Signing Josh Smith
Grade: D-
Pete Camarillo: Fresh off a playoff series where Smith killed the Clippers with his play as a Houston Rocket, it made sense that the Clippers made him an offer. Unfortunately, Smith never carved himself out a reliable role as backup small forward, center or power forward. The versatile forward could have made a major difference, but instead largely killed leads with his woeful shot selection and lack of impact as a small-ball center.
Once Blake Griffin went down with injury, it seemed like the Clippers had Smith to pick up his slack. Again, he never fit the role. He only started one game as a Clipper over the entire year.
Smith finished his Clippers tenure averaging 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. The only thing keeping this from a complete failure is that the Clippers took themselves out of their own misery by trading him back to the Rockets after 32 games. Thanks for the foreign players, Houston!
Next: Don't forget Aldrich