Josh Smith played with the Atlanta Hawks for nine seasons and during that time he averaged 15.3 points and eight rebounds a game. Smith is an Atlanta native and the Hawks were good during that time but never great. They were mired in mediocrity and just couldn’t seem to get over the hump or find that missing pice. Smith didn’t help things much; his time was split between launching ill-advised jump shots and poor decision making but sometimes showing off his stunning athleticism. After the nine seasons Smith bolted to the Detroit Pistons but even they became fed up and new coach and president Stan Van Gundy made the shocking decision of cutting him even with his large contract. The Houston Rockets picked him up and Smith returned to Atlanta on Tuesday night with his new team to face his old team.
The Hawks fans clearly showed their feelings towards Smith and let him hear it – every time Smith touched the ball they booed. Smith fired back, taunting the fans but unfortunately for him they had the last laugh as the Hawks beat the Rockets 106-94 (albeit without James Harden and Dwight Howard)
After the game Smith didn’t hold back his thoughts speaking with ESPN.
“I mean, those fans are fickle, very fickle and bandwagoners,” Smith said. “It really doesn’t mean anything to me.”
The Hawks have had issues with fan support for many years but it looks like they finally have a team to believe in.
