Josh Smith: “Everybody knows there ain’t nothing to do in Milwaukee”
Nothing to do here?
Woody figures the Hawks will encounter a “hostile environment” at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center for Game 3 oN Saturday. It might be particularly unwelcoming for Josh Smith after he pulled a Joakim Noah.
A reporter mentioned that Milwaukee is different from Miami, the Hawks’ first-round destination last year (and lemme tell you, this is another reason Hawks management was happy to draw Milwaukee instead of Miami this time).
So what will Smoove do in Brew City?
“Maybe go to Ruth’s Chris or something,” he said. (Sorry, Smoove, but the nearest locations are in Madison, Wisc. and Northbrook, Ill.)
“There’s pretty much nothing to do,” Smith said. “Miami has some really good restaurants. I never really did anything in Milwaukee. I would be happy to just find a restaurant. I’m not bashing the city but I’ve never actually did anything in Milwaukee so I really don’t know what is around there.”
By now Hawks PR Man Arthur Triche, seeing where this was headed, had creeped in to try and break up the party. But, Smoove being Smoove (”I don’t care!”) he wasn’t stopping.
Someone picked up on the Noah thread and asked Smith if he’d be taking any vacations in Milwaukee.
“Would you go there?” Smith asked. “Everybody knows there ain’t nothing to do in Milwaukee, man. Everybody knows that, (even) the people that live there.”
I’ve lived in Milwaukee (Sherman Park, then Eastside). It’s been a few years but I was never bored. But then I’m a low-key regular dude, not a millionaire celebrity athlete, so my “things to do” threshold may be somewhat lower than Smoove and Co.’s.
Josh’s tone was playful when he said these things but the folks in Milwaukee probably won’t be laughing. As I recall, they can be a bit prickly about the city’s image. Hey, it’s not easy being in Chicago’s shadow. They have Ruth’s Chris, you know.
Anyway, it will be all good for the Hawks if Smoove livens up Milwaukee the way Noah lit up Cleveland. But with a W, of course.
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
221 comments Add your comment
SLAM ONLINE | » Josh Smith: Not a Fan of Milwaukee
April 23rd, 2010
8:00 am
[...] Noah’s book — who was at it again last night, by the way — and ensured that good folks of Milwaukee will be booing him lustily during games 3 and 4. From the AJC: “A reporter mentioned that Milwaukee is different from [...]
Dr. R
April 23rd, 2010
8:13 am
Why do these guys even care what there is to DO in Milwaukee? You’re there to win a basketball game, not party until dawn. Grow up already and do your job like a pro. I guarantee you Mike Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird weren’t focused on the nightlife in whatever playoff town they were visiting. Their only focus was to beat the snot out of whoever they were playing. Just proves that Smith isn’t quite as mature or focused as he needs to be on what really matters.
Milwaukee Drug Dealers
April 23rd, 2010
8:14 am
Oh, yes he does!
$$$$
Sage of Bluesland
April 23rd, 2010
8:16 am
@Doug: half of the bloggers here are disappointed in Josh’s comments, so don’t burn the city over what he said.
Hell, we’ve already been burned down, and where did that get us?
HATER MAN
April 23rd, 2010
8:29 am
Ummmmm,Dr.R.,
Magic Johnson??
come on son
HATER MAN
April 23rd, 2010
8:31 am
Ummmmm,Dr.R.
Michael Jordan too????
come on son
JeJe
April 23rd, 2010
8:36 am
We just need to sweep this series and stay healthy for round 2 — my only wish. Do not get hurt, and sweep this guys. DON’T let them steal a game
dawgma
April 23rd, 2010
8:37 am
Just score baby….you aren’t in Milwaukee to vacation…just score points.
BTW…you can always tour the Miller Brewery after you blast the bucks.
Doug
April 23rd, 2010
8:41 am
sorry Sage. I tend to not make comments like this often, but it just gets tiring having players/fanbases attack and mock Milwaukee at every turn. Is it so hard for them to come back with a classy answer to a loaded question like that? They are getting paid millions of dollars to travel around. If that was me giving the answer with millions in my pocket, I would say some nice things and try to endear myself–whether it’s to people in New York, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cedar Rapids, or some random city in the middle of Texas. Then again, I am a nice person who finds value in everything and every place. I reckon that an average NBA player is too dumb and uneducated to be wasting time in local museums when they are on the road.
Nothing personal against Atlanta, but I just thought I would exhibit that all places can be attacked using stereotypes. People down in Atlanta shouldn’t be throwing stones because the South is one of the most stereotyped places in the entire world. Nice joke at the end there! lol
Hollywood Swingin
April 23rd, 2010
8:56 am
Never been to Milwaukee but lived in Los Angeles for 18 years as a young man. While I was there I met three people from Wisconsin. They were all gorgeous women. I fell in love with each in turn and married one. They had all moved to L.A. because there was nothing to do in Wisconsin. Perhaps all the beautiful women from Milwaukee moved to L.A.
Shake it up Josh. Go Hawks!!!
kwooden1
April 23rd, 2010
9:06 am
I don’t care about what there is to do in Milwaukee, I’m only worried about Salmon’s and Jenning’s. The HAWKS better remember what they did to the Celtics 2 years ago and come with their ‘A’ games. Sweep or no sweep I don’t want a let down. Cleveland and LA just got their wake-up calls, so the HAWKS should be for warned!!
I really expect the bench to come out and play a lot better tomorrow night. They really haven’t shown what they can do these last two games and have been completely out played by the Bucks’ bench. I think part of the reason they haven’t been playing well, is they’ve come in the game with big leads and weren’t focused. They need to change their mentality and come with intensity and execution as soon as they touch the court.
GO HAWKS!!
ATLBadger
April 23rd, 2010
9:06 am
That’s funny. Most of the people I know from Wisconsin think Atlanta is nothing but bad traffic, ghettos, strip malls, suburban sprawl, and corporate offices.
I can tell you this though, Milwaukee beats the hell out of Cleveland and Detroit.
ATLBadger
April 23rd, 2010
9:08 am
Plus Milwaukee just isn’t much of an NBA city anymore. But then again, it’s not like Hawks games sell out unless Lebron is in town.
Most of the Brewers (and Packers) have pretty nice things to say about Milwaukee. Josh Smith can go to Ryan Braun’s new restaurant in the Third Ward. It’s on a river. One of those nice natural features Atlanta lacks.
WISE
April 23rd, 2010
9:12 am
HAHAHA Doug….no man with any self respect would pick Milwaukee > Atlanta…dont get mad at us cause your city sucks and yes we might be not be LA or New York but I LOVE the ATL and most people who live here do so you might want to get out of here with that BS
“I wasn’t born but I will die in Atlanta GA” – Ludacris aka one of the best artist in the last 10 years not a fad
Now You Know
April 23rd, 2010
9:13 am
ATLBadger _ “It’s on a river. One of those nice natural features Atlanta lacks.” Ever heard of Ray’s on the River?
atlwibadger
April 23rd, 2010
9:34 am
Was born and grew up in Milwaukee, and have also lived in Tokyo (1.5 years), Washington D.C. (4 years), Chicago (2 years), Miami (7 years) and Atlanta (6 years). Each place has its pluses and minuses – to say Milwaukee “sucks’ or there is “nothing to do” really shows a myopic focus on “fun”. I enjoyed skipping the velvet ropes at the Shore Club and Opium in the day in Miami, hitting an underground back alley bar in Ginza and eating dinner on the Potomac while President Clinton and his family sat two tables away. And yes, Atlanta has a great nightlife and dining scene. But just taking some time to sit at a bar or patio in Milwaukee, eat a brat with a $1 draft with a bunch of salt of the earth neighborhood folks and talk Packers or Bucks are pleasures in their own right (not to mention some of the absolute best German restaurants in the US). Ok, Atlanta is a great city – one of my favorites – but it says a fair amount about the character of a person when they are unable to enrich themselves by finding something interesting to do in a city. Even a city as apparently bland as Milwaukee.
Jennifer
April 23rd, 2010
9:37 am
I was born in Milwaukee. My father born and raised there. I won’t say there’s nothing to do, but when you come from Atlanta to Milwaukee, I can see the comparison. ALTHOUGH……..Atlanta from 5 years ago comapred to now, doesn’t really leave a lot to do here either, lol.
GA Cheesehead
April 23rd, 2010
9:44 am
Milwaukee has, Summerfest (summerfest.com) the LARGEST Music Festival in the world (11 days, 13 stages)!
ATL has Music Midtown…….oh dang. No they don’t?
ATLBadger
April 23rd, 2010
9:52 am
Now You Know – I meant through downtown. Yeah Atlanta has some nice natural features in the sprawling ‘burbs, but I’d take Milwaukee’s downtown over Atlanta’s any day. Lets see, a beautiful lakefront, a river, more independent restaurants and bars than downtown Atlanta, and less bums.
But yeah, if you’re looking for trendiness, flash, lots of people driving Bentley’s, and hip hop clubs, Milwaukee isn’t for you.
Atl Resident
April 23rd, 2010
9:55 am
I’ve never been to the brew city but sounds like Smith just keeping it real about the city. What’s wrong with that? That’s his opinion. I used to be an athlete so I can see where he is coming from. Hell, people who visit here from NYC sometimes have negative comments to say. So let it go and let’s play ball.
WISE
April 23rd, 2010
10:04 am
yeah im not 42 years old so I guess Milwaukee is not for me
Guy Incognito
April 23rd, 2010
10:07 am
Jennifer, I knew that midwestern sensibility, that I’ve observed on these blogs, had to come from there.
MKE is a fine “small” large city. The restaurant scene is very diverse for a city of that size. Smoove should checkout Roots (rootsmilwaukee.com) for some of the most innovative cuisine in Brewtown
Justin
April 23rd, 2010
10:10 am
Does anybody else find it odd that the Suns and Blazers will play four games before the Hawks/Bucks tip-off for their third game? And the Hawks/Bucks series started a day earlier. This scheduling is messed up.
mike
April 23rd, 2010
10:17 am
How ’bout taking the whole team on a tour of Shotz Brewery where Laverne and Shirley work, then to the bowling alley for a few games, some pizza and brats, and one or two beers.
You could also go over to Marquette U and look for co-eds, just don’t pull a Roethlisberger! Better yet, don’t go, you need your rest!
Earl Benny Eddy
April 23rd, 2010
10:18 am
It’s funny how the media blows everything out of porportion, but it’s still funny that he said that. All of you media, alawys blow stuff out of porportion!!
But funny! Go Hawks
Nacho
April 23rd, 2010
10:23 am
Who cares about discussing the cheese and beer in Wisconsin? Let’s discuss the Hawks. Who cares if the Bucks are fired up or not? I hope that they aren’t looking past the Bucks?
I hope that we can stay focused. I hope Bibby can keep hitting his shots. I hope Crawford can start hitting his shots!
Brad
April 23rd, 2010
10:31 am
Here is one thing you can’t do in Milwaukee that you can in Atlanta…get a tan.
chitimdabest
April 23rd, 2010
10:47 am
Gaylanta is the only place i been were guys who call themselfs thugs wear high heels….gaylanta is the devils butthole
Khao$
April 23rd, 2010
10:48 am
While I hate Josh made the statment, it’s a whole bunch to do about nothing. He’d just better be worried about Jennings, Salmons, and Rideour. The city of Milwaukee isn’t who you have to worry about attacking the rim and ripping our switching defense.
chitimdabest
April 23rd, 2010
10:51 am
I know y Gay smooth thinks milwaukee is bad theres not enough gay guys there
GeeMack
April 23rd, 2010
11:04 am
I bet the Hawks lose Saturday night. They will come out with no energy, and get down early, fight back in a close game, but eventually lose. I don’t see the killer instinct in these guys to close out a weak team early.
TheTruthnotDaTruth
April 23rd, 2010
11:05 am
Ok. Just because he can’t go clubbing for one night, its boring. He isn’t worried about restaurants. It must suck going to a Clean, safe city (pun Intended) without all the loud Boom Booms form ugly pimp mobile passing by. Vanilla is, after all, the most popular flavor STILL!
rbg420
April 23rd, 2010
11:08 am
i am from milwaukee and agree that their is nothing to do but the resterants are awesome in milwaukee but i dont think many of those places has food that a pro athelete should eat b4 a game.
bigdave
April 23rd, 2010
11:21 am
the man is entitled to his opinion of the city.. who really cares…
i look for Josh to have a big game..
Daniel
April 23rd, 2010
11:22 am
Gee- HUSH YOUR MOUTH, SIR!!! This is the new Hawks remember.
Michael- Funny piece on Josh. You must have a blast reading all these serious comments about a statement that was obviously made tongue in cheek by Josh. Good grief you actually did spell it out that he was saying it in a joking playful way. I think some posters do not actually read what is written, just the headline or something.
Najeh- Although, I agree with your take on the Orlando series, I refuse to comment on that series until we win the 3rd game of this series. (I know I just did, but bear with me)
Jack P
April 23rd, 2010
11:25 am
Great place for Polka Music and Polish food. Hey Josh! Like the saying goes, if you can’t say something good about a place you are visiting, just shut up. By the way, you are a helluva good basketball player. I thoroughly enjoy watching you play defense. Shades of Bill Russell the greatest NBA defensive player of all time.
Wabe
April 23rd, 2010
11:31 am
And one thing’s for sure, bulletin board material won’t makeup for the fact that they still don’t have a matchup for either J.Smith or Al Horford…
T.C
April 23rd, 2010
11:45 am
Im just in aww and don’t believe people are responding to something thats so simple.If your not a partier and don’t gamble them vegas will be boring,so whats the big deal here? people made simple something out of nothing.
disinterested
April 23rd, 2010
11:49 am
I know all this is said in fun, but seriously, it’s the playoffs.
Have good meal, get some rest and think about doing your job.
You have the entire off-season to mess around anywhere you want. Well, don’t go to Milledgeville unless you have better friends than Ben.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2010
11:51 am
Josh’s comment may have been ignorant, but it was pretty innocuous. Of course, that doesn’t stop the racists from coming out in full force talking about how he can’t find drugs in Milwaukee or whatever. It’s almost like y’all are just waiting for an outlet. Unbelievable.
MMat
April 23rd, 2010
11:59 am
I have to agree with J-Smoove!! Im from Atlanta and currently living in Milwaukee cause I was sent here for a 3 year assignment. It really isnt much to do here in Milwaukee. 80% of the time its too cold and its only 40 something degrees right now in Mid April. The only good thing is that Chicago is down the highway. I really dont like Milwaukee and cant wait to leave.
Guy Fieri
April 23rd, 2010
11:59 am
Smoove needs to watch my show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives because there are plenty of good eats in Milwaukee. Plus, Ruth’s Chris may be the most overrated steakhouse in America. Go local my friends.
jean
April 23rd, 2010
12:05 pm
crawford will break the hawks record of 26 in a playoff game of the bench by chris crawford no relation
Wabe
April 23rd, 2010
12:06 pm
Man, obviously I’m losing it. I could’ve sworn the Hawks played tonight?
WTF, the Spurs/Mavs are about to play their 2nd game in the span of a few days. What the hell do they got us on hold for?
BS
Bill Sherman
April 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
It’s funny that earlier this month, in an interview with Bob Costas, no less a sports legend than Henry Aaron said that Milwaukee is still his favorite city. I suspect that years into the future, more people will know Henry Aaron’s name(and value his opinions)and Josh will just be another NBA player named Smith. I’ve lived in northern California and Wisconsin and wouldn’t live in the south for any reason but that’s nothing more than personal preference. I’ve got to be near big water and Atlanta’s got nothing like that. Since Josh Smith has never lived anywhere else but Georgia, except for the year he spent in Virginia at Oak Hill, I’d say his perspective is rather limited. But I’m glad he helps perpetuate these simplistic stereotypes of Milwaukee and Wisconsin alive because it keeps people with limited intellects like him away and that helps keep this beautiful part of the planet from getting too overpopulated.
lewis
April 23rd, 2010
12:24 pm
Anyone ever think that maybe him and the other players are a little agitated about the miserable playoff scheduling? Even if it was a joke, might there be a little seriousness/anger in the fact that they’ve got to spend 5 days in Milwaukee to play 2 games? (one on ESPN, one on NBATV, not that it matters, as this will likely go down as the least watched playoff series this year). I understand they’re drawing it out for the purpose of revenue, but don’t you lose money when people/players lose interest? I fiercely followed the playoffs for a few weeks last year. By the time the conference finals ended, I was over it.
Momentum is pretty damn near impossible to maintain when playoff games are scheduled this way.
Speaking of making money. Just read an article about how the NFL draft’s ratings > NBA playoffs last night.
ESPN’s Prime-Time NFL Draft Beats NBA Playoffs in Ratings Race – http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-23/espn-s-prime-time-nfl-draft-beats-nba-playoffs-in-ratings-race.html
jeff lewis
April 23rd, 2010
12:27 pm
Hey Josh baby—–if youre looking for strip clubs and hip hop joints with plenty of bootay I guess Milwaukee may not be your place.
Josh—if you get off your butt and put down the joints, there is fantastic full service casino just a mile or two from downtown Milwaukee. One great casino—-great entertainment,great food, and lots of fine looking women. Lots of nba, mlb and nfl players show up regularly there and they dont think Milw is a bad place at all.
One poster claimed Ray Allen was bored and didnt like Milw—–garbage baby. Ray was a well respected guy in the community and shared a great relationship with the area. Get the facts jack and stop spreading bs laverne and shirley garbage about Milw—-good town, nice vibrant and growing downtown area,and plenty of fine clubbing available. Maybe not strip clubs Josh and you may have to search a few extra minutes for rock—but enjoy baby.
Wabe
April 23rd, 2010
12:28 pm
^ Good post
Wabe
April 23rd, 2010
12:28 pm
The post before that.
lewis, good post.
lewis
April 23rd, 2010
12:28 pm
nevermind, they’re apparently flying in after practice on Friday.