We are not yet so desperate to dump draft picks or to dump Wallace...And god, why oh why would we want the inefficient Josh Smith on the books for $14 MILLION PER YEAR FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS! Ugh....
THIS
3 awful deals. At one point Green for Smith would have been a good deal but not with the way Smith played last year and for that contract of his.
Because Josh Smith is a lot like Rajon Rondo in that he is an elite athlete and one of the most skilled (and versatile) players in the league at his position. He can impact gamers in ways that few other players can because he is basically a walking triple double waiting to happen.
But the problem with Smith is that he absolutely must be in the right situation in order for him to excel, and this has led to him struggling in some of his past roles (like last season).
Here are some reasons why we might want Smith on this team.
1 - Inside scoringFor his career Josh Smith he has shot 67% from within three feet of the basket. Over his past three seasons he has shot between 70% - 77% from that range.
That is absolutely elite efficiency around the basket no matter how you look at it, and it explains why Josh Smith has shot a much higher percentage from the field in the seasons where he played PF (as opposed to the seasons where he played SF).
Smith's worst shooting spots are 10-16 feet, and from three. When he's playing the SF spot he is naturally going to spend more time on the perimeter, and so it's inevitable that he's going to take more of those shots...and less shots around the basket. This will impact Josh Smith's game more than most players because there is such an extreme swing between his percentage inside the paint (67%) versus his percentages from the perimeter (~26%).
It's the reason why Josh Smith played so horribly last season in Detroit - Josh Smith struggles at SF the same way Avery Bradley struggles at PG. Put him at the PF spot and he's a different beast entirely.
2. Interior DefenceLast season Josh Smith (statistically) ranked among the upper echelon of NBA players in terms of Opponent FG% around the basket. From what I recall he was top 15 or top 20 in the entire NBA and above guys like Omer Asik, Tyson Chandler, etc.
Over his career Josh Smith has never averaged less than 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes, and he's average >2.2 blocks per 36 in five of his ten seasons as a pro.
Josh Smith may only be 6'8" and 225 pounds, but regardless of his size he is absolutely and unquestionable one of the leagues elite rim protector. This is something that would be very helpful on a Celtics team that currently has absolutely zero rim protection.
3. Perimeter defenceNot only do we struggle with our rim protection right now, but we also struggle with our perimeter defence from out bigs. Neither Olynyk or Sully is especially mobile physically, and both guys struggle to defend quicker bigs on the perimeter.
Josh Smith has the combination of length, strength and quickness to hold his own against any big man on the perimeter. Guys like Theddous Young will blow straight by Sully or KO every single time, but he can't do that against Josh Smith. More importantly, Smith has the combination of strength/quickness/size/length that allows him to switch onto quicker small forwards (like Durant) or stronger SF's (like Lebron / Carmello) if he gets forced to switch on a P&R. Right now the only guy we have who can do that is Brandon Bass.
4. Transition GameIt is no secret that Brad Steven's game plan today is to run, run and run some more. If you have both Sully and Olynyk on the court, that's two guys who are going to contribute little in the transition game.
Josh Smith on the other hand may well be the scariest transition player in the league not called Lebron James. He's scary fast end-to-end, he can finish above the rim, and he's strong enough that if you try to take that charge...you're going to feel it. Not only is Josh Smith good at running, he loves to do it. He's an excellent transition player, and would be a perfect fit alongside the likes of Jeff Green, Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Rajon Rondo.
5. Passing Ability Not only has Brad Steven's stressed the desire for the uptempo/transition game this year, he has also openly expressed his desire to focus on ball movement and constant motion/passing.
Only twice in his entire career (his rookie and sophomore seasons) has Josh Smith averaged less than three assists per 36 minutes. His career average is 3.2 Assists Per 36, and in his best seasons he was averaging just over 4 assists per 36.
It often goes unnoticed, but Josh Smith is an exceptional passer at the PF spot. He's up there with guys like Kevin Love and Kelly Olynyk, and basically one rung step below the Pau Gasol / Joakim Noah / Kevin Garnett (i.e. absolute elite) territory.
6. ReboundingNot only does Josh Smith defend the rim well, he's also a pretty good rebounder.
Over 10 NBA seasons he has averaged below 8 rebounds per 36 minutes only three times. Two out of those three were seasons in which he primary position was SF. His career average is 8.3 rebounds per 36 minutes which (while not exceptional or elite) is certainly a pretty good number.
7. Keeping Rajon RondoSo many people here have been pushing for Boston to get another noteworthy player so that we can convince Rajon Rondo to stay in Boston.
It's been well documented in the past that Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith are good personal friends, and that they have (for years) pondered about how much fun it would be to play together.
Josh Smith is also a borderline All-Star calibre player.
If Boston brings in Josh Smith, you can almost guarantee that Rondo re-signs with Boston in the off season.
Having a team that contains Rondo and Josh Smith also immediately increases our appeal as a free agent destination, increasing the possibility of big name guys (like Marc Gasol) signing here next season, when we have tons of cap space.
Imagine how well Josh Smith and Marc Gasol would fit together in the front court? They would complement each other almost perfectly, and would be one of the most dominant defensive front-courts in the league. Add a perimeter rotation of Rondo / Smart / Bradley / Green and you have a defensive lineup that would probably make the 2008 Celtics look merely 'decent'...and a pretty solid offensive lineup too.
8. ValueOne of the really great things with Smith is that his value is at an all-time low. He's on a relatively pricey contract (that will last the next 3 years) and he's coming off a season where he put up some of the worst numbers of his career (no fault of his own). Now is a perfect opportunity to buy low. There is a good chance we could acquire Smih
Also that $14M a year seems like a lot now, but once this new TV deal goes in (and the NBA salary cap jumps through the roof) Josh Smiths' deal has the potential to be one of the league's great bargains. The fact that he still has three years left is actually a huge appeal, not a concern.
Right now, I think Boston is absolutely the perfect fit for Josh Smith and his skill set. Moving forward I think he'd be a huge asset to the team as well in terms of both his talent, and in terms of helping us to attract key free agents.
I would make this below offer to Detroit absolutely without hesitation:
Detroit Recieves (total $14,8M):
* Jared Sullinger
* Evan Turner
* Gerald Wallace
* 2 x Second Round Picks (from Pilly)
* 1 x First Round Pick (from Cleveland)
Boston Receives (total $16.3M):
* Josh Smith
* Luigi Datome
* Kyle Singler
Notes:
Detroit gets a talented young backup PF on a rookie contract (Sully)
Detroit gets a much needed starting calibre SF (Turner)
Detroit gets two firsts and a late second (to help compensate for taking on Wallace)
Boston gets two expiring contracts (Datome and Singler) worth combined $2.8M
Boston gets a much needed rim protector and star to help draw in free agents
Boston gets to shed the (un-tradeable) contract of Gerald Wallace
Topic: Would you like to see this happen - McGee, Wallce traded and maybe Josh Smith (Read 5534 times)