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By SEKOU SMITH
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, September 05, 2008
Hawks forward Josh Smith is ready to lead this season.
Armed with a new contract, a renewed sense of his place on his team and eager to show that last season’s playoff berth was more than just a stroke of luck, Smith is the driving force in unofficial workouts and pickup games at Philips Arena a month before training camp.
Hawks forward Josh Smith is ready to lead this season.
Q. You recently signed a five-year, $58 million contract, why are you in here sweating through pickup games instead of relaxing on the beach somewhere?
A. I came in [a couple weeks back] just after I signed my contract and got one game in. This week I’m here for good. We’ve got to start early like we started last year. We have to keep it up. We came in early last summer about this time and we ended up making the playoffs. We’ve got to do it again this year. And we’ve got new faces as well so we have to give ourselves some time to gel. So I wanted to be here to make sure that happens.
Q. Heading into your fifth year in the league do you feel an increasing need to assume more of a leadership role on this team along with Joe Johnson?
A. I do. It was always about me knowing I would be here and knowing I needed to step up and be a leader. And not just me but also Marvin Williams, Al Horford and all the other guys that have been here and know our program and what we’re about.
Q. Considering the additions and subtractions made since that Game 7 loss to Boston, is this team as good, better or worse going into training camp?
A. I think it’s a little better because the guys we added have been in the playoffs, been in situations and have been on winning teams. They’re veterans who know what it takes to win. Mo Evans played a huge role in Orlando last year. Flip Murray gives us another breakdown guard who can create off the dribble so Joe won’t have to dribble through three and four people at a time. Mo can knock down a consistent 3-point shot and gives us another offensive weapon to spread the floor. And they’re both good defenders. Randolph Morris is a big body that gives us some much needed depth inside and I think overall these are all good additions to our team.
Q. You and Al Horford did most of your work last year within the framework of the offense as opposed to anything schemed specifically for the two of you. Are you guys yearning for more designed opportunities that cater to your abilities on the offensive end?
A. I think so. We’re both good enough post players that we can make moves and cause double teams on the block. Al showed that last year and I showed that whenever I got a chance to get the ball in the post. I think we can have an inside out presence, even though we’re undersized, we can cause a lot of mismatches. And I think that helps our team out to have a more balanced attack.
Q. One of the biggest knocks of your games is you take a lot of 3-pointers, a lot of ill advised 3-pointers. But you obviously feel comfortable taking those shots. How confident are you in that part of your game now?
A. I feel comfortable. You saw me out here [today], taking and making 3-pointers and mid-range jump shots and they were going in. I feel more confident than I ever have in that part of my game. Listen, I know people are going to scrutinize my game even more now that I’ve got a new contract. They’re going to wonder if I’m all of a sudden satisfied and relaxed or am I going to keep getting better and maintain my hunger. I’m a competitor and I’m still hungry. I go in the gym and work hard every single day to work on my overall game. And you can see the improvement on the court. And all the people that knock me for the shots I take … it doesn’t mean anything to me.
Q. Much was made this summer about a rumored strained relationship between you and [Hawks coach] Mike Woodson. Can you finally put that drama to rest now that you’re back here in a Hawks uniform?
A. People talk, man. They’re on the outside looking in. And we’re on the inside dealing with this. Like I said, people are going to have their opinions about me and they’re going to make their assumptions about me. And I can’t do anything about that. And I honestly don’t care to. Coach Woodson and I have a good relationship. We talked several times throughout the summer before my contract was signed. We’re good.
Q. A spin-off from those rumors about a frayed relationship with Woodson was talk of you being hard to coach and malcontent. Are you worried that those perceptions have become a reality for some people?
A. I like to win and I like to show my emotions at times, because I’m a competitor and I hate to lose. And it’s funny to me sometimes that a competitor can be miscast as someone having an attitude. I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before. Like I said before, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. As long as people ask the right people about me and about my character, and I mean people that actually know me, I’m really not worried about it.
Q. After four full seasons in the league is your game where you expected it to be and where you wanted it to be at this time?
A. Well, I have extremely high expectations for myself. So I’m pleased with how far I’ve come but hardly satisfied. I set goals every year for myself. Some I might not get and some I might. But being 22 and having already played four years in the league and having been a part of the teams I’ve been a part of, I feel like a lot has been accomplished but I’m not close to done yet. I’m not satisfied. I feel like I have more to prove. And I keep getting better every year and keep working on my game, I’ll do just that.
Q. Which of your teammates do you think will surprise people this fall with the improvements he’s made in his game?
A. I’d have to say Marvin. People know him as a mid-range jump shooter but he’s added more to his game. He’s got counter moves and being able to get to the hole and he’s even doing moves in the post that I haven’t seen him do before. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.
Q. Is there more pressure on this team now that you’ve made the playoffs?
A. Sure, we have something to prove. And we are a year better. But we’re are one of the top 16 teams in the league and we have to show that every single night and not just every three or four nights. That’s our great challenge as a group and really for some of us as individuals, to play at a high level every night.
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