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Josh Smith gives his take on 'family' comment

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports

Josh Smith wants you to stop thinking he's greedy.

When discussing his motivations for deciding to join the 2015-16 iteration of the Los Angeles Clippers at the team's introductory pres conference earlier in July, Smith noted the obvious factors: the opportunity to play alongside elite talent, the prospect of winning a championship, and the chance to prove that he's a team player.

Nestled within his explanation, however, was one little nugget which would later be mined for its confounding implications.

It wasn't about the money because of the Detroit situation. At the end of the day, you know, I do have a family. So it is going to be a little harder on me this year. But I'm going to push through it and, you know, try to do something long term after this year.

Now, more than a week later, with Smith no longer sitting in the eye of the storm that is NBA gossip and media scrutiny, he has resurfaced to clear the air on how his comments were misconstrued.

In a piece entitled "Facts Only" published by The Players' Tribune on Thursday, Smith provided his perspective on the situation.

"Apparently the headline was: Josh Smith went to the Clippers press conference and said he didn’t make enough money? Even the idea of it is kind of ridiculous," Smith said. "Anyone who knows me, or knows how one-year contracts work in the NBA, understood what I was saying. This is my third team in less than a year. I was talking about how moving affects my family. But the headline about greed was the one everyone ran with."

Smith said his remarks merely implied that moving from team to team (the Clippers will be Smith's third employer in less than one calendar year) can take a toll on a player's family, especially when that player signs a contract for only one year.

The instability that comes with such short-term deals often proves challenging as players must consider whether to uproot their families, have their children transfer schools, and establish a new home with uncertainty being the only constant.

"When I was waived from Detroit this year, it meant I had to move to Houston in the middle of the year. Like any parent, you think about how your work affects your kids. You want consistency for your kids – consistent teachers, consistent friends, a consistent home. You want some normalcy for them," Smith explained. " ... I can tell you that the conversations this offseason between me and my wife were more about where they’d go to school than about finances."

Just two short years ago, Smith was wrapping up his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks. Today, he finds himself 2,200 miles away from the city in which he spent the first nine years of his pro career.

To his credit, Smith has not forgotten what his time in Atlanta has done for his quality of life.

"I’ll always have love for the Hawks, where I started – and to have earned a good living. I didn’t grow up wealthy, so I know how much it means to have security," he said.

Poised to help the Clippers – the very team he and his former squad, the Houston Rockets, bounced out of last year's playoffs – make a run at a championship, Smith hopes that those who viewed his initial comments as greedy can now take his own point of view into consideration when making a judgment.

So, don't get it twisted – J-Smoove is no Latrell Sprewell.

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