Smith and Hawks aim high
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The nearly three-hour flight back from Boston on May 4 seemed to take forever for Josh Smith. The quiet journey came after the pesky Hawks were trounced, 99-65, in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series against the eventual NBA champion Celtics. And after scoring just 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting in the blowout swan song, Smith came away from his playoff debut with a sour taste.
"It was tough," said Smith. "We were only one game away, one game from being on that next level. It was really hard.
"I didn't play the way I was capable of. I could have given more."
Even so, Smith proved he is truly one of the young NBA stars to keep an eye on.
Previously, the Atlanta native was known for winning the 2005 dunk contest, going pro out of high school, and often making ESPN's Top 10 plays. Quietly, he could have been the most athletic basketball player in the world for a while now.
The 6-foot-9-inch, 235-pounder averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 1.7 steals in that playoff series. He averaged 22 points in the three victories against Boston. But more important than putting himself on the NBA map, the 22-year-old helped wake up interest in Atlanta for the Hawks, who were making their first playoff appearance since 1999.
"Just walking around in Atlanta and seeing the fans, they're ready for this season," Smith said. "Everyone is excited."
Hawks fans also have to be excited that Smith is still in Atlanta. The Clippers showed strong interest in him as a restricted free agent before acquiring Marcus Camby from Denver. With things dragging on in Atlanta, Smith signed a five-year, $58 million offer sheet with Memphis Aug. 11 that was matched by the Hawks the same day.
"I was a Memphis Grizzly for about four hours," Smith said. "It's kind of bittersweet. You're happy you got the deal, but why didn't they do it from the get-go?"
Smith said reports that he and Hawks coach Mike Woodson don't see eye to eye are false, and that it's "definitely not an issue." Actually, the relationship that needs to be watched is the one between Smith and new general manager Rick Sund. Smith was very disappointed to see free agent forward Josh Childress leave the Hawks to play professionally in Greece.
"We are on the same page," said Smith. "We talked. But we haven't had that one-on-one talk. He's supposed to have a dinner meeting with me and Joe [Johnson] about being leaders and moving forward, not backward."
While the Hawks lost Childress, they added veteran guards Maurice Evans and Flip Murray. Johnson was an All-Star last season, while Smith and forward-center Al Horford have All-Star potential. Add the fact that veteran guard Mike Bibby will be around for an entire training camp (after being acquired in midseason) and that forward Marvin Williams is coming around, and the Hawks are now expected to make the playoffs rather than sneak in.
"We will be above .500 - that's if we play hard every night," Smith said.
With a new lucrative contract in hand and expectations raised by his coming-out party against the Celtics, there will be a lot of pressure on the confident Smith to ensure that the Hawks are better than .500 and back in the postseason.
"People expect me to put pressure on myself," Smith said. "What's more pressure than playing in your home city with friends and family watching? I don't look at it as any more pressure on me than before."
Etc.
Free throws: The Celtics have 16 players on their training camp roster and no more will be added, general manager Danny Ainge said. Sam Cassell and newcomer Darius Miles do not have guaranteed contracts. Even so, the Celtics might waive another player with a low contract or make a trade to accommodate both Cassell and Miles (the roster limit is 15). "We've got a month to find out," Ainge said . . . Before departing for the White House Sept. 19, the Celtics' starting five of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo did a photo shoot for GQ in Boston. A picture of them will be in GQ's "Men of the Year" issue . . . Knicks guard Jamal Crawford and Mavericks guard Jason Terry visited Reebok headquarters in Canton last Wednesday to meet with officials from their shoe company. On new Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, an ex-Celtic, Terry said, "He's made a great impression with myself and the team. I've seen him during offseason training. We've had communication. We talk on a weekly basis and he text messages me every two days." Crawford on the mixed reports regarding Stephon Marbury's status with the Knicks: "There is so much you hear. But you can't concern yourself with it. I remember Derek Jeter once told me not to read the paper." . . . A Reebok official said the company is in negotiations to re-sign Rondo to a multiyear shoe deal and is confident it will be done soon.
Speak up
"With myself in there, we would have been stronger defensively. But I was in there the first two [regular-season] games [and we lost]. I just don't know. I definitely know that this year I'm much more confident, I'm stronger than I was, and I'm definitely going to be ready this year to play anybody and everybody who's out there."
Lakers center Andrew Bynum, to Slam magazine, on whether he would have changed the outcome of the NBA Finals if he had been healthy enough to play.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com.
