Cavs’ Smith prepared for return to playoffs

Cleveland opens the postseason Saturday against the Wizards.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

CLEVELAND — With a quick smile and an easy-going personality, Joe Smith fits in well on any team.

“That’s just the way I am,” the Cavaliers forward said.

Smith probably never imagined those two things being as important to his NBA career as an ability to score or defend.

But play for eight teams in 13 seasons — four in the last 16 months — and those two traits come in handy. It’s a big reason why Smith has quickly fit in with the Cavs, with whom he makes his return to the playoffs with this weekend.

“There’s a lot of good guys on this team that allow me to express myself and allow me to be who I am at the same time,” Smith said.

Smith came to the Cavs in an 11-player, three-team trade Feb. 21. It was the third time he was traded during a season, including the last two years.

“After it happens a couple times, you get used to it,” Smith said. “With my personality, I feel I’m able to fit in, able to blend in wherever I go. And I’m always going to go out there and try to play consistent basketball, and I think a lot of my teammates admire that.”

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound former national college player of the year provides the Cavs with solid play off the bench. He is adept at hitting mid-range jumpers and is a confident defender.

He is also not afraid to be “another voice out there on the floor that people will respect because of some of the things I’ve been through. You always need somebody like that on the floor.”

And he is eager to make the most of a return to the playoffs after not making it last year when he finished the season in Philadelphia.

“This will be special if we’re able to keep on advancing and ... then I can experience what it is like down the line in the playoffs,” Smith said.

For all of his time in the NBA, including six previous trips to the playoffs, Smith has never been on a team that survived the first round.

The opponent this year is the Wizards, which Smith doesn’t mind. That means playing at least two games in Washington D.C., which is not too far from where he grew up.

Smith starred at the University of Maryland, where he became the third sophomore to win ACC Player of the Year honors. That was in 1995 when he also was the consensus national player of the year.

A few months later, the Golden State Warriors made him the top pick in the draft, and his long NBA journey was under way.

Two-plus seasons as a Warrior, a half season in Philadelphia, two seasons in Minnesota, a year in Detroit, back to Minnesota for two seasons, three years in Milwaukee, splitting a season between Denver and Philadelphia before splitting this season between Chicago and Cleveland.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “A lot of people may have expected more or whatever, but the way I look at it my roles have changed throughout my career depending upon the team. In Minnesota, Kevin Garnett was the go-to guy. My first couple years, I was a go-to guy [in Golden State]. I had to adjust my roles ... and the good thing was, I was able to do it.

“People have admired me for that. People have really appreciated what I bring to the floor. That’s something I’m really proud of.”

He looks back most fondly on his days with the Warriors and Timberwolves. He averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game with the Warriors his second year in the league. He was a part of 50-win teams in Minnesota.

“When you do things like that, that’s something you’ll always remember,” Smith said.