In an NBA where positional versatility is becoming more and more crucial, Josh Smith has the skill set to be a hot commodity — on paper. He's a fast, super-athletic forward who spends much of his time on the perimeter. He has good touch around the rim, a decent arsenal of moves around the basket and is good at using his strength to get position. He has the perfect body type to defend bigger small forwards and quicker power forwards, no matter how athletic.
Still, the flaws in Smith's game always make discussion before his talents. Sure, he spent a lot of time on the perimeter on offense, but he's a career 28.5 percent 3-point shooter. Sure, he's solid in the paint — good even — but that only accounts for about half the shots he takes. The other half of his shots (mid-range and out) are low-percentage shots for Smith historically.
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His time with the Pistons was such a rough one that they ate all of Smith's salary, just to get him off the roster. Whether it was because of the move or not, they got ridiculously hot after the release was over and done with. (Note: Because of the decision to waive him without salary relief, the Pistons will be paying Smith regardless of where he ends up this offseason, creating a situation where he could sign for the league minimum with little to lose financially.)
In short: Smith has never been one to fully play to his strengths, but even still, the defensive reputation for Smith holds up. The Rockets allowed 105 points per 100 possessions when Smith was off the floor compared to 99.1 when he was in the game. Smith, never an All-Star but often a near miss in his days with the Hawks, found his role anew and averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 25.5 minutes a game for the Rockets.
Did Houston coach Kevin McHale fix Smith? No, but he did put him in better situations than Stan Van Gundy in Detroit. This has helped Smith prospects in free agency, which have heated up as the list of serviceable bigs continues to dwindle.
"J-Smoove" is fascinating, and he's enough of a talent to generate buzz from different types teams in completely different situations. Here we look at three top suitors:
Sacramento Kings
The interest from the Kings, as reported by The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones, is by far the most puzzling of Smith's reported short list of potential suitors. Why? The Kings' roster is an abstract painting right now; whether it's a true work of art or not remains to be seen.
On paper, the idea of placing Smith next to the equally (if not more) maligned DeMarcus Cousins makes a lot of sense. One problem: They drafted versatile ultra-defender Willie Cauley-Stein sixth overall out of Kentucky. This would only make complete sense, however, if they only used Smith in a lesser role that he may not be comfortable with. Not on a rebuilding team like the Kings, anyway.
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There is some room at power forward, unless they move Cousins there to make way for new center Kosta Koufos. They traded away Jason Thompson, who somehow managed to spend his first 7 years starting for the team that drafted him despite never turning any noticable corners, and Carl Landry. That trade was part of a salary dump move helped them sign Rajon Rondo, another player who fits under the "maligned" umbrella.
The Kings' roster is goofy as-is. Cousins, Cauley-Stein and Omri Casspi likely will battle for power forward minutes, and they also showed interest in Luc Mbah a Moute, Andrea Bargnani (since signed by the Nets) and Matt Bonner. Adding Smith could be fun, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers may be Smith's best chance to win games and even a title, but they also may be his worst chance to see the floor at a high rate. Still, ESPN reports there is interest coming from Doc Rivers and Lob City.
The Clippers already have Blake Griffin slotted in the starting power forward spot. Freshly re-signed DeAndre Jordan will take a good chunk of the minutes at center. Smith would be a fill-in at the end of games for Jordan, whose free throw issues force him away from action in key situations — if Smith shot above 55 percent from the stripe himself. He has not in the past three seasons.
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Still, the defensive dynamic that Smith and Jordan could provide the Clippers in spurts could be fun. Not to mention, if Doc Rivers is able to convince Smoove to work most of his offense through the paint, the Clippers could finally add some bench depth - something that has not come easy to them in the past.
There are some issues that could come out of this, but if the price is right, Smith to the Clippers could make a lot of sense.
Houston Rockets
Smith going back to the Rockets makes more sense for both parties than anything else.
When they acquired him, he was in a rut. The Rockets were trying to keep alive their title contention hopes through injuries. After they acquired Smith and figured out his role, the Rockets started playing like title contenders. James Harden is their MVP, and Dwight Howard (Smith's childhood friend) is their defensive staple, but Smith helped propel them halfway through the season.
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He had the second-best defensive rating differential on the team, behind Howard. He had big games in the playoffs for them. He seemed to embrace his role with his newest team. His best friend plays on his team. On top of all that, the team made it further in the playoffs than all but two others in losing to the Warriors in the Western Conference finals in five games.
The Rockets are healthier now, and having Howard, Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas together will limit Smith's playing time.
This seems like the best solution. But this is free agency, weird stuff happens. The Rockets are in a good place to bring Smith back, and a decision should be made soon. For now, we'll leave it at that.