Josh Smith: I'm a max player.

[Dade County]

Owners will be owners...smh if someone actually gives him a max deal.

[GoferKing_]

No way Josh...

Lakers will give him the MAX.xD

[GoferKing_]

he's not worth max money, but theres a team out there willing to pay him max money. there's just not enough talent to go around in the NBA.

thats why...

Rashard Lewis
Amare Stoudmire
Rudy Gay
Joe Johnson
etc..

get paid..

Wow, last time I was here ppl were screaming EXPANSION because of the depth of talent in the NBA. So which is it?

[DreamShaker]

I think there is a huge difference between "max player" and "superstar". People get the max who are borderline all-stars, but guys who can lead a team to a championship with the right pieces or even as a second option, those are the guys who actially deserve that kind of commitment. If Josh Smith is making that much money, then your team, with the salary cap what it is, is highly unlikely to win a championship, and much more likely to be stuck in mediocrity purgatory.

[Fresno]

he's not worth max money, but theres a team out there willing to pay him max money. there's just not enough talent to go around in the NBA.

thats why...

Rashard Lewis
Amare Stoudmire
Rudy Gay
Joe Johnson
etc..

get paid..

Amare Stoudemire was a 5X All NBA player on one of the best teams consistently in the NBA so he shouldn't even be included in this group.

[DreamShaker]

everybody thinks they deserve the max! In reality, there are only about ten players in the league worthy of a max, but teams will still offer it to him

Yup.

[DreamShaker]

Amare Stoudemire was a 5X All NBA player on one of the best teams consistently in the NBA so he shouldn't even be included in this group.

He also had a knee that no one would ensure.

[I Rock Shaqs]

He also had a knee that no one would ensure.

What does that have to do with talent? The statement was there isn't enough talent to go around the NBA not guys with good knees...

[torocan]

There's 30 teams in the NBA.

Under the new CBA, the salary floor is $49M. That means all 30 teams MUST spend at least $49M per year in salary.

So, if Lebron, Durant, CP3, Rose etc are all tied up, and you're not a "glamor" destination, how exactly are those "other" teams supposed to compete or fill seats?

Someone will pay Josh Smith. Either a cellar team who just wants to be in the play off race, or a rebuilding team that wants a 3rd tier star to attract better Free Agents, or a play off team that just needs one more piece to become a team that's legitimately in the Championship race.

Some folks think only 10 players deserve max contract, but with Super teams all over the place, the other teams don't have much choice but to open their pockets if they don't have Hollywood, Madison Avenue, or huge populations to draw top tier free agents.

[waveycrockett]

I think people are nuts the way they are ripping Josh Smith here. First off his defense/hustle plays dont show up in a boxscore and This guy should be a multiple time allstar that has not even reached his full potential yet imo. Right now the Max Contract should be designated for the top-30 players in the NBA, 1 for every team. Smith fits in that category.

[abe_froman]

he'll get it,or close to it

[*Silver&Black*]

I don't think Ferry was there at that time, which is why I don't think Smith will be getting it there. Ferry is a smart guy

This. I believe the only way we even re-sign Smith is if he brings Howard with him, or he does something in the playoffs that we haven't seen from him the last few seasons. At this point I would rather give Ivan Johnson and Korver money to re-sign with us.

[KnicksorBust]

he's not worth max money, but theres a team out there willing to pay him max money. there's just not enough talent to go around in the NBA.

thats why...

Rashard Lewis
Amare Stoudmire
Rudy Gay
Joe Johnson
etc..

get paid..

All of those contracts were widely criticized at the time too but they made sense for the teams making them at at the time. This is why I sadly think Smith might get one.

If Lopez got it...he'll get it.

Isn't Lopez's max significantly lower than Smith's?

There's 30 teams in the NBA.

Under the new CBA, the salary floor is $49M. That means all 30 teams MUST spend at least $49M per year in salary.

So, if Lebron, Durant, CP3, Rose etc are all tied up, and you're not a "glamor" destination, how exactly are those "other" teams supposed to compete or fill seats?

Someone will pay Josh Smith. Either a cellar team who just wants to be in the play off race, or a rebuilding team that wants a 3rd tier star to attract better Free Agents, or a play off team that just needs one more piece to become a team that's legitimately in the Championship race.

Some folks think only 10 players deserve max contract, but with Super teams all over the place, the other teams don't have much choice but to open their pockets if they don't have Hollywood, Madison Avenue, or huge populations to draw top tier free agents.

I get the logic here but it's still bad business to play equal money for Josh Smith that another team is paying for LeBron James. That's why the Hawks have been stunk in NBA purgatory.

[Pistol_Pete]

He's not a max player. But, someone will give him max money and the be terrible in two years because they maxed out Josh Smith. The problem is that most players are not max players, but teams have to max them out to keep them.

[sammyvine]

how can he be a max player?

he has never made an all star game!