I think people need to watch the game not for just the points. the athleticism is something you can't put on the stat line. you can't put toughness on the stat line either. we dropped Parsons and Lin, who were questionable for their toughness and got in proven tough players like Brewer, Ariza, and Josh Smith. We don't need to completely rely on Harden on offense and completely rely on Howard on defense.
I agree. We shut them down with this line up Bev Harden Ariza Smith Howard With brewer and dmo chipping in. Brewer and ariza led everyone in plus minus at + 16 and +15. Defense wins championships.
We are still very reliant on Harden on offense, but let's see where Josh Smith fits in to fill that void. Need to put Canaan ahead of Shved ASAP!
There were still some very obvious chemistry and rotation issues with Smith, and that's to be expected since he had no practice at all with the team. However, his post-game interview with Matt was very promising and it looks like his head and mindset is in the right place. The team is very welcoming of him, and I'm sure he himself wants a fresh start with his career as well. All Smith needs to do is play good defense, rebound, PnR and cut. The points will come naturally to him, especially when you play next to a natural playmaker like Harden.
So Josh Smith becomes a FA after the season and can freely sign anywhere, right? And any money he earns, over the course of his Pistons' contract, is added on top of what he's already being paid by Detroit, right? If so, he's a one year rental, because some desperate GM will offer him more than what Morey is willing to pay him.
Blast from the past... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1EfYwBb2iho" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
he could get more right now if he was willing to sign with a non contender, basically no contender is going to have more than the mle next year.
He's not going to get the shots Smith gets. Explosive cuts, drives, and dunks are not in DMo's repertoire.
Great observations all around. I too noticed that Beverley had trouble getting us into our offense early and Smith was our safety valve when we couldn't get the ball to James cleanly. Memphis had a very good game plan, but having a guy at the 4 who can put the ball on the floor and get buckets or hit wide open teammates neutralized the effectiveness of that strategy somewhat. Of course the best case scenario would have been somehow figuring out how to get James open, but this just in, Tony Allen and Mike Conley are pretty good on defense. Had it not been for Smoove, we would have had to rely on Ariza to create off the dribble. I'll take Smith over that option personally. The only thing I didn't really like were the 3 point attempts, but on a night where Howard was rendered completely useless on offense, Smith was one of the guys that stepped up and saved our asses. Most of his misses around the basket where contested by Marc Gasol. You know...defensive player of the year Marc Gasol. I feel like he was also the victim of a few no calls.
I realize that 21 is quite a few shots but I was elated at the effort and night we got from Smith last night. We need people to take shots! I only had about 2 shots that made me cringe. Everything else was fine. If he is going to get that close to the basket he is going to need to keep shooting. He seemed to have a good impact on the game just on his reputation as a shot blocker alone. His defense will improve as he learns the scheme and his rebounding and passing were on point. I believe that this acquisition has been underrated (even by Rocket fans) Smith may be the piece we needed.
http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/nba_tv/2014/12/26/20141226-gt-arena-link-mchale.nba From 2:22 Is McHale's plan to play Smith as a 6th man?
I think something that is very underrated on this forum is the fact that confidence plays a huge role in determining how a player will play. Smith on the Pistons was not confident nor was he comfortable (playing out of position), but when he comes here our staff instills confidence in the players and puts them in a position wherre they can succeed (as what happened last night). The reason people may see a whole new smith is because it'll be a whole new situation thats 180 degrees from where he was.
Their "jump shot" definition must be a bit different than mine. Smith had four in the game: 1 - The Dirk fadeaway in the game: he made it, but man I was holding my breath. 2 - The buzzer beater three: it was a buzzer beater, and he couldn't get a layup. Considering he was able to get his feet set in short time, I actually consider that a good shot in context. 3 - Airball three. Enough said. 4 - Midrange miss. I felt like he could have taken it to the hole, but it was an open long two. While his percentages are not that good, a defense does not give somebody who can make that shot a wide open look. A 35-40% in game shot usually translates to a (roughly) 70% conversion in practice. Many coaches in the collegiate level actually set a baseline that a player must shoot above 60% of a certain shot in practice to be able to shoot it in the game. In this case, lets say it's 50% because of the Josh Smith affect. I can live with this shot. It is 1 and 3 that needs to be eliminated. 2 is not a norm shot, and 4 is not really a bad shot. I'd say that his shot selection was pretty good for the first game. Based upon his track record at Atlanta, where he was in a similar role, nearly every paint shot he takes is a good shot.
Exactly! !! When ever you acquire a talented guy like this, roles have to be examined and sometimes changed. But sometimes change is good and for the first time out you couldn't have asked for more.
He didn't get a lot of touches because he was playing soft and timid. Smith got that many touches because Mchale was trying to take advantage of the mismatch. Dude had Prince and Carter on him. Plus Howard was in foul trouble. Smith won't be taking that many shots on a consistent basis Bobbythegreat and you know that.
So you don't think he had productive years in Atlanta? I would just like to point out some discrepancies. I would say the Rockets could really use that; this is not remaining "to be seen". Also, consider that he never had a shot-blocking center like Dwight behind him. No, Drummond cannot even hold Dwight's jockstrap. Also, did you utilize Josh Smith converting 67% at the rim as a bad stat, which includes the Detroit years? Come on... It is also difficult to be a shot blocker when playing out of position. To say he does not play elite-level defense is inaccurate. In this game tonight (just off the top of my head): 1) The TA travel (uncalled). 2) VC airball in the clutch. 3) Forcing Mike Conley to shoot 4 contested long two's off switches. 4) Contesting 2 Gasol misses. 5) Making Prince look like he should retire early. 6) Actually grabbing contested defensive rebounds. http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Josh-Smith-4421/ If you did not see his effort last night, then we must have been watching a different game. So you are trying to convince us that Josh Smith has regressed in his passing ability and defense, both that improve with more experience? Generally, these skills improve as one ages. The difference between Jones and Smith is the first step and aggressiveness, which is mentioned several times in this short excerpt. http://nbascoutingreport.blogspot.com/2008/05/josh-smith.html This speed and athleticism illustrated in a first step, useful in a face up game, is what also fits nicely in any system, including the Rockets. While many gush for a stretch four that can stretch the floor, having Josh Smith out there has an equal, if not greater, affect. Quite frankly, defenders still close out to him on the 3 pt land, and if they help off, they have JSmoove coming with a full head of steam. Jon Leuer figured that out quickly when he doubled Harden in the post and had Smith flying over him for a bucket and foul in the 2nd quarter. TJones is athletic. I like TJones; I really do. But he does not have that first step and current ability like Josh Smith. Boris Diaw says hi. Monta Ellis says hi. Playing with better talent and organization often translates to increased percentages and a better shot selection. He was not an inefficient scorer in Atlanta when the Hawks were a playoff team. Every player has their weaknesses. Nobody is perfect. I give a pass on Dwight's FT, Dmo's soft play, Ariza's and Bev's lack of playmaking, etc. Once again, the horrible shot selection is minimized with the role he will be playing on the Rockets. Did it look like his athleticism was in severe decline? In addition, the size, length, strength, toughness, and assertion does not disappear with age. Once again, 80% of his time might have been at the 4 (I'll take your word), but what role did he play? The role that he will not be playing with the Rockets, and the role he excelled in with the Hawks. And Smith's overall track record speaks greater than the disaster in Detroit: Also, let's paint the context of his first game: Signed in the morning against arguably the best defense in the league. Memphis makes people look bad. Look at Dwight. Harden has had many struggles against them as well. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201304120HOU.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201303290MEM.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201212220HOU.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201211090MEM.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201311250MEM.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201312260HOU.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201401240HOU.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201401250MEM.html We have heard your opinion. I think it is time that you move on from this thread. Yes, actually http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=251910 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=251988 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=252043 DMo did not have a good game in any stretch of the imagination. He looked awful out there. Clutchfans.
That's not really true, they just weren't going to him. That was the mismatch they should have exploited. Anyway it doesn't matter because they managed to win anyway, I was just pointing out that it was a bad habit to get into.
Mainly he can't shoot and he takes too many shots. Also I don't think McHale is as much of a "ruler" as past coaches to keep him in line. We had chemistry problems last year because certain players didn't get along. The start of this year shows once those players left, chemistry was awesome. Don't need any BS.
