Josh v. Al
As I was watching the 2004 draft, I couldn't believe that supposed Top 5 pick Josh Smith was falling into the Celtics' lap. Team after team passed on the young kid and then when Robert Swift, Danny Ainge's rumored favorite, was selected by Seattle, I thought Josh would be in green.
Then the Celtics pick came and we ended up taking Al Jefferson. I didn't exactly understand the pick since we had Antoine Walker and Josh seemed like a better fit between Truth and 'Toine. In the end, Big Al worked out because he helped net us Kevin Garnett but four plus years later, which guys would you rather have?
Al Jefferson has blossomed into one of the best low post prospect in the league and is a dominant offensive player. Some fans have dubbed him "The Unstoppable". Unfortunately, he might as well stop at the half court stripe because he doesn't seem to have much interest in the defensive end. In fact, for all of his stats, he's still kind of a great player who doesn't seem to care a great deal about the game. He lacks passion. Not to be confused with Robert Parish who was passionate but quiet, Big Al just doesn't really seem to give a damn.
But the biggest issue right now is Big Al's lack of durability. Out for the season yet again, this marks Al's second season in which he couldn't crack the 60 game mark. He was able to play all 82 games last year but that's starting to look more like the exception than the rule.
Do you really want to depend on a guy who you can't depend on on one half of the court and might not even be healthy?
With Josh Smith, you know what you're going to get. And that's kind of the problem.
His shooting looked like it was improving but that was a mirage. He's leveled off a 25% from three and his jumper is streaky at best but is usually consistently shaky. While he still can help on offense, he makes his money on the defensive end where he racks up the stats and is able to guard either the 3 or 4 spot. Sometimes he even jumps out to guard opposing PG's. He seems to be a guy that the Miami Heat should go after to pair with Michael Beasley.
Unfortunately, Josh's biggest problem is Josh. The kid's crazy. He just got into another altercation with Coach Mike Woodson. While most everyone has come to recognize his lack of shooting ability, Josh still hoists up way too many jumpers. One reason for that is that his handle is still shaky and while he can usually drive past opposing forwards, there's no guarantee that Josh will be able to get the ball to the basket. While talent-wise he seems like a great fit for the Heat, his head makes him seem like he should be on the free-for-all Warriors.
So if I was building a team and had to choose one of these guys, who would I choose? I really like Josh but I think I'd have to go with Jefferson. I initially was going to go with Smith but then I thought that if the Wolves dealt Big Al for Josh, the Hawks would be better while the Wolves might be the same. Also, the Wolves would never deal Al for Josh while the Hawks would jump at that deal.
It should be interesting to follow the careers of these two but part of me is fearing that it's shaping up that they will go down as "What Might Have Been..." candidates rather than fully realized NBA stars.
