I respectfully disagree with Josh Smith as a top 10-15 player. Top 30 maybe, but no better than that. He has never taken the next step into the upper echelon high-school to NBA superstars like LEbron James and Kevin Garnett before him. J-Smoove has many skills, is super-athletic, plays defense better than most stretch 4's and can run the floor with the best of those players that have comparable size. But Josh Smith is a chucker. He still hasn't developed a steady jumper and he still believes he is a 3-point shooter which has never done anything but detract from his overall value. He is a very good defender, can block shots, can put up good steal numbers for a guy his size, can score out to 18-ft. with regularity, can post up, can rebound on both ends, though his offensive rebounding leaves much to be desired, as does his FT shooting after nine years and thousands of trips to the charity stripe. Bottom line is J-smoove considers himself to be a Top 10 talent and will require Top 10 $ along the lines of a max contract for some one with his amount of experience. He is not worth that kind of organization-crippling contract and will only ruin a team's chances of building a championship contender if they are foolish enough to sign him to the contract he seeks but doesn't come close to deserving. Josh Smith I would take at $6-7 million per year, but no more. He simply is not a #1 team leader and can't be the focal point of a team building for a future in which they hope to contend for chamionships for many years to come. He is a solid #2 option if he reigns in his piss-poor shot selection and focuses on using his still-fantastic athleticism and leaping ability to crash the boards and block a few shots per game. He is a great ball player, but far from a top 10 baller.
His probable max contract demands and the damage it would do to the Rockets' cap flexibility and ability to sign a player deserving of a max contract in the near future(hopefully) is the #1 reason why I do not support the possible acquisition of J-Smooth. He is supremely talented, but not enough so that the Rockets should hamstring their future bu caving in to his salary demands. There are probably about 10-12 players in the league worthy of a max contract, and he is not one of them. He never has been, and never will be. An All-Star, yes. But not a foundation piece or a player that can propel Houston into the upper echelon of the Western Conference's elite. The only way he could come to Houston and help us is as a #3 option, and #3 options are not max-type players, no matter what his inflated opinion of his contractual worth.
