I just noticed that Steve Smith is looking at teams like Denver, Miami, Lakers(can only offer1 mil), and others. He and his agent are hoping for a contract between 2-4 mill. for 3-4 years. He is 34 and has had some history of bad knees. He also is a former allstar with play-off exp. and one of the best 3point shooters in the NBA. They want a contract like that but may have to settle for one of less time and money. The point is, we need a small foward!!!!! He would be a hell of alot cheaper and more athletic than Rice. Sign Smith trade Rice we don't down grade any but lower our payroll. Or we could keep them both for protection from injury we know Rice will have. I wouldn't mind the idea of a starting lineup of Yao, Griff, Smith, Cat, & Steve. We would have a shooter in the starting lineup and two on the bench and it wouldn't break us if we signed him for a few mil.
there was a reason why steve kerr got more playing time than smitty did last year in San Antonio. 'nuff said.
Smith is at a point in his career where isn't in starting shape. He's still good as a spot shooter off the bench but I'm afraid he isn't what he used to be. Personally, I'd must rather see someone like Nachbar step up. Or hell, just play Taylor and Griffin together.
It's like having another Glen "cooked" Rice PART 2! We don't need him but if he's cheap, I'll go 4 that.
I just don't think Smith is the answer and I don't think it's doable from a practicality standpoint. None of the teams with enough cap space (Spurs, Jazz, Heat) to absorb Glen Rice $9+m contract have a use for him. In the case of the Jazz and Heat, they need players to fill out a roster and $9m goes a long way to that end. Adding Smith to the roster takes PT away from Boki. Now is the time to find out whether Nachbar can play NBA ball or not. Next season is too late. If the Rox were able to find a trade partner for Rice it would most likely be a role playing starter coupled with another bad contract. Given we have Yao, Francis and Cat starting and Pike as an FA signing, my guess is that one of the 2 incoming contracts would almost have to be a true SF. This negates a need for Smith. But the best reason to not sign him is the one mentioned earlier in this thread - Smith can't get PT over Steve Kerr.
steve smith does not suck now. most of you are only saying that because 1) he didn't play a lot for the spurs; and 2) because he allegedly is fragile. WRONG. you are lacking on facts. the reason steve smith did not play much for the spurs had absolutely nothing to do with his ability to play or his physical conditioning. steve smith is and always has been a wonderful shooter with a very good post game. the reasons steve didn't play in san antonio are multiple: a) emergence of steven jackson (defensively & offensively) b) emergence of manu ginobili (defensively & offensively) c) good shooting of bruce bwen (coupled with good defense) d) pop's doghouse jackson & ginobili were more than expected on the defensive end for pop, and were steps above smith's abilities defensively. bwen's shooting (coupled with his already expected defensive prowess) was a coup for pop, also. when you have these 3 players manning the 2 & 3 spots, where are the minutes for steve smith? nonexistant. last is pop's doghouse. smith spoke out to the media (at the beginning of the season, IIRC) about wanting a contract extension, despite the fact that the spurs had told his agent from jump start that he was getting a 2 year deal and nothing more. once smith spoke out, he was officially in pop's doghouse. the few garbage time minutes that jackson/ginobili/bwen did leave then went to danny ferry. oh, and smith's knees are fine. nothing wrong with them at all. in conclusion, signing steve smith would be a fine pickup for the rockets, assuming they do their homework....
allright steve, but why bring you in when we already got rice. it makes no sense to bring in another 3 who cant give you 30 mins.
because i'm...i mean...err....because 1) rice won't last more than 55 games 2) you can NEVER have enough shooters when you have a good big man 3) he's a competent backup 2 & 3 4) you have smith & pike locked up for 2-3 years (2 very good shooters that can play together) for very cheap salaries. at the very least, your backup 2 & 3 would be set for two to three years. rice is gone after this upcoming season, along with his $9M salary. that'll leave us with ONE proven pure shooter - pike. if the opportunity to sign another one for 2-3 years at ~$3M per arises, you take it.
I watched Steve Smith play enough in the past 2 years to know that he is far from the top of his game offensively and defensively. He is not any better than Rice, maybe even Boki. For sure not as good as Pike and Cat who can play minutes at the 3. We have the offense. What we need is defense. We only have 1 slot left for the 2, 3. When opp lights up Rice and Boki, JVG will want to bring in a defensive stopper. He won't like it if Steve is his only choice on the bench.
rF, while it is highly debatable if rice is better than smith, it really doesn't matter. the fact of the matter is that rice missed 20 games last year and 62 the year before that. the fact of the matter is that rice has averaged 26 mpg the past 2 seasons. so, when (not if, but when) rice is out of commission, we'll be left with one pure shooter - pike. if pike is our starting 3, boki becomes our backup 3. i hope boki is successful, but i wouldn't mind steve smith as a cheap, good shooting, insurance policy. if pike is our starting 3, who is our backup 2? francis? i hope not. that means more 40+ minute games for steve and more moochie-time. besides, rice is gone (at the very latest) by the end of the season, which leaves us with one pure shooter again - pike. why not have a second one at a cheap price tag?
ALSO...Steve Smith is a nice guy and is a good mentor to have around. He helped Stephen Jackson and Manu Ginobili during the season. He's always ready to play... I would love to have him playing 20 minutes a game here...or maybe he does suck? He can't suck as much as Nachbar though. But Steve Smith would be a great guy to have on our team.
Steve Smith is decent, but when younger and equally capable SFs are available, does it make sense...We should sign one of the following (in this order) Jimmy Jackson Stephen Jackson Lee Nailon Darvin Ham Kendall Gill
I like Steve's game, always have. But he is not worth 2-4 mill for 3 or 4 years. I doubt he'd sign for cheap if he knew he would be the 3rd guy off the bench for the sf or sg position, unless Rice gets injured. Unless Rice really will be gone soon, he just isn't a good fit imo.
jimmy jackson - staying in sacramento stephen jackson - looking for a $4-5M long term deal lee nailon - outside shot is unreliable darvin ham - see lee nailon, except insert "inside and" at beginning of sentence. plus, he's more of a 4 than a 3. kendall gill - would be ok, but i'd prefer the pure shooter for this team. CriscoKidd, if smith would take ~$6-7 million over 3 years, it'd be a steal.
If the Rox plan on dealing Rice before the season starts, or giving Rice no playing time(something I wouldn't at all be opposed to, esp if they brought in Steve), then I agree, he would be a steal. But signing him to a pretty decent deal to have him play 11th man and count on him to be a good rotation player 2 or 3 seasons from now when Rice will definitely be gone, eh. Swing players are easy to find. If the Rox are in need of a good backup for the future I'm sure they can find a cheaper one next offseason either through the draft or through fagency.
Let's get Qyntel Woods. Weren't the Rox high on him in last year's draft before Boki blew them away at training camp?
I agree with most of what you're saying... I don't understand why we haven't pursued Jim Jackson...ESPN reported that the Twolves are discussing a deal with him...He would come cheap, and we still have half of our MLE and the $1mm exception... ESPN: "On Thursday, Mark Termini, the agent for guard Jim Jackson, said the Wolves have discussed signing his client. Jackson, 32, was a key reserve for the Sacramento Kings last season, averaging 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. The Wolves still have their $1.5 million salary cap exception to offer. Teams also can offer the veteran's minimum, which would be $1.07 million for the 11-year veteran."
rice's contract expires after this coming season, not 2 or 3 seasons from now. and, frankly, steve smith is in no position to demand rotation minutes on anyone's roster. his leverage is zero. rocksolid: sacramento is clearing salary (in part) so that they can retain jimmy jackson. it is a key reason why they got rid of turkey glue...because jackson has been a better player.
I dunno about Qyntel. Do we really need an unproven head case on our team? And how are we even going to pick him up? Btw...tierre...who? Are you seriously a fan of his? Was he a superb bench warmer? Was he good practice for Stevie to run all over? What did he do on the Rockets to make you like him enough to make a user name after him?
