<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">There were guys who did the dirty work at La Salle University to help allow Steven Smith to score 1,940 points over four years. As a rookie free agent with the Sixers, Smith is going to have to do the dirty work ? like diving for loose balls, rebounding, defending ? if he's going to make the roster. ?For myself, it's not (a difficult adjustment),? Smith said yesterday after practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. ?I'm an undrafted rookie,'' said Smith, a Philadelphia native. ?Coming out of a small school, there's no way somebody in my position should think they're going to come right in and be the man. ?We've got two Hall of Fame guys on this team (Allen Iverson and Chris Webber). We've got to be hungry and come in and be ready to do the little things. It's great. There's not anywhere I'd rather be than right here.? Smith, fellow free-agent forward Ivan McFarlin and former Temple University point guard Rick Brunson are likely battling for the final one or two spots, depending if the Sixers keep 14 or 15 players. They have 16 with three preseason games remaining, starting Friday night at New Jersey. The regular season begins Nov. 1. ?It's a hard choice,? coach Maurice Cheeks said. ?It's not cut and dried. When it comes down to it, it's a difficult situation. We're just going to see where it goes. ?Steven is a hard-nosed player, an executor. Steve is a little more of a finesse player than Ivan. You can see he's been well-coached. He knows how to screen, knows how to run set offenses.? While McFarlin may have an advantage in that he's been a role player since high school, the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Smith gets to do it in his hometown. Before starring at La Salle, where he was the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in his junior and senior seasons while earning a bachelor's degree in business management, Smith starred at Northeast High School. In Saturday's 102-100 preseason loss to the visiting Knicks, Smith contributed four points and one rebound in 11 minutes. He's averaging 3.0 points in 14 minutes in two games ? numbers that pale in comparison to his 18.3 points and 39.6 minutes at La Salle. ?It was unbelievable to be able to play at the Wachovia Center straight out of college,? said Smith, who had plenty of family and friends in the stands. ?It still felt like at home ? just in a lot bigger place than La Salle. I had the whole city there watching. It was fun. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that for a long time.? While admittedly disappointed he wasn't drafted in June, Smith didn't sit around and sulk. He played for the Warriors at the Las Vegas Summer League and the Sixers in the Rocky Mountain Revue, and played well for both. After considering a professional offer to go overseas, Smith, 23, agreed to attend Sixers camp for the non-guaranteed rookie minimum of $412,748. The rest is up to him and the Sixers' brain trust. ?I know I can (make the team),? Smith said. ?The only thing I can control is my performance during practice and how much effort I give. As long as I do what I'm supposed to do in practice and do things that are going to help this team succeed, there's nothing else I can control. ?It's one of those things, in my opinion, that are going to come down to the wire. I love the game. Hopefully, my effort and the way I play will give me that big reward.? </div> Link
I hope he makes the team, and that he has a good career. This guy was one hell of a college player, and he's got some versatility and potential to play that sort of power 3 spot, a la Ryan Gomes.
I really hope he makes the team also, he brings alot of skills to the table, he's a guy we could really use.
I would be completely shocked if Smith got cut. He has performed extremely well. Randolph made the team last season while doing less than Smith is at the moment.
