Jeff Green doesn't have the same impact on defense. The fact that Smith is a known 200+ blocks per season guy really tells the story.
He is also an outstanding passer for a PF. (4 APG)
The fact that Smith is such a good shot blocker puts him above Green any day. You can argue Green is better offensively, but not by much. Smith is just a monster at defense.
I'm not so sure about Smith being a better passer, even with the statistical edge, but I do agree about the defense. Smith's main problem is his efficiency. If he can get his shot selection under control with a contender, then he probably does have more potential.
With all that said, Green is much more consistent and could slide in with any team as the 3rd or 4th option and have a very positive effect. With a team freindly contract, it makes more sense to go with Green...but I wouldn't complain if we acquired Smith.
Green has never averaged more than 2 APG in his entire career, while Smith's career high in APG was 4.2. He's currently averaging 3.9 this season. The "Green played with KD/Westbrook" argument shouldn't work because the Hawks play a lot of isolation - resulting in less assists.
Josh Smith may be inconsistent in some eyes, but he often has A LOT of big games (30+ points, etc. If you look at the Hawks box score every so often, you know what I mean.) He can take over games better than Green when he wants to (He's lazy.)
Smith > Green
He doesnt take over games for the Hawks. A guy by the name of Joe Johnson tends to do that. Smith would rather take jump shots than get to the rim like he should. How can you take over games when you don't play to your strengths? this brings us full circle to the low IQ thing. your caught up in the fact that hes a flashy dunker and has less than two impressive blocks a game. There are more variables than that.
So just because Johnson is more clutch means he's better?
Hate to break it to you, but Johnson is having a slumping season, while Smith is having the one of the best of his career.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3834/gamelog;_ylt=AqMKPOh75iEQbajfOjvc0F4CPaB4Smith has so many monster games (30+ points, 10+ (often more) rebounds, 5+ assists), you can't just say Green is better than him because he has a low IQ (it's not like Green is a mastermind like Rondo...).
The best player on the Hawks is Josh Smith.
You can say Green is more championship caliber, but that is only opinion. He has never been a legit championship contender. We were not legit contenders last year - We had a fighting chance, but the odds were horribly against us.
Smith is the better player. He's averaging almost 20 PPG, 10 RPG, and 4 APG. Jeff Green is averaging 0 PPG, 0 RPG, and 0 APG.