Smith opens up about release by Pistons, criticism

Josh Smith returns to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday night with the Houston Rockets, and he's completely at peace with his stunning December release by the Detroit Pistons. 

Smith talked about how his much-maligned Pistons tenure came to an end - starting with a text from Stan Van Gundy - in an interview with Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, and got candid about the criticism of his game by pundits and fans:

You know, I'm not a guy walking around with DUIs on my record, or bar fights ... I mean, I understand criticism comes with this, but … I feel sometimes like I did something harmful to somebody's kid.

All parties seem happy about how things have worked out, although both teams now face issues. The Pistons went 12-3 in their first 15 games after Smith's release, but have dropped four straight since losing point guard Brandon Jennings for the season.

Smith, whose 2013 signing in Detroit was a head-scratcher given the makeup of the Pistons frontcourt, is contributing off the bench for a Houston team he wanted to go to in the first place. Yet the Rockets are now dealing with another injury to center (and Smith's childhood friend) Dwight Howard.

After Smith arrived in Houston four days after being waived by the Pistons, Rockets coach Kevin McHale's experiment in starting Smith lasted four games. His 27.5 percent shooting in those contests brought Donatas Motiejunas back to the starting lineup, and since coming off the bench, Smith has played better.

Here's a breakdown of Smith's 20 games with the Rockets this season vs. 28 games with the Pistons.