Warriors use 1st pick in draft to take Smith
Maryland star looked upon as low-post answer
OARLANB >> Joe Smith wears a tattoo of a snarling bulldog on his chest. Ask him what it represents and he’ll tell you it’s there because his college teammates call him “The Beast.”
The Warriors certainly hope he can live up to that intimidating nickname after selecting the Maryland sophomore Wednesday with the first pick of the NBA draft. Smith, who doesn’t turn 20 until next month, will be asked to step in and fill the team’s biggest need — a tough-minded, aggressive force in the low post.
“If you like somebody who plays hard, you’re gonna love Joe Smith,” Warriors coach Rick Adelman told a crowd of 5,500 who gathered for the team’s draft party at the Coliseum Arena.
Smith, speaking to the fans and media through a live television feed, made it clear that he is ready to help harden one of the league’s softest teams. During their striferidden season, Golden State had the league’s most porous defense, allowing 111.1 points a game. Their opponents also collected the second-most rebounds per game (45.4).
“I want to bring defense to them,” he said. “I heard they gave up a lot of points last year. I’m one of those players who hates to get
scored on. I like to be a defender, a rebounder, a workaholic.”
The selection of Smith had been predicted for weeks, but a very mysterious element hung over Wednesday’s event. According to NBA sources and TNT television analyst Dick Versace, the Warriors consummated a major trade with the Toronto Raptors.
As part of the deal, the Warriors apparently will send Victor Alexander, Carlos Rogers and three of their second-round picks to Toronto for point guard B.J. Armstrong. The Warriors selected Florida center-forward Andrew DeClerq (34th), Jackson State forward Dwayne Whitfield (40th), Seward Community College forward Martin Lewis (50th) and New Orleans forward Michael McDonald (55th) in the second round.
Warriors general manager Dave Twardzik refused to comment about the rumored deal, which likely has been held up by the league’s unstable labor situation. The trade probably hinges on a change in one or more player’s contracts, which can’t be implemented until a collective bargaining agreement is finalized. The Warriors had a similar situation last season when they made a draftday
trade with Seattle, but couldn’t officially announce it until July 15.
In another surprising development, Twardzik confirmed that after picking Smith, he attempted to make a deal for the No. 2 pick in the draft with the Los Angeles Clippers.
“There was an inquiry, but that’s all it was,” he said. “It was really basically about what it would take to get that pick.”
Presumably, the Warriors would have grabbed North Carolina’s Jerry Stackhouse with the pick.
As for the selection of Smith, Twardzik pulled no surprises with his first major player transaction at Golden State. About five minutes into the draft ceremonies, NBA commissioner David Stern stepped to a podium in Toronto’s Skydome and announced that Smith was the man.
Smith embraced his mother, Letha, who was overcome with tears. He then scaled the stairs to shake hands with Stern and don the blue and gold cap of the Warriors.
“I was very, very nervous all day,” Smith said, smiling. “This has been a long, drawn-out thing. I’m just happy to have it over with.”
When asked about the qualities that led him to take Smith, Twardzik was effusive.
“He has a tremendous feel for the game, a great basketball I.Q.,” he said. “When I
watched him play in person and on film, he always seemed to know where the double teams were coming from. He is very unselfish and willing to give it (the ball) up. He can also go outside and knock down 15- to 18-foot jump shots. He also has a tremendous left hand. Close to the basket, he’s as good with his left hand as he is with his right. In our workout, he shot the heck out of it . ... Plus he has a strong willingness to improve. There is a tremendous amount of growth to him.”
The latter two traits are essential. At 19, Smith is far from a finished product. With his thin frame, he no doubt will be hard-pressed to collide with the NBA hardbodies on a nightly basis in his rookie season.
“His size isn’t a concern right now,” Adelman said. “He’s very long and he has that extra reach that allows him to play bigger than he is. He’s still young and he’s going to get stronger.”
On his impending showdowns with the likes of Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, Smith said, “I don’t have any nightmares. No matter where you go in the NBA, there’s tough matchups. That’s why this summer, I’m going to work hard on my game so it won’t be a mismatch out there. I want to be a factor.”
The announcement of the Smith selection, beamed live on two huge TV screens at
the Coliseum Arena, was greeted with a rousing ovation and ear-piercing fireworks. Amid the tumult, though, were a few boos from disappointed fans who wanted the Warriors to take Stackhouse. Twardzik said he liked the qualities of Stackhouse and No. 2 selection Antonio Mcdyess, but that Smith provided just a little bit more.
“I’ve seen Stackhouse play for two years, and he’s a very talented player,” Twardzik said. “But he does need some work on his ball-handling and outside shot. He’s going to be a very good player, but I’ve said all along that if guys were close (talentwise), we would fill a need and that’s what we did tonight.”
Epilogue: Smith played 21/2 seasons for the Warriors, averaging 17 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. With free agency approaching and Smith expressing a desire to return East, the Warriors traded him to Philadelphia for Jim Jackson and Clarence Weatherspoon (these really were the lost years of the franchise). Thus began a nomadic career for the former No. 1 overall pick. He would play for 12 teams in 16 seasons and change addresses nine times in six years leading to his 2011 retirement, He averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, never made an All Star team and has fallen on hard financial times.