Josh Smith Traded from LA Clippers Back to Houston

Josh Smith, who finished last season with the Houston Rockets, and then signed with the LA Clippers in the offseason, has been traded back to Houston.

Smith didn’t play Thursday night when the Clippers lost on the road to the Cavs. Houston is giving up virtually nothing. On the surface, it seems like something may have transpired between Smith and Doc Rivers that led to this.

Talk about a bizarre situation. Smith was an integral player in Houston – he helped beat the Clippers in the playoffs, erasing a 3-1 series deficit – and his signing with Los Angeles seemed like a surprise. He was supposed to help the Clippers add some punch to their bench, but he’s done none of that, playing a career-low 14.3 minutes a night – this despite the Clippers being without Blake Griffin for an extended period of time.

The Rockets? Who knows what the hell they’re doing. Clearly the most disappointing team in the NBA – 22-22, 7th seed in the West – Houston has fired their coach, can’t play anything resembling defense, and don’t look like a team ready to return to the Western Conference Finals.

[UPDATE: We missed Josh Smith slap boxing on the bench with Lance Stephenson this week. While the Clippers were in overtime.]