Called what? They can't even offer as much as the Rockets. This is like the Hornets being interested in Lamarcus Aldridge.
He actually called that the Clippers would be interested in Smith and yes if they go ahead with Crawford+ filler for Haywood they can offer as much as us.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Clippers have spoken to the reps of free agent forward Josh Smith, per sources. Mutual interest.</p>— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) <a href="https://twitter.com/BA_Turner/status/618468798316679168">July 7, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
They watched Josh Smith in Game 6 of our playoff series. We shouldn't be surprised they want to sign him
Is Josh really willing to take similar money to have a decreased role (assuming he'd back up Griffin who plays 36mpg) on a worse team?
It's going to be really irritating if he bolts for similar money considering the fact that we're the team that nurtured him back to relevance... Hopefully, that means something to him.
really?? If we nurtured him back to relevance then he can't get a mle contract even?? In two days the fa ends. Or do you think that someone who earns 2.5 per is relevant? Or do you think that only the Rockets wanted to pay him after he was waived?
Harden is a hell of a distributor but Paul is one of the best that's ever played the game and hard to compare the two.
Saying Josh Smith has his warts is perhaps the understatement of the year. Teams are afraid to sign him because of his boom-or-bust style of play. That said, he was the laughing stock of the league whenever Detroit discarded him in such an unconventional manner. We're the team that scooped him up, offered him a rotation spot on a playoff team and gave him the opportunity to resurrect his career. Luckily, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Especially, considering the fact that he basically single-handedly won us a game in the Dallas and LAC series. All I'm saying is, if it were me, loyalty means something and the Rockets would be my preference. So if he leaves for similar money it's going to bother me, all things considered.
the end of fa approches and he can't find a contract. even for mle. so we didn't ressurect anything. There were like 5 teams that wanted to sign him after he was waived we didn't do him ANY favor in "scooping him up". He had many other options and all were contending teams. So in the end, we didn't help his carreer at all. He owes us NOTHING.
Smith could be a very good 6th man for them. He could run pick and rolls with Griffin, even more often than with Dwight. Doc Rivers is a good coach. He can use Smith effectively. I hope he will still come back to Houston.
Didn't the Clips try to sign him then, too? He chose us, but we weren't the only team interested, IIRC.
He proved he could be a valuable contributor to a team that made the Western Conference Finals. This is fact; not opinion. While I agree that he doesn't owe us anything, I'm saying if it were me and a team took a chance on me back whenever I was borderline radioactive, it would mean something to me. As would finishing something that I started. He's obviously free to do whatever he wants, though.
He owes us a little. I felt he really rehabilitated his image his half season with McHale and the locker room raving about and encouraging him to play HIS game while still being successful. There was the stigma that he was too arrogant to change his style of play (playing point forward and shooting 3s) because it was so ineffective. McHale let him be comfortable and be himself and that he could be good in the right role which is why Smith liked him so much. He was bad in the Clippers series until game 6 but McHale still had faith in him despite numerous boneheaded plays prior.
