Here are three positive things about not signing Smith:
1. There’s no need to examine the possibility of changing the entire offense for a back-to-the-basket post player. An interesting chart in ESPN’s College Basketball Preview issue showed that Spencer Hawes was one of the rare, recent one-and-done players to have a negative effect on his team’s results. With their current makeup, post guys like Jon Brockman or Tyreese Breshers may be better suited to thrive at UW. That’s not to say Josh wouldn’t have put up spectacular numbers here, but maybe it would’ve been to the detriment of the program as a whole. Maybe.
2. “One-and-done” guys are a mixed blessing. Yes, the results bear out that teams generally have success in the years that one-and-done players attend their schools. Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse is the best example of a guy coming in for a single season and, basically, delivering a national championship all by himself. But, is there a more icky part of following the sport than seeing a guy unapologetically use a season of college ball as nothing more than a pro audition?
I know, I’m naive. A lot of the players we watch will stay in school only as long as they need to in order to land an NBA job. There’s just something that doesn’t sit well when it’s so obvious from the very start. (I know: there’s no guarantee that Josh leaves school after his freshman year. But, the “one-and-done” tag has been applied to Josh for months, so I’ll bet he is.)
3. It’s going to be even sweeter whooping UCLA’s butt next season. There’s an old saying that goes, “the best revenge is living well.” I’m thinking we’re going to live very well next year, even without Josh, while UCLA may be in year two of what looks like a semi-rebuilding phase.
Montlake Madness truly wishes Josh well: no injuries, a basketball career as great as he’s willing to work to make it, etc. Everything but victories at the college level.
Sure, it hurts to lose a blue-chip, hometown guy. But, if it should turn out that the Dawgs are busy making a run through the Tournament long after Josh and UCLA have finished their season?
We’ll send a postcard, and you can bet it won’t say “wish you were here.”