Carmelo's unstoppable play for the East's best @NYKnicks puts him at the top of Race to the @Kia MVP - http://NBA.com/mvp-ladder
3:01 PM - 14 Dec 12 · Details
Josh Smith Shaking
Critics One By One
Dec. 14 -- Few players in basketball inspire debate the way Hawks forward Josh Smith does.
Folks either love or hate his game.
It's been going on this way from the moment he set foot on the stage at Madison Square Garden on Draft night in 2004, when the hometown Hawks selected him with the 17th pick and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas dropped that hard-to-shake label on him.
"If you had to pick which guy was most likely to be a bust in the first round, it would be this guy," Bilas said. "He has no right hand, and he can't shoot."
Smith has been fighting that characterization one way or another since he's been in the league, being skewered for his perceived shortcomings when he doesn't play the way fans and pundits want, yet producing in ways that few players can match.
He is well on his way to becoming one of just 24 players in league history to reach 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 2,000 assists and 1,000 blocks and just the ninth player to do so with one team, joining a list of Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Julius Erving, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett.
(Both Shawn Marion and Rasheed Wallace could join this list this season, but not one of the guys who have done it with one team.)
That's pretty lofty company for a guy picked as the most likely first-round bust of his class.
Smith joins another elite list this week, making his season debut on the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder fresh off an Eastern Conference Player of the Week nod. The Hawks, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, are shoving their way into the top three of the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Smith is averaging a team-leading 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals, as Atlanta, at 14-6, is tied with the NBA- and Southeast Division-champion Miami Heat.
"He's impacting games in every way imaginable and doing it as the team leader, a role some of us weren't sure he was capable of handling when they traded Joe Johnson to Brooklyn," said a Western Conference executive. "I'll be the first to admit that I've had to throw away some of my old notes on him. He's grown up a lot. He's matured over the years and he's really settled into his game in ways that have been great for the Hawks."
Oh, and as for Bilas' lick about Smith being a poor shooter? For years, the data backed that up -- particularly Smith's 3-point shooting (he'd never shot over 33 percent before this season). Hawks fans, innocent basketball bystanders, analysts and basketball purists around the globe have been groaning for years when they see the 6-foot-9 lefty line up a 3-pointer.
This season, Smith is shooting an outlandish .433 (13-for-30) from deep, in the same neighborhood as Hawks specialist and 3-point leader, Kyle Korver (.438).
None of it surprises Hawks coach Larry Drew, who has been with Smith every step of the way in his NBA career, first as an assistant coach and now in his third season as the Hawks' coach.
"He is certainly a player, one of the few players, who can impact the game on both ends of the floor," Drew said. "But as a young man I'm proud of how he has matured. I notice something different about him every year we come back. You can see that he is going to take every challenge I throw at him. That is who he is."
The next five: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder;Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs; Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz;David Lee, Golden State Warriors; Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks
Falling out: Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers
Got something to say about this week's Race to the MVP Ladder?Give us a shout!
1
Carmelo Anthony : New York Knicks
LAST WEEK: 36.3 ppg | 4.7 rpg | 1.3 apg
Anthony has come a long way since Linsanity, that stretch last year when Knicks fans were actually questioning whether he should step aside and let Jeremy Lin lead New York. Anthony is a legitimate threat to shake up the MVP race everyone thought would be a two-man competition. He's setting the table every night for the best team in the East (36.3 points on .566 shooting from the floor, .550 from deep, in the past three games). He had 
30 on 10-for-15 shooting in just 23 minutes (sprained ankle) in the win over the Lakers last night. Minus injury this season, he's been unstoppable.
30 on 10-for-15 shooting in just 23 minutes (sprained ankle) in the win over the Lakers last night. Minus injury this season, he's been unstoppable.
2
Kevin Durant : Oklahoma City Thunder
LAST WEEK: 25.7 ppg | 5.7 rpg | 4.0 apg
Durant is putting together one of those mercurial seasons that other superstars wish they could and somehow he seems to be doing it without much national fanfare. He's scoring (27.3), rebounding (8.5) and facilitating (4.3) for the Thunder in the same way the reigning MVP does for the Miami Heat. The Thunder aren't having any trouble putting teams away, though. They've won 17 of their past 19 games and nine straight heading into tonight's game against the Kings.
3
LeBron James : Miami Heat
LAST WEEK: 27.3 ppg | 5.0 rpg | 6.0 apg
LeBron hasn't had to go through the sort of three-man MVP shuffle he's dealing with this season in quite some time. He hasn't been able to separate himself from the other contenders the way he did last season, when he was statistically head and shoulders above the rest. He's playing lights out (26.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his last 10 games) but the Heat have stumbled of late, playing uncharacteristic .500 ball (3-3) this month.
4
Chris Paul : Los Angeles Clippers
LAST WEEK: 17.3 ppg | 7.3 apg | 2.0 spg
Whatever was bothering Paul and the Clippers during that mini-slide last month has vanished. Paul's been on a tear and the Clippers have followed suit, winning eight straight games and scoring 100 or more points in seven of those games. Paul's new aggressive offensive approach, however, has had as much to do with the Clippers picking up the pace as anything. Paul has these Clippers looking like the contender many thought they could be.
5
Zach Randolph : Memphis Grizzlies
LAST WEEK: 17.0 ppg | 10.0 rpg | 0.7 bpg
Z-Bo has been steady even as the Grizzlies have stumbled a bit here recently, losing three of their last five games and showing a few signs of fatigue since their early season assault on the West standings. Randolph's consistency on the glass (12.8 rpg) all season is easily the most impressive aspect of his work this season. He's grabbed double-digit rebounds in all but three games this season.
6
Kobe Bryant : Los Angeles Lakers
LAST WEEK: 35.5 ppg | 4.5 rpg | 4.5 apg
If the MVP formula was strictly about statistics, Kobe would have to rank among the top two or three players on anyone's list. Tracy McGrady might have two or three MVP's, too. So enough of that foolishness. While Bryant continues to shoot and score the Lakers out of their current mess, the Lakers continue to struggle. They are 1-11 this season when he scores 30 or more points. He has to come up with another method or simply wait like Mike D'Antoni and everyone else and see if Steve Nash's return fixes some of the Lakers' outstanding issues.
7
Josh Smith : Atlanta Hawks
LAST WEEK: 20.0 ppg | 6.8 apg | 4.0 apg
The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the Hawks All-Star (whoops, he's still waiting for the powers that be to get that right) is putting together a stellar all-around season as the face of the franchise. The Hawks are 11-2 in their last 13 games behind the versatility of Smith and fellow franchise pillar Al Horford's dirty work inside and out. But Smith's ability to create scoring opportunities for others set him apart from most power forwards in the league.
8
Tim Duncan : San Antonio Spurs
LAST WEEK: 14.2 ppg | 10.8 apg | 3.2 bpg
Who you calling old? Not Timothy Theodore Duncan, who has rediscovered his youth a bit this season for the seemingly ageless warriors from San Antonio. Duncan's 22 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks against the JazzWednesday night marked the fourth time in his career he posted a 20/20/5 game, the most of any active player. The only other player in the league to come close to that mark is fellow graybeard Marcus Camby, whose done it three times. The fact that Duncan can still do it at 36 makes it even more remarkable.
22 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks against the JazzWednesday night marked the fourth time in his career he posted a 20/20/5 game, the most of any active player. The only other player in the league to come close to that mark is fellow graybeard Marcus Camby, whose done it three times. The fact that Duncan can still do it at 36 makes it even more remarkable.