Smith defending Davis/Aldridge/Lee/Ibaka/Griffin/Duncan>>>>>>DMo or Jones guarding Davis/Aldridge/Lee/Ibaka/Griffin/Duncan /thread
I see him as a PhiSlammaJamma type player and this is more like a PhiSlammaJamma type team now. The team is now long, quick, and athletic. We can run and dunk. We play athletic defense. We play horizontal ( Harden, Brewer ) and vertical ( Howard, Smith ). We are less the 3 point shooting freak show than before. Our challenges will be in the half court and FT shooting, but we do have three decent half court players ( DMO, Harden, and Howard ) so that can be overcome. This is a really good team with Smith. Intimidating. Aggressive. In your face. But as with Jamma, the offensive execution as times will fail. We are however superior athletically and that I do believe will take us to the finals. It will be difficult for the Spurs to out execute us now. Our biggest challenge will be the Cavaliers and the stopping Russell Westbrook.
Did Alexander ever pay the Luxury tax? What does imply he will? He is among the poorest of NBA owners.
Absolutely (and you didn't mention Z-bo). Whatever matchup nightmares we had in the past disappear with a defensive presence at PF. I really want to see a Rockets/Clippers matchup just to confirm they don't still own us because of Griffin.
All he needs to give us is the defense he has been playing, and clean up his playmaking (turnovers). If he can do that he will be perfect. He's not going to be an All-Star player, but he's what we needed out of a PF (minus the shooting). On another note, Harden's minutes have been 36 minutes and less (would've played 36 had Memphis game not gone to OT). Albeit we lost to Wiz, it was actually something seeing our bench carrying the team.
This is the Josh Smith I like, 7 shots or less please. He needs to be our 4th option behind Harden, Donuts, Dwight, tied with Brewer, Ariza, or whoever else is hot.
That year we got Artest I believe we paid some. He's never been an ultra-cheap owner, selling off picks or anything like that. He's paying Scola 3.5 million this year. They've come within a hair of making moves that would put them into the tax (Bosh+Parsons, trading for Smith, etc).
Morey's interview on Rockets.com spells it out pretty well: Smith is a top level defender and a tremendous value for what the Rockets spent on him-- The $2M Bi-Annual Exception and Tarik Black. Of course, if Smith plays offense at the level that he played at in Detroit-- which is basically extremely negative, his negatives may well outweigh the positives and he won't contribute much. But at long as you can find a way to use him where he is basically neutral on offense (where he was at in Atlanta, when his nice finishing and passing skills was offset by bad shot selection and some bone-headed TOs) and you don't need to bench him just so that the offense can live, Smith can the difference maker in a playoff series. What else was Morey gonna get for $2M and Tarik Black?
Pretty much this. We shouldn't be running ANY plays for Smith. He needs to get his points with fast-breaks, put backs and maybe some cuts to the basket. That is all.
Crazy thinking of how talented a player he is vs. what James Harden is now. What nebula did this guy come from to understand the game like this?!?
Funny how y'all still think he will fit, he's gunna get exposed here in Houston he's a cancer to any team
