Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith fined $25,000 for ‘obscene gesture’
The NBA today fined Hawks forward Josh Smith $25,000 for an obscene gesture he made during Atlanta’s 111-102 victory against the Knicks on Friday.
The incident happened after Smith made a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 105-97 lead with 3:44 to play. Smith made a motion near his groin area as he ran back up the court. Television cameras captured the incident.
It’s the third act of discipline handed out by the league in relation to the game. The league suspended Hawks forward Marvin Williams for two games and Knicks forward Shawne Williams for a game after the players were involved in a fight in the final minute.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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184 comments Add your comment
drmaryb (*_*)
January 30th, 2011
4:01 pm
JeJe
Thats because you can’t read normal print and big words. Stay on the bus, Oh my bad, how will you get home where you can’t post from?
They’re making it uncomfortable for you to post your jibberish from the confines of your lovely home? That should tell you that you’re not on the ‘A’ – List!
Only in your mind, only there. BTW, I’m just having fun on here, none of this stuff is personal for me. IDK you from “Willie Lump-Meat”!
ROF-LOL
Ozzy
January 30th, 2011
4:10 pm
This is why Pro basketball is losing popularity! Too many thugs and hip-hop wantabes! Pro Basketball died the day Michael Jordan retired!!
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
4:18 pm
Another thing I’ve tried to post many times:
Horford needs to take far more shots. His shot was a bit off yesterday, but he has been automatic for much of the year. The guy shot 7-9 vs. Milwaukee. How does he get 9 shots and Smoove gets 21?
LD obviously has no idea how to control Smoove. He tells Smoove it’s a bad shot and then Smoove does nothing to change it the next day. If I was LD, I’d fine Smoove $50 for every bad shot – that’s something Phil Jackson would do/has done (with Bynum shooting a 3 vs. us late in a game)
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
4:20 pm
FIRE DRMARYB
FIRE MIKE KNAPP
FIRE ASG
FIRE SUND
FIRE WOODY
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
4:23 pm
Maybe if we had a few more ‘”thugs” on this team, the Hawks wouldn’t play so soft at times. That term to describe Black NBA players is the most overused term ever. 75% of those guys can’t even fight.
But oh no . . he has some tattoos, and his hairis braided, so he must be a thug. But if you’re a White player with tattoos ( Chris Andersen ), you’re “cool and eccentric”.
Jamal and Marvin must be the biggest “thugs” in the world then, since both of them have more tattoos on their arms, than the rest of the Hawks combined . . yet . . those two are easily the most articulate Hawks on the team.
Sautee
January 30th, 2011
4:38 pm
Does anyone else have problems at this website? My computer regularly dumps out of Firefox at this website. It seems to happen most often when the “tubemogul” app is loading.
Anyone else having this happen?
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
4:39 pm
If Smith could be trusted to make the right play, I would run 4th quarter offense through him in the high post ( FT line to top of the key ).
But he would have to promise me to be a passer FIRST, and if the play breaks down, take the ball to the rim. No settling for the jumper, even if people play off of him. If he misses a shot going to the rim, he may at least have a chance to grab his own rebound or get fouled.
But with Smith in the high post, I’d be having JJ trying to free himself with cuts to the basket or the opportunity to come off screens to take an open 19 footer off a catch and shoot. And Horford would be working baseline to baseline. Smith is a good passer, and I’d much rather see him be a facilitator in the 4th quarter, than a guy who is looked upon to make jumpers.
With JJ in the ISO, he has to be surrounded by people who can make shots, so we can make people pay for doubling JJ. And one of the changes that has to be made if we’re going to continue to go ISO JJ, is that Smith needs to be positioned closer to the basket, in order to get offensive rebounds. Too many times, we have JJ or one of the bigs taking jumpshots, and if they miss, we’re one and done.
CONservative Johnson
January 30th, 2011
4:39 pm
Ozzy, yes, because Jordan was such a great guy . . .
Or maybe it is just some people’s racial attitudes towards other people.
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
4:50 pm
One of the other elite(*) posters on here, northcyde, has constantly pointed out how we are not talented enough to be elite. Our bench blows.
Jamal is sick – we all know that. But you can never be sure what Mo, ZaZa, or Teague will give you.
LOL @ Teague not working hard enough. Can’t even beat BIBBY in practice.
ZaZa sometimes plays great, but mostly is awful. How is it possible he gets every shot stripped while slumped over?
What a pathetic thing to see
drmaryb (*_*)
January 30th, 2011
4:53 pm
“The guy shot 7-9 vs. Milwaukee. How does he get 9 shots and Smoove gets 21?”
____________________________
How many of those 21 shots did Al pass the ball to Josh? Josh is a lot more aggressive with looking for his shot than Al. Al should go strong to the basket at least 15 times per game to create his own shot opportunities. Maybe, be a little more selfish and draw some contact for foul shot attempts. IMHO.
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
4:55 pm
I’d still trade Josh Smith for Kevin Love.
I am willing to sacrifice all that shot-blocking for someone who BOXES OUT AND REBOUNDS AND HAS A GOOD ATTITUDE
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
4:56 pm
But personnel is a huge reason why we struggle like we do in the 4th
- no penetrating PG who can finish at the rim, or make the right pass ( Bibby can’t do it, Teague can’t finish in traffic around the rim, and Jamal will settle for the midrange jumper, even when he does beat people off the dribble )
- no go to post player who can work one on one and make a shot or draw a foul ( Neither Horford nor Josh are great creators of their offense down on the low block, nor do they go hard enough to draw fouls )
- no real slasher on the team who can catch the ball 20 feet away from the rim, and go hard into the paint looking to score. ( If and when JJ slashes, he’s doing more probing than slashing, so that he can shoot the jumper or the floater. But like Horford and Smith, he’s not going hard enough to the hole to draw fouls )
So if Drew is truly an offensive coach, he needs to come with better offensive sets to get us better looks. But it’s hard for him to do, when you see the offensive limitations of the roster.
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
4:57 pm
That Mavs team is going to be damn scary this year. Two hellish shotblockers in Chandler and Haywood, scorers all over, and adding Peja. Too bad Caron is out.
Could This Be Dallas’ Year?!?!?!
No – they will choke early in the Playoffs again. SMDH
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
5:00 pm
It’d be nice if Joe showed some damn emotion late in the game. It’s so annoying when he commits a turnover and has this nonchalant look on his face. It doesn’t matter if he’s quiet. I have reason to believe Horford is pretty quiet and he shows a ton of emotion when it matters or something is going on. So does Marvin…JeJe
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
5:05 pm
How the heck does Sacramento win @LAL and then win vs. New Orleans the next night? I remember SAC lost in the last seconds to LAL twice last year. Must feel good.
FIRE SUND
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
5:10 pm
Exactly @ drmaryb’s 4:53 post.
Somebody on this team has to be willing to go hard to the rim and draw contact, so that we can get cheap points at the line.
It was one play during the 4th quarter last night in which the Hawks had a 3 on 2 break. I think either JJ or Damien was going toward the paint with the ball, but passed it off to Horford on the left side. He was still moving when he caught the ball, but instead of going hard to the rim, he tried to gather himself real fast and shot a jumper. He missed, Dallas got the rebound, and they go the other way.
It’s little plays like that come back to put this team in a hole in the 4th. It’s the entire set up of the offense that kills us, along with the non-attack mode of the players.
- For some reason, Smith is ALWAYS out by the 3 point line in the 4th.
- ISO JJ seems to always begin beyond the 3 point line
- The other people NEVER move around or cut to the basket
- Even a pick to help JJ free himself hardly ever comes
- Then we compound the offensive woes, with our inability to stop people all of a sudden ( and while Bibby is the most glaring defensive weakness, it’s everybody who is breaking down defensively )
The Hawks need to figure this out though. It happens waaay too often for the coaches and players to simply blow it off.
brigadierjerry
January 30th, 2011
5:22 pm
drmaryb, northclyde or anyone do you feel this hawks team has a better chance against the Magic or Heat this year?Who do you feel between the top 4 teams in the east being celtics heat bulls or magic, who do you feel they match up best with and have a chance to beat in the playoffs
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
5:23 pm
Also, notice that in the Milwaukee game, Smoove took 21 shots, many of them jumpers. This was mostly because he was at the Small Forward slot. When he is at the 4, our starting lineup is worse off (Marvin is better off coming off the bench).
There’s another crappy situation for you all.
We better hope we don’t play Boston in a series because Horford cannot guard KG and Smoove is better off guarding Pierce in my opinion. Awful matchups all over
brigadierjerry
January 30th, 2011
5:30 pm
watching Ray Allen move around screens a thing of beauty good physical game between two teams that play to their strengths
JeJe
January 30th, 2011
5:31 pm
We could definitely give Miami a good series.
Wade/LBJ + Bosh >>>>>> Wade + LBJ
Bosh is far more important than people have thought.
Chicago has got to be overachieving. There’s no way that roster can compete. I think we can give any team besides Boston a pretty good 7 game series
Grandad
January 30th, 2011
5:40 pm
1st @ Najeh when a person mentions trade and Josh in conjunction,
it does not mean said person is a Josh hater.
2nd nothcyde I purposely called Josh a neanderthal rather than a thug.
You are correct…tats and piercings mean nothing…behavior does.
I agree the Hawks need tough guys, but not buffoons.
Having character = stability.
Being a character = uncertainty?
Rodman is one of if not my favorite all-time players
but he needed someone to keep him balanced.
Rodman + Jordan
Artest + Kobe
Josh + the Hawks have no such player !
Once and for all, I really like Josh.
However, I’m pragmatic enough to realize that a team must maximize it’s assets.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 30th, 2011
5:41 pm
Al has a little Teague in him, in that he is too passive. There was a play in yesterday’s game when Joe got doubled and passed him the ball near the free throw line. Instead of shooting the automatic (for him) jumper or driving it against the guy who was guarding him to pick up the foul, he swung it to Jamal in the other corner, and by the time the ball got there Jamal’s defender had rotated over. Jamal bricked the contested 3. The Hawks need to feed Al more, but Al needs to be more aggressive when he gets the ball. The majority of big men in the league cannot guard him off the dribble and are not comfortable stepping out on his mid range jumper.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 30th, 2011
5:42 pm
“@ Najeh when a person mentions trade and Josh in conjunction,
it does not mean said person is a Josh hater.”
I didn’t say they were, and I wasn’t referring to you or JeJe with that post. I was referring to the people who are nowhere to be seen at any other time except when they come here to whine that he needs to be traded.
Dshep
January 30th, 2011
5:56 pm
MC? I am very disappointed that you feel the fine was too big and wonder why anyone cares. He should have been suspended and fined more!!I am a huge NBA fan and love The Hawks. My 11 year old daughter saw that emabarrassing gesture and asked me ” what Josh meant by it”. We live out of state and purchase the NBA League Pass so we can watch our favorite team. I am dropping my subscription and writing the NBA off because the players are making it very dificult for me to show my daughter what is right and wrong in life. Just today, Eddie House did a similar thing against The Thunder when he made a big shot. I wonder if Josh would like me grabbing my crotch and making obscene gestures and cussing like a sailor in front of his daughter, he claims to love so much?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 30th, 2011
6:06 pm
Bad weekend for the Hawks. Heat win, Celtics are about to win, Orlando is playing Cleveland which is basically an automatic win, and Chicago won yesterday. Hawks basically lost ground to everybody.
Grandad
January 30th, 2011
6:06 pm
Don’t blame anything Josh does on playing the [3].
If Collin or Zaza are in the game along with Al and Josh
then Josh is playing the [3].
Josh somehow ends up outside no matter what.
Josh does screen on occasion + pick & pop.
However, when he runs screen & roll with Joe he never gets it back.
Joe pounds the ball waiting for all to clear out (spacing Josh outside)
thus Joe is part of the problem. Not Josh’s position !
Dshep
January 30th, 2011
6:09 pm
MC… I meant Sec 303. sorry
Sautee
January 30th, 2011
6:16 pm
Najeh,
I agree on Horford’s need for more aggression with the ball. I think if we posted him up more often, he’d become more aggressive. He’d have to, and that would be a good thing. Yes, his postup game is still immature, but he’s a quick study and would soon find out what works. I’d be willing to suffer through a few possessions per night to find out, as he would at least have a chance to get fouled and get to the FT line.
He also badly needs a left hand counter move.
niremetal
January 30th, 2011
6:24 pm
I think if we posted him up more often, he’d become more aggressive. He’d have to, and that would be a good thing. Yes, his postup game is still immature, but he’s a quick study and would soon find out what works.
If Horford is showing that he has good post-up moves in practice, then I agree. But I don’t get the feeling he is. When we do post him up, he looks stiff and mechanical. Dude did 3 years of D1 ball and is in his 4th year in the league. Sorry, but I don’t see him developing anything more than a mediocre post-up repertoire. That’s just not his game. Which is fine, because plenty of starting bigs around the league survive just fine without one. In fact, most big men in the modern NBA do, including all the All-Star level ones save Duncan, Gasol, and Bosh.
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
6:31 pm
@ Grandad
What about when Josh plays the 4, and he ends up on the outside? What then?
When you watch how the different teams run ISO, ours is somewhat similar to how Miami does it with Lebron/Wade, than how the Lakers let Kobe run ISO.
Lebron and Wade are like JJ, in which they are notorious for holding the ball and trying to make a play within the last 10 seconds of the shot clock. They’re also willing passers out of the ISO. Unlike JJ though, when they attack the lane, they try to get all the way to the rim to score or draw a foul.
Kobe, on the other hand, looks to almost always score the ball himself when he goes ISO. And he doesn’t wait until the clock goes down . . he just goes . . but he’s not passing the ball 80% of the time. And he takes some of the most difficult shots in NBA history.
Somehow . . JJ’s ISO is somewhere in between these two. He’s the willing passer out of the ISO ( contrary to popular belief ). But when he creates his shot, he’s not in attack mode. He’s in “just let me get off a shot mode”.
One of the late moves he made last night, in which he got an and-1 out of, is one of the rare times JJ looked to get all the way to the rim, instead of settling for the floater.
If he goes ISO, he just needs to go with more urgency, and try to get in the lane. If he wants to take the jumper, just pull up and take the jumper.
That’s one thing I’ll say about Jamal. When he goes ISO, you know the shot is going up . . good or bad. When JJ has that floater or the post up going like he did last night, he should simply stay in attack mode and try to score himself.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 30th, 2011
6:45 pm
A big difference between Iso-Joe and Iso-Bron or Iso-Wade or Iso-Kobe, though, is that Joe is nowhere near as quick or athletic as them, which is a big reason he doesn’t attack like they do. LeBron and Wade and Kobe are all quick enough and athletic enough to get to the hoop against any defense and draw contact. Joe is not that quick, which is a big reason why Iso-Joe fails more often than not.
If the Hawks are going to isolate Joe, they should get him the ball in the post and clear out, so he can use his strength to back people down and get close to the basket. Without above-average quickness, he has to work way too hard to get to the hoop in isolation when he gets it on the perimeter, and the result more often than not is a contested jumper.
Section 303
January 30th, 2011
6:51 pm
Dshep, I stand by what I said. This is not a big deal. Should he have done it? Probably not. Do I like it? No. But, there’s far worse things in this world than Josh Smith making gesture.
Maybe you should just keep your daughter hidden away from the world forever. That way she won’t have to worry about idiots making gesters. Give me a break. I hope the people at League Pass get your letter and throw it away with no reply. You’re making way to big of deal out of this. I’m betting your daughter’s life progresses just fine after watching Josh Smith make a stupid (and it was stupid) gesture.
sam'l
January 30th, 2011
7:10 pm
Well, are the insults over? Really cheapens the blog……
I’ve always thought the Hawks had excellent personnell and I still do…..Johnson, Horford, Crawford and Smith. Bibby has his moments, Evans has in the past, Collins must be doing something right and of course Williams is a star in everything he does except when it comes to playing basketball.
After seeing the “punch,” I no longer feel like trading Williams….even though it was downright stupid to get suspended, especially after being off the courrt so long especially after giving lukewarm to horrid performances for so long……he was provoked, shoved around…..so he blew up.
What’s the real problem with the Hawks? I think it’s this. The players don’t respect the organization, the coach, the management, the fans or,the city, They make plenty of money and they’ve come to believe that all they have to do is say the right things and their life is basically gravy. But…..secretly, if things don’t go their way (playing time, bragging rights, being able to dog it withiout being noticed, they’re happy if the team loses. They can’t show it openly but they’re thinking….take that Drew, or take that Gearon…or take that man and family in the stands….I’m making bucks and you’re sitting there crying.
I think my current (and soon to be ex-partner) for introducing me into the wonderful world of passive-aggression.
I think I’ll exempt Horford from this. But Teague, Smith and Williams fit the profile. Crawford actually has a right to be pissed about his contract so he teeters on the edge. Johnson really is an individualist so he can take it or leavve it, win or lose, but he certainly didn’t help the team if he played wounded last year and didn’t tell anyone about it.
There is (in this jaded opinion) a personality disorder among the personnel……….If I were an Otis Smith type, I think I would now package…….Smith (although I love to see him play well), Williams (even though he will become a star somewhere elss) and Teague (though we sure need him)………just to get them the heck away from the club. Fumble-fingered Pachulia would go next. ,
If you find a point guard and a center out of all this……so much the better.
I just had this thought today…..and I’m subject to change my mind without further notice.
drmaryb (*_*)
January 30th, 2011
7:27 pm
To Be or Not to Be? That is the question before us:
brigadierjerry
Great question Magic or Heat?
Well Sir, we will need some Magic to Heat and some Heat to beat the Magic!
I would take my chance with the Heat in a seven game series due to their deficiency at PG and Center. Sounds familiar. Also, we match up well personnel and size wise. The Heat has the best defense in the NBA, but if we lock in on defense, we can be pretty formidable as well. The Magic is so deep in our head and azz from the last seven game series, that I just don’t want any parts of them, even in their weakened state after the blockbuster trade that damaged their team, IMHO.
__________________
Great question there. Whoever we play, we need to play our game in the fourth quarter! Make a move Sund! Do it Now!
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
7:38 pm
I can agree with that Najeh. That does mean that shooters need to be out on the floor with him, so when the double comes, he can pass it to them for an open shot.
Ironically, with people being so against acquiring Carmelo, this is exactly the role he could fill. Put him down on the block, throw the ball to him on the post up, and give him the option to either score or pass the ball out.
Put Josh on the opposite side along the baseline, to crash the board. Put JJ on the same side as Melo, out on the wing. Put Bibby on the opposite wing, so that he can receive a cross-court pass from Melo or from JJ on a swing pass. And put Horford in the high post around the FT line.
That would work out for us, with Melo on the team.
But you’re right. Athletically, JJ is more comparable to Melo and Pierce, than he is to Kobe, Lebron and Wade.
CobbGOPer
January 30th, 2011
7:46 pm
Meh. The only thing Josh should be fined for is taking a shot outside the three-point line.
rusty
January 30th, 2011
7:51 pm
Ld constantly let’s jj take control in the 4th quarter ruining all ball movement
leo
January 30th, 2011
7:56 pm
majortee
January 30th, 2011
1:12 pm
@ leo: Trade smoove for who?
I am hoping for Steve Nash
Liz
January 30th, 2011
7:57 pm
Maybe he had an itch he just had to scratch…maybe he is getting ready to sponser Gold Bond.
Liz
January 30th, 2011
7:57 pm
Now that is hilarious
Sautee
January 30th, 2011
7:58 pm
Whooda Thunk It: sam’l = Dr. Phil
LOL, next you’ll tell us the Hawks need a hug!
Just kiddin’ sam’l.
And you are correct that there are bound to be a lot of hidden psychological problems with having an ownership group that cannot be trusted OR looked up to.
The Truth
January 30th, 2011
8:18 pm
Blame that Dallas lose on LD for not putting his players in a position to win; Why pair Josh against Dirk since Dirk length neutralized him and got him in foul trouble? This took our beta-dog out of the game when we were already short-handed without Marvin. Josh should have played at SF and exploited Pavlovic who was available to be had. WTF was LD thinking starting Mo on Pavlovic? That’s putting weak-link against weak-link; no one wins here when we could have exposed their weakness to offset ours. LD should have started his big lineup with Collins@ center since Dallas started two 7-footers with Dirk and Chandler. Al @ PF might have done a better job on Dirk than Josh. Also I like Josh Powell spelling the SF starter (in that game) better than Mo assuming Josh had started @ SF. At least in that game, Powell and Teague both impacted the game in a positive way but LD was afraid to extent their minutes in the 4th. And please, this love-fest LD has for Zaza has got to stop or else he could get fired because of it. Most time we lose leads with our bench, Zaza seems to always be in the mix, go figure.
LD is emerging to show Woody-like coaching signs at least with his rotation. Unless for unusual circumstances, each of his players have a set PT allotment with very little derivation except for foul trouble.
The Truth
January 30th, 2011
8:22 pm
*each of his players has a set PT allotment with very little derivation except for foul trouble.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 30th, 2011
8:36 pm
I really do wonder if LD plays Zaza to make Sund look good. I can’t think of any other explanation for Zaza getting minutes over Collins other than that he has an inflated, long term contract.
northcyde
January 30th, 2011
9:06 pm
@ The Truth . .. and that would make Drew a normal coach. Most coaches have the same 8 – 10 players playing every night . . for a certain amount of minutes.
AntijOSH
January 30th, 2011
9:08 pm
Josh is a thug…send him back to the projects
74-75 Hawks
January 30th, 2011
9:14 pm
Smith’s fine should have been $ 100,000.00 he belong’s down on Simpson Street anyway…
Andre
January 30th, 2011
9:23 pm
Cunningham you’re so right. It is because our own network did a close up on the “grabbing.” And the NBA had to do something. Because nobody on television saw it.
Rufus1
January 30th, 2011
9:27 pm
Bibby and Jamal…Our 4qt problems begin and end with them.
All of the other primary players play very solid defense in addition to offering solid offensive skill. Bibby and Jamal are such defensive liabilities, that they put enormous pressure on the team on the offensive end.
LD needs to go with his best defensive team in the 4th Qt, because we are not scoring against good team in the 4th anyway….So even if a player like Teague or Collins is better than Bibby or Jamal, because of defense. I would prefer JJ, Marv, Josh, Al and Collins…Unless they have a super quick PG, I would Take Teague.
YOU CLOSE GOOD TEAMS OUT ON THE DEFENSIVE END…..
bill
January 30th, 2011
9:31 pm
Josh is Josh…hasn’t changed in 10 years I’ve been watching him. Get used to it, because the Spirit Group has…