Rockets get Josh Smith back in trade with Clippers
Houston Rockets
HOUSTON(FOX26) - NBA sources confirm Rockets get Josh Smith back in trade with Clippers
The Houston Rockets will get Josh Smith and cash from the Clippers, they send rights to forward Marty Leunen
Talking with FOX 26 Sports Director Mark Berman Josh Smith had this to say about his return to the Rockets:
"I'm excited. I feel great. It's a place that I probably should have never left."
"Being able to get an opportunity to play for a city and a team and a fan bas that I will always cherish. . . It's amazing."
"I hope I bring leadership, an opportunity to relieve some pressure off of James and Dwight a little bit . . . Jut to be able to be that glue, that missing piece that they need in order for us to keep going forward."
"I look at the team as being right there, just missing a couple of pieces and I feel like I'm one of those missing pieces"
JB Bickerstaff says landing a player like Josh Smith, who he is familiar with, will help him a great deal:
“It’s huge. It gives us a leg up. We don’t have to start all the way over with him. We don’t have to teach him everything we do. He’s familiar with how his teammates like the ball. He’s familiar with how to play pick and roll with Dwight. He knows how to play pick and roll with James. So that gives us a huge advantage.”
“He fits here well with us. How we relate to Josh, how he relates with his teammates, all those things make a big difference in how effective guys can be on the floor. Chemistry is a big part of that. I think his relationship with our guys helps him there. We have a comfort level with him. We have high expectations for him.”
NBA sources confirm that the Clippers are sending the Rockets $460,000 to cover the remaining part of Josh Smith's salary and rights to Sergei Lishouk.