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The Questions with Joe Smith/Bucks Forward

What was your welcome-to-the-NBA moment?
My first game [in '95 with Golden State] I had a jump ball against "The Dream," Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets. He used his leverage, and he also kind of elbowed me in the nose. At that moment I figured out it's not just how high you can jump. I found out I wasn't in college anymore.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
I haven't had one yet, and I'm hoping I don't have one after all these years. That would be embarrassing.

If I weren't in the NBA, I'd be ...
A rapper. I put a studio in my basement, and I'm working on a CD. I like hip-hop; Eminem's my favorite.

If I were commissioner for a day, I would ...
Change the rules back so you can be aggressive on defense. [Rules against] hand-checking and stuff like that make it tough. You have some of the quickest guards the NBA has ever seen. Now when a guard is one-on-one with another guard, it's almost impossible to guard him.

Last Week

Smith had 10 points, nine rebounds in a loss to the Warriors, who drafted him No. 1.

This Week

The Bucks visit the Wizards on Monday. Last month Smith had a season-high 24 points against them.

COLOR PHOTO

MARK GOLDMAN/ICON SMI (SMITH)

COLOR PHOTO

TANNEN MAURY/EPA (SMITH ACTION)