From Dennis Rodman to Rasheed Wallace and on down the line, the NBA has a storied history of contenders rolling the dice on players with a bad rap to push them over the championship edge. The Houston Rockets will hope Josh Smith is the next to join that list.
Smith has verbally agreed to join the Rockets when he clears waivers at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, two days after the former All-Defensive selection was waived by the Detroit Pistons. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported the news:
The Pistons, who signed Smith to a four-year, $54 million deal in 2013, surprisingly waived him Monday amid an overhaul by head coach/president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Wojnarowski reported the team plans to use the "stretch provision" on the two years remaining on Smith's contract to lessen the salary-cap blowback.That said, it's possible Houston is getting a steal of a player going through his first real wake-up call. Smith is one of five non-guards in the league averaging at least 4.5 assists per game. He is a gifted passer from the elbows and in the post, and he can be a dynamic force near the basket when he's engaged. He shot 58.6 percent in the restricted area this season before being released, a number below his career rate but still solid.
Defensively, Smith's reputation has been built largely on his spectacular athleticism. Whether by age or effort, his work on that side of the ball has slipped in Detroit, and it'll be interesting to see if he can recapture his versatility in Houston.
The risk is nevertheless one worth taking. The Rockets are paying a player who commanded $13.5 million per season barely over a year ago pittance in comparison, and they're acquiring a highly skilled two-way player for nothing of value. Personality conflicts may arise, but this is a situation almost unprecedented in league history.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2307846-josh-smith-to-sign-with-rockets-latest-contract-details-analysis-and-reaction
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