I would say he was really really lucky in that game 5 of the Clipper series. We are only here because of him and Corey Brewer, yeah. But we are also down 0-2 because Josh Smith chucks up stupid shots, makes stupid passes, and turns over the ball a good percentage of the time when he has it.
After all that has happened this playoffs I will never question Smith's heart - he has earned that from me. His play is such a huge X factor though - if he is engaged the Rockets are such a hard team to beat. But last night the guy was so disengaged from the rest of the team. He attacked early for no reason barely let the Rockets set up any sort of offense once he got the ball. Took a lot of bad shots or quick 3s. One play he had a mismatch and Dwight was coming over to set a screen he waved Dwight up to shoot a 3 and missed it badly. Another play where Harden was next to him in the backcourt calling for the ball and he ignores James and throws the ball down court to only have it stolen. The lack of rebounding is purely something that tells me just lack of focus and effort. I can't question his hard I do question his effort last night. But I was also thinking maybe Josh needs the crowd behind him to play well. He played well in the first two games against Dallas behind that home crowd and it propelled him to do well in the rest of the series. The whole team came out lethargic against LAC - then Josh played decent in game 5 at home and then the rest is history. First series to start on the road maybe he just needs a coupe of games at home to get his Smoove back and the Rockets go from there. This is what I am hoping
It's going to come down to coaching. If Smith is off, physically or mentally, he needs to be promptly pulled from the game. I remember back to when John Starks shot the Knicks out of the Finals against Hakeem and what a big coaching blunder it was letting him go 2-17 or whatever it was, and then finally Hakeem just swatted him for good measure anyway, which was one of the happiest moments of my life.
This. Finally, someone with the balls to expect more from the team we've been supporting all of our lives
By the way, the guy who is killing us in this series is Brewer. His off ball defense includes gambling on the passing lanes and just losing his man via ball watch. If he doesn't pick it up, he will cost us the series.
The game Hakeem made the swat was a game Starks was going off in the 4th quarter. The 2-17 game was game 7.
Josh Smith isn’t ready for time with Rockets to end Josh Smith didn’t want to make it more complicated than it was. After all the pep talks, all the scouting reports, all the video, he just wanted another chance to play and another chance to do whatever he could to help his team recover from a crushing loss and a 3-0 deficit in the Western Conference Finals. That’s all Smith has wanted to do since joining the Rockets in December. And in a stretch where every game with the Rockets could be his last, Smith was entering Monday night’s Game 4 with a simple task in mind. “Just have to play, just have to win, that’s all,” Smith said. Smith has been a key for the Rockets since being waived by Detroit and choosing the Rockets as his next team. He helped fill a void at power forward when Terrence Jones was out indefinite-ly with a nerve injury. Later in the season, when Jones was back, Donatas Motiejunas went out with a back injury. Smith’s presence has been important since the day he arrived. His future with the team, however, is uncertain. He signed to the Rockets’ bi-annual exception for the remainder of the season in late December. He will go back to being a free agent this summer. Whether the Rockets can afford to keep him, remains to be seen. His impact for the Rockets has been clear. He stepped in all season to help with the Rockets seemingly constant injury woes. He was a big lift off the bench in a lot of the games and was one-third of the “headband of broth-ers” with Jason Terry and Corey Brewer, who were a force off the bench as the Rockets battled their way into the second spot in the Western Conference. “We don’t get to where we are this year without Josh,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. Then in the playoffs, when the Rockets needed a change, something to help them overcome a 3-1 deficit to the Clippers, Smith was moved into the starting lineup, where his strength – his passing ability – could help the Rockets. And he did. Smith’s ability to handle to the ball took pressure off other starters, including guard James Harden. “Josh is a really good passer – one of the best playmakers on the team,” Harden said. “We incorporated him into the starting lineup to be a ball mover and what not and he has done a good job.” Like he has with every other opportunity he has been given with the Rockets, Smith em-braced the starting role. “I feel good being able to be on the floor and contribute, no matter what position I’m in – just being able to make my imprint in the game,” he said. At the end of the day, that’s all Smith wants to do. After the season he has had from be-ing waived to making it farther than he ever had in the playoffs, Smith is focused on the game and nothing else at this point. He is proud of what he and the Rockets have accomplished. “All season long, everything we fought through, the resilience of this team, adversity all season long,” Smith said. “That should be a testament in itself. We had our backs against the wall and we recovered. “It’s important to go out there and not put all the pressure on yourself. You just have to play the game.”
That's certainly true and it makes you wonder what this season would have looked like had he not been released by Detroit.
Really hope Josh comes back next season. I think I'm in the minority, but I'd prefer him to Brewer if it came down to choosing between the two.
I would prefer Smoove to Brew as well but wouldn't be the least bit upset about if we don't retain either one
Im just gonna say it: I'm tired of Smoove's poor shooting judgment, turnovers, poor finishing around the rim, and terrible foul shooting. Agreed that he's been huge for us both in the reg seaon and the playoffs, but with Jones and dmo back, I don't see the point in spending the $7 mil it'll take to keep him. His passing has been key and he can play good defense when he wants to, but Im just tired of his poor jump shooting and lapses of concentration.
Agreed. Josh is too free-wheeling. He doesn't play within the system. What's killed us in these games has been, amongst other things, is too much ISO and bad/lazy passes out of an ISO attempt.
This dude is garbage. He reminds me so much of the insufferable Lin. He literally ignited the 2nd quarter run for the Warriors. His passes leave so much more to be desired.
Smith plays with effort no doubt . He is what he is , a somewhat athletic player with skills who sometimes makes plays due to his effort and skillset. Unfortunately he is not a smart player . He takes way too many risks and can shoot you out of a game as easily as he can keep you in it. At this stage of his career he is 100% a bench guy. He is a home run hitter like Lin . He has trouble quickly making the simple plays and this has hurt us tremendously.
We live and die by Smith. If he's hitting his shots, we win. If he misses, we lose. Unfortunately he misses more than he hits. For every one game where he hits everything, there are 5-6 bad games from him.
[/U] he was way more athletic than what we see this yr. i remember him winning the dunk contest and blocking shots like crazy. iirc bill worrell said he's playing on a bad knee or leg this yr. that was back in february.
