A Conversation with Josh Childress

Just a lil' update on the Childress is doing, he does a great, detailed, personal interview with Pete Thamel for the New York Times.

It is finished...Josh Childress signs to Greek team Olympiakos

This is an Atlanta Hawks tragedy of epic proportion. ESPN.com reports that Josh Childress will be the first American born NBA player to leave as a restricted agent to play overseas. This just dissolved the remaining fraction of a molucule of faith i had in this organization's ownership, i knew the new GM Rick Sund was an IDIOT, i knew he was a bad hire, and now we just lost our 4th best player on the Hawks team.

Josh Childress was the best 6th man the Hawks could have asked for, he really should have started at SF with Smith as the PF but that would have made too much sense for Mike Woodson. How, Mr. Mike, would you rather play a lame-duck, underachieving, no-skill-set-at-all super-average weak forward like Marvin Williams more minutes than the most effecient player on the team?!

I, the author, made this blog to try to inspire myself and other fans of the Atlanta Hawks that we have a good, young team, and if we continued to improve we could be a VERY good team someday and maybe win a playoff series like we haven't done since the 1998-1999 season, highlighted by Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock, and Dikembe Mutumbo, HOWEVER, the Hawks ownership, this Rick Sund character is really f*cking up right now. How much more does the city of Atlanta have to suffer? the ASG is undoubtedly the worst ownership group for a sports franchise in known history, any critisism atlanta recieves may be on the coach, may be on the lack on wins, but its ALWAYS with the ownership group and the foolish unfocused mistakes they make over and over again. How could they have let this happen?

Quite frankly, i'm proud of Josh Childress, i ain't mad at him at all, he took the best deal out there not just with the most money, but a different, possibly better situation that is going to allow him to grow as a basketball player and as a man.

If the Atlanta Spirit Group and GM Rick Sund don't sign Josh Smith, if the Atlanta Hawks lose Josh Smith, i am going to shut this blog down and elect for the trade of Al Horford so we can allow this team to shrink back into obscurity. EVERYBODY knows how screwed up this franchise is and EVERYBODY wants Josh Smith, people know how good he is and can be and they want him to be successful with them, not us. Not gonna happen. Mr. Brian Spencer on his Detriot Pistons blog recently wrote a column professing his love for Josh Smith (no homo) and his game, and everything he says in there is all so true, so we gotta do all we can to prove him wrong and keep Josh Smith in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.

Joe Johnson knows how important the Joshes are; here's WHY the Hawks are still a top 8 EC team

Sekou Smith reports Joe Johnson has the same question: "What's going to happen with Josh and Josh?"

the two Hawks restricted free agents have not signed an offer sheet with any other teams yet. That is a good sign, no matter who they have dialogue with the Hawks are gonna match any offer to retain the most talented defensive SF in the league, Josh Smith, and one of the most effective, game-changing 6th men in the league, Josh Childress.

"That's our summer right there," Johnson said. "That's all there is to it."

Even if the Hawks don't sign any free agents (which may happen), the Atlanta Hawks would still be a top 8 team in the east to definetly make the playoffs.

So far the eastern conference pecking order goes like this: #1 Boston Celtics - set in stone, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Cleveland Cavaliers, then you got the Philiadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and Torondo Raptors. Those are 7 team which will almost guarenteed be .500 or more and make the playoffs.

There is really only 4 teams realistically challenging the Hawks for that 8th spot, which are:

Miami Heat -

Chicago Bulls -

Milwalkee Bucks -

Charlotte Bobcats -

It's funny that all four teams that are supposed to be challenging for the 8th seed playoffs are all NEW COACHES and their team's success will undoubtedly be determined by their ability to get the most out of their team's talented roster, and will the team to win. So, it's pretty impossible to determine how they will do, but this is just my hypothesis on how they might do in their respective situations, with a little Hawks' fan bias, of course. But, i don't just fan the Hawks because i'm from/in Atlanta, i see the team for the talented group of young guys it is now, and the potential to be better than the other teams in the East.

the Hawks have a firm foundation where alot of other teams are still looking for an identity, and even though we are still looking proof of a structured offensive identity (Woodson, you a need good offensive assistant coach), we are a defensively strong team, playing team defense with zone or one-on-one. Al Horford and Josh Smith are our best induvidual defenders, Josh can guard any player in any position in a lockdown fashion, and Al Horford, a beast himself, does not get beasted on, he is going to be a force in the paint for so many years to come, offensively and defensively.

Alright.
the Hawks have not done much or any free agent courting or signing, but recently its looking like the Hawks DID work out a pair of Atlanta native Big Men. One of these big men is 6'11 260 pounds in 22 years of age (january 2, 1986) of promising potential, the other is 6'10 265 pounds through 7 years of disappointment and failure as a player from Atlanta, never living up to anyone's expectation or even his own standard and potential. We're talking about Randolph Morris and Kwame Brown. It's no secret that Brown has been cancer on every team he has played on, he has no specialty or skill set, he has small hands that can barely make a layup or putback 1/10 attempts, and he is always mentally unfocused, ask Micheal Jordan or Kobe Bryant. There is 1 thing the two greatest players of all time can agree on, and that's that Kwame Brown is GARBAGE. Now, if i be not so hard on him, you'll say that maybe he just needs a chance, a change of scenery, some playing time to prove he can be a good defensive player, but the thing is, he has only proved to be a bad all-around player every time he touches the ball or is in the game.
Randolph Morris, however, has potential to be a good player. Tall, long, and athletic, all things Kwame Brown is not, Morris hasn't really shown anything in his 2 years with the abomination Knicks, but back in his hometown with a lil' playing time, he can really make a name for himself.
If we do make the biggest most foolish gamble of all time though, i will elect for Kwame Brown to start at C, so he can really showcase his uhh...talent, defensively to allow Al Horford to move to PF, Smith to SF and bring Marvin off the bench, it takes alot for me to say this but even Marvin Williams would be a better starter than Kwame Brown. Let's sign youth and inexperience with raw talent in Randolph Morris, that would be the wiser decision. I hate to mention that on the AJC website there is a poll of opinion which player the hawks should sign, and i guess Brown's got alot of friends still in Atlanta, because he was winning 58-42.

While other teams are making changes to improve, the Hawks off-season improvement mostly depends on staying the same, keeping the core together and adding pieces around them, i just hope Kwame Brown isn't one of those pieces.

the Future of the Successful Atlanta Hawks depends mostly on one young man: Josh Smith

A restricted free agent is a player on a team that can listen to contract offers from other teams, and the first team has seven days to either match what they offered, keep their player and sign him to a new contract, or the first team can decide that what the other team offered is more than they are willing to pay for the said player, and allow him to sign with that team and get nothing in return, like Rashard Lewis last summer. Or the two teams can agree to a sign-and-trade, which is self explanatory.

in the case of restricted free agents Josh Smith and Josh Childress for the Atlanta Hawks, it is IMPERATIVE that we re-sign at least Josh Smith, but we really, really like Childress, and we want to keep him, but Josh Smith is far more important to the core of the team.

Let this article explain why Josh Smith is the best player of this hawks team. Smith is 22 years old, the best on-the-ball defender on the Hawks teams and one of the best defensive players in the league, finishing 2nd to Marcus Camby (34) in blocks per game(2.8 bpg) and sixth in voting of DPOY last season. Smith takes pride in his defense and inspires his teammates to be better defensively too, but don't think this kid is only good on defense. Josh Smith is the Hawks 2nd leading scorer(17.5 ppg) for the second season in a row, and is growing into one of the best slasher, scorers in the eastern conference. Not to mention Josh is also the 2nd leading rebounder (8.5 rpg) 1st in steals (1.5 spg), 3rd in assists (3.5 apg) and of course 1st in blocks (2.8 bpg).

In his fourth NBA season, Smith joined all-time greats David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon, one of his basketball tutors last summer, as the only players in league history to average 17-plus points, 8-plus rebounds, 3-plus assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 steals in a season.

Robinson did it twice and Olajuwon four times, but neither did it before his 27th birthday.

Smith is the first non-center to do it and is also the first NBA player to block at least 225 shots and make 25 or more 3-pointers in the same season. And he's had three straight seasons with at least 200 blocks and 25 3-pointers.

As bright as the present is and even brighter the future for this young athlete, many people critisize Smith for his shot-selection, and sometimes seldom use of that great slashing, driving ability in the game. He has also been critisized for getting turnovers in the game, being 6th in the league in TO per game (3.0), and leading the Hawks team in personal fouls per game. Look, if a good player on a good team is left open for a jumpshot, it is that player's duty to take that shot, teammates get in position for a rebound, and hope he makes it. As Smith is a leader on the Hawks team, as he has proved his improvement every season, and as he improves that jumpshot, he's gonna knock that down consistently. As for the turnovers, that's just part of the game, there is no specific tendency of Smith or any NBA player that causes all the turnovers, every turnover is circumstacial, whether the defender pokes the ball, it hits his leg and rolls out of bounds, or the ball handler dribbles the ball off his foot, every turnover is different. And as far as the personal fouls go, haters are being foolish in this perspective. PF's happen (whether or not it was an actual foul, Tim Donaghy), and with Smith being the most aggresive defender that he is, he's gonna get called alot. The only thing he must work on is having that controlled aggression to block shots and get steals and keep from fouling, know when to go for the ball or aim to simply alter the shot.

Every year since his rookie year Smith has improved in every catagory

Josh Smith really actually defines the Hawks on a surface level, every time an announcer says, "the hawks are a great young, athletic team" or "they've got great athleticism on that team" they are mostly talking about Josh Smith, who hasn't been able to break that label ever since he won the dunk contest in his rookie season. i had been saying for so long, WHAT THE HELL IS ATHLETICISM?! Aren't all basketball players athletes? Is there a real difference between skill and this so-called athleticism? In the way sports guys use it there is. Athleticism in basketball is swift-moving, hard-body, high-jumping, strong arming players, but they aren't great at spot-up shooting and fundamentals. The hawks team is they are DEFINE athleticism (besides ZaZa Pachulia and Marvin Williams), Al Horford was such a perfect fit for our team, but this article is to explain who Josh Smith is why he is the future of the Hawks, and the best player on the Hawks team.

Even though he ONLY averaged 17.5 ppg 8.5 rpg 3.5 apg 3.0 bpg 1.5 spg on 45% FGs 25% 3pt FGs and 71% FTs, he has more of an offensive, defensive impact than even those stats suggest, he has had several monster games to will his team to a victory, like these:

11-02-07 vs. Dallas Mavericks - first game of the season, guarding MVP Dirk Nowitzki and all-star Josh Howard. 18 pts (5/16 FGs 8/8 FTs) 11 rbs 4 asts 3 blks 2 stls Hawks Win 101-94

11-07-07 vs. Phoenix Suns - after two losses, the hawks needed a win. Smith guarding all-star Shawn Marion and even 2x MVP Steve Nash. 22 pts (9/19 FGs 4/5 FTs) 10 rbs 5 blks 4 asts 4 stls. Hawks are first team to hold Suns under 100, Hawks win 105-96

Josh Smith has gotten 30+ points 5 times
Josh Smith has gotten 25+ points 13 times
Josh Smith has gotten 20+ points 30 times

Josh Smith has gotten 20+ rebounds 1 time
Josh Smith has gotten 12+ rebounds 7 times
Josh Smith has gotten 10+ rebounds 21 times

Josh Smith was taken 17th in the 2004 draft class, also known as the last draft before the high school rule was put in place. It was a dream come true for a young man who has been born in Atlanta, grew up watching old Dominique Wilkins hawks games on film, and going to Hawks games throughout childhood and teenage years. However, his rookie season was a dream turned nightmare, with a glimmer of hope. He was 18 years old, coming off the bench behind Antoine Walker and Al Harrington, the leading scorers on the team. He was still learning the NBA game and he was still fundamentally raw, so he did not get alot of playing time at first. But, when he did play, he was always defensively aggressive and even as a rookie, developed a reputation for being a good defensive player, he blocked 144 shots his rookie season, and got 59 steals, but in 27.7 minutes per game Josh Smith averaged 9.7 pts 6.2 rbs 1.8 asts and 1.9 blocks, good enough got the all-rookie second team. But Smith's stats weren't the highlight of his rookie reason, it was the 2004-2005 dunk contest that featured many young, strong, athletic players, but none were all-stars (yet) and they were all eager to make a name such as: Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Amare Stoudamire, and Chris Andrerson.

Josh Smith won that dunk contest with a throwback Dominique Wilkins windmill dunk from outside the paint, a perfect 50 by the judges and Mr. Wilkins, of course. This game Josh Smith his first NBA hardware and national recognition for his great athletic ability, and although the honor of winning this award is great, Smith wanted to be a player in the all-star game and be recognized for his skill. After the all-star game, Josh Smith started to improve his game, the first game being a road game against the sac Kings. In 35 minutes Smith collected 19 pts (7/15 FGs 5/5 Fs) 10 rbs 4 asts 4 blks in a 114-104 Kings win. The Atlanta Hawks, at this time, were 10-42 and one of the worst road teams in the league, due to the team leaders (Antoine Walker) not caring, and the new coach, Mike Woodson and players not connecting. But, when the Hawks finally won a road game, it was there Smith got his career high in rebounds, and defensively achored the team and led them to a win. His final stat line was 9 pts 15 rbs 2 blks 1 ast. Although there were plenty of losses in the season that would become the least wins in Atlanta Hawks franchise history, there was plenty of hope. In one of the last road games of the season, starters Antoine Walker and Al Harrington were out with injuries, and Josh Smith and Josh Childress were starters at Madison Square Garden facing the New York Knicks. Now, the Knicks were much better than the Hawks, but they were facing Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Tim Thomas, who were all god players. But in that overtime game, the Joshes got career highs in points and rebounds: Josh Childress 22 pts (7/10 FGs 7/9 FTs 1/1 3pt) 11 rbs 4 asts 2 stls, Josh Smith 21 pts (8/11 FGs 5/8 FTs) 10 rbs 3 blks 2 asts. That win would end up being the last win of the Hawks season, which finished 13-69, but it was a positive display of the potential future greatness of the two rookies to lead their team to a victory like that.

Supporters have repeatedly acknowledged the young players faults. This is just not enough for some. What is consistently overlooked is his production and performance despite these faults. What is also overlooked is the team itself. How poorly constructed is a roster? How pathetically coached is a team? It should be obvious when a player twenty-two years of age with so many acclaimed flaws is the second leading scorer of points, second leading rebounder, first in steals, third in assists, and first in blocks. Indeed, his field goal percentage is fourth on the team, ahead of the team’s best player. His fouls are near the top, but coupled with his defensive statistics, should indicate that he is a consistently aggressive defender, unlike many of his teammates. His turnovers lead the team. That coupled with his offensive statistics would once again suggest aggressiveness. Simple mathematics alone would suggest that the minuses do not even remotely exceed the plusses.

But it is not simple mathematics that we discuss here. Nor is it whether Smith is an inherently good or bad player. Nor whether he will ever be a star, be it in the eyes of the fans, league, or in general.

The focus is once again inaccurately placed on a player as a problem, source of a problem, or related problem. The problem continues to lie in the organization the player is in. The organization in which the player is supposed to grow and mature.

Smoove problem’s are easier to fix than his assets are to replace, thats why you keep him…