Joe Smith Signs with his 10th NBA Team

Joe Smith On The Move…Again

Back in 1995, when Joe Smith was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, we all thought we were looking at the next great power-forward. The 1995 NBA Draft brought us greats like Kevin Garnett, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace. Smith has played for Golden State, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland and Oklahoma City. Now Smith will suit up as an Atlanta Hawk, signing with his tenth team in a career that has spanned 14-years.

Smith has averaged 11.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds in his career. His best career year was in 1996-97 when Smith still had the explosive athletic talent that warranted his selection as the top overall pick. In that year he averaged 18.7 points and 8.5 rebounds. For the last three seasons, Smith’s on court presence has dwindled, averaging less than 18 minutes per game. As a reserve, he’s been nominal, but his name has more value than his basketball production at this point.

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Smith will be used as a back-up to Josh Smith, and the two could not be any different. Josh Smith is a swing-man parading as a power-forward because of his height. But Smith’s physical play will help offset the physical demand on Al Horford, and reduce the impact of Zaza Pachulia as well. My question is that, since they share the same initials, will we get the delight of seeing these guys with their full names on their jerseys?

The Atlanta Hawks are still outside favorites, but they’ve done a formidable job of securing their young stars. Between Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Al Horford, the Hawks have the pieces of an Eastern Conference champion in place. Joe Smith will make the veteran’s mid-level exception this season and is on contract for one year. Does he make the Hawks legitimate contenders? Nope. They already were.