Clippers Trade Talk: 4 reasons why Josh Smith should go
By Tom West
Now that Josh Smith has fallen to the bottom of the Los Angeles Clippers’ rotation while Cole Aldrich has been delivering off the bench instead, there are several reasons why Smith should be traded.
The Los Angeles Clippers are riding their longest win streak of the season (six), and it’s come at a surprising time while Blake Griffin is out with a partially torn quadricep tendon. His absence has almost helped, as it’s given others such as J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Cole Aldrich, Austin Rivers, and Paul Pierce the opportunity to step up. With the bench playing well and the remaining star starters leading the way, the Clippers are firmly sitting at 4th place in the Western Conference.
Another aspect of their win streak during Griffin’s time out that has been surprising, though, is the continued demotion of Josh Smith.
His playing time has dropped when he actually gets on the court during games, Doc Rivers has placed him at the bottom of the rotation behind all other possible options, and, of course, his name has been mentioned in trade rumors.
And that’s just the start of potential reasons as to why the Josh Smith era in L.A. looks like it’s over, and why he could be dealt.
Before proceeding any further, it’s important to emphasize that I don’t think it’s vital Smith should be traded. Shot selection and occasional awareness issues aside, he brings real value with his passing, rebounding and especially defense. Although, the question of his potential fit with the team is made harder to answer when he’s stuck on the bench instead of evolving as someone with reasonable minutes who can consistently make a difference.
However, in all honesty, there’s no way to deny that Smith has been consistently ignored over the last few weeks and now resides at the bottom of the rotation. Now that he’s playing less minutes (or not playing at all) than guys like Aldrich, Pablo Prigioni, and even rookie Branden Dawson in their last game, his future in Los Angeles doesn’t look too bright.
It seems like an appropriate time to face the facts that Smith simply isn’t important to Doc Rivers right now, and that only makes trade talks seem more likely as the February 18 deadline gradually approaches. Which is why we’re going to look at the argument as to why he should go.
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