Gerald vs. Josh

[MattD]

Who is better? Honestly, statistically Gerald is. I havent watched enough of Smith to know really how he plays. He is athletic and I know he has a bit of a mid range, but do his two inches really make him a better solution at PF? He definitely had more of a presence on defense with nearly 3 bpg. Gerald is a great value with his contract, but in my game plan/I want JR thread I think this team can be more successful without him, is Josh Smith worth it? Would he help push this franchise over the edge?

[dnbman]

I probably sound like a broken record, as I've said what I'm about to say multiple times before. However....

Josh's presence is like the Tasmanian Devil: he's a strong force, but he can hurt you as much as he can help you. As of now, he earns his money almost strictly by uncanny athleticism. He's not a high basketball IQ guy, and I'd be very concerned with how well he can learn the game. He'll definitely make some huge plays for you, but he's lack of discipline and understanding of the game will give those points back to the other team.

As far as a PF goes, he seems like the kind of guy built for the regular season, when on any given night you can outgun the other team. He causes some match up problems and is explosive. However, he's not a half court PF by any stretch of the imagination, unless he's learned some post skills in the last few months. As such, he's not the kind of PF you want in the playoffs, where you have to grind it out and play smart. The best teams are simply too disciplined to let sheer explosiveness beat them, which is why Phoenix and Golden State didn't make it to the finals. (Well, that and an iffy NBA ruling on players staying on the bench.)

I'm not interested in him unless:

1. He plays SF for us, only occasionally playing PF when we play teams like Phoenix.
2. We get our act together so he comes into an established system. He puts too many variables into a system to make it safely work. I'd rather have something established and then bring a guy like him in. Although, obviously, that doesn't fit the current situation.

He's certainly high risk/high reward. But, unless you're playing fantasy basketball, I'd pass.

[Slam]

I probably sound like a broken record, as I've said what I'm about to say multiple times before. However....

Josh's presence is like the Tasmanian Devil: he's a strong force, but he can hurt you as much as he can help you. As of now, he earns his money almost strictly by uncanny athleticism. He's not a high basketball IQ guy, and I'd be very concerned with how well he can learn the game. He'll definitely make some huge plays for you, but he's lack of discipline and understanding of the game will give those points back to the other team.

As far as a PF goes, he seems like the kind of guy built for the regular season, when on any given night you can outgun the other team. He causes some match up problems and is explosive. However, he's not a half court PF by any stretch of the imagination, unless he's learned some post skills in the last few months. As such, he's not the kind of PF you want in the playoffs, where you have to grind it out and play smart. The best teams are simply too disciplined to let sheer explosiveness beat them, which is why Phoenix and Golden State didn't make it to the finals. (Well, that and an iffy NBA ruling on players staying on the bench.)

I'm not interested in him unless:

1. He plays SF for us, only occasionally playing PF when we play teams like Phoenix.
2. We get our act together so he comes into an established system. He puts too many variables into a system to make it safely work. I'd rather have something established and then bring a guy like him in. Although, obviously, that doesn't fit the current situation.

He's certainly high risk/high reward. But, unless you're playing fantasy basketball, I'd pass.

[Dead_Real]

Right now I think Crash is the better player but if I had to pick one or the other Gerald's injury prone history forces me to take Josh Smith and pray that he continues to improve. I think he has a little bit more upside than Crash and him only being 22 doesn't hurt his cause.

[swetooth9]

i would rather have josh smith if only because he isn't as injury prone as gerald plus he's only 22...

if they were both injury prone and both the same age, i'd go with gerald

[GoBobs]

If Smith was a dominant rebounder you could make the argument that he is more valuable. I think Smith is really best suited to the 3 because of that. GW shots better from three and scored more so I give him an edge.