Atlanta's Success Hinges on Josh Smith's Quest for Consistency

Filed under: Hawks, Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's not veteran Joe Johnson, their best player who got the sweetest new contract in the NBA this summer. And it's not young Al Horford, their second-best player who followed with that $60 million extension.



It's not the two NBA All-Stars who will determine if the Atlanta Hawks can take the next step and learn to play with the serious contenders in the Eastern Conference.



It's enigmatic Josh Smith, the talented and versatile but still temperamental forward who holds the key to the Atlanta Hawks.



And that's probably not a good sign.



So much talent, but still too much inconsistency. At least when it comes to challenging Boston, Miami and Orlando in the East.



"He is sort of the wild card,'' admitted first-year Hawks coach Larry Drew, whose most important task this season might be finding the right buttons to push with Smith. "When he's going well, we go well.''

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/09/atlantas-success-hinges-on-josh-smiths-quest-for-consistency/