HoopsHype Interview with Josh Smith

[evildallas]

link here

About those rumors earlier in the summer that you didn’t want to get back to Atlanta because of head coach Mike Woodson… What can you say about that?

JS: That’s just more false stuff that somebody put out there. I didn’t even say that. There’s not much I can say about it… It’s just people that hear things and then say things that are not true. And then people read it and actually believe what they read, you know what I mean? People actually believe that. All I can say is that I didn’t say that. Me and Coach Woodson have a good relationship. I actually was talking to him throughout the whole process before getting signed.

How much of a step back is losing Josh Childress?

JS: I think it’s a step back because Josh Childress did so much for the team, but I’m sure that Rick the GM is on the phones trying to figure things out and get something done to replace Josh.

Rick the GM? Hmmm.

[MikeRice]

that is encouraging to say the least... I think a lot of us have been pretty nervous that there would be some holdover antimocity left from rough offseason negotiations, but it seems that Josh is pretty happy to be here after all

[td00]

Well, Mike, if you were just handed a guarantee of $58M, you could wash away all the conflicts you have with your boss as well. Not sure that anything being said by either party is factual.
We now have a key piece back in the fold because of the ASG reactive process of free agency, but they still look foolish for dragging their feet while other teams appear to be making to compete for the lower playoff slots.
We will be lucky indeed to be able to improve our record by 10 games with the way this summer has gone. That would be a small miracle of sorts.

[JoshB914]

Is that "Rick the GM" thing a typo? I was thinking maybe that was supposed to read "Rick [the GM]" but who knows.

I'm just happy he's coming back.

[evildallas]

Is that "Rick the GM" thing a typo? I was thinking maybe that was supposed to read "Rick [the GM]" but who knows.

I'm just happy he's coming back.

That's why I called it out. It seems strange to say it aloud like that. Also the "trying to figure things out" comment is a little backhanded as well. I'm not worried about Josh because I believe he's self-motivated by his desire to win. If I'm Rick Sund though, I wouldn't expect to get a Christmas card. Then again GM and players don't need a friendly relationship. They need a respectful one. Hopefully, they'll gain respect for each other as Josh continues to improve and deliver on the court and Rick Sund finishes out a winning roster.

The part of the interview that concerned me was the vague answer to the question of what have you been working on. I can think of several specific skill sets that I would have been happy to read that he was working on. Specifically, his handle, low post positioning and midrange shooting. If he strengthens those aspects I believe his effectiveness goes way up. I hope he's not satisfied because he could really stand to improve those turnover stats.

[td00]

I'm not sure how much we can expect Smoove to improve over a few months. While it is true that the offseason is where the improvements come from, just how critical is Smoove of his own game?
I think he believes he is already a complete player, truth or not, but at 22, he does have several areas to improve. Its just not going to happen in 5 months, especially this offseason of being unsure if he was coming back or not.
I did notice that he was in Houston again this offseason after the courting of him by Philly and LAC.
My main area of concern is his maturity and how he handles the mental side of things once he gets on the court. We have seen him waste possessions and sometimes not be there every night. If he provides a consistent result each game, home or away, that is all we can ask.
He is the energy factor for this team, and with Bibby, Al & Marvin legitimate options behind JJ, his maturity will be big this season.