He's an elite post and help defender. He's a terrible on ball defender which is what he was doing in Detroit.
No sure, but is that related to Detroit using him at the SF spot? Smith may not be quick enough to keep up with the speed of smaller guys.
How great would it be if this franchise anchored by Harden and coached by McHale becomes like the Spurs in the ability to "rehabilitate" cast-offs over several seasons.
Seriously, he was utilized as a first or second option on scoring in Detroit and with his inefficient scoring issues, it translated in to more scoring opportunities for opposing teams. Here, he is not tasked with being the go-to scorer like he was in Detroit (whether that is his own design or the coaching staff, I don't know).
Like the evolution of Smooth since he got here. Wanna see him keep progressing into a role similar to Ibaka's. If he can keep attacking the rim & blocking shots at a high level, we will be a front runner
Stop those curious threads.... the only guy I recall that is worthy of these threads was Billups. That guy got better with age.
Bingo.... but I blame that on mchale. He needs to tell him why he is here and his outside shooting is way down on the list. Brewer should have more shots than smith every game off the bench.
He is just not as good for a team as his abilities should warrant because of his lack of efficiency and being able to stay within his strengths as a player, which apparently he still doesn't know. He rises up with confidence, looks pretty in form as he clanks another jumper, and other than a few weak side blocks his D has been average. I still get the signing but at 7-5 since he got here, I believe the team is better off with a role player like Black playing instead. DD
No, not saying that, but upsetting the chemistry and balance that team had where roles seemed more clearly defined has hurt, people are still finding their way, especially Smith and Dwight, ATM. DD
black's energy and hustle was sort of contagious. is it just me or does it seem like the team lost some fire on the court since his departure?
100% my point, he knew his role, played good solid support type of basketball. He played within himself which allowed other players more opportunities to shoot, it is opposite of Smith, who is another ball dominant player and an inefficient one at that. IMHO, you look at the entire team dynamic, more than just what one player looks like, to me Smith looks the part, but his overall impact on the team is not as good as he looks, because of his inefficient style of play. DD
thing is the starts of games (when smith is on the bench) have been our lowest energy outputs the past few weeks, and it has been mostly a defense-related issue. it seems everyone except for maybe ariza has turned down the intensity a few notches. i can't say for sure what the reason is. could be chemistry with the new faces, could be the team being drained after making up for so many players being out before, could be mchale's 3yr extension allowing him to sit back. whatever the issue(s), homecourt in the playoffs not looking good for us.
Disagree on the Black thing. He did a good job while he was here, but he's FAR from a difference maker when everyone is healthy. He's just a guy. It's telling when the highest praise that you can give a guy are things like: hustle, plays within himself, energy, etc. Those things are no doubt important, but it takes a considerable amount more than that to be a contributing big on a championship contender. Talent that works hard will beat Mr. Intangible every time. Morey took a cheap gamble on a talented guy that could fit that bill. But on a different note, if someone could just get him to stop taking jumpers and 3s we may be on to something. There's absolutely NO reason for Smith to continue to shoot them. Even if he's the only person in the gym. I believe we're in agreement there.
Its not just them. Dwight's health could be a major issue, but Patrick Beverley, as much as I love the guy, has been increasingly bad on both ends. How long it takes for McHale to make some adjustments in that rotation will be interesting to note. If McHale will stay stubborn it may force Morey's hand to make a potentially unnecessary trade. And Shved's defense last night was horrid as well. Its hard to be a top 10 defensive team is the other team's PG can get in the paint anytime they want. Also, I'm seeing way too little space for Harden to operate in the P&R lately. McHale might have to figure something out with the spacing of the two bigs. I like the few sets they run out of Horns, but both bigs want to post up all the time. Its hard for McHale to stand up and say that Dwight really shouldn't be posting up but D-Mo should, but that's his job I guess. You're probably going to see D-Mo get moved further out of the paint to create more space for Harden earlier in the game. Just some random thoughts, but yes its mostly Defense related. Something is up with Dwight's health, and the increasingly bad perimeter D. And I don't think Alexey Shved is the answer.
I was surprised to hear Morey say something like "his three pointers are something we can work with." Personally, I'd prefer to never see him shoot a 3 again. That being said he is a surprisingly good facilitator and showed some good vision last night. He would have had a few more assists if not for fumbled passes between him and Dwight.
