Lang Whitaker is many things - executive editor of Slam Magazine, a columnist for SI.com, and most importantly, a die-hard Hawks fan. For 2007-08 , Lang will be sharing his thoughts on the team in an exclusive column for Hawks.com. Check back every Wednesday throughout the season to read his latest musings, and read him every day at www.SLAMonline.com

"The Maturation Of Josh Smith"
by Lang Whitaker

Last week I called out Joe Johnson, wondering where he's been the last few weeks. JJ then had a nice week, but as it turned out it was Josh Smith who stepped up and took control. He had a ridiculous week, averaging 22 ppg, 6 rpg and 6 apg, along with 3 blocks a night. Most importantly, in those four games he averaged only 2.5 turnovers per game.

Thus far this season, watching J-Smoove has been an exercise in extremes. He's great to watch because there's really no other player like him in the NBA. He can jump over anyone, swat any shot. Sometimes, watching Josh Smith play is like watching a single character from "NBA Jams" transplanted into a game of "NBA Live." And then there's the down side: the bad passes, the wild jumpers, the avoidable fouls that Josh can't avoid.

The bad parts of Josh's game can usually be chalked up to inexperience—remember, he only turned 22 years old last week. (When I was 22, I was living with my parents and trying to figure out a way to finance a PlayStation 2 using multiple credit cards.)

Reader David Beckman send me an email this week that said, in part: "Please use your position to do you and me both a favor -- tell Josh Smith to never shoot a jump shot again. Swear to him for both of us that he can be a 20 pt. scorer without shooting jumpers. For the love of God, really, end the agony for me now."

Well, Becks, last night I actually did tell Josh about this. Specifically, I said I'd gotten an email from a reader asking Josh to not shoot any more jump shots, that he could still average 20 a night. Josh kind of looked into the distance for a second and then smiled and said, "See, the thing is…"

At which point I cut Josh off, because I knew exactly where he was going, and correctly so. I understand your feeling, David, but it's not that simple. If J-Smoove never jacks up another jumper, the rest of the League will pack the paint and either draw a charge or make Josh jump over five guys in the lane every time he touches the ball. His jumper keeps defenders honest, and as his shot improves -- and it continue to improve -- he's just going to become more and more dangerous. Josh knows he can get better, and he's working on his game. And the Hawks need to figure out how to best utilize him, too. As a restricted free agent next summer, if he keeps playing like he's capable of playing, I have a feeling the Hawks aren't going to be the only team wanting to see Josh playing on their squad.

The ceiling is high for Josh, both literally and figuratively. I just hope he's still wearing a Hawks uniform when he hits that ceiling.

(By the way, if anyone knows how to get past the level of "Call of Duty 4" that involves "a bunch of guys coming off a helicopter at you," let me know how to beat it and I'll pass word on to Josh, because Smoove says he's really frustrated by it.)

MAILING IT IN:
This week's letter comes from reader Ananth, who writes in from Hanover, New Hampshire…

Hi Lang,
I enjoy reading your column every week. It is nice to know that there are not only Hawks fan out there (here in NH, I am surrounded by Celtics fans), but Hawks fans who can publish their loyalty. My question to you is: What do you make of Coach Woodson? I am trying to figure out his role in the Hawks growth, performance and inconsistency. I find it irritating that the Hawks don't push the ball and attempt to overwhelm their opponents with their athleticism in every game. Is this Woodson's fault? Does he reach and relate to the players well? There are always whispers of confrontations with players (Smith, Johnson, Salim...) or a broken and fractured locker room. But, I also read that Woodson gets the team to play hard every night. Is he the right coach for the Hawks?

Thanks for writing in all the way from Dartmouth, Ananth. Now go study! (And order me some wings from EBA's!)

I'm not around the locker room enough to know every little thing that's happening, but from what I can glean from talking to the guys and being around the locker room, Woody's still got their ears (especially Al Horford's ears, which are hard to miss). And having spent time in a lot of time in various NBA locker rooms, I think the Hawks actually have a pretty good atmosphere in their's.

As for Woody, he can't take all the blame for the Hawks' up-tempo offense occasionally looking more like a waltz than the Souljah Boy. I do think he could turn 'em loose a little more, but remember, Woody's learning this up-tempo offense along with the players. Woody's career record isn't eye-popping in a good way, but the important thing to me is that the Hawks have posted a better record each season Woody's been in charge. Also, when an NBA coach is charged with tutoring younger guys, usually it's just one or two young guys out of a group of 15 players. Woody's been dealing with nearly an entire roster of youngsters.

And hey, at least we're not the Falcons!

Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com. He can be reached at lang@harris-pub.com. The best email he receives each week will run in this column.