Nice article about Smooth

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Soaring Hawk is stuff of legend

By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer

Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Officially, Josh Smith is here, in Sacramento, ready to take on the Kings tonight at Arco Arena from his high-flying forward spot with the Atlanta Hawks.

But really, he admitted Monday, he's still soaring, still hovering around the cloud nine regions for what he's done.

Sell It Yourself

And that's OK, because he can't seem to calm down his parents, either.

The soft-spoken 19-year-old rookie joked that security was nearly ushered in to calm his parents Saturday night in Denver, when he was in the midst of uncorking some of the most refreshingly original dunks in history.

His first stuff in the 2005 NBA All-Star Dunk Championship was of Dr. J vintage, from the foul line. Another was in honor of his Hawks mentor, Dominique Wilkins, including wearing the man's old Hawks jersey.

The capper was as comedic as it was daring. Smith sealed his championship by soaring over the seated Kenyon Martin in the lane. Martin offered a lob for Smith to flush, setting the Pepsi Center into a carbonated frenzy.

"Before that dunk, I was telling my wife, Paulette, in the stands to 'settle down, to be cool, stop hollering and screaming like that, woman!' " explained Smith's father, Walter, who flew in Monday with his son. "Then he did the Kenyon dunk, and I was the one jumping up and down. The excitement exploded inside me."

The elder Smith sees a lot of himself in his son, only in a more dynamic and emphatic form. Walter Smith dabbled in the ABA in the mid-1970s. He was good enough to get some team tryouts and some run with the father of dunk in Julius Erving - known as Dr. J - but didn't stick for long. What made this All-Star weekend sweeter for the elder Smith was he received a hearty handshake and seal of approval from Erving about the new dunk king.

"It was exciting for me to honor someone like Dr. J, and I know my dad was excited, too," Smith said.

Walter Smith drove a truck for a living in Atlanta before dedicating all his time to his son last year. And Walter did all he could to keep his son's head from spinning, from a whirlwind national recruiting bonanza with colleges across the land clamoring for the kid to becoming the No. 17 pick in the 2004 NBA draft by Smith's hometown Hawks.

At 6-foot-9 and all arms and legs and hops, Smith has worked his way into rookie coach Mike Woodson's starting lineup. Woodson, a former Kings guard, has challenged his prized pupil to broaden his game, to be more than just a dunker, to be the next in line to follow preps-to-pros impact performers such as Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire.

"The kid has made tremendous strides in terms of his basketball game; he has a long way to go," Woodson told Atlanta reporters last month. Smith is trying to comply, with Dallas as a semblance of proof.

He blocked 10 Mavericks shots Dec. 18, still the highest single-game mark in the NBA this season, making him the youngest player in NBA history to achieve the feat. Walter Smith said his son has been motivated by doubt, such as being deemed too green to earn the NBA green, at least by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, who said on draft day Smith was the "most likely to be a bust."

Smith will be a bust if he becomes a dunker only. He talks regularly with Wilkins about this and works to avoid that course. Wilkins may best be known for his aerial exploits, including winning two dunk contests, but "The Human Highlight Film" was much more than that. He didn't become the No. 9 scorer in NBA history and an NBA Hall of Fame finalist by just reaching the rim.

Smith is averaging 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots. His best game, outside of his block party against Dallas, might have been Jan. 7, when he had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals against the Kings in a three-point loss.

"I know I need to add to my game, to keep working and to get better," Smith said. "No one wants to be labeled as just a dunker."

[sick_five]

He has the potential, and it's nice to know that he wants to be a complete player. He is already outstanding defensively, especially for a 19 year old. If he continues to work hard, his shot will improve.

I have fantasies of Josh becoming the next Garnett. Oh man, how great would that be!

[Nicholasp27]

i read somewhere today from a pre-draft article that said smoove could be a mix of kg's defense and tmac's explosiveness...

let's see if he pans out that much...