Josh Smith

[HedleyLamar]

If the cavs still have that soft cap space available in summer 2013, I’ve been leaning toward them retaining it another year. But the one guy I can’t make my mind up on ( because I don’t really know a lot about him) is Josh Smith. I’ll just point out the minuses that bother me. First he’ll be 28 when we sign him, so, in my mind, the cavs have to believe they have a chance to contend for a title in less than 4 years after the signing.
Secondly , although he’s often been mentioned as an elite defender, I still haven’t figured out if that means “ at the small forward position” or not. Whenever I saw him play, I always thought he was an “athletic PF who could run”. Now I’ve read some things classifying him as a SF but it’s not clear.
I’m not going to go into his other strengths and weaknesses. It just seems to me that if he’s consistently a great defender for 30+ minutes at the SF position, and 28 isn’t “ a year too late”, I think I’d be willing to offer him an expensive 4 year deal with a bunch of that soft cap space.
I’m going to add that I’m not assuming that the cavs land a top 10 pick this year. And I personally am giving SF priority over another big because we don’t know how good our young bigs are gonna be, and Alonzo Gee has sixth man / “perimeter defensive specialist” written all over him. Iguodala seems too risky for the money he’ll want because he’ll be a year older than Smith and his scoring has dropped off in the last 2 years.
Opinions?

[Huber.]

[SRStark20]

Josh Smith strikes me as a guy going for his last big deal, and then he won't really give a damn. He's got a terrible personality and is a locker-room cancer.

No thanks.

[Czvosec]

Can't shoot.

[jlegg21]

Can't shoot.

Oh he'll shoot. Just poorly. Loves that 20-footer with 13 on the shot clock. The dozens of Atlanta fans in the stands groan every time he squares up.

[UncleDrew]

Oh he'll shoot. Just poorly. Loves that 20-footer with 13 on the shot clock. The dozens of Atlanta fans in the stands groan every time he squares up.

We already have that, his name is CJ Miles.

[JiggleIt]

I'd strongly consider Smith considering the type of game he has. He would leave Kyrie and Dion even more space outside as well as to catch quite a few passes from both of them.

If the Cavs could nab one more high character lottery pick, they'd be crazy not to at least kick the tires on Josh.

Remember, the Cavs need to have at least one guy who can catch passes and score inside consistently. At this point they have none.

If Waiters is as good as he looks right now, then what they need at this point is one more legitimate all star caliber talent and they'll be ready to be a consistent playoff caliber team. With a versatile player like Smith, the bigs Zeller and Tristan could be relegated to role players with limited expectations of them rather than guys who need to play starters minutes and overextend their skill sets.

If you thought you could get a guy like Smith and have PG, SG and SF (or PF) locked up, all that's left is a legitimate big.

[cafemerald]

Can't shoot.

Josh Smith's post game has improved every year and he is currently a well above average post player. He is a very good passer for his position.

What makes the princeton offense operate at it's highest efficiency? Having a strong post presence that has the ability to pass to the back door cutter or mismatched player due to inefficient defensive rotations.

But yes, a two word response criticizing someones game is very insightful. Especially when that post completely ignores how his other skill sets are actually perfect for the type of offense we run.

[Walter White]

Goin to LA.

[Jack Brickman]

As long as we'd be drafting him to play power forward and not small forward I could talk myself into Josh Smith. I think a lot of it depends on who we end up drafting this summer. Obviously if we end up drafting a power forward (unlikely unless the BPA by a large margin is a PF), no point in going after Smith.

If we get a small forward, I think Smith would be a great idea. It would allow us to bring Thompson off the bench at both the four and the five as the energy big, insert Zeller into the starting line-up as the pick-and-pop guy (which is his ideal role), and trade Varejao for future assets/depth. Imagine Josh Smith, a post player who is also a decent passer, playing with three guys like Kyrie, Dion, and Small Forward X, all of whom can knock down a three pointer. That's a nice line-up.

If we get a center, I'm less sure about Smith. We'd have a seriously crowded frontcourt, which would basically require us to trade off Varejao/Thompson (or both).

Regardless, I don't want Smith at the three. With Kyrie and Dion we need a three who can shoot. That obviously isn't Josh Smith.

["Boobie" Gibson]

As long as we'd be drafting him to play power forward and not small forward I could talk myself into Josh Smith. I think a lot of it depends on who we end up drafting this summer. Obviously if we end up drafting a power forward (unlikely unless the BPA by a large margin is a PF), no point in going after Smith.

If we get a small forward, I think Smith would be a great idea. It would allow us to bring Thompson off the bench at both the four and the five as the energy big, insert Zeller into the starting line-up as the pick-and-pop guy (which is his ideal role), and trade Varejao for future assets/depth. Imagine Josh Smith, a post player who is also a decent passer, playing with three guys like Kyrie, Dion, and Small Forward X, all of whom can knock down a three pointer. That's a nice line-up.

If we get a center, I'm less sure about Smith. We'd have a seriously crowded frontcourt, which would basically require us to trade off Varejao/Thompson (or both).

Regardless, I don't want Smith at the three. With Kyrie and Dion we need a three who can shoot. That obviously isn't Josh Smith.

I never understood this logic. Because we have a PG and a SG who both can shoot the 3, we also need a SF who can shoot the 3?

[Jack Brickman]

I never understood this logic. Because we have a PG and a SG who both can shoot the 3, we also need a SF who can shoot the 3?

I think it makes perfect sense. Right now when Kyrie or Dion drives, the defense really only has to worry about the other one, and can basically ignore the guy at small forward. Gee's not confident in his shot and Miles/Casspi couldn't throw a basketball into the ocean right now. Adding a small forward who can actually knock down a shot means more room for our guards to attack the basket and a second guy for them to kick the ball to if the defense collapses.

[D-Wreck]

I never understood this logic. Because we have a PG and a SG who both can shoot the 3, we also need a SF who can shoot the 3?

Kyrie can shoot the 3, but the best part of his game is attacking off the dribble. I think most people expect Waiters to be similar in that regard. That's why a SF who can shoot would be nice, space the floor and open up driving lanes for Irving/Waiters.

[ChicagoCavFan]

Pluses: He is 23 years old. He could slide into AVs role, initiating offense from the top, P&R, etc. He would be the recipient of a ton of lobs. Anchor the D against athletic 3s or 4s. Play within our system, where he may flourish. Run the floor, as that is our team for the foreseeable future.

Minuses: Chucker, potential head case (which may become worse with Byron, or it might help him. He would require a new contract, when we have another Max player in Kyrie, a fat re-up for Dion, etc (would have to explore our financial situation to see if it would work).

I still think AV has this season and at least 2 more seasons of high-level play in him. Tough call.

[Jack Brickman]

Pluses: He is 23 years old. He could slide into AVs role, initiating offense from the top, P&R, etc. He would be the recipient of a ton of lobs. Anchor the D against athletic 3s or 4s. Play within our system, where he may flourish. Run the floor, as that is our team for the foreseeable future.

Minuses: Chucker, potential head case (which may become worse with Byron, or it might help him. He would require a new contract, when we have another Max player in Kyrie, a fat re-up for Dion, etc (would have to explore our financial situation to see if it would work).

I still think AV has this season and at least 2 more seasons of high-level play in him. Tough call.

He's 26.