Joe Smith Replaces Sean May on Nets

Filed under: Hawks, Nets, NBA Free Agents

The Nets announced Friday the team had signed 35-year-old forward Joe Smith, less than a week after waiving Sean May, who had suffered a stress fracture in his foot while preparing for training camp. Smith played for the Hawks last season, and the Nets will be his 11th team in his 16th NBA season. Smith is only one of 101 NBA players in history to play at least 1,000 regular season games; for comparison's sake, graying Tim Duncan will reach that threshold this season, and Kurt Thomas is still 34 games away.



That speaks of commendable longevity, even if Smith, the No. 1 pick in 1995, didn't exactly peak as highly as most believed he would. What's not clear is whether Smith is helping his team on the court as this point. Deposed Hawks coach Mike Woodson didn't seem to think so, with Smith's minutes dropping off a shelf, as this sparkline of Joe's career minutes-per-game average shows: . Smith has been a roleplayer for several years; at this point, but last year, at fewer than 10 minutes a game, he had basically become a bit player.

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/11/joe-smith-replaces-sean-may-on-nets/