The Point Forward: Smith's Attitude Poses Problems for Hawks

The Point Forward author Zach Lowe says that the most fascinating Coach vs, Player tug of war isn't in Sacramento or New Jersey but instead resides in Atlanta between rookie coach Larry Drew and Josh Smith. In the post, Lowe sites the recent benching of Smith during last Friday's win over the Sixers for suspect shot selection and his reaction as proof.

The coach benched Smith midway through the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s win over the Sixers on Friday after he missed a 22-footer and a 20-footer after Drew instructed him to avoid such shots. Smith threw a bit of a tantrum in response. He yelled at Drew as he went to the bench and spent the rest of the game sulking and ignoring team huddles. This is the sort of thing that quickly becomes a dangerous situation for a player and his team.

Being a more than casual follower of the Hawks I guess I just blinked at the whole situation. This is nothing new as it has been going on for the last couple of seasons yet it was much more the norm last season with Mike Woodson at the helm. If anything I have felt like coach Drew has given Smith more of a leash. Maybe even more of one than is needed. Check out the entire piece here and I will leave it up to you guys to decide. Is there reason to be concerned or is this just more of the same type of behavior that we have seen over the last couple of seasons?