The man who the Pistons are paying $30 million simply to go away, made his return to Atlanta last night for the first time as a Rocket. Josh Smith played his first nine seasons in ATL, but after playing a year in Detroit, and 28 incrimnating games under Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, he was released.
He was quickly picked up by the Rockets and spearheads their bench unit now after it was clear his shooting would clog the half-court for the first team.
Last night, he took a three-pointer from the corner that bounced high off the top of the rim as the jeers rang out around Philips Arena. But then it dropped, and Josh decided to shush the crowd.
The same thing happened in the fourth quarter when Smoove nailed a triplet from the top of the key:
With Smith squinting as the Rockets fumbled away a 15-point lead with 10:32 left in the fourth, they were out-scored 32-14 in the final session and the Hawks got the 104-96 win.
So of course, Smith had some things to say about the crowd after the game.
“I mean, those fans are fickle, very fickle and bandwagoners,” Smith said, by way of ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. “It really doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Perhaps, as Arnovitz points out, Smith’s work in the Atlanta community deserved more than the catcalls he received last night:
During his time in Atlanta, Smith was active in local charities. In 2011-12, he was nominated by the Professional Basketball Writers Association for the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
“I’d been here for nine years, and all I did was positive things in the community and with the basketball team,” Smith said.
Smoove ended up 6-of-14 from the field, and 2-for-6 from deep, a mark Smith described as “pretty good.” His 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists weren’t enough to overcome the absence of James Harden — serving a one-game suspension for his karate kick on LeBron. It wasn’t enough to waylay Hawks fans excited about their team. Atlanta has the NBA’s best record and clinched a playoff berth with their best 60-game stretch to start a season in franchise history.
[ESPN; video NBA Game Recap]
