Who would you rather keep Smart or AB? (POLL)

[mmmmm]

Smart, and it's a no-brainer.  It's generally considered on this board that Bradley has already reached his peak and that Smart has barely started to scratch the surface.  And even at this point, Bradley is only probably slightly ahead of Smart in terms of value to this team. 

It's possible Smart never gets better and Bradley ends up being the slightly better player in the long run, but I think it's a clear choice that you bet on Smart taking the next step and significantly surpassing Bradley in a year or two.

Wait ... what?  Consensus?  On this board?  On THAT assertion?  Really?

Avery is 25 years old.  This is his peak?

[walker834]

I would rather keep Smart.  I love them both though. I think Smart is the better player ultimately.  I kind of agree that AB is starting to reach his peak.  He and Crowder have been playing that way this season.   So has Isaiah. Smart has the most room to grow along with KO although KO's upside is somewhat in question to me.  He could just be what he is.  Sully can play better too but if he never gets in shape it could be a downward spiral.    Smart has been banged up but AB throughout his career seems to get injured more too.

[Moranis]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA. 

[Csfan1984]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

[tarheelsxxiii]

Do you want a pit bull with poor hands and lack of offensive skill or a more well rounded ball hounder that can shoot? Obviously both have weaknesses. I think it depends on how the roster shapes up after assumed upgrades.

Smarts not a starting caliber player on near any team in the league right now. I think Bradley could start on several. Right now, I choose Bradley. Despite this fact, too, I think there may be dumb GMs that see higher upside in Smart than others may, so his trade value could potentially be higher.

[BitterJim]

Smart, and it's a no-brainer.  It's generally considered on this board that Bradley has already reached his peak and that Smart has barely started to scratch the surface.  And even at this point, Bradley is only probably slightly ahead of Smart in terms of value to this team. 

It's possible Smart never gets better and Bradley ends up being the slightly better player in the long run, but I think it's a clear choice that you bet on Smart taking the next step and significantly surpassing Bradley in a year or two.

Wait ... what?  Consensus?  On this board?  On THAT assertion?  Really?

Avery is 25 years old.  This is his peak?

Don't you realize that (according to some posters) AB reached his peak years ago? All his improvement since then is just an illusion

[apc]

If you only consider skill i would take Bradley.
I voted for Smart for his winning mentality- very few players has that.

[Moranis]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

But he wasn't injured in college and couldn't shoot there either.  Bradley was a respectable three point shooter in college.  Smart was awful and has shown nothing which would lead anyone to the conclusion he is going to get even respectable at this level. 

It is silly talk to think Smart is going to develop a shot.  It just doesn't happen.  Smart will certainly get better and can certainly be a well above average drive and dish type offensive player.  He can certainly become a world class top level defender.  But Smart is never going to be a good shooter.  It just won't happen.

[rondohondo]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

But he wasn't injured in college and couldn't shoot there either.  Bradley was a respectable three point shooter in college.  Smart was awful and has shown nothing which would lead anyone to the conclusion he is going to get even respectable at this level. 

It is silly talk to think Smart is going to develop a shot.  It just doesn't happen.  Smart will certainly get better and can certainly be a well above average drive and dish type offensive player.  He can certainly become a world class top level defender.  But Smart is never going to be a good shooter.  It just won't happen.

how about an adequate shooter? I know he is a HOF , but Jason Kidd went from having no shot to being a top 10 3pt made shooter ever .

Smart can knock it down when it's within the flow of the offense , he just isn't a sharp shooter, or contested/of the dribble 3 pt shooter .

He shot around 35% from 3 last year, he just needs to refine his shot selection and start driving a lot more .

[Moranis]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

But he wasn't injured in college and couldn't shoot there either.  Bradley was a respectable three point shooter in college.  Smart was awful and has shown nothing which would lead anyone to the conclusion he is going to get even respectable at this level. 

It is silly talk to think Smart is going to develop a shot.  It just doesn't happen.  Smart will certainly get better and can certainly be a well above average drive and dish type offensive player.  He can certainly become a world class top level defender.  But Smart is never going to be a good shooter.  It just won't happen.

how about an adequate shooter? I know he is a HOF , but Jason Kidd went from having no shot to being a top 10 3pt made shooter ever .

Smart can knock it down when it's within the flow of the offense , he just isn't a sharp shooter, or contested/of the dribble 3 pt shooter .

He shot around 35% from 3 last year, he just needs to refine his shot selection and start driving a lot more .

It is a myth that Jason Kidd had no shot.  His rookie year he was pretty bad, but he jumped up to over 33% in his second year and hit 37% his third year.  In college he was over a 33% shooter for his career.  Late in his NBA career Kidd was basically a spot up shooter and certainly became pretty darn good at it in that role, but Kidd was never a terrible shooter and always had solid shooting form. 

[Jon]

Smart, and it's a no-brainer.  It's generally considered on this board that Bradley has already reached his peak and that Smart has barely started to scratch the surface.  And even at this point, Bradley is only probably slightly ahead of Smart in terms of value to this team. 

It's possible Smart never gets better and Bradley ends up being the slightly better player in the long run, but I think it's a clear choice that you bet on Smart taking the next step and significantly surpassing Bradley in a year or two.

Wait ... what?  Consensus?  On this board?  On THAT assertion?  Really?

Avery is 25 years old.  This is his peak?

Don't you realize that (according to some posters) AB reached his peak years ago? All his improvement since then is just an illusion

Fine. Point taken. But it's still quibbling. I think most people would generally agree that Bradley is closer to his peak than Smart is. And considering that Bradley is only slightly a better player now, it stands to reason Smart is the better choice to hold onto.

Of course, I'm not in a rush to get rid of either of them and in a hypothetical trade situation, Danny probably isn't going to be given a choice of who to give up.

[Evantime34]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

But he wasn't injured in college and couldn't shoot there either.  Bradley was a respectable three point shooter in college.  Smart was awful and has shown nothing which would lead anyone to the conclusion he is going to get even respectable at this level. 

It is silly talk to think Smart is going to develop a shot.  It just doesn't happen.  Smart will certainly get better and can certainly be a well above average drive and dish type offensive player.  He can certainly become a world class top level defender.  But Smart is never going to be a good shooter.  It just won't happen.

how about an adequate shooter? I know he is a HOF , but Jason Kidd went from having no shot to being a top 10 3pt made shooter ever .

Smart can knock it down when it's within the flow of the offense , he just isn't a sharp shooter, or contested/of the dribble 3 pt shooter .

He shot around 35% from 3 last year, he just needs to refine his shot selection and start driving a lot more .

It is a myth that Jason Kidd had no shot.  His rookie year he was pretty bad, but he jumped up to over 33% in his second year and hit 37% his third year.  In college he was over a 33% shooter for his career.  Late in his NBA career Kidd was basically a spot up shooter and certainly became pretty darn good at it in that role, but Kidd was never a terrible shooter and always had solid shooting form.

Come on. He got the name nickname Ason Kidd when he came into the league because he had no J.
Here is an article on him improving as a shooter http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/john_schuhmann/06/05/kidd-shooting-prowess/.

"When I did shoot early in my career, it was more of a flick or a snatch where I didn't follow through," Kidd says now.

That was the biggest of Kidd's shooting issues, but just one of several. He also had a tendency to turn sideways or lean back when he shot, so Thate had to straighten him out. And finally, they worked on ball placement, making sure that Kidd's shot began at his forehead and not behind his ear.
All of the changes took time, discipline and trust. And the results didn't come right away.

He absolutely was a bad shooter with a bad looking shot when he came into the league. If his poor shooting when he came into the league is a myth then it is a myth systematically perpetuated by by anyone that covered him early in the league.

Kidd struggled with his jump shot early in his career -- it earned him the nickname Ason Kidd because he didn't have a J

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/6/3/4391852/jason-kidd-highlights-retires

[PhoSita]

Smart's more versatile defensively, makes a much bigger impact on the boards, can handle playmaking duties, and gets to the line with some frequency.

He's not close to Avery in terms of scoring polish, but if he develops anything like we hope he might, he'll be more valuable than Avery.


I think both are tradeable and both are nice pieces we shouldn't be eager to part with.

[loco_91]

Smart : he is younger, has much more potential, and I believe he will improve his shot like AB did.

It would have been a tougher decision had AB been healthy, considering Smart's injury history, but they are similar in that regard so I go with Smart.

Bradley's career high from 3PT range was his 2nd year (at over 40%).  Bradley was a solid 3PT shooter in college (37.5%).  Smart was a terrible shooter in college (29% and 29.9%) and is even worse in the pros (25.3% this year).  Thinking Smart is all of a sudden do something he has never done is silly talk.

How is belief silly talk? We might as well never talk about any young player becoming anything if that was the case. It's all about belief in what a player will become.

I edited my post, but guys don't learn how to shoot when they are in their 20's, they learn how to shoot when they are in junior high and high school.  Players certainly become more mature, make better decisions, get stronger, etc., but basic skills just aren't learned once a guy hits the NBA.

Much better with the edit. He can improve but the the likelihood that he becomes a good shooter is small. There are very few exceptions given historical data. I agree in that. Yet its not impossible and he has dealt with injuries. As evidence with Crowder injuries can throw a guy into a huge funk. He needs to up his whole game IMO not simply focus on the shooting #s. Smart has a ways to get to ABs shooting level but is better in other things. Again each has their strengths and weaknesses.   

But he wasn't injured in college and couldn't shoot there either.  Bradley was a respectable three point shooter in college.  Smart was awful and has shown nothing which would lead anyone to the conclusion he is going to get even respectable at this level. 

It is silly talk to think Smart is going to develop a shot.  It just doesn't happen.  Smart will certainly get better and can certainly be a well above average drive and dish type offensive player.  He can certainly become a world class top level defender.  But Smart is never going to be a good shooter.  It just won't happen.

how about an adequate shooter? I know he is a HOF , but Jason Kidd went from having no shot to being a top 10 3pt made shooter ever .

Smart can knock it down when it's within the flow of the offense , he just isn't a sharp shooter, or contested/of the dribble 3 pt shooter .

He shot around 35% from 3 last year, he just needs to refine his shot selection and start driving a lot more .

It is a myth that Jason Kidd had no shot.  His rookie year he was pretty bad, but he jumped up to over 33% in his second year and hit 37% his third year.  In college he was over a 33% shooter for his career.  Late in his NBA career Kidd was basically a spot up shooter and certainly became pretty darn good at it in that role, but Kidd was never a terrible shooter and always had solid shooting form.

Come on. He got the name nickname Ason Kidd when he came into the league because he had no J.
Here is an article on him improving as a shooter http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/john_schuhmann/06/05/kidd-shooting-prowess/.

"When I did shoot early in my career, it was more of a flick or a snatch where I didn't follow through," Kidd says now.

That was the biggest of Kidd's shooting issues, but just one of several. He also had a tendency to turn sideways or lean back when he shot, so Thate had to straighten him out. And finally, they worked on ball placement, making sure that Kidd's shot began at his forehead and not behind his ear.
All of the changes took time, discipline and trust. And the results didn't come right away.

He absolutely was a bad shooter with a bad looking shot when he came into the league. If his poor shooting when he came into the league is a myth then it is a myth systematically perpetuated by by anyone that covered him early in the league.

Kidd struggled with his jump shot early in his career -- it earned him the nickname Ason Kidd because he didn't have a J

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/6/3/4391852/jason-kidd-highlights-retires

Statistically speaking, shooting is one of the most improveable skills. Many players improve as shooters over the course of their career. Smart is currently a very bad shooter, and it is unlikely that he will ever be good, but it is very possible that he will be decent.

[JBcat]

This a tough one for me.

Bradley's 3 point shooting, and on ball defense is missing in this series.  If we upgraded SG with say Butler, Bradley's 3 point shooting could be very valuable off the bench especially if we don't upgrade outside shooting at other positions.

If we don't have someone like Turner to help with the ball handling responsibilities in the second unit I'd say Smart is a must to keep.  Maybe someone like Rozier really steps up though.

It's hard for me to decide.  I think it would mostly depend on the makeup of the rest of the roster.