dunked, so yay!

[nathan2331]

He never had any fundamental skills other than "jump high". He can't shoot, can't pass, can't defend outside of 5 feet, can't dribble, and his brain is completely broken.

But he dunked, so yay!

Almost everything you said was incorrect.

[GameTime]

Quite simply he fell in love with the jump shot.

[AHF]

I think after that season when he shot, like, a dozen three-pointers the entire season, blocked a lot of shots, rebounded a lot and had his best FG% while scoring in bunches (2009/10 if memory serves well) no coach can take the blame for he being what he is.

 

I do still blame the coaches collectively.  Woody defended his 3pt shooting for years and finally got him in the right direction that season and then Drew stepped in and did the worst thing possible by letting Josh have free reign to resume shooting 3's and even expand on them.  

 

If he would have had a good, strong coach who cared about offense then I think that person would have either straightened him out early in his career or benched/traded him.  Instead, he was generally given the freedom to shoot 3's.  I can pull the quotes from Woody, Drew, etc. but just take it for granted that they not only let it happen but publicly defended it.

 

Josh does bear the biggest blame in my mind but the coaches have been a contributing negative factor.

[benhillboy]

Woody did a damn good job getting through to him in 09 where almost his entire stat line looks like an aberrant outlier.

It's easy to say had he been drafted by a Pop or a young FA under Carlisle we wouldn't be having this discussion. His NBA coaching, enabling, and the fact that all the GMs who signed him are in exile play a part. I think the main simple factors are Josh not being very bright and his AAU/ Oak Hill background didn't do him any favors. It's miraculous and fortunate to me that he hasn't had a single off-court incident.

[Sothron]

I think coaching is partially to blame, like the 10% of the blame. The other 90% lies squarely on his shoulders. This cat simply does not and never will get it. When he gets in the post or attacks the rim he is almost unstoppable. When he starts shooting threes or long two then he is almost completely stoppable.

 

I said this when he was here and I say it still: never in all my years of watching sports did I see one guy that truly could have been great literally destroy his own career by continuing to do the one thing he simply can not do well and ignoring the other things he can do extremely well.

 

I feel sorry for Hawks fans. We had to suffer through this bonehead while screaming at him to get it while he simply jutted his jaw forward and said "Kick rocks" and kept bombing away.

[Guest]

I remember saying back then - we'll look back and say 'if only'

[Guest]

I think Smoove was a guy that needed a couple years of college to build fundamentals...he was just raw, athletic but very talented. Wonder what he might be today with a couple years at Duke or a college with a great coach?

[Plainview1981]

I think after that season when he shot, like, a dozen three-pointers the entire season, blocked a lot of shots, rebounded a lot and had his best FG% while scoring in bunches (2009/10 if memory serves well) no coach can take the blame for he being what he is.

 

Perhaps after that season he decided he was better that he really is, and proceeded to kill the team. I definitely don't miss him.

 

This.

 

I don't believe that he unaware than the 3pt shot is not his best weapon... He just wants to take them.

[Gray Mule]

Stubborn - - Bull headed - - Self centered.

 

Coaches tried to get to him.  He had a temporary improvement.  Then he let it lapse.

 

At one time, I sold insurance.  If anyone lets their insurance policy lapse, then it

is no good, it's null and void.

 

Why did he let it lapse?  Only he knows.  That part is 100% on him.  and now, he

either can't or will not take coaching or at least that's the way we, the fans, saw

things when he was here.

 

His stats now worse now than they were when he was here.  I remember him saying,

"The reason I miss so many free throws is the lack of concentration."  That could

be said for much of his game.  The mental part of his game is just slow. 

[IheartVolt]

I think after that season when he shot, like, a dozen three-pointers the entire season, blocked a lot of shots, rebounded a lot and had his best FG% while scoring in bunches (2009/10 if memory serves well) no coach can take the blame for he being what he is.

Perhaps after that season he decided he was better that he really is, and proceeded to kill the team. I definitely don't miss him.

I agree about not missing him on the floor. Just think its shameful he never developed beyond what he is now

[IheartVolt]

Stubborn - - Bull headed - - Self centered.

Coaches tried to get to him. He had a temporary improvement. Then he let it lapse.

At one time, I sold insurance. If anyone lets their insurance policy lapse, then it

is no good, it's null and void.

Why did he let it lapse? Only he knows. That part is 100% on him. and now, he

either can't or will not take coaching or at least that's the way we, the fans, saw

things when he was here.

His stats now worse now than they were when he was here. I remember him saying,

"The reason I miss so many free throws is the lack of concentration." That could

be said for much of his game. The mental part of his game is just slow.

Perhaps you are 100% correct mule. Its just a shame for a total package to lack the most important part of any player , a reasonable thought process and a willingness to learn.

[IheartVolt]

I do still blame the coaches collectively. Woody defended his 3pt shooting for years and finally got him in the right direction that season and then Drew stepped in and did the worst thing possible by letting Josh have free reign to resume shooting 3's and even expand on them.

If he would have had a good, strong coach who cared about offense then I think that person would have either straightened him out early in his career or benched/traded him. Instead, he was generally given the freedom to shoot 3's. I can pull the quotes from Woody, Drew, etc. but just take it for granted that they not only let it happen but publicly defended it.

Josh does bear the biggest blame in my mind but the coaches have been a contributing negative factor.

At some point you would expect someone like Josh to accept reality. He just continues to play a part he was not meant to and it is infuriating. Yea at some point the problem goes beyond coaching and falls squarely in the lap of said players ability in making choices

[MaceCase]

Blame coaching all you want when you had guys on the cheapest and shortest deals in the league trying to correct a guy who had a group of enablers including one Michael Gearon Jr. telling him he's the next best thing to Lebron. Your bosses' word doesn't mean jack when you have your bosses' boss undermining them, you think it's any coincidence that the first time Josh was disciplined since what, the OT Philly game way back when was after Ferry and Levenson ruled the roost? They can't exactly be encouraging you that much either otherwise why hire a "coach" over the summer in the "Basketball Whisperer" whose only words of advice was to NOT look to your coach or teammates or listen to the crowd for approval after a jumper? Sure Woody and LD didn't PUBLICLY condemn it but do you think that had more to do with approving Josh's jumpers or fearing for job security and a very temperamental player who could sink them on the court further jeopardizing said job security?

[Duff_Man]

Almost everything you said was incorrect.

Do tell what part of that is incorrect?

[Eddielives]

Isn't it true that his father reportedly enabled his bad habits?  I seem to remember reading one time that he told his son to keep doing what he's doing or something like that in regards to the criticism of his jump shooting.

[nathan2331]

Do tell what part of that is incorrect?

Sure. Josh Smith not being able to defend outside outside of 5 feet is ridiculous. He is a great passer at his position, his time in Atlanta shows that. He could also bring the ball up the court, even if he did it all to often. The guy has skills even if he refuses to use them properly, So don't make him sound like a rookie Gerald Green.

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