Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 1 of 12

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1 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 1 of 12 Smack Dwight Howard has been shooting every night in Orlando's new gym Latest News Breaking News: NBA Two-Team, Four-Player Trade College H.S. Hoop Diary: Austin Rivers cuts Florida, keeps Duke, Kansas, UNC Style Current Issues View the Digital Edition of Dime A Comprehensive History Of NBA Uniforms View the Digital Edition of Bounce

2 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 2 of 12 Home / Subscribe / Smack / Videos / Bounce Magazine / Photos / Customer Service / Twitter / Facebook / MySpace? retweet RSS NBA / Sep 23, 2010 / 2:07 pm

3 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 3 of 12 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s Nike hold Zoom Huarache on Trainer NBA Cardinals Defensive Home Player of the Year By Andrew Macaluso Josh Smith, Dime #55 As a player who came into the NBA with few discernible skills aside from leaping, dunking, and impeccable timing while blocking shots, Josh Smith has put himself into the conversation as one of the premier defensive forces and most unique all-around talents in the League From the time he burst onto the scene as a high school phenom at Oak Hill Academy (VA), Smith has always been a threat to send ill-advised layups into the fifth row. But the 24-year-old Atlanta Hawks star has learned how to play the pro game at two positions (small forward and power forward), and has since become a defender who can wreak havoc on an opposing scorer by doing more than just swatting a shot or two per night. Going into his seventh season, Smith is ready to challenge for the NBA s Defensive Player of the Year award. Smith placed second in the DPOY voting last season behind Dwight Howard in a landslide, Howard s second straight honor. And while Dwight could easily put together a string of 4-5 trophies in a row recognizing him as the game s top defender, Smith is improving at such a high rate that he can very well snatch the award from right under Howard s nose. Aside from putting up All-Star caliber numbers (15.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.1 bpg) and helping guide the Hawks to the second round of the playoffs, Smith also became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career blocks. He was also the shortest player at 6-foot-9 to rank in the top 10 for a season in blocks (2.1 bpg) and top 10 in steals (1.6 spg). In terms of defensive WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player), Smith created 15.3 wins for the Hawks on his defensive talents alone, the highest number in the League for a power forward. Howard registered 19.2 defensive WARP as a center.

4 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 4 of 12 But in order for Smith to be considered anything more than a spectacular Nike Zoom Huarache weakside Trainer Cardinals shot-blocker Home and thief, he s going to have to make Atlanta better defensively as a whole. The Hawks ranked 14th last season in defensive efficiency Smith ranked 4th individually Big in Sean defensive TheShoeGame win Interview shares (Video) and tied for 13th in Defensive Plays Rate (charges, steals, blocks). Defense wins in the NBA, and the Hawks will be a better defensive team this year thanks in part to replacing aging PG Mike Bibby with youngster Jeff Teague (ideally cutting down on opposing dribble-penetration) and acquiring rugged vet Etan Thomas to Odette help Yustman Al "You Again" and Premiere Smith defend the paint. Smith will be the lynchpin of that defense, both in guarding his position and making the highlight reels every night, two key components in winning the Stone support Temple of Pilots DPOY postpone voters. upcoming tour dates With consistent play on the court and smart decision-making, I expect big things from J-Smoove this season as he makes a run for the DPOY award. Smith has an extremely high ceiling and a chance to become the League s best one-on-one defender (Howard is only average in this area) while carrying Atlanta on his back defensively. Oh, and not to mention he s left-handed a 7-foot wingspan, which gives him an advantage in blocking and altering the shots of right-handed players. Who are your favorites for 2011 Defensive Player of the Year? 0 tweets tweet You might also like: Rudy Gay s Shot At The Imaginary Buzzer NBA trade rumors: Kevin Martin has never been more popular LeBron James Left -Handed Free Throw LinkWithin Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, dwight howard, Etan Thomas, Jeff Teague, josh smith, Mike Bibby Posted in NBA ShareThis

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6 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 6 of 12 Breaking News & Rumors Breaking News: NBA Two-Team, Four-Player Trade We've all been waiting for some NBA action to happen before training... H.S. Hoop Diary: Austin Rivers cuts Florida, keeps Duke, Kansas, UNC Winter Park (Fla.) senior guard Austin Rivers is the best high schoo... Requiem for the Athletes: Talent, money no shield for depression In the Land of Political Correctness and Public Niceties, three of t... You Be The GM: Andrew Bynum or Andrew Bogut? Five summers ago, Andrew Bogut and Andrew Bynum went into the NBA Dr... Top 10 Fantasy Centers in During the past week we ve looked at the projected top 10 fantasy... The NBA's Top 30 Go-To Players (#28: Brook Lopez) In basketball, being a go-to guy isn t always about who takes the... Recent Posts Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year You Be The GM: O.J. Mayo or Monta Ellis? A Comprehensive History Of NBA Uniforms Breaking News: NBA Two-Team, Four-Player Trade

7 Josh Smith could end Dwight Howard s hold on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dim... Page 7 of 12 We Reminisce: Future Hall of Famer Gary Payton doin work H.S. Hoop Diary: Austin Rivers cuts Florida, keeps Duke, Kansas, UNC Dwight Howard has been shooting every night in Orlando s new gym Dwight Howard s New NBA Jersey Josh Smith To Iguodala & Westbrook: Both Y all Suck NBA Unveils All-New On-Court Uniforms The NBA s next expansion: World Tournament vs. Euroleague We Reminisce: Carmelo Anthony Destroys Paul Millsap Get Dime HighSchoolHoop.com Bouncemag.com 8 Issues for ONLY $12!? retweet First Name Last Name Address City State Zip Subscribe Poll WHO HAS THE BEST BEARD? BARON DAVIS BRAYLON EDWARDS RICK ROSS Vote FREEWAY Columns VIEW RESULTS 2010 Free Agency All Star Bounce College D-League Dime Training Dimepiece DimeTV Fantasy Doctor Featured Gallery High School

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