SI.com: Joshs attitude poses problem

[ATL DirtyBird]

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2010/12 ... ?eref=sihp

Discuss.

[evildallas]

My thoughts about the article:
Jumps to conclusions. Glosses over the fact that he's hitting his shots. Ignores another possible outcome.

Josh's is extremely talented and emotional. He and Larry Drew have clashed and will clash. That doesn't mean you trade him. We don't have to be all kumbaya all the time. Josh has some bad habits and he isn't the only one on the team that does. You have to coach and shape behavior. If he doesn't respond to these clashes then you discuss trading. Josh is showing that he can shoot the 3. He's worked on it and improved his shooting. What he has to learn is the difference between a good 3 and a bad one (meaning clock and positioning factor in) and that hopefully will come. If he continues to take 1-2 threes per game on average and maintains a 40%+ percentage then it would be silly to remove it from his game.

The other possibility is that Josh has worked and continues working on his game to become a viable small forward. Al takes over at power forward and Marvin Williams underachieving button winds up wearing another team's shorts. It's not lost on me that against some opponents we are better with a center by committee and Josh playing the 3 than Marvin seeing major minutes. I said before Joe went down that we'd be a dangerous team if Marvin produced consistently on offense, but the problem is he doesn't especially if Joe or Jamal are on the court for him to defer to. You can count good Marvin offensive nights on a single hand over the course of a season. That doesn't cut it. The only way this team becomes more successful is to keep their best players and hope to fill in around them. Josh is clearly one of the best (if not the best) players on the Hawks. You don't give that away you make it work.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

I just don't see anything to this, looks like someone had quite a bit of time on their hands. Nothing to see here.

[parson]

Trash article intended to make us link to his site.

1st, he states as a fact that Smoove is "a demonstrably bad jump shooter."
Then, in the middle of paragraph NINE, he concedes, "Smith has made 12 of his 26 threes (good for 46 percent), so perhaps we should at least consider the possibility that he has actually improved his three-point shooting." But then he quickly adds, " Unlikely, though, considering the larger sample size that suggests Smith is such a poor three-point shooter that he should throw the shot out of his repertoire."

I have no problem with Smoove trying to expand his game. The 3s make it easier for him to fake a jumper and then drive. Face it, as long as he hits better than 33 percent out there, he's doing fine.

The problem I DO have is that he doesn't go to the hoop enough. I think he could be an upstoppable scorer if he would.
Oh yeah: and use the backboard on drives.

[ATL DirtyBird]

Trash article intended to make us link to his site.

1st, he states as a fact that Smoove is "a demonstrably bad jump shooter."
Then, in the middle of paragraph NINE, he concedes, "Smith has made 12 of his 26 threes (good for 46 percent), so perhaps we should at least consider the possibility that he has actually improved his three-point shooting." But then he quickly adds, " Unlikely, though, considering the larger sample size that suggests Smith is such a poor three-point shooter that he should throw the shot out of his repertoire."

I have no problem with Smoove trying to expand his game. The 3s make it easier for him to fake a jumper and then drive. Face it, as long as he hits better than 33 percent out there, he's doing fine.

The problem I DO have is that he doesn't go to the hoop enough. I think he could be an upstoppable scorer if he would.
Oh yeah: and use the backboard on drives.

1. When he does go to the basket he can turn the ball over on one of his crazy dribble moves.
2. Him being on the perimeter gives us very little threat for an offensive rebound.
Im content with him shooting some Js, but not being so focused on that, that he stays away from the glass and the post, which it looks as if hes doing. He comes down the court and stays on the perimeter, calling for the ball.
3. Josh is a small problem on a team full of them. I want him to drive and dunk on someone.

Its clear this guy is a moron. Not sure why they pump out these garbage articles.

[evildallas]

To me it seems that Josh improves his game each summer. Maybe his handle will be the next focus for improvement for him.

[parson]

ATL DirtyBird, we're pretty good at offensive rebounds; it's the defensive ones that we stink at.

All we can go by is our own eyes -- and mine tell me that Smoove is extremely gifted at driving. If ever the day were to come that his SKILLS matched his gifts ...

So, yeah, I think he needs to do more driving ... a LOT more. He's got the muscle to overcome the biggest problem with driving, namely the bruising drivers receive. Add in his incredible hops, his vision, his length and his already decent handles and I think he could be a major scorer ... IF he would go to the basket more.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

ATL DirtyBird did you see that drive and dunk he had on the baseline last night?? Maybe more of that is to come.

[ATL DirtyBird]

ATL DirtyBird did you see that drive and dunk he had on the baseline last night?? Maybe more of that is to come.

Hey, thast what I want. Crossover, and jump. Few people can fly with him. When he is aggressive like that....its fun to watch to say the least.

If I said offensive rebounds were the problem, I apologize. I didnt mean to say that. I meant to say that we could be so much better if he got his ass down on the block more often.

Evil, hes gotten better at bringing the ball up the court, which he was very poor at just 2 years ago. He still isnt impressive in the half court with his handle, but that is something that can be improved. I dont know about his work ethic but if he could become a reliable dribbler, to go with his good passing skills, improved jump shot (hopefully), and good finishing ability, he could become one hard dude to guard.

[ATL DirtyBird]

ATL DirtyBird, we're pretty good at offensive rebounds; it's the defensive ones that we stink at.

All we can go by is our own eyes -- and mine tell me that Smoove is extremely gifted at driving. If ever the day were to come that his SKILLS matched his gifts ...

So, yeah, I think he needs to do more driving ... a LOT more. He's got the muscle to overcome the biggest problem with driving, namely the bruising drivers receive. Add in his incredible hops, his vision, his length and his already decent handles and I think he could be a major scorer ... IF he would go to the basket more.

Asking his skills to match his gifts is a lot to ask. Very few people maximize their athletic potential, but if Josh could ever do that.....

[evildallas]

Evil, hes gotten better at bringing the ball up the court, which he was very poor at just 2 years ago. He still isnt impressive in the half court with his handle, but that is something that can be improved. I dont know about his work ethic but if he could become a reliable dribbler, to go with his good passing skills, improved jump shot (hopefully), and good finishing ability, he could become one hard dude to guard.

I agree with the assessment that he's better bringing the ball up, but the next area that could use some attention is his handle in traffic and while making sharp movements (like his spin moves). As for work ethic I think the proof is in the results. You can see the improvement in Josh's game year to year. It takes work ethic to improve because you have to put in the reps.

Back on the shooting . . . It's obvious that Josh and Al have improved their shooting from the floor. The key is that they both need to also take the time and effort to take the ball to the hoop as well so they don't become one dimensional and predictable. Ideally I'd like the Hawks to be able to post from other positions as well as they would normally have size advantages at SG and SF, but it doesn't seem to be a strong point of Joe or Marvin's games. Perhaps if Josh is the primary 3 then he can take an undersized defender to the hole like he did a couple of times against Orlando.

[parson]

Lack of lateral quickness or no, Smoove is making a strong case for staying over at SF. Plus, if he can handle it, it allows Horford to play his position.

When Joe comes back, we could play Horford/Smoove/Joe/Jamal side-by-side. Then we could move them up or down, depending on the other team. We could play Horford at center, then Smoove and Joe at the forwards, with Crawford and Teague and go with a quick lineup. Or, we could slide each down one slot, take out Teague, put in a center and go big.

[johnny878]

looks like josh didnt get a chance to read this guys article because he kept being immature and draining 3's tonight

and if you want to talk about work ethic

marvins shot has seemed to regress the past 2 years. while josh has gotten a ton better. where are all the articles about marvin considering he only makes like 3 mil less than josh

[parson]

I might be Marvelous' biggest fan, so let me be the one to answer that: we're all too tired of talking about it.

We all see the talent and the physical gifts (such as that he has incredible length for his position yet also the lateral quickness to defend SFs well) but we all recognize there's SOMETHING wrong. Whether it's lack of drive ... or intelligence ... or practice time ... or Woodson put a curse on him...

.... or perhaps aliens took away his energy....

.... we don't know. And we're tired of trying to figure it out.

[parson]

One more thing: I keep hoping that HE will get tired of it, too.

[parson]

But all this just goes to show that we shouldn't criticize Smoove so much for being ambitious. Why should he settle for what he now is? Why shouldn't he want to be a great 3pt shooter? Why shouldn't he want to be a great assist man? Why shouldn't he want to be a playmaker?

Why shouldn't he want to be a superstar?