A Smoove Return? How Atlanta Fans should greet Josh Smith

By J. Terrell Price (@dirtywordshow)


Josh Smith soaring in the 2008 Playoffs

On Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons will visit the Atlanta Hawks in Philips Arena. Usually, a mid-November game between two middle of the pack Eastern Conference teams will not draw much attention on the NBA radar. However, this is no ordinary early season game. This contest will mark the return of one of Atlanta's own --Mr. Josh Smith.

In the summer of 2013, Smith and the Hawks ended their nine, often-tumultuous, years of marriage as the 6 foot 9 forward inked a four year, $54 million deal with the Detroit.  For Atlanta fans, the departure of "J-Smoove" was bittersweet. Afterall, he can largely be credited for the Hawks' arena being nicknamed The Highlight Factory due to his high flying dunks and exciting chase down blocks. He was there in 2008 when an upstart Atlanta squad took the mighty Boston Celtics to the brink in an thrilling seven game series.

He was Atlanta through and through, down to the ink on his left bicep -- an old school Hawks logo. With all of this as a backdrop, one would think the return of Smith would be a celebratory occasion in Atlanta....Right?

Not so fast, my friend!

Anyone who consumed a good amount of Atlanta Hawks basketball between 2004 and 2013 is aware of the immense talents Josh Smith possesses. Over his Atlanta tenure he became one of the most versatile players in the league. Smith's career averages of 15.3 PPG, 3.2 APG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG indicate how well-rounded his game was. He ranks among the Hawks' franchise leaders in nearly every statistical category and became the youngest player in NBA history to record 500 and 1000 blocked shots.

Yet, with all of these accolades, Smith never quite received "key to the city" status from his hometown faithful. As much as Hawks fans enjoyed the good things Josh could do, they equally lamented how good he could've been . Gifted athletically and physically, he was notorious for settling for long range jump shots and 3-pointers that were the antitheses of what he was expected to do -- wreck havoc in the paint. Smith was capable from three, but never a threat (.283% career). Things got so bad from there that when Smith would load up for a trey in Philips Arena, fans would collectively groan or yell "NO!!!".

Consequently, Hawks fans grew weary of waiting on Smith to mature into a franchise player or even a perennial All-Star. They grew tired of the wasted possessions that resulted in an ill-advised shot or turnover. They were fed up with his bickering with officials while play was going on. The novelty of the baby-faced 18 year old kid who had crazy hops and gave tribute to Dominique Wilkins in the Dunk Contest of 2005 wore off. After six straight playoff appearances, Hawks fans thirsted for a title contender, but Smith's team was regressing and blame needed to be placed on someone.

Conveniently, with Smith entering free agency in the summer of 2013, Atlanta had an out clause in the arrangement with the hometown kid. General Manager Danny Ferry had plans of completely remaking the Hawks roster. He began by dumping the salaries of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams in 2012, then replacing Head Coach Larry Drew with Spurs' assistant Mike Budenholzer. For Smoove, the handwriting may have been on the wall.

Atlanta extended a courtesy hello to Smith in Los Angeles during the free agency interview process, but according to Smith, that was the extent of the conversation.

The only time I saw the Hawks during free agency was when they came to one of my workouts just to say hello. I think they were meeting with Dwight Howard that day. They never came in or sat down with me during the free agency period to offer me anything.” - Josh Smith on 92.9FM Atlanta

Whatever the case, the decision to let Smith walk may have been the best for all three parties involved; that being Josh Smith, the Atlanta Hawks, and Hawks fans.
Outside of one year playing at Oak Hill Academy in high school, Smoove had spent his entire life in the ATL. A native of nearby College Park, he couldn't escape the pressures and expectations of being the savior of his hometown franchise. When things went sour (as they sometimes did) his home fans would often boo or criticize him during games or take their frustrations out on local sports talk radio. It's safe to assume that being in new surroundings, away from the bubble that is Atlanta, Georgia has to be somewhat of a relief for Smith.

The Hawks organization can now move forward into a new beginning. As long as Josh Smith was employed with the team, he would naturally carry the burden of being "The Man" whether justified or not. Now players like Al Horford and Jeff Teague, who were equally responsible for Atlanta's past playoff misfortunes, will be front and center and will have to answer the questions if the Hawks can't get it done in the postseason. The Hawks also have the opportunity to sign free agents and seek that true franchise player it's been in need of for nearly 20 years with their cap flexibility.

As for Hawks fans you ask?

Quite frankly, we should thank Josh Smith. In nine seasons as a Hawk he brought smiles to faces young and old. He helped resurrect the Hawks from being a laughing stock to respectability. He played often played hurt. By all accounts he was a model citizen and never got in trouble with the law. Those are all great qualities any fan should want in an athlete.

The questions are, Should we boo Josh Smith Wednesday? Of course not.
Should we give him a standing ovation? That may be too extreme.
Should we cheer when he loads up for a three? He's shooting .314% from three this season. Hell yes!

Welcome home, Smoove!  You'll forever be an ATLien.

James Dolan: "The Guarantee" and his 'Foot in Mouth' syndrome

Over the years professional sports owners have uttered some bizarre words. Some would say, bordering on asinine. Add James Dolan to the litany of those bosses who, quite frankly, don't know when to zip it.

A disappointed James Dolan during a recent Knicks loss

Mired in an early season funk, losing four of their first six games, the New York Knicks have been a disappointment thus far. Their MVP Carmelo Anthony has had a slow start, defensive anchor Tyson Chandler is out four to six weeks with a foot injury, and head coach Mike Woodson has felt the heat from fans and New York media.

And just when it didn't seem like things could get any worse; they did on Sunday afternoon. New York was obliterated by the San Antonio Spurs, losing 120-89 in front of a frustrated home crowd and an even more perturbed Dolan. Before the start of the 2013/14 season, the Knicks owner put lofty expectations on his team by stating he expected them to win a championship. When the team didn't respond in the first few games, Dolan went on a tirade, allegedly scolding General Manager Steve Mills and ordering the Knicks City Dancers to limit their in game routines.

Now comes the latest episode.

After the loss to San Antonio, Dolan guaranteed a Knicks win over the Atlanta Hawks in their Wednesday night tilt in Philips Arena.

We’re going to win the next game. That’s a guarantee.’’ - James Dolan

Yes. It has come to this for the CEO of Madison Square Garden. He's guaranteeing wins in November. One would understand if the guarantee was made in a do-or-die Game 7 or even in a matchup with a premier team such as the Spurs. To bloviate in this manner about a game against the traditionally mediocre Atlanta Hawks screams desperation.

It's no secret that the arrival of the Brooklyn Nets to the New York metropolitan area has flustered Dolan. The Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has assembled a squad that desires nothing less than a championship. This season alone he is spending an inordinate amount in luxury tax dollars, unconcerned about the new ramifications from the NBA's recent collective bargaining agreement. On the flip side, the Knicks are struggling early with a team that is somewhat handicapped financially due to the cap-killing contracts of Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire . For years the Knicks have had NYC all to themselves and they want to stay at the top of the discussion when it comes to NBA Basketball in the city -- But Brooklyn is coming.

The pressure is undoubtedly being felt in Manhattan as the watchful eye of Dolan is squarely on this team, particularly Melo and Woodson. Carmelo Anthony has made no bones about wanting the test the free agent waters in the summer of 2014. He's told Knicks brass that he wants to return to the Big Apple, but only under the conditions of them building a championship contender around him.
Woodson has drawn criticism early for his lack of in-game adjustments and defensive strategy which is mostly predicated on switching assignments on pick and roll situations. Wednesday's game will be important for Woody as he returns to Atlanta, where his head coaching days began. In some ways he believes he was underappreciated for his time with the Hawks as he led them from ping pong purgatory to playoff prominence. He will be motivated to turn the Knicks fortunes around by beating his former squad and averting more talks of a dismissal.

However, the "guarantee game" on Wednesday night won't be walk in the park for the Knicks. The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most efficient offenses in the league through the first two weeks of the season. They have scored at least 102 points in each of their first seven games and lead the league in assists per game at 28. Al Horford and Jeff Teague have elevated their level of play under new coach Mike Budenholzer. Free agent addition Paul Millsap has proven to be a solid replacement for Josh Smith. The Hawks will look to take advantage of the absence of Chandler in the middle and with their quickness in the backcourt with Teague and Dennis Schröder against the more pedestrian Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.

All of these elements combined with the unpredictability of Dolan could be a recipe for disaster or a rallying point. The Knicks are at a crossroads. The Hawks look to be trending upward. This should make for an exciting watch Wednesday night on ESPN.

"Get ya popcorn ready!"