So much talent…..Wasted. Josh Smith should be a walking triple double in the NBA. At 6’9″ and 225lbs and all the athleticism anyone could dream of at that size, Josh Smith should be a player coveted by all 32 NBA teams. Instead, he is a bit of a head case that likes to shoot threes instead of using his talent to get to the basket and make plays for others. His game has developed into that of a lazy outside shooter that can’t shoot from the outside. Coming into the league, Smith had so much potential as a raw talent out of high school. Throughout his career he has shown flashes of what he could be, yet he never lived up to the level of success he should have. Now he has the Pistons giving him $26 million just to go away.
Getting release just doesn’t happen to NBA players. Being that they have guaranteed contracts, most are usually traded for something. It’s rare that you see a team give a player money just to be done with him that wasn’t done via the amnesty clause. This tells you not only that signing Smith was a bad idea from the beginning, but also that he must be a problem in the locker room and for the organization. Detroit is a bad situation yes, but a 10-year veteran should be conducting himself as such at this point in his career.
He is averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and almost 2 blocks this season, which aren’t really bad numbers, but you have to question his effort. Detroit is 5-23 and their season is already pretty much over. Stan Van Gundy finally realized that Smith isn’t going to make this team any better and wanted to give more minutes to the young guys on the squad, but you have to try to move the guy. You have to imagine that Van Gundy worked the phones and came up short. Smith’s contract would cap strap any team that took on his contract and that’s asking a lot for a guy that isn’t playing up to his potential and quite frankly doesn’t wish too. Smith should be putting up Lebron-type numbers. Not saying that Smith is on Lebron’s level, but there is no reason for Smith not to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, all while shooting over 50%. Someone with his talent could do that effortlessly. This is why Josh has become so disappointing as a player. As a fan of his game, its hard to watch.
So where does he land? He won’t be looking for money, at least not this season. Some reports say the Clippers have some interest but the best case scenario is for him to land with the Rockets, a team that wanted him when he was last a free agent. He probably didn’t sign with them originally because Detroit decided to over pay. Houston is a place where Josh could come in and start, play with his former AAU teammate Dwight Howard and have the opportunity to work with Kevin Mchale and Hakeem Olajuwon to develop a post game and potentially revitalize his career. Then you have the Knicks and Lakers that come up in every free agent conversation but both scenarios are unlikely.
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