Josh Smith still battling weight problems

Coming into this off-season, there were three talented-but-oversized big men whose weight was being closely monitored.

The first is Jared Sullinger, who not only told people that he was shedding the pounds, he took a picture to prove it. There was some discussion that losing the weight would be bad for Sullinger and the Buckeyes, which was silly. He's not losing any strength or size. He's getting rid of the baby fat, which will only help his endurance, explosiveness, and quickness. Be afraid, Big Ten. Be very afraid.

The second big man whose weight has made headlines this offseason is Renardo Sidney. The oft-troubled Mississippi State Bulldog spent a large part of May and June working out with John Lucas in Houston. He shed 23 pounds, although he had also ballooned up to 320 lbs prior to changing venue. But Sidney also made the decision to continue working out with Lucas instead of joining Mississippi State on a trip to Europe, which leads one to believe that this weight loss is happening with the goal of succeeding in the NBA, not winning the SEC West.

The third player on that list?


UCLA's Josh Smith.

And let's just say the summer isn't going quite as well for Smith as head coach Ben Howland would like. Smith -- who was listed at 6'10" and 305 lbs, which may have been generous considering how snug his jersey was as a freshman -- has apparently put on 10 pounds since the end of the season, which is more-than-likely the exact opposite of what Howland was hoping for.

Now to be fair, those added lbs are probably weight that he will lose once the season begins; with the amount of work that a basketball team puts in during the first weeks of practice, just about everyone loses some weight, including the guys that are already in great shape. But the fact that Smith hasn't been able to get his act together to lose weight on his own is quite disconcerting.

You see, for a guy his size, Smith is incredibly talented. He's a load to handle on the block, getting to the offensive backboards at will and being almost impossible to prevent from getting position in the post. He also had great hands, a soft touch, and a solid-yet-developing back-to-the-basket game. He's got almost everything you look for from an NBA center.

Except for his belly.

What does it say about his work ethic that he has been unable to get into shape? What does it say about his desire to become a better basketball player? Making light of a kid that is battling weight issues is not ok. But Smith is an athlete, and has the potential and the physical gifts to be a very profitable one. He stands to make a great deal of money in the NBA if he puts in the effort to eat better, work out more, and lose that extra weight.

If he can't be bothered to get into the gym, just how promising is his career?

(This isn't the first time we've questioned Smith's maturity in this space. He had issues during the season as well.)