The Detroit Pistons made a slew of moves this offseason in an effort to transform themselves into instant playoff contenders, none of which was bigger than inking Josh Smith to a big contract.
Despite adding the $54 million man, Detroit finds themselves at 2-5 and in the cellar of the Eastern Conference Central division. With big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe already in place, Smith was brought in to man the small forward spot despite showing questionable shot selection, and great ability near the basket.
Smith has been disappointing through seven games, averaging just 15.4 points and a tick over five rebounds a night. During last night's drubbing at the hands of the Warriors, he netted just two points in a season-low 19 minutes.
Smith didn't complain about his benching after the game. "I just got to cheer my teammates on," Smith said. "You can't really focus on the decisions that people make higher than you. You just have to be able to adjust around it. As long as I've been in this league, that's what I've been willing to do."
Head coach Maurice Cheeks said that Smith's limited minutes shouldn't be taken as a warning to Smith about his subpar output so far. "It's about trying to change some things up," Cheeks said, according to the Free Press. "It wasn't about sending a message; just trying to change some things up to see if we could get some things going."
Smith wasn't so sure about the limited playing time not being a message. "You never know," Smith said. "I'm not a selfish player, so I'm not going to go in there and demand plays be ran for me. I just kind of look around and see what in the game is being forced my way, or given my way, and just work my way around it."
So far the concerns about his fit with two other big men are proving to be warranted. Smith's not giving up on is ability to contribute so quickly, though. "I think I can be effective offensively but, you know, it might be somebody else's night," he told reporters. "You never know what it is. Like I said, I can't focus on things that I can't control."
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