Well that was short lived wasn’t it? This makes me think back to the start of the season where all the new players the Clippers acquired lined up and took photos with their new, re-branded jerseys. It wasn’t as definitive as the ‘New Nets’ when they put themselves in a 10 year black hole to become a slightly higher than average team. That was fun.
One of the players the Clips signed was Josh Smith, a guy who may have found his home in Houston after years of trying to fit into Atlanta and Detroit. And then went to Los Angeles. Lucky for Smith, the basketball gods heard his cry for a take-backsies and according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, Smith is back in H-Town.
The Clippers had considered waiving Smith, league sources said. The trade allows them to save $2 million in luxury tax.
Several Rockets players were eager for the the team to bring back Smith, league sources told Yahoo.
Smith had regret over leaving the Rockets, where he had found a significant role in the team’s run to the Western Conference Finals last season. Smith signed a one-year deal with the Clippers for the league minimum, but never meshed with coach Doc Rivers.
The Clippers will send cash to cover the remaining $460,000 on Smith’s $1.4 million minimum salary this season and the draft rights to Sergei Lishouk. Houston sends the Clippers the rights to Maarty Leunen. Neither player is expected to play in the NBA.
He is now back in Houston. Could this help the Rockets? They’re currently 22-22. They’re barely in the Playoffs and apart from a couple of amazing offensive performances from James Harden, they’re unwatchable.
This could help the Rockets in the fast break I guess. But they need to bulk up on the defensive side. They’re an absolute eyesore defensively and last time I checked Josh Smith doesn’t host many ‘block parties’ if you catch my drift.
