A Look into Joe Smith, To get a feel for what to expect. Options

[BG7]

Although Joe Smith is a low-key player, it seems like he brings two key things to Chicago: leadership, and consistency. His numbers may look very inconsistent, but I think it relates to one factor and one factor only: playing time.

If you look at his time in Denver and Philly, he's played extremely well in games where he has been given significant minutes. Consider the last 5 games in which he was given 25 or more minutes:

1. (@ Toronto): 26 pts, 11 rebs, 4 assists in 40 mins
2. (vs Cavs): 17 pts, 13 rebs, in 37 mins
3. (@ Detroit): 13 pts, 9 rebs, 1 steal in 28 mins
4. (vs. Orlando): 7 pts, 8 rebs, 3 assists, in 27 mins
5. (@ Boston): 16 pts, 7 rebs, 2 assists in 25 mins

So, you see, if Joe Smith is given a consistent 25+ minutes per game (I'd say he should be getting around 30), then he can really make an impact on this team. Also, for many of these games, he wasn't even a starter. In Chicago, he would likely be a starter, and that should have a positive impact on his performance as well.

After taking a look into him, I now understand why Paxson got him. Solid player, fairly consistent, low-cost, low-maintainance, veteran leadership, and most of all, great personality to help mentor Tyrus and Joakim.

Good signing!