He's putting up similar numbers to George: http://bkref.com/tiny/sKhjI
The fact that his head hasn't "got in line" yet tip the scales to George, who probably doesn't hurt his team as much late in games with poor decision making/shot selection. I agree his issues can probably be fixed, but he's the player that he is, not the player he could/should be, hence the lack of all-star selections.
Smith per 48 minutes is leading in rebounds (11.5 vs 10.0), assists (5.7 vs 5.1), scoring (23.2 vs 22.5), blocks (2.7 vs 0.9) and fouls committed (3.3 vs 3.6).
The only areas George tops Smith are steals (2.3 vs 1.6) and turnovers (3.7 vs 4.1).
In terms of efficiency the biggest complain people make about smith is his shot selection. Smith is shooting a significantly higher percentange from the field (46% vs 43%) than George is.
George is a better three point shooter and free throw shooter, but when you factor in the total number of FG attempts made Smith is still more efficient from the field (until you factor in free throws).
There is no way you can argue the George is any better a player than Smith. At best you can argue that they are on par. Not only was George an All-Star this season, nba.com even has him listed in the 'Race to MVP'.
The only difference between these guys is that tha Pacers have a better record, that's it. If the records switched places, then Hortford and Smith both would have have a good shot at being All Stars.
The difference is that (as mentioned earlier) this season so far is a one off for George. He could have a great year, then once Granger finds his grove again his numbers could go down significantly. Maybe next season he goes back to being merely 'good'. Smith has been putting up almost exactly the same numbers every single season since he's been in the league. There is a clear consistency in his production because he always puts up those numbers regardless of what changes happen within the team (injuries, new acquisitions, etc). To me that counts for something - it's nice having a guy who you KNOW will give you X stats every night for the next X years...you know what you can count on from that guy.
My point here is that people are emphasising the fact that Smith has never made an All-Star game, yet clearly he has been playing at an All-Star level for pretty much his entire career.
People are saying he has no upside because of his consistency, but the fact that his game is held back by his mental approach tells me otherwise. Being in the right system with the right guys around him (and the right role) may well impact on the way he approaches games. It's certainly not something you can bank on or guarantee, but the possiblity is pretty reasonable. HE has never played for anybody BUT Atlanta, so there is no way to predict how his game may change for another coach, in another system.
If he (for example) goes to a team that is full of three point shooters, and he is utilised primarilly as a PF/C, then you may find he shy's away from taking so many threes. If he ever did this he would be close to a 50% FG guy because his offensive efficiency around the paint is actually pretty high.
Again, you just don't know. I think a team like Boston would be perfect for Smith because we have a lot of perimieter guys, and with Pierce and Green both on the team Smith would spend 95% of his time at PF or C. He would be pressured by Doc / KG / etc to play more in the paint and to focus on defense and rebounding. From what I've seen of Smith he has some decent moves in the post (including a nice little hook shot that he rarely misses) and his combination of speed and size is a permanent mismatch against anybody he plays again.
I see Green + Smith as one of the most versatile SF/PF combinations in the league, and one of the hardest for opposing teams to match up with because they can both create so many mismatches.
From a sentimental perspective it would be very hard to do this, because I want to see Pierce retire a Celtic (plus the impact it could have on KG).
From a pure objective point of view (talent alone) I would take this deal anytime, anywhere.
We have a starting calibre SF in Jeff Green and we now have a capable backup SF in Terrance Williams (yes, he can play SF). What we don't have is a starting calibre PF, because Bass is clearly not performing at a starters level this season. Moving out Pierce for Smith (plus a late pick in a terrible draft) gives us a more ballanced starting lineup and gives us a guy of similar talent who is about 7 years younger. Smith also has historically been a pretty healthy guys and rarely gets injured, and we could use all the durable players we can get.
Topic: Rumor: Cs passed on PP & 1st for Smith (Read 16308 times)