Hawks beat Wizards

By Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Josh Smith won't hide his ambitions this year.

He wants to be an All-Star. But he'd gladly settle for a spot on the All-Defensive team, an honor that's eluded him his first five seasons despite his shot-blocking prowess.

The difference between the aspirations Smith had earlier in his career and now center on his understanding that the team's success comes first and the residual benefits usually follow in the form of individual honors.

"After all the goals we have as a team -- and we have lots of them -- those are definitely my goals," Smith said before the Hawks' 113-95 preseason win over Washington Monday night at Philips Arena. "And I don't think they are too far fetched. I'm six years into my career and I've tasted some success. I want more of that, for my team and myself, in that order."

When told that Smith mentioned both the All-Star team and the All-Defensive team as goals for this season, Hawks coach Mike Woodson smiled.

"He beat me to it," Woodson said. "We haven't had a chance to have a sit down yet before the [regular season] starts. But those are the things I was going to lay out for him, as well. At this stage of career those are the kind of goals he's supposed to have. I would be disappointed if he didn't, because I think he's more than capable of accomplishing both of those things."

How Smith goes about making his case for those honors this season remains a bit of a mystery. He's always been a feared shot blocker and one of the league's most mercurial talents. Yet he's never sniffed the All-Defensive team.

"I've worked really hard on that part of my game in the past few years and especially this past summer," he said. "Honestly, I would appreciate making the All-Defensive team more than anything because I know I haven't been appreciated for it early on in my career. I've heard people say, ‘Well blocking shots doesn’t always mean someone's playing great defense.'

"I disagree. It's hard work, too. It's a game changer as well. If you do it right, you can change the game on any play. And if it was so easy to do, there would be a lot more guys blocking a lot of shots."

With Smith already on the same wavelength, Woodson won't have to do as much work convincing him to make his presence felt all over the floor this season.

"It's not always about scoring the ball," Woodson said. "Sometimes it's about leading the league in rebounding or being the best defensive player in the league that helps you make an All-Star team. I remember Ben Wallace making a few that way. Defending and rebounding win games. Anything you can do to help your team makes the difference.

"But I want Josh thinking big and aiming high with all his goals. I want him to shoot for all of it, so long as it helps this team win games."

Veterans make debut

Both Joe Smith and Jason Collins made their first appearances as Hawks in Monday's win. Smith was the first player off the bench and finished with four rebounds and two points in his 14 minutes. Collins had four points and four rebounds in just seven minutes.

Jamal Crawford returned to action after missing three straight games with a left calf strain and led the Hawks with nine assists off the bench.