Are any of the Rockets PF's in the top 20 in field goal attempts in the NBA? Please... go here, and tell me what Josh Smith is elite at? http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_leaders.html He's "ok" to "good" at blocks, and defensive rebounds... that's about it. In Houston, Josh Smith isn't going to get 15 shot attempts a game, and he will be playing next to a top 3 defensive rebounding big in Asik. Based on an educated guess at his true shooting percentage, Id say he's going to average around 14 PPG, 7 Rebounds, 1.5 blocks a game. If he's scoring more than that, its at the expense of offensive touches of Parsons, and Lin most likely. Is this the guy you guys really want to give max dollars to? My opinion is based on the production he has given over his career, you can get what he gives you from someone like Terrence Jones or Thomas Robinson in 2 or 3 seasons. If not, you can find a bargain out there like a Paul Millsap, or Carl Landry who can give you that same production at half the cost.
790 just had a clip of someone saying the following: Josh Smith doesn't think he deserves the max. That was started by a columnist and isn't true. Josh Smith deep down wants to be in Houston. He thinks it's the best fit for him and he'd love to be here, but it's up to Morey and his staff.
If we do get J. Smith you can best believe he will get his share of touches. The offense will be ran through him as well as Harden. Harden 1st option and Smith 2nd option.
At the expense of touches for Parsons, Lin, and also Harden like I mentioned earlier. Most importantly, his points will come at the cost of 3 point shots which is a HUGE part of the Rockets success this last year, and assumed to be a big part of their offense designed around the dribble penetration of Harden/Lin/Parsons. I've watched enough Josh Smith, and the stats back it up too to show that he's not an efficient enough scorer to get decent numbers on a limited amount of offensive touches. He's a good player, and would give an upgrade to what they have now at the PF spot, but I want everyone to put in perspective what kind of production Josh Smith would have if he's playing within the offense, and the amount as to which you are paying for that production. Basically, if he's playing outside of the offense, he's hurting the rest of your team, and the gameplan that has shown success in the past. If he's playing within the offense, he's not going to put up all-star level stats. I, for one, think you can get much better value out there in the NBA that is full of great value PF's like Carl Landry, Paul Millsap, etc.
We need one of the two bigs, to be a scoring big. I don't think we can win a title with Smith and Asik front court. But with Smith/Dwight or Asik and Aldridge or Love would work.
Very interesting. If Smith has singled out Houston like that in his mind, it's quite logical to deduce he's talked about it with his good buddy (Dwight), too.
I would absolutely cut down on Lin's shots in favor of Smith, specifically around the rim. Furthermore, I think there is a tendency for players to play better here than they do elsewhere for whatever reason (Martin, Brooks, Landry, Scola, Lowry, etc.). There is reason to believe that Smith's bad shot selection could be reigned in a bit here and he could flourish, although maybe not. The biggest need for us is defense and our weakest position is PF, which Smith is a perfect fit for. I am not exactly a Smith to Houston guy, but there is potential upside here.
I disagree. For one, Josh Smith is far superior to Landry on defense. Superior to Millsap, as well. Obviously Josh Smith is not worth the max. However, I do believe that he would fit very well in the Rockets system. You're saying he'd take away touches, which I'm not so sure of. You can utilize Josh Smith very effectively without running a lot of stuff for him -- but rather through him. Dribble hand-offs at the side or angle. Elbow/Corner/Horns sets. You can have him set pindowns or screens at the angle in early offense and roll hard. In the stretches you play Smith at the 3, you can play through him in the post. He's tremendous in transition. Puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses when bringing the ball up. Runs the floor like a deer. Very willing passer. Creates a lot of open looks for others. I also don't think his points come at the cost of 3 points shots. The Hawks played at an average pace and yet attempted the 4th most threes in the league last year. Obviously Josh Smith does not space the floor himself very well -- though he did show flashes from the (right) wing -- however he does create plenty of open looks for others. I'll probably do some Josh Smith write-up with strengths, weaknesses, fit, video analysis, etc... once free agency is a little closer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Josh Smith; "I never asked for the max. Those words never came out of my mouth."</p>— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SekouSmithNBA/status/304658234822778880">February 21, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Agreed. I really don't understand why so many people here are so big on Smith. I didn't watch the Pacers series, but looking at the box scores, outside of 1 game he looked pretty average. He's in the East, plays with Al Hortford, and still couldn't do any better than a 6 seed? This guy looks like a good-stats-on-a-bad-team guy, if I ever saw one. I'd rather roll the dice with one of the young guys. Plus it's not like adding him would win us a championship.
Yeah, what I was saying was in response to another poster in that he would somehow be getting you 18/8/2 stats wise. I do agree that Josh Smith as is, upgrades this team on the defensive end substantially. Also, what I was getting at earlier was that Josh Smith, if he's playing within the offense, would fit in very well scoring opportunistically. However, if your paying him max dollars, and your expecting him to get you 18/8/2 he's obviously going to be playing outside of the offense, and would be taking inefficient shots most likely. My opinion, is that he will be an upgrade, but based on the production he's going to give you stats wise, you can get that elsewhere for half the price, or within the roster you already have if one of the young PF's step up their game this offseason substantially.
Around the rim shots from Smith all day long if he's scoring within the offense. My biggest fear is the expectations of Josh Smith getting a large contract in Houston and taking the title "star #2" will force him into a larger role than he should have where he is forcing shots from the perimeter like he tends to do in Atlanta when their ball movement becomes well.... "sticky."
