I still wouldn't mind keeping Smith.

[piston1423]

I know most people would rather sign Monroe and find away away to get rid of Smith. I'd love to find away to do that too but if it does come down to having to let Monroe go, I'm fine with keeping Smith. Right now, all Monroe really has on Smith is IQ and age. I don't think Josh's basketball IQ is as bad as people may think.

Yes Monroe is only like 23 and has a lot of potential but Josh is already there talent and skill wise. I know he has a problem sticking to is strengths but keep in mind, Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy. Mike Woodson is the best coach Josh Smith ever had. Mike Woodson is ok but he's no Stan Van Gundy and he had a year where he convinced Josh not to shoot 3's. If we do go with Smith as our starting four, I have faith Stan can make him stick to his strengths.

As for his age, he's only 29-30, he's not 35 with declining talents yet. If he plays to his strengths then at least he'd be earning his contract and it will give us time to find a good young PF that can fit well with Drummond in the future. Who knows? Maybe we can see the return of the "No fly zone" from a Drummond/Smith combo.

However, I'm still not sure about Jennings...

[haulerch]

No offense, but did we rally need another thread for this? I think a lot of Smith supporters have said this exact same thing in numerous threads.

With that said, I personally prefer Smith over Monroe for this team.

[jakebernat]

I know most people would rather sign Monroe and find away away to get rid of Smith. I'd love to find away to do that too but if it does come down to having to let Monroe go, I'm fine with keeping Smith. Right now, all Monroe really has on Smith is IQ and age. I don't think Josh's basketball IQ is as bad as people may think.

Yes Monroe is only like 23 and has a lot of potential but Josh is already there talent and skill wise. I know he has a problem sticking to is strengths but keep in mind, Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy. Mike Woodson is the best coach Josh Smith ever had. Mike Woodson is ok but he's no Stan Van Gundy and he had a year where he convinced Josh not to shoot 3's. If we do go with Smith as our starting four, I have faith Stan can make him stick to his strengths.

As for his age, he's only 29-30, he's not 35 with declining talents yet. If he plays to his strengths then at least he'd be earning his contract and it will give us time to find a good young PF that can fit well with Drummond in the future. Who knows? Maybe we can see the return of the "No fly zone" from a Drummond/Smith combo.

However, I'm still not sure about Jennings...

"all Monroe really has on Smith is IQ and age."
-those are two pretty important things considering our best player and centerpiece is a developing 20 year old, not to mention the fact that moose and drummond already have great chemistry. offensively, all smith really has on monroe is his ability to handle the ball and make plays off the dribble, but his low IQ negates the positive plays he makes (on both ends).

"Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy."
-neither has monroe. this is especially important for him defensively since he struggles guarding players on the perimeter, a weakness SVG is assuredly going to do his best to mask with his defensive schemes. if he can find a way to effectively hide moose defensively, i don't see it as a question which player, moose or smith, i'd rather keep.

[The Penguin]

Stan isn't going to blindly toss Drummond/Monroe/Smith out on the court together for 30 minutes a night and hope it works itself out. He'll either manage the rotations to make everything work or he'll move whoever he sees fit to build his roster. If he keeps Smith, it's because he sees a use for him, if he moves on from Monroe it's because he didn't see him as a fit or because he got a good enough offer to move him. Joe is gone, in Stan I trust.

[Kilo]

I'd be 100% comfortable with Josh Smith as our starting PF next season should Monroe move on. I'd be elated if Smith accepted and fully embraced coming off the bench as a 6th man, still getting 30 minutes a game. I think he's being piled on much more than he deserves for last season.

[Invictus88]

I'd be 100% comfortable with Josh Smith as our starting PF next season should Monroe move on. I'd be elated if Smith accepted and fully embraced coming off the bench as a 6th man, still getting 30 minutes a game. I think he's being piled on much more than he deserves for last season.

We'll have to agree to disagree on what he deserved versus what he got.

I'd be 0% comfortable if he were our starting 4. He played plenty of 4 last year in addition to his minutes at 3 and had a pretty horrific season on both ends of the court.

I see his only role on the Pistons being as a backup PF -- and that's if he buys in and isn't a problem in the locker room. I see him ideally capping out at around 15 minutes. This is with the idea that we sign someone better to man the 3 spot.

I like Smith solely as an energy guy who is *never* on the floor during clutch situations where decision-making is key.

But I believe it's wishful thinking to hope that he would buy into any system where he isn't starting. I see him clashing early and often with SVG next year if he is still on the team.

[dVs33]

"all Monroe really has on Smith is IQ and age"

[Snakebites]

All Ryan Gosling has on me is good looks and extra-ordinary wealth.

Otherwise we're 2 peas in a pod, really.

[Moose10Fan]

My god.. people are quick to forget how horrid and putrid Smith was from either the 4 or 3 position this season.

[dVs33]

My god.. people are quick to forget how horrid and putrid Smith was from either the 4 or 3 position this season.

i'm not

[mercury]

He is not putrid if he is not allowed to take shots from range... there is nothing that Monroe can do that Smith can't.

[Moose10Fan]

He is not putrid if he is not allowed to take shots from range... there is nothing that Monroe can do that Smith can't.

Smith has bad shot selection, its part of his game and always will be, and Greg can atleast shoot over 60% from the free throw line. Drummond and Smith one 40% and one 53% gross.

From a video game stand point you go with Smith, but this is real and he is just dumb no matter what position he plays, it shows you that Horford and the guards really were the strength of Atlanta.

[DBC10]

He is not putrid if he is not allowed to take shots from range... there is nothing that Monroe can do that Smith can't.

His post game is atrocious and there's a reason why he doesn't go inside often and work down low. He knows he's bad at it and players sag off on him daring him to settle.

The first problem with Josh Smith’s post game is that he doesn’t fight to catch deeper in the post and will often force the issue starting from way too far out. The second problem with Josh Smith’s post game is that he lets his body get out of control when spinning. This causes a lot of off balance shots. The third problem with Josh Smith’s post game is that he rushes through his moves (same problem as Dwight) which causes him to not be able to look up for his outlet passes. Given the 335 attempts this season, I worry that Larry Drew doesn’t know when to stop feeding a bad post player. The other issue between the two of them is that in both pinch post and more spread out looks, there was rarely a weak side screen and shooter coming to the top of the key or to the corner 3 or an inside cutter using the center as a screen for an underneath cut. In fact, once Smith got the ball in the post, the other players can be seen either standing still or walking nonchalantly. Without that motion, Smith has nowhere to go with the ball if he’s not getting a good look, which most likely served to exacerbate his issues with tunnel vision. We all saw the finals where after Duncan caught in the post, the Spurs would almost always have someone cutting to the corner 3 ala pseudo-triangle or setting not just a screen but multiple screens for one of their wings.

http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1h ... osh_smith/

Granted, this is during his ATL days so I imagine his efficiency and numbers are even more putrid now. He's primarily a transition game player and going for offensive rebounds/tip ins like Dre does at this point and will settle for more jumpers as his athleticism declines like it has shown this year. He's gone down in efficiency and numbers each year.

[mercury]

You're overselling Monroe hands of stone without a clue or ability to defend.

[kurtis48239]

I really think once the dust settles and if we sign monroe,I really think smith will step it up and curb the shooting (especialy if we sign a competent shooter).I think it will be close in the begining,but once smith starts concentrating on defense and shots withn the paint,I think stan will start starting smith more and more and eventualy monroe will be traded

That being said,I do see that monroe is a nice young asset to have,but because of the situation and if smith does what hes been known for befor coming here,there just really is no reason to have monroe if we can trade him for a prospect,borderline all star at sg-sf to better balance out our team.Jorts is a very capable and jack of all trades backup at pf-C,which makes having monroe that more dispensible.

[epheisey]

"Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy."
-NEITHER HAS MONROE. this is especially important for him defensively since he struggles guarding players on the perimeter, a weakness SVG is assuredly going to do his best to mask with his defensive schemes. if he can find a way to effectively hide moose defensively, i don't see it as a question which player, moose or smith, i'd rather keep.

That's the only thing that needs to be said. Who is more likely to improve? a 29-30 year old player who's been in the league 10+ years? Or a 23 year old who is hard working, and has never had the opportunity to work with a coach who could really take him to the next level?

Sorry, but if Monroe is not on this roster next season because of Josh Smith's contract, I'll be seriously disappointed. If SVG believes Monroe isn't a fit, or likes Smith next to Drummond better, that's perfectly ok. But if Monroe is gone simply because he's easier to move than Smith, then we've already started off in the wrong direction.

[Redeemed]

I know most people would rather sign Monroe and find away away to get rid of Smith. I'd love to find away to do that too but if it does come down to having to let Monroe go, I'm fine with keeping Smith. Right now, all Monroe really has on Smith is IQ and age. I don't think Josh's basketball IQ is as bad as people may think.

Yes Monroe is only like 23 and has a lot of potential but Josh is already there talent and skill wise. I know he has a problem sticking to is strengths but keep in mind, Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy. Mike Woodson is the best coach Josh Smith ever had. Mike Woodson is ok but he's no Stan Van Gundy and he had a year where he convinced Josh not to shoot 3's. If we do go with Smith as our starting four, I have faith Stan can make him stick to his strengths.

As for his age, he's only 29-30, he's not 35 with declining talents yet. If he plays to his strengths then at least he'd be earning his contract and it will give us time to find a good young PF that can fit well with Drummond in the future. Who knows? Maybe we can see the return of the "No fly zone" from a Drummond/Smith combo.

However, I'm still not sure about Jennings...

Monroe's basketball IQ and post game have garnered comparisons with the greatest powerforward ever (Tim Duncan). That comparison presents Monroe as the good young pf to pair with Drummond, we don't need to search for one. Monroe's age (23) suggests his game is scaleable, meaning he has tremendous room for growth and development which could go through the ceiling now that he has a coach like SVG.

Monroe's game is not predicated on athleticism, so there is reason to believe he has the greater potential for longevity (see Tim Duncan). Smith coming into his 30's is going to start losing his lift and with such a low BBIQ there's reason to believe his most efficient days are behind him.

Additionally the potential of having two young bigs (Monroe & Drummond) growing together and being groomed together by a coach of SVG's calibur suggests the potential for great things to come. Monroe has been in a buffoonery ladened toxic environment in Detroit (Kuester days), a punitive and isolative environment in Detroit (Frank days), and a clueless environment in Detroit.

Now he has an opportunity to go into a structured (came in with a documented organizational plan) and healthy environment where the front office and the bench are totally on the same page (because they're the same person at the top). But more than that, Monroe could be a part of a winning environment in Detroit, SVG has won in Miami & Orlando...we had the talent to win last year so there's little reason to believe we won't this year.

In this new structured environment, Smith works as a 6th man at best. My preference is to see the dude gone. The Monroe & Drummond era has got to get the opportunity to take off. With the proper guidance, we could have a scary frontcourt.

[DetroitSho]

"Josh has never had a coach like Stan Van Gundy."
-NEITHER HAS MONROE. this is especially important for him defensively since he struggles guarding players on the perimeter, a weakness SVG is assuredly going to do his best to mask with his defensive schemes. if he can find a way to effectively hide moose defensively, i don't see it as a question which player, moose or smith, i'd rather keep.

That's the only thing that needs to be said. Who is more likely to improve? a 29-30 year old player who's been in the league 10+ years? Or a 23 year old who is hard working, and has never had the opportunity to work with a coach who could really take him to the next level?

Sorry, but if Monroe is not on this roster next season because of Josh Smith's contract, I'll be seriously disappointed. If SVG believes Monroe isn't a fit, or likes Smith next to Drummond better, that's perfectly ok. But if Monroe is gone simply because he's easier to move than Smith, then we've already started off in the wrong direction.

Great post

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[wallace72]

Right now,
we have a good coach......
finding a pair of brains for Smith is an other question...........

[paQo the BAWSER]

Smith is better finishing at the rim, better passer, so much better defender and rim protector and he's an awful shooter but got some range that Monroe hasn't.